If you’re looking into a visit to Ecuador, you’ve likely heard of the country’s biggest city: Guayaquil. This Pacific Coast city has one of the country’s largest airports and is the main gateway for anyone heading to the Galapagos Islands.
During our cross-country trip to Ecuador this past spring, we visited all four regions of this gorgeous country. Guayaquil was the last stop on our itinerary, and we had 2.5 days to explore it all on our own terms.
Knowing that we didn’t have any scheduled activities with our Exoticca tour, I started researching the best things to do in the city before we left the States. I began to get a little nervous when I found a few reports of violence and theft in online reviews and articles. But I assumed that Exoticca wouldn’t take us to a city that wasn’t safe, so I tucked those reports away as worst-case scenarios.
Fast forward a couple of weeks, and that anxiety returned when we ran into a couple in the Galapagos Islands who had just come from Guayaquil. They told our group terrifying stories about old ladies being pushed to the ground as thieves took their bags and people’s phones getting snatched right out of their hands as they took pictures.
Needless to say, I landed in Guayaquil expecting to spend the last two days tucked safely away in our hotel! At that point, I viewed the city as one big “nope” and had no intention of making myself a target.
But all that changed very quickly when we took a tour with Eduardo, a local guide that Exoticca hired to take us around the city. After that, the whole city continually went up in my esteem.
So now that you know why I did not want to visit this city, here’s everything that changed my mind and helped us safely explore!
Touring Guayaquil with Eduardo
A couple of hours after our plane landed, our group met Eduardo. Most of our previous tours focused on history, architecture, or local traditions. But Eduardo’s tour was different. His main objective was to give us a streamlined tour of all the places we could safely visit!
I can’t even describe the relief I felt when he told us how this tour would go. It immediately relieved my stress and fears over being in the city.
We were already in the “business district,” which Eduardo explained was the safest part of the city. (Yes, Exoticca knew what they were doing.) From there, he took us on a tour that spanned a wide area and extended about four city blocks back from the waterfront and the Malecon 2000.
As we walked, he filled us in on some of the historic highlights, including the dates the streets are named after, important statues, and notable buildings.
Guayaquil’s Malecon 2000
We spent the first portion of our tour walking through part of the extensive Malecon 2000. Eduardo pointed out the dozens of police officers and security roaming the area and watching the gates. Their continued presence and the fence around the area ensure that the entire boardwalk area remains safe for visitors and locals, day and night!
The Malecon is 1.5 miles long and is probably the nicest part of the whole city! It’s a gorgeous area with brick sidewalks and plazas, a botanical garden, a yacht club, a mall, a theater, numerous playgrounds, and even a small amusement park! As previously mentioned, the city keeps plenty of security in the area from open to close to keep visitors safe. And they even powerwash the entire thing every day to keep it clean!
We didn’t explore the entire boardwalk, but Eduardo showed us a couple of highlights before taking us further into the city.
Other Safe Districts in Guayaquil
As we walked further into the city, we saw fewer officers, but they were still regularly stationed throughout the streets. Eduardo explained that they are more concentrated toward the waterfront because the city is working diligently to improve that area. The less safe areas are further away from the waterfront, where there are no guards, and the neighborhoods get a bit rougher.
However, you can explore quite a bit of the city, knowing that there’s a guard or police officer nearby.
With Eduardo’s guidance, we roamed the busy streets, stopped by the famous Parque Seminario, walked down an avenue that was almost entirely shoe stores, and even visited the local town hall.
As we explored, Eduardo continued to fill us in on other safe places to venture into the city beyond what we visited. He pretty much told us not to venture beyond the Parque Centenario on foot. But he encouraged us to explore 9 de Octubre (a main avenue), Santa Maria Hill, and the local artisan market. He also recommended taking the Aerovía (aka cable cars) for an aerial city tour.
Learning About Guayaquil’s Gentrification Efforts
As I mentioned, Eduardo did give us a good bit of city history at the beginning of our tour. I think this was specifically to help alleviate some of our misgivings–and it worked!
Apparently, Guayaquil had a hard run with a corrupt government through the end of the 1900s. Instead of spending money on improving the city, these officials pocketed everything and left the city to fend for itself. This incited a lot of violence and poverty, which still affects some parts of the city today.
However, new management came into play at the turn of the century under Mayor Leon Febres-Cordero, who started pouring money back into the city.
One of the first projects was revitalizing the city’s boardwalk area, the Malecon 2000. Now, they’re extending their focus further back into the city with additional security and more efforts to raise living standards. It’s a slow process because the city was neglected for so long. But maybe one day, Guayaquil will be completely safe to roam around!
Getting Approached by a Police Officer
Another thing that set my mind at ease was an interaction I had with a police officer on our second day.
Daniel and I had set aside the morning to explore half of the Malecon 2000 before we made our way to Santa Maria Hill. As we wandered through the botanical gardens, a young police officer approached us. At first, I was nervous we’d wandered into some place we weren’t supposed to be or were getting stopped to show our passports. But that wasn’t the case at all!
He literally came over to let us know that we were safe in that area! I thought that was so kind of him. I know I missed a few things he said because my Spanish is only “mas o menos” (lol). But he just let us know that the Malecon was completely safe because plenty of guards were watching out for us.
It was a small gesture, but it gave me confidence that the officers were not only present but also willing to help us if we needed it.
And that does make sense. The city is working very hard to rebrand itself with a positive reputation. And the safer tourists feel the more people will visit and help revitalize the economy.
We actually had a couple of positive interactions with the local police officers, including getting recommendations for dinner and again during a medical emergency when they were extremely kind and patient with our group.
Exploring Guayaquil on Our Own
The final element that restored my confidence in visiting this city was getting out and seeing it ourselves. The more we explored, the more comfortable we felt. At times, we ventured out with other people from our group. But we spent most of the two days exploring on our own by foot, cable car, and bus!
For the most part, the locals were welcoming and very patient with us. We only came across two people besides Eduardo who spoke English. Still, everyone was kind enough to work with our limited Spanish and even have some short conversations about our visit.
However, we definitely felt the difference when we ventured beyond the parameters that Eduardo had laid out. We took a shortcut from Parque Seminario instead of sticking to 9 de Octubre. And even though the area looked pretty similar to what we’d just visited, it was obvious we were drawing too much attention by being there. Nothing negative happened, but we did feel uneasy until we returned to the more guarded area.
But aside from that one experience, we felt very at ease as we explored. We even went out for dinner at night a couple of times in the business district, and I kept my camera out (but firmly attached around my neck and one hand on it) most of the time.
Closing Thoughts on Visiting Guayaquil, Ecuador
If you’ve been on the fence about visiting Guayaquil, I hope this post helps set your mind at ease. As long as you’re smart, you shouldn’t be in danger. And if anything does go wrong, you can be confident that the local law enforcement is willing to step in and help you.
Stay tuned for a follow-up post on safe activities you can do in Guayaquil! I’m going to share all the places we visited, plus a few more that Eduardo told us about. You can also check out these additional Ecuador posts in the meantime…
- Quito, Ecuador – 9 of the Best FREE & Cheap Things to See and Do!
- A Complete Guide to Packing for Ecuador: All 4 Regions!
- Quilotoa Crater–Ecuador’s Famous and Beautiful Volcanic Lake!
- 11 Essential Things to Know Before You Visit Ecuador
- The Ultimate Day On San Cristobal In The Galapagos Islands
- Suchipakari Amazon Eco Lodge: The Good, Bad, And Ugly
- Dive Into the Galapagos with a 360 Snorkeling Tour!
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Take care and happy travels!
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