Weather/ Population Questions??

[SONYA PEICK]

When is the rainy season? What is the population of Cotacahi? It is so hard to find any info about Ecuador, so am grateful for this place.

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Population of the town of Cotacachi is about 8,000, but it is also the capital of the ‘canton’ — like a county, and there are many other towns in the canton. Rainy season varies by what part of the country you are in. In Cotacachi, it can rain any time, but the rainy ‘season’ is typically Nov. or Dec. through March or April.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Sonya, I’m surprised to see your comment about lack of info for Ecuador. Trust me, there’s information overload compared to what was out there five years ago! Don’t count on predictable data about our seasons. Locals say the patterns have changed considerably. Here in Cuenca we’ve had consistent rainy, overcast weather for the last two months–in the middle of the “dry” season.

[MALCOLM CHADWICK]

Hi – my wife Jenn and I are beginning the process of checking out ‘suitable’ retirement locales in Ecuador for three to four months out of the year; most likely from mid-November to around the end of March (to get away from the cold, dreary Canadian winters). We are very interested in what we’ve heard about Ecuador so far, except for the weather. We are tentatively planning on visiting Ecuador next year to check things out. Might anyone ‘in-the-know’ advise us about possible locations to scout out that might satisfy the following criteria and save us some time and $ in our search?

– time of year – mid-November to end of March (give or take a couple of weeks)
– weather (this is our most important criteria!) – warm and mostly sunny during the day with an acceptable range of 70 – 85 degrees or so, not too humid, cooler at night is fine
– not in a city but preferably near (e.g., 30 – 60 miles or so) to one. In or near a village or small town is okay
– great view (prefer ocean but mountains or other panoramic vista would be quite acceptable)
– not too ‘buggy’
– housing/accommodations would offer the basic amenities but not too rustic(e.g., electricity, internet, phone, running water, etc.) and grocery/produce shopping nearby

Thanks in advance…

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

Hi Malcolm, unfortunately you’ll be spoiled for choice in Ecuador. I find the weather in the mountains to be perfect for me year-round. Other people think it’s too chilly, especially during the rainy season which in the mountains is roughly November to March, when you plan to be there. Don’t let the term “rainy season” dampen your search, though, as I often prefer this time of year. It doesn’t rain all the time so days are often 70 to 75 degrees and there is a lovely, cool fog during the nighttime.

Of the typical mountain destinations that most expats prefer, you’ll find Quito and Cuenca to be the chilliest. (Cuenca has the largest number of expats in Ecuador, by the way, so if you are looking for fellow English speakers you’ll find many here. Quito is a huge city of 2.6 million and Cuenca has more than 500,000.) Vilcabamba in southern Ecuador has probably the warmest climate of all the mountain destinations. It is a small but charming village, but within an hour of Loja, a larger city of about 150,000 (I think).

As for beach locales, November to April is the sunny season, but can also be hot and humid — not nearly as hot and humid as Central America or even the U.S. beaches in summertime, though. I’ve just finished a coastal tour and I enjoyed Olon (45 minutes from Salinas), Crucita (35 minutes from Manta) and Canoa (30 minutes from Bahia de Caraquez)… all very tiny towns but each with a distinct flavor. Larger communities you may want to look at include Salinas (90 minutes from Guayaquil) and Manta and perhaps Bahia de Caraquez. Keep in mind that if good health care is a major concern, you need to be in or close to Quito, Guayaquil, or Cuenca.

[ORAL KENZIE]

Hi Malcolm:

I am a Canadian as well and am looking into the same thing (either snowbirding or retiring). If you google “Ecuador Expat Journeys” you will find information on a tour for expats that covers all parts of Ecuador. My wife and I are slated to go in November, but they have all different kind of dates available.

Oral Kenzie

[PAMELA DUNSON]

Hi, My husband and I are thinking about retiring in Equador soon. We were told that Puerto Cayo may be a place worth looking into. We have just started out search and need all the information we can get. How do you get from the airport to where we want to go? Can we rent a car? Where is a good place to stay in Puerto Cayo while we look around ?

[PETER STENABAUGH]

Hi Oral, I am new to this forum and like yourself and Malcolm I am considering snowbirding/moving to someplace that doesnt have snow…. :o). I have checked the Expat Journeys website and this seems to be a super idea and likely one of the best ways to do an exploratory trip. Thanks so much for posting that link, now I have to convince my wife that this might be a good thing for next year. I dont think we can afford it until summer/fall of 2014, so please let us all know how you make out with the tour.

Peter Stenabaugh
Calgary

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Pamela, to get from Manta to Puerto Cayo you can take a taxi or bus or rent a car. You won’t find much decent accommodation in Puerto Cayo, but Los Suenos del Mar hotel there is the #1 rated in Puerto Cayo on TripAdvisor — and it doesn’t get great reviews. Instead, you might want to stay in Puerto Lopez or even in Manta and make a day trip to Puerto Cayo.

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