Guayaquil holidays
Guayaquil holidays at a glance
Guayaquil Ecuador’s biggest city, sits on the banks of the Río Guayas, where boats loaded with tropical fruit and sugar cane still jostle for space alongside others ferrying passengers to outlying villages.
Once a port with a rough reputation, it’s reinvented itself recently, smartening up its plazas and boulevards and adding a charming waterside malecón, good hotels and lively restaurants. It’s always felt more flamboyant than the upland cities, and that energy carries through.
Nearby, the historic quarter of Las Peñas climbs a steep hillside in a tumble of toybox-coloured houses, galleries and bars, easily the most atmospheric corner of the city to wander.
As an Ecuador coastal city, Guayaquil couldn’t feel more different from Quito. Most visitors only pass through for a night on the way to or from the Galápagos, but the malecón and Las Peñas offer enough to fill a short stay whatever time of year you’re travelling.
Why choose Journey Latin America for your holiday to Guayaquil
We’ve been planning trips to Central and South America for over 45 years, longer than any other UK specialist. Every holiday is built around you by a Travel Expert who has been to the places they recommend, with support from your first enquiry to the day you fly home.
Ecuador’s largest city is a commercial and cultural centre, boasting charming plazas, boulevards and a waterside promenade.
When to visit Guayaquil
Guayaquil stays hot and humid all year, with temperatures rarely dipping below 28°C. January to April is the wettest stretch, with sunny mornings and heavy afternoon rain. Fiestas Julianas fills the streets with parades, fireworks and beauty pageants over the 24th and 25th of July, marking the city’s foundation and Simón Bolívar’s birthday. Independence celebrations and Día de la Raza follow in early October.
The city of Guayaquil is hot and humid all year round. December is the last month of the ‘cooler’ dry season although highs still average a steamy 28°C. The wet season arrives in January with a rise in average highs to 30°C, more sunshine hours but frequent late afternoon tropical downpours.
The wet season in Guayaquil continues into March and April, with plenty of sunshine, high temperatures averaging 30°C and extremely high humidity. Late afternoon torrential rain is common and occurs most days, but it doesn’t tend to last long and brings some welcome relief to the stifling heat and humidity. The transition to the cooler dry season takes place in May, with a drop of a few degrees in average highs, very little rain and increasingly hazy, overcast days.
This is the cooler dry season in Guayaquil although, as ever, it is still hot and muggy with average highs of 28°C (there is very little rainfall in these months and so although humidity is lower, it’s still high by European standards). There is also very little sunshine as the cooler ocean temperatures continue to lead to almost permanently hazy, overcast skies
The cooler, drier period in Guayaquil continues during these months. The city remains hot and humid with average high of around 28°C. Visitors can expect very little rain, if any at all, and mostly hazy and overcast skies brought about by the cold ocean currents out at sea.
Top Things to do in Guayaquil
Things to do in Guayaquil mix city life with nature close by. A walking tour of the malecón and the surrounding plazas covers the city’s main landmarks, while a trip out to the Manglares Churute Reserve takes you through mangroves thick with birdlife, just outside the city.
Drift through mangrove swamps and hike through tropical forest at Manglares Churute Reserve.
Stroll the boardwalks and historic neighbourhoods of Ecuador’s largest city.
Accommodation in Guayaquil
Accommodation in Guayaquil ranges from modern city hotels to boutique properties close to the city’s main cultural attractions. Many visitors choose to stay near the city centre or waterfront areas before continuing to the Galápagos Islands or the Pacific Coast.
Hacienda La Danesa invites guests to enjoy the rural lifestyle of their dairy and cocoa farm on Ecuador’s Pacific coastal plain.
Sumptuous new classic property in the leafy waterfront Parque Histórico, Guayaquil.
Smart, well-situated hotel with spacious and luxurious rooms, exemplary levels of service and a wide range of facilities.
The central Unipark is a smart business-like mid range hotel opposite Guayaquil’s unique Parque de los Iguanas.
A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.
Holidays to Guayaquil
Browse our exciting and inspiring range of holidays to Ecuador taking in the charming Pacific port of Guayaquil. Book now with Journey Latin America.
Group Guayaquil Tours
Our group tours follow expertly designed, well-planned routes with an experienced local guide throughout. Prefer to keep it to your own party? Book the same trips privately for four or more.
Albatross: Ecuador’s highlands and Galapagos
Places visited: Quito · Avenue of the Volcanoes · Cuenca · Guayaquil
15 days from £7,136
Galapagos Hawk: Peru and Galapagos
Places visited: Lima · Cusco · Sacred Valley of the Incas · Machu Picchu · Lake Titicaca – Peruvian side · Guayaquil
15 days from £7,009
Tailor-Made Guayaquil Tours
Prefer to travel on your own terms? We’ll build a trip around your dates, your pace and the things you most want to see – whether that’s a first run at Machu Picchu, a family adventure mixing history and wildlife, or a food-focused journey through Lima and the Sacred Valley. Our Travel Experts can help shape it with you.
Ecuador’s Andes and Galapagos Islands hop
Places visited: Quito · Avenue of the Volcanoes · Guayaquil
13 days from £4,940
Signature Ecuador and Galapagos: Volcanoes to the ocean
Places visited: Quito · Otavalo and the northern highlands · Avenue of the Volcanoes · Cuenca · Guayaquil
14 days from £7,520
FAQs about visiting Guayaquil
Guayaquil is one of the most popular destinations, and there’s plenty to think about before you go. Here, our specialists share their best advice.
- When is the best time to visit Guayaquil?
Guayaquil is a hot, humid place where the temperature seldom dips below 28°C all year round. Heavy rainfall can be expected from Jan-Apr but hardly any outside this period.
For more detailed information visit our When To Go section.
- What language is spoken in Guayaquil?
The main language spoken in Guayaquil is Spanish.
- What currency do I need in Guayaquil?
The US dollar is the main currency used in Guayaquil. There are a number of banks in Guayaquil. Notes can be withdrawn from ATMs using a UK credit or debit card, but the permitted withdrawal may be a lower amount than at home.
- What is the time difference between Guayaquil and the UK?
The time difference between Guayaquil and the UK is GMT -5 hrs.
- What places combine well with Guayaquil?
The Galápagos Islands, 1.5hrs by air; the southern upland city of Cuenca, 175km (2hrs 40mins by road).
- How do you get to Guayaquil?
Average flight time is 12 hrs. There are no direct flights from the UK to Ecuador, popular routes to Guayaquil involve a change of plane in Amsterdam, Paris or Madrid. The city is a 50min flight from Quito.
- What are the festivals and cultural events in Guayaquil?
Fiestas Julianas: Guayaquil, 24-5 Jul. Parades, fireworks, beauty pageants and other events to celebrate the city’s foundation and Simon Bolivar’s birthday.
Dia de Independencia & Dia de Raza: Guayaquil 9-12 Oct. Various cultural events.
Ready to start planning?
Tell us where you want to go, and we’ll take it from there. No obligation, no sales pitch – just a conversation with someone who knows the region inside out.