Port Guide | Ecuador | Worth a Wander

Guayaquil

Michael States | Editor

Published on 2025-08-11

Congratulations-you've docked in Guayaquil: Ecuador's sweltering, swaggering, salsa-loving metropolis, the kind of port city that greets travelers with equal measures tropical warmth, noisy vibrance, and delightful chaos. Sure, Quito might have colonial polish, but Guayaquil proudly wears its scrappy coastal charm-and humidity-on its sleeve. After all, this is a city named for a mythical chief and his equally mythical wife, both of whom supposedly chose eternal rest over separation. (Take note, traveling couples.) For the practically minded: yes, you'll sweat. Yes, there's traffic. But where else can you wander from the bustling Malecon 2000 waterfront promenade-packed with galleries, street snacks, and people passionately discussing futbol-to the pastel-hued streets of Las Penas, where artsy boutiques perch precariously on hillsides? Need a jumpstart? Try a bowl of encebollado (the local hangover-curing fish soup, regardless of your sobriety), then catch your breath at El Parque Historico, an oddball blend of wildlife refuge and architectural time capsule. Welcome to Guayaquil: authentic, spicy, slightly unruly, and never, ever boring.