Highlights of Guayaquil
Duration: 2 3/4 hours
Tour Code: GYE-002
Tour the most significant and renowned areas of downtown Guayaquil, stopping along the way to stroll its most historic neighborhood.
Departing from the pier by coach, you will first drive along the Avenue of Guayaquil, a beautiful boulevard rich in architecture. At leafy Centennial Park, the city's largest park and one of the most popular, see monuments dedicated to the heroes of Ecuadorian independence. Similarly, in the heart of Bolivar Park, you can admire a statue of South America's adored liberator, Simón Bolivar. Be sure to look for iguanas, which are usually perched in the treetops and roaming about in such large numbers that the park is nicknamed Iguana Park.
Continuing on, you will visit Guayaquil's oldest neighborhood, Las Peñas, nestled at the foot of Santa Ana Hill. This area has been wonderfully restored over the past decade or so with the addition of excellent shops, cafés and galleries. Most of the houses are brightly colored and the hues seem to impart an aura of vibrancy. If you are feeling ambitious, climb the stairs (there are more than 400 and each one is numbered) to the top of Santa Ana Hill, where you will find a chapel and lighthouse built over the foundations of a 17th-century fort. After walking about the neighborhood, you will return to your coach and transfer back to the pier.
Please note: This tour is mostly panoramic; however, it does include 30-minutes of easy walking in Las Peñas. The tour is available to wheelchair guests who have a collapsible wheelchair, can make their own way on and off the coach and have a companion to assist them. Those with mobility concerns are cautioned to evaluate their personal level of stamina and ability. Light-weight clothing; sun cap; sun glasses; sunscreen; insect repellant and flat, comfortable walking shoes are suggested.