Is Guayaquil Worth Visiting?
The answer is YES! Many tourists are in the city because their flight home or to the Galapagos Islands is the next day. If you are here, you will not get bored. Guayaquil is undoubtedly worth visiting, and there are many things to do. Most things to do in Guayaquil are entirely free!
Guayaquil is not known for tourism. Nevertheless, it is the largest city in Ecuador. It is the capital of the state Guayas, located in the south of Ecuador and considered as part of the coastal area. It is a central commercial town due to the nation’s main port. Most of the import and export runs through here. Since we are close to the sea, aquaculture is one of the primary sources of income. It is not surprising that the typical food in Guayaquil includes seafood. The dishes you should try out while here are encebollado or ceviche. Visiting this city, you may experience more the life of an Ecuadorian, as you won’t find tourist offices trying to sell you tours or trips. Here are a couple of ideas to do while you are in Guayaquil:
Las Peñas and el Faro
Las Peñas is the oldest and most colorful neighborhood in Guayaquil. This neighborhood is on top of Santa Anna hill and has 444 steps to climb. Once you reach the top, you will arrive at el Faro. El Faro represents the original lighthouse, which was used for ships from other parts of the world. While you walk the steps, there are bars and restaurants along the way. During the day, it can be pretty hot to walk the stairs. So do not hesitate to stop for a cold beer! Also, visiting Las Peñas at night is excellent, with many cozy lights and Latin music playing in the bars.
Unfortunately, Guayaquil has recently been known for its violence. Fortunately, this rarely involves tourists but use common sense and don’t walk around showing off expensive jewelry or other valuables.
All the times I have been there (both day and night), there are always police walking around to ensure safety!
If you walk ten more minutes, you will arrive at the next destination worth visiting.
Aerovia and Malecon 2000
The Aerovía is a public transportation built by the municipality of Guayaquil in 2020 and connects the cities Durán and Guayaquil over the river Guayas. It is supposed to make transportation between these two cities faster using a cable car. A one-way ticket costs 0.70 dollars, which is double the bus price, but the people in Durán can take two cooperative buses for free.
The cable car is not much used for its original purpose, commuting, but for tourist purposes. Tourists mainly take a round trip over the river Guayas. From the cable car, you have a nice view of the boulevard of Guayaquil. There is a stop at the Malecon 2000, next to las Peñas to board the Aerovía.
The Malecon is a 2,5 km long promenade along the Guayas River. Here, you will find all sorts of things to do: shops, restaurants, a mini-fair with the tallest Ferris wheel in South America, a cinema, playgrounds for kids, and the monument la Rotonda. The memorial was created to remember the famous “Interview of Guayaquil.” During this interview, Simón Bolívar (representing Great Colombia) and José de San Martín (representing Peru) had a meeting in the city on July 26, 1822. This meeting was held to decide the future of Guayaquil and South American independence.
Iguana park
You can find the Iguana park (original name: Parque Seminario) just two blocks from the promenade. Hundreds of land iguanas are crawled up in the trees, walk on the walkways, or chill in the little pond. In this pond, you can also see many turtles. Sometimes you will see vendors selling lettuce to feed the iguanas in the park. Iguanas are harmless to humans, and the Iguanas in the park are used to tourists, so you do not have to be scared!
Isla Santay
Santay Island is home to rich fauna and flora. From the Malecon, you can rent a boat to visit Isla Santay. You can tour around the island, which takes about 2 hours. On the island live about 60 families. It is free to visit this island; you will only pay for food or drinks. There is a bridge between Guayaquil and Santay. However, this bridge is closed due to damages to the bridge. The main reason to visit the island is for its ecological environment. You can see mangroves, different types of birds here, and a crocodile farm. This island is worth your time while you are in Guayaquil.
Historic Park Guayaquil
You can learn about history and culture in the historical park of Guayaquil. There are colonial buildings, some restaurants, and a small zoo, with animals like monkeys, parrots, sloths, crocodiles, and more. Visiting is free, and you can spend an afternoon here strolling around. You can learn about traditions such as clothing, animals found in Ecuador, and architecture. There are also theatrical performances.
Parque Samanes
Parque Samanes is located in the neighborhood of Samanes. It is the second biggest park in the whole of South America. It offers many playfields for tennis, basketball, football, cycling, running, volleyball, or skating. The mornings, evenings, and weekends are always hectic, with families enjoying the outdoors.
Cerro Blanco
Just outside Guayaquil, you can find Cerro Blanco. This is a tropical dry forest of 6078 hectares and is home to various animals and plants. There are four different paths that you can hike, all with varying difficulty. It is essential to wear long sleeves and use mosquito spray as the forest is also home to many mosquitos and insects. If you would like to visit, I recommended to make a reservation to go with a guide. This way, you can learn all about the flora and fauna of the protected forest. To enter the woods, you need to pay a fee of $4.00 for adults and $3.00 for children. You can find more information about Cerro Blanco here.
Visit a Soccer Match
Guayaquil is home to four soccer teams in the LigaPro, which is the first league. Two of them are one of the biggest teams of Ecuador and are rivals. Barcelona S.C. and C.S. Emelec. A match between them is a derby, and the city is divided between two teams. Visiting a game of one of the teams is a fun experience, as Ecuadorians are very passionate about their teams.
If you stay longer in Guayaquil, there are also day trips from Guayaquil to other places worth visiting. You can read here all the activities you can do from Guayaquil.
