Guayaquil will probably not become your favourite place in Ecuador. It is busy port town with a lot of traffic jams. The city is situated on the Guayas River, near the head of the Gulf of Guayaquil, in the country’s low-lying Pacific littoral. It is Ecuador’s largest city and its leading economic center; major industries include shrimp fishing, petroleum refining, food processing, and the manufacture of machinery and consumer goods. Most of the nation’s large export trade in bananas and the great majority of its imports pass through the city’s nearby deepwater outport.

Nevertheless there are a few things to see and to do, however, to keep you busy for the time you are here. An afternoon walk along the promenade of the broad Guayas River is enjoyable. Among the notable landmarks are a 16th-century church in the old district of Las Peñas and a monument commemorating the Guayaquil Conference (1822) between the South American statesmen José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar. Be careful, there have been reports that the area is quite unsafe for tourists.

If you want to get away from the city you can head for the nearby resorts of Salinas and Playas. Both are very popular with the locals; that also means they are very crowded. Guayaquil is located 275 km southwest of the capital Quito.