travel info

Travel Plans

Hopefully by now you are all registered as participants and have also registered for accomodation. Do keep a careful eye on visa requirements.

  Internal Travel

IXA Tours are the official travel agents in Ecuador for PHA 2. Ixatours will arrange accommodation IF REQUESTED earlier and itineraries sent to them requesting for that as well as internal flights. Delegates should look for a PHA 2/Ixatours desk at the exit after immigration in Quito or Guayaquil.

Contact: ixatours05@yahoo.com ( marked attn: Isabel Leon)

Flights may be taken to either Quito or Guayaquil. Here are the Airline Schedules

Passengers going from Guyaquil to Cuenca by land

The Secretariat strongly recommends that you take this option if you would like to see Ecaudor in its finest.

• Take a taxi to the Bus Terminal.
• The San Luis Bus Company has regular buses every 30minutes. 
• The trip takes three hours and forty minutes. 
• Take the Cajas route as it is an impressive trip through the Andes.

Accomodation and Food

Guyaquil/Quito

Ixatours will arrange accommodation if requested earlier and itineraries are sent to them requesting for that as well as internal flights. Delegates will have to pay for overnight accommodation in Quito or Guayaquil. This will be collected in Cuenca during registration.

Cuenca

There are many hostels, pensions, and hotels available in Cuenca. Costs may run anywhere from $2.00 per day to over $100.00 However, we recommend that people register for hostels which are lovely old colonial mansions that have been turned into Bed and Breakfast facilities. These run about $13.00 per day with breakfast. If fully booked we would receive discounts. Of course, single occupancy is more expensive than shared facilities. The form for Accommodations will be provided upon the receipt of the full registration form. Food costs for lunch and dinner could easily be kept under $10.00 a day. We hope to have a food fair where people will be able to secure a variety of meals, including vegetarian options.

Hotels in Cuenca

About Ecuador

Ecuador is located in the northwest part of Latin America. As the name implies it lies across the equator. It is one of the world’s richest centres of biodiversity. The world famous Galapagos islands are part of Ecuador. It is a country vibrant with a number of indigeneous cultures and has a history of people’s struggles in the defense of health and life. The awareness of the people about the situation has generated important processes leading to unity and mobilization

Area: 283,520 sq km Population: 12 million
People: 40% mestizo, 40% Indian, 15% Spanish descent, 5% African descent
Language: Quechua, Spanish Time Zone: GMT/UTC -5
Dialling Code: 593

About Cuenca

Cuenca is the capital city of the Azuay Province. It is a city surrounded by mountains and transversed by four rivers. With a history that can be traced back to 8000 BC it has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. It is the third-largest city in Ecuador and a place of great beauty.

Altitude: It is located between mountains and is 2530 meters (8301 ft) above sea level. Some people may suffer from slight altitude sickness. You may notice a slight headache, particularly at the temples. High altitude is very similar to having an allergy to a certain food. Some people have bad reaction and others do not. It has also little to do with physical strength.

Population: It has a population of about 270,000 inhabitants.

Weather: We recommend you bring a sweater and raingear. In July, the city usually gets intermittent rains and cold nights.