Travel advise and airports

[RODNY SEBBY]

Myself and my lady Sherry are planning on coming to Ecuador next April (2013) we want to look at several locations for a possible move to Ecuador. Right now I am kind of partial to the Cotacachi area and then Vilcabamba and Loha areas, I like rural living and great weather. Anyway I have read that the Quito airport may be moved by the time we travel and then further I read that the airport at Loha is also under renovation or repair, so the question is where to fly into and how to get to the areas we are interested in? We plan to stay for about 3 weeks to get a feel for these areas. Any suggestions appreciated as we are both a little nervous about how we will get around to the places we want to visit especially since we are just starting a computer Spanish course.

Thanks again
Rodny

[SUZAN HASKINS]

The new Quito airport in scheduled to open February 20, 2013 — so all the kinks should be worked out and everything should be running smoothly by April. By kinks, I don’t mean anything to do with safety but with logistics of moving people through customs and ground transportation into Quito and beyond. They’re still working on the access roads so check back with me as you get closer to your travel time and I can give you a better idea about whether you’ll want to spend the night in Quito or come directly to Cotacachi, for instance.

As for Loja, yes that airport is closed and I am not sure when it is scheduled to re-open. You’ll notice if you try to book tickets online through Tame Airlines (www.tame.com.ec)l it will tell you the airport is closed and give you the option of flying to Cumbaratza airport instead. I’m not eactly sure but think that airport may be 90 minutes or so by ground transfer from Loja. There’s no reason to make this reservation very far in advance, so I’d hold off on this, too. An option is to fly to Cuenca and then get ground transfer from there to Loja (about 4 hours). You could even spend a few nights in Cuenca just to see if that city appeals to you.

[MIKE GEIGER]

I also have a question relating to travel which you may have already answered above. I plan to visit Ecuador Jan through Mar 2013. I want to stay in Vilacamba. Do I have to clear Immigrations in Quito or is it possible to clear in Quenca. I have traveled to Argentina 8 times and always cleared immigrations in BA. I thought it was customary to clear Immigration in all Latin american Countries through the capital city.

Thanks,
Mike Geiger

[SUZAN HASKINS]

You have to clear customs at the point of entry — at the international airport in either Quito or Guayaquil. Not all, but most flights arriving in Quito — at least from the US — do so late at night, requiring an overnight stay in Quito before traveling on. Domestic flights operate only during daylight hours.

[CHRYS HALYBURTON]

I wonder if travelling this coming Thanksgiving and or Christmas is good idea – I want to spend some time in Cuenca. Is flying to Guayaquil the best place to start from ?

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Chrys, you won’t be surprised to know that Thanksgiving is just another day here for locals so no worries on this end. Christmas is another story and all depends on your travel days. Whether to arrive first in Guayaquil or Quito largely depends on where you’re coming from. Sites like Kayak will help you with that decision.

[DIANE OUTERBRIDGE]

Rodney, my husband (Bob) and I did your “trip” last May-July. We’d planned to go it alone for 6 wks but ended up on a “Crash Course Ecuador” tour which covered survival spanish, culture, history and just siimply had a great time exploring. When we ended in Cuenca, we went on our own by great bus service to Loja, where we switched to a different bus into Vilcabamba. (There’s a GREAT restaurant right across the street from the bus station there where we quickly went…dragging our rollaboards with us…for a wonderful almuerzo (lunch). In Cuenca we were ushered into the bus depot by an english speaking fellow who took us to the correct desk to buy our tickets ($7.50/2) to Loja. From there on, we were comfortable on the buses. DIRECTO is a good word to know when asking about buses…sometimes it does mean “non-stop”!. Have fun and be willing to ask questions in broken spanish and you’ll be surprised how easily people will help you with their broken english. The Ecuadorians are beautiful, helpful, friendly people. We’re ending up in Pakakuna Gardens (outside Quito).

[MARK SCHULTHEISS]

Would you please the review tipping culture re: meal service, taxi, hotel et al?

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Hi Mark, we just answered this in the other thread…

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