Frank and Angie Respond: There are three ways you can travel from Quito to Cuenca; choosing which one best fits your needs is totally up to you and your circumstances. Below the video we will explain the three ways to Cuenca and by clicking on the links within this article you will find more detail as well as our personal experiences.
Fly from Quito to Cuenca
Quito to Cuenca flights is going to be the most expensive but by far the quickest, easiest way to go! You can get the best deals reserving 7 to 10 days in advance. Surprisingly, TAME does not always have the cheapest flights. We have always used AEROGAL, which is now AVIANCA. Avianca is based out of Colombia and they can have some super deals! And then there is LAN ECUADOR. We always check all three airlines with our itinerary because you never know who is going to have the best deals on the days we want to fly.
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| Quito Ecuador International Airport |
Generally, you can usually get a flight for around $60 from Quito to Cuenca, sometimes less, and then there is taxes of about $25 on top of that, and this is per person. As you can see flights within Ecuador are more expensive now with the added 25% tax surcharge. But if you can fly on the weekdays, preferably Tuesdays and Wednesdays and reserve well in advance, flights can be cheaper. We’ve even gotten super deals of like $33 per ticket, flying with AEROGAL.
If you are looking for the most amount of comfort and the quickest route, flying is your best option. Air time from Quito to Cuenca is about 50-minutes.
Note: Many people prefer flying into Guayaquil because it is only a 3-hour van ride or a 3.5-hour bus ride from Guayaquil to Cuenca, which is much easier on the passenger than 9 long hours!
From Quito to Cuenca Bus
Busing it is not recommended for everyone, especially older folks and those who cannot or should not sit for long periods of time.
Quito to Cuenca bus time can be anywhere from 8.5hrs to 10 hrs and that is a long time to be sitting in one spot. However, Ecuador has made some improvements with their fleet of buses, adding more leg room between your seat and the one in front of you but they still have in operation some of the older buses with smaller leg room for people, like when we took a bus from Guayaquil to Cuenca in 2015.
It is the cheapest way to travel to Cuenca; the bus fare from Quito to Cuenca is around $10 to $12 per ticket but sometimes cheapest is not the best option depending on personal needs and circumstances. This is our experience in detail taking the bus from Cuenca to Quito, which would also apply to taking the bus from Quito to Cuenca, no difference.
For instance, the buses rarely stop between Quito and Cuenca for a bathroom break, so it is a hit or miss there…and when they do stop for a bathroom break, it is not necessarily up to western standards. Sometimes the drivers do not even stop for a bathroom break.
Here’s a VERY detailed report of our bus trip from Guayaquil to Cuenca in video!
We recommend if taking longer bus trips to only take small sips of water and to not eat much so you will not have to use the one small port-a-potty that is located on the back of the bus, which is designated for urination only. Just letting you know ahead of time what you can expect if taking the bus.
Also forum posts like to talk about how there are 2 bathroom breaks...not sure what bus they took, but we've taken the bus four different times from Cuenca to Quito and the bus only stopped one time out of those four at a restroom break and the bathroom looked like it was out of a scary movie.
There are a couple Quito to Cuenca bus companies; perhaps we're just not taking the right one. There is an overnight bus Quito to Cuenca but we don't recommend traveling at night because of pirates that hijack the buses at night and rob everyone blind.
Also forum posts talk about how vendors bring homemade food onto the bus for people to buy... but we think it is a bad idea to eat anything from street vendors, especially when you are stuck on a long bus ride....you know what I mean? Really bad idea...why? who knows where the food came from, how clean the cook was that prepared it, if it was actually covered from the outside elements, and how old it is...wow for gringos to be telling people about the vendors that hop onto the bus with food is ridiculous! We don't recommend.
For those people who shouldn't sit for long periods of time, we highly recommend they book their flights into the Guayaquil airport from Quito and then take a van or bus the short distance to Cuenca. Much easier, less expensive, and the bus ride through the Andes is really pleasant on the eyes.
Busetta from Cuenca to Quito
From Quito to Cuenca busetas: A busseta or "buseta" in Spanish costs about $15 per ticket sharing a van with other people. There are six to seven available seats so you will be sitting next to other people. You may be thinking, what’s wrong with sitting next to other people? Well, the second time we took a van from Guayaquil to Cuenca we sat next to an overly sized man, whose breath smelled, and who snored loudly the whole way to Cuenca! Of course, that’s just our experience one time, other folks may have had a wonderful experience.
You can also rent the whole busetta for $200 and not share the van with anyone. When we first moved here we took a busetta (minbus) from Guayaquil to Cuenca and here is what it looks like.
No matter how you travel, better do it in comfort like millions of other smart travelers!
Until we write again, you might like these articles about traveling within Ecuador too!
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
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