Ecuador Travel

Loja, Podocarpus

Loja, Podocarpus

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Visitors to the Southern Andes have a number of options for getting around this region:

Bus

The cheapest method of getting around the southern Andes is by bus. However, distances from Quito are very great, and you can expect to spend several hours on a bus. Taking a bus from Quito to the southern Andes requires travelers to head to the Quitumbe bus terminal in the south of Quito. You can take buses all over the southern Andes from here. The Quitumbe terminal may be reached by taking the Trole to its final stop, which takes a half an hour from the La Mariscal neighborhood. Prices for buses average at around $1 an hour, and tickets should be bought in advance in the terminal, especially if you will be traveling over a public holiday weekend. At these times, buses fill up very quickly.

There are daily buses to Azogues from Quito.
There are buses every hour to Cuenca from Quito.
There are regular buses throughout thte day to Loja from Quito.

Bus companies for these trips include PanAmericana International, Loja International and Flota Imbabura.

Both Transportes Sur-Oriente and Vilcabambaturis have buses from Loja to Vilcabamba. These buses run between 06:15 am and 21:15.

The best time to travel is in the morning and not at night because other passengers may engage in pickpocketing at those times. Do not show your digital camera or any other electronical devices to avoid attention. Finally, if possible, travel in groups and not alone.

Flight

Flights are available from Quito to Cuenca (45 minutes) and Quito to Loja (50 minutes).

TAME, an Ecuadorian domestic airline has the following flights from Quito to Cuenca for approximately $65 to $80 one way, including taxes:

They offer the following flights from Quito to Loja for approximately $95 one way, including taxes:

Aerogal, another domestic airline, has flights to Cuenca (45 minutes from Quito, 30 minutes from Guayaquil) as follows:

Quito to Cuenca

Cuenca to Quito

Cuenca to Guayaquil

Guayaquil to Cuenca

LAN has flights to Cuenca as follows:

Quito to Cuenca

Cuenca to Quito

Cuenca to Guayaquil

Guayaquil to Cuenca

The Cuenca airport is a fifteen minute taxi ride from the center of town. Ask the driver to use the taximetro.

The Loja airport is around 40 minutes away from town in a taxi. Travelers should expect to pay approximately $10 for the transfer into town.

Travelers who fly to Loja for Vilcabamba can take a taxi from the Loja airport to Vilcabamba. The price of a taxi is $30 to $40, depending on if you are prepared to share with others or not, and how good a negotiator you are! The journey takes around 90 minutes. Those who want to do things more cheaply can get a bus from Loja, which takes around an hour.

There are no flights to Azogues.

Car Rental

For car rentals, visitors need to be at least 25 years old, hold a valid license, and have an international credit card. Car rental rates vary between $50 to $120 per day. Since roads can sometimes be bumpy, a four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended. Avis (tel. 02/2440-270; www.avis.com.ec), Budget (tel. 02/3300-979; www.budget-ec.com), Hertz (tel. 1800/227-767 toll-free within Ecuador, or 02/2254-257; www.hertz.com.ec), and Localiza (tel. 02/3303-265; www.localiza.com.ec) are the main car rental agencies, with offices at both Quito and Guayaquil airports. Conveniently, Localiza has an office in Cuenca.

Distances

Distances between one city and another in Ecuador is not a good indicator of travel times, because road conditions vary. The followIng is a table showing distance between Quito and several principal destinations in the Central Andes, with an estimation of driving times: