Getting in and visas for Ecuador

By plane

Quito's airport has an executive lounge shared by all the airlines with drinks, snacks, and seating areas. The view is not of the airplanes and runway, but there is a view of the airport entrance and the surrounding mountains. Business class travellers get a free invitation. Economy passengers may enter by paying USD $15 as of August 2006. Another port of entry is Guayaquil, which has a modern airport that includes the typical amenities such as restaurants and duty-free shopping. The airport is located north from downtown. The Galapagos Islands are one of the Ecuadorian provinces and of course have their own airport on the only island which is not considered part of the national park. Aerogal is the name of the airline which flies to Galapagos and of course there is no way to get to the Galapagos without first coming to Ecuador. The Quito airport charges an international departure tax of $40.80. The tax is $26 from Guayaquil. This tax usually is not included in the cost of the flight.

By train

There are no international train services into Ecuador.

By car

Driving into Ecuador is discouraged. It is preferable to enter the country by airplane or boat because of the frontier issues with neighboring countries.

By bus

If you enter Ecuador by bus you usually have to switch buses at the border. If come from Colombia you have to cross the border at Rumichaca near Tulcan and Ipiales (Colombia). There are several places to cross the border with Peru. As of December 2007, the Ecuador/Colombia border crossing is reguarded as a safe and hassle free while the Ecuador/Peru border crossing is much more dangerous with the likelihood of being scammed out of hundreds of dollars.

By boat

Since Ecuador is situated at the coast and has some very large rivers, a boat ride can be a nice way to get around. Especially in the rainforest a boat ride can get you to places you usually wouldn't be able to go.