Quito:

Quitumbe Southern Hub

South Quito, located in the Quitumbe neighbourhood , this is the last stop on the Trolebus line. You must take a taxi to this terminal or take the Trolebus to Villaflora and then take the right line that heads to Quitumbe bus station. Aask personnel in the station about it. Buses depart all day, but not too late at night for security purposes. It is strongly recommended to go with others and to travel in the morning. A taxi from La Mariscal area costs $10 even using the taximeter due to the distance and traffic. Here you can take buses to the Amazon Rainforest, Central and Southern Andes provinces and to the Coast in general.

Carcelen Northern Station

Located just 300 meters away the Carcelen traffic driveway, this terminal manages buses from Carchi, Imbabura and northern districts of Pichincha. It is best to take a taxi to buses from this terminal.

Guayaquil:

Jaime Roldós Aguilera Bus Terminal

This is one of the best and more modern bus stations in Latin America. It is very secure and clean and has buses departing for cities nationwide. Av. de las Américas, northern tip of the Airport
Tel. (04) 2 297 527

Cuenca:

The bus station in Cuenca has a platform for each transport company that works in the area. There is a lobby with TV screens, shops, restaurants, and private parking lots.

There are buses that travel to all main destinations, with different schedules for each.

Address: España and Sebastián de Benalcazar Streets.
Telephone: 593-7-284 2023
Bus terminals in most other cities may be easily found by inquiring with one of the locals. The best known bus cooperatives in Ecuador are:

Flota Imbabura
Quito: Manuel Larrea 1211
Tel: (02) 2 236 940 / (02) 2 572 657
Guayaquil: Luque 1028
Telf: (02) 2 320 925 / (02) 2 297 649
Destinations: Guayaquil, Cuenca, Manta, Tulcán, Ibarra

Transportes Panamericana
Quito: Av. Colón 852
Tel: (02) 2 551 839 / (02) 2 570 900
Guayaquil: Naval MZ 8
Tel: (02) 2 284 491 / (02) 2 297 682
Destinations: This bus service covers all of the important cities in the country. The routes go from the province of El Carchi down to Loja, and it also covers the coastal region.

Trans Esmeraldas
Quito: Santa María 870 and 9 de Octubre
Tel: (02) 2 505 099 / (02) 2 572 996
Guayaquil
Tel: (02) 2 297 642
Destinations: Esmeraldas, Atacames, El Coca, Lago Agrio, Manta and Salinas

Transportes Ecuador
Quito: Juan L. Mera N21-44
Tel: (02) 2 503 842 / (02) 2 572 554
Guayaquil
Tel: (04) 2 297 040
Destination: Guayaquil – Quito – Guayaquil
.
Transportes Occidental
Quito: Manuel Coronado and Rafael García
Tel: (02) 2 570 429 / (02) 2 570 042
Guayaquil
Tel: (04) 2 297 618

Destinations: Machala, Guayaquil, Guaquillas, Pasaje, Santa Rosa, Esmeraldas (covers the coast of Ecuador)

Ecuador Domestic Air Flights

If you opt for air travel, all major mainland destinations are serviced by domestic flights with durations of under an hour, and one-way prices averaging between $50 and $70. The exceptions are flights to the Galapagos Islands, which take around four hours and which are much more expensive ($300 - $400 round-trip for foreigners, depending on the route and the season), and the charter flights required to reach some locations deep in the Oriente. Flights to nearly all destinations originate from the Quito or Guayaquil international airports. The Quito airport (www.quiport.com) is located at Av. Amazonas and Av. de la Prensa. A new airport is under construction, which will be located about a half an hour outside of the city, but it is unclear when construction will be completed. The Guayaquil (www.tagsa.aero) airport is located at Av. de las Americas and Isidro Ayora.

Aerogal (tel. 1800/2376-425 toll-free nationwide; www.aerogal.com.ec), Icaro (tel. 1800/883-567 toll-free nationwide; www.icaro.com.ec), VIP (tel. 02/330 4621 in Quito; www.vipec.com) and Tame (tel. 02/2909-900 in Quito, or 04/2310-305 or 04/2310-305 in Guayaquil; www.tame.com.ec), are the main commuter airlines. AeroGal serves Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Manta, Isla Baltra, and Isla San Cristobal, and also provides service to the international destinations of Bogata, Colombia, and New York City. Icaro serves Guayaquil, Cuenca, Quito, Manta, Coca, Lago Agrio and Esmeraldas.TAME serves Coca, Cuenca, Esmeradas, Guayaquil, Lago Agrio, Loja, Macas, Machala, Manta, Portoviejo, Tulcan, Isla Baltra and Isla San Cristobal. VIP serves Lago Agrio, Coca, Manta, and Cuenca (the last two in conjunction with AeroGal).

If you can’t get on a flight, you may want to go early to the airport to get on a waiting list – passengers often don’t show up. Aerogal and Tame have service to both the Galapagos based airports, Baltra and San Cristobal; it is important to remember that these flights will require that you arrive to the airport at least two hours in advance and that you pay a $100 entrance fee upon entering the islands. For other domestic flights, arriving an hour in advance is generally sufficient.

Airports with commercial air service are:

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Guayaquil Airport

Guayaquil Airport

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- Galapagos Islands with 15 main islands, 3 smaller islands, and 107 rocks and islets. The islands are located at the Galapagos Triple Junction. It is also atop the Galapagos hotspot, a place where the Earth's crust is being melted from below by a mantle plume, creating volcanoes. The oldest island is thought to have formed between 5 million and 10 million years ago. The Cradle of Evolution is known worldwide and is part of the UNESCO Heritage.

- The Coast, with the provinces of Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Manabi, Los Rios, Santa Elena, Guayas and El Oro. Locally the coastal area was formerly known as Ruta del Sol, but the Ministry of Tourism has renamed it to Spondylus Route. This may cause confusion when you ask locals about the coast, because they will tell you about “Ruta del Sol”.

For travellers, the best way to discover Ecuador’s Coast is by doing two circuits, Northern Coast with Esmeraldas, Manabi and Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas provinces are located mainly in the northern hemisphere and Southern Coast with Santa Elena, Guayas, Los Rios and El Oro provinces located totally in the southern hemisphere.

- The Ecuadorian Andes has a lot of variation from the north to the south so there are lots of different local names given such as: Volcano Avenue and Qapac Ñan. The Andes are generally split into three blocks, Northern, Central and Southern Andes.

Northern Andes has Carchi and Imbabura as its main areas. Both boast lakes and cultural attractions. Take wildlife and cultural trips. One of the most interesting spots is Otavalo Indigenous Market. Central Andes is formed of Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Chimborazo and Bolivar. Here you get cultural and adventure trips. This forms the major part of the Avenue of the Volcanoes, with almost 59 volcanoes along the route. Quito has UNESCO heritage and there are also two indigenous markets. There is also Baños de Agua Santa, Tungurahua Volcano and more. Southern Andes is made up of Cañar, Azuay and Loja provinces. This is considered the “Cultural Andes” due to the concentration of art, heritage and culture in these three provinces.

- The Amazon Rainforest consists of 5 provinces, from north to south: Sucumbios, Napo, Francisco de Orellana, Morona Santiago, Pastaza and Zamora Chinchipe. There are more than 10 national parks and reserves, Sangay Volcano and National Park has UNESCO heritage, Yasuni National Park has untamed Amazon wildlife and nice Amazon lodges managed by local indigenous communities. They are committed to sustainable development and protection of the wildlife.

Almost any major destination in Ecuador may be reached by bus, with the exception of the Galapagos Islands. Inter-provincial buses are generally large, comfortable, and air-conditioned, and the average price of a bus ticket is around $1 per hour of travel. The major buses hubs are:

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