Ecuador - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 561

1979 Left-winger Jaime Roldós is elected president,
ending military rule. He confronts the oil-rich hierarchy
and dies in a mysterious plane crash two years later.
1996 Self-styled loco (crazy) Abdalá Bucharam wins
the presidency then raises taxes and records an album.
He is ousted by Congress a few months later for “mental
incapacity” and escapes to Panama.
1998 President Jamil Mahuad and Peruvian President
Fujimori sign a peace treaty, which ends the long-running
border dispute.
2000 The sucre plummets from 6000 to 25,000 to the
dollar in under a year. President Mahuad is ousted in
a coup but his successor Gustavo Noboa presses ahead
with dollarization.
2001 Ecuador qualifies for the FIFA Football World Cup
for the first time, sparking wild national celebrations.
2002 Former coup leader Lucio Gutiérrez wins the
presidency but is removed in 2004 after infuriating his
left-wing base with neo-liberal policies and attempts to
increase presidential powers.
2007 Rafael Correa, friend of Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez, becomes Ecuador's seventh president in ten years.
He refuses to pay Ecuador's national debt, engages in a war of
words with the rich, replaces Congress with a new Assembly
and introduces a new constitution.
2010 Following his re-election in April 2009, Correa
endures a series of crises, and on September 30, a police
protest escalates into an attempted coup. Six people are
killed as the president is dramatically rescued by his own
army from a police hospital in Quito.

2011 Correa wins a narrow victory in a referendum of
ten questions on issues ranging from judicial and penal
reform to bans on bullfighting and casinos. He announces
his intention to run for re-election in 2013.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
Arriving by air , most travellers enter
Ecuador via Quito's airport (see p.576),
though Guayaquil's new José Joaquín de
Olmedo (see p.624) is more convenient
for the Galápagos and the beach. Airlines
with regular services from Europe
include: Air Europa, Air France, Avianca,
Iberia, KLM, LAN and Lufthansa. From
North America: Air Canada, American
Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta,
COPA and LAN (see p.30). Note when
flying out of Ecuador, departure tax must
be paid in cash. In Quito, it's $44 and in
Guayaquil $28.

6

OVERLAND FROM PERU
You can reach Ecuador by bus from Peru
via Tumbes and Huaquillas on the coast,
which is easier. It's also possible to cross
via Macará or Zumba in the highlands,
which are more scenic.

OVERLAND FROM COLOMBIA
Travelling to and from Colombia
overland is only possible via Tulcán in the
northern highlands. The border region
has a troubled history, so many travellers
fly to Cali from Tulcán.

WHEN TO VISIT
Because of Ecuador's diverse landscapes,
the best time to visit varies by region.
On the coast , temperatures are typically
25-35°C. The rainy season is dramatic,
with downpours between January and
April. This is the hottest time of the year, at
times uncomfortably humid, but also the
best months for the beach. It's cooler and
cloudier between June and December.
In the highlands , the temperature is on
average 15°C but due to the altitude it
gets hot at midday and cold at night,
particularly above 2500m. The driest,
warmest season is June to September.
In the Oriente the temperature is
generally 20-30°C with high levels of
rainfall and humidity. The driest season is
December to March. In the Galápagos ,
the temperature peaks at over 30°C in
March and cools to the low 20s in August.
It's best to avoid the rough seas and cold
between June and September.

PASSPORTS AND VISAS
Visitors to Ecuador require a passport
valid for over six months and can stay for
ninety days on an automatic 12-X tourist
visa. Visitors receive a T3 tourist card,
which must be kept until departure.
Officially, you should bring proof of
sufficient funds to support yourself and
a return ticket or proof of onward travel,
but it's rarely demanded.
It's possible to extend to 180 days but
you must go to the immigration office
on the day the visa expires and the
decision is at officials' discretion. If the
visa expires, it's a $200 fine. Given this,
it's preferable to leave the country within
ninety days and then re-enter.