Ecuador - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 620

INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist information The Dirección Municipal de Turismo
o ce on Ballen, at Pichincha, near the Parque de las
Iguanas (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; T 04 259 9100; W visit
aguayaquil.com), has friendly staff and up-to-date maps
and brochures. The tourist o ce also produces two guide-
books - a general tourist guide and a gastronomic guide.
Another useful website is W inguayaquil.com.
Tour operators Canodros (Urb. Santa Leonor Mz 5 Solar
10 T 04 228 5711, W canodros.com); Chasquitur (Acacias
605, at Las Monjas T 04 288 8988); Ecoventura (Miraflores
Av Central 300A T 04 283 9390, W ecoventura.com);
Metropolitan Touring (Artarazana C 11A NE103; T 04 232
0200, W metropolitan-touring.com).

heads on display in a closed room, which
is only viewed on guided tours. Free tours
in English are recommended because the
museum has no English information.

Parque Histórico
Across the bridge in the wealthy district
of Entre Rios, the Parque Histórico
(Wed-Sun 9am-4.30pm; free; T 04
283 3807) is worth the trip out of town.
The park is divided into three zones.
Created out of the natural mangroves of
the River Daule, the wildlife zone
provides a snapshot of the Ecuadorian
jungle with deer, tapirs, monkeys, sloths,
ocelots, tortoises, parrots, toucans,
caimans and fermenting termite mounds.
he traditions zone depicts the rural way
of life via haciendas, “peasant” houses and
crops. At weekends, there are boisterous
music and comedy shows. In the urban
architecture zone , some of Guayaquil's
late nineteenth-century buildings are
reproduced. The colonial-style Café 1900
is the perfect place to gaze out over
the river. To get there , catch bus #81
from the terminal or get a taxi from
downtown ($4-5).
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Guayaquil's José Joaquín de Olmedo airport,
about 5km north of downtown ( T 04 216 9000, W tagsa
.aero), is Ecuador's only international airport outside Quito.
There are regular flights to and from Quito, the Galápagos,
Cuenca, Loja and Esmeraldas. The airport has an exchange
bureau and ATM. Take a taxi to your hotel, as Metrovia and
public buses are not best tackled with luggage.
By bus The bus terminal is 6km north of downtown, with
food courts and shopping malls. The cheapest way to get
into town from here is the Metrovia ($0.25), a rapid transit
bus system modelled on Quito's. It runs from Terminal
Río Daule opposite the bus station through downtown to
the south. Get off at La Catedral stop for the main tourist
sights. Watch your belongings as pickpockets are common.
Destinations Bahía de Caráquez (hourly; 7hr); Baños (3
daily; 6-7hr); Canoa (2 daily; 7hr); Puerto López (8 daily;
4hr); Montañita (3 daily; 3hr 30min); Quito (hourly; 9hr);
Salinas (hourly; 2hr).
By taxi There are plenty of taxis but few of them use a
meter, so negotiate the price first. Taxi drivers In Guayaquil
will nearly always try to overcharge foreigners. You should
pay $3-4 from the bus terminal to the centre and $4-5
from the airport. Avoid unmarked cabs. Short taxi rides
around the city centre should cost about $2-3.

6

ACCOMMODATION
Guayaquil has plenty of hotels but is still not well geared
up for the backpacker market. Many of the budget hotels
are of a very poor standard in unappealing areas, while the
top-end hotels charge high rates for foreigners. It's best
to stay near to Parque Bolívar or Parque Centenario. The
centre can get very noisy so ask for a back room or a higher
floor. It doesn't make much sense to stay in the suburbs
because there are few tourist sights, although there is one
good backpacker hostel, Dreamkapture Inn (see below).
Ì Andaluz Baquerizo Moreno, at Junín T 04 230 5796.
Located just a few blocks from Malecón and 9 de Octubre,
this bright, breezy hotel has comfortable rooms with a/c
and hot water, a splash of artwork on the walls, a relaxing
roo ftop terrace and a lounge area with leather sofas and
TV. $40
Dreamkapture Inn Alborada Doceava Etapa T 04 224
2909, W dreamkapture.com. A few kilometres from the
centre, this is one of the city's few backpacker haunts.
Secure, well maintained and friendly, the comfortable
rooms have a/c and there's a small l po ol. The h ostel also
owns its own travel agency. Dorms $10 , doubles $25
Iguanazu Hostal Cuidadela La Cogra T 04 220 1143,
W iguanazuhostel.com. The hilltop location of this hostel
offers a different experience of Guayaquil, with friendly
service , cha rming wo ode n-floored rooms and a great view.
Dorms $15 , doubles $55
Hostal Linda Lorenzo de Garaicoa 809 T 04 256 2495.
New hotel overlooking Parque Cente nario with marble
floors and plush, well-furnished rooms. $40
Hostal Manso Malecón 1406, at Aguirre T 04 252 6644,
W manso.ec. A slice of Arabian boutique chic in Guayaquil
with individually designed rooms, seat ed c ushions and
regular performances in the lounge area. $42
Mar de Plata Junín 718, at Boyacá T 04 230 7610. Many of
Guayaquil's budget hotels border on intolerable but this is a
good deal. Rooms are basic but clean and come equip ped
with fans, cable TV and private bathrooms (a/c $5 extra). $20
Plaza St Rafael Chile 414 T 04 232 7140. Smallish but