Suggestions for a first visit?

EngNate · 2020-03-12T19:12:26+01:00

Seek advice on visiting Ecuador, focusing on Bahia for boating and fishing. Share tips on travel, local stays, and connecting with residents.

EngNate New member

Member since 07 March 2020

EngNateNew member12 March 2020 17:12:26

Hi all,
I'm 60 and thinking about where I am going to live, happily I hope, on a social security check.聽 Ecuador is on my radar and I think I will make a trip late this year or early next.聽 I'm a marine electrical/electronics technician and most of my leisure interests center around boats, boating and fishing.聽 Beach is nice but I need to have access to get on the water and associate with others who do.聽 So, Bahia is looking like a favorable place from here and I think it will be the destination for my first visit.聽 Up to now I still smoke too much so I'll be skipping the high altitudes and fly into Guayaquil.聽 I'll be聽 on an economy budget, probably with 2-3 weeks time.聽 I can speak rudimentary Spanish.

I'm grateful for any specific guidance or network connections, re arriving and staying in the city, traveling to Bahia, others living there with local knowledge they'd share, finding a good deal on a place to stay while there, other places in the region I ought to check out.

Thanks!!

Emigrayo68 Active member

Member since 16 February 2020

Emigrayo68Active member12 March 2020 19:37:31

Salinas has quite a few expats who do the recreational boating and fishing thing. It's one of the most expensive destinations. Note, that is relative--it is Ecuador. Bahia de Caraquez (and San Vicente, just across the bay) is about a five hour bus ride ($12) from Guayaquil. Same for Manta. Local buses are really cheap, like less than 50 cents. "Ejecutivo" is the better bus and usually has a bathroom, but ask. And cabs are way less expensive than U.S. If you fly into Guayaquil, be sure to take a licensed, registered cab from the airport to the Terminal Terrestre (bus station). It was聽 only about $5 when I was there. Don't ride the buses after dark.

I was a single male, 67 years old, last year and spent three months traveling around by bus city-to-city (Guayaquil, Bahia, San Vicente, Canoa, Loja, Vilcabamba, Salinas, Quito... It was an adventure.

I checked Booking.com for one bedroom, private bath and found a lot of decent places for $30-$40 per night. Check if breakfast is available. Ask about the smoking ahead of time. If you don't get a ton of hits on places to stay, change your dates of travel by a couple of weeks. "Almuerzo" is lunch ($4). Breakfast is "desayuno" and may be free, or very low cost. The seafood along the coast is very good.

The state department says stay away from 20 miles close to the Colombian border, and I've heard that most of Esmeraldas can be quite dicey. Otherwise, keep your head up and you'll prob be ok. Enjoy your travels!

Emigrayo68 (Buster)

jlong1946 New member

Member since 17 March 2018

jlong1946New member21 April 2020 18:17:55

Avoid so-called tours designed to sell you real estate. Since the higher altitudes are a challenge, see the Galapagos islands. Go deep sea fishing.
You might look at Puerto Lopez, too. Victor Hugo's (Yes, that's his name) has an excellent reputation for food and accommodations.