Guayaquil

Guayaquil is a hot, humid, energetic port on the Guayas river, and for years travellers passed straight through it on the way to the Galápagos, which is now less true than it was. The Malecón 2000, a long landscaped promenade along the river with gardens, museums and a viewpoint tower, changed how the city sees its waterfront, and it runs to the foot of Las Peñas, the oldest quarter, where a stairway of four hundred and forty-four numbered steps climbs a hill lined with brightly painted wooden houses, small bars and galleries to a lighthouse and chapel at the top with the whole city below. The other unmissable oddity is Parque Seminario in the centre, where dozens of large land iguanas live wild in the trees and on the paths, ambling among the benches while pigeons get out of their way.

What you actually see

• Las Peñas - the painted hillside quarter and its four hundred and forty-four steps.
• Malecón 2000 - the landscaped riverfront promenade and its viewpoint tower.
• The iguana park - Parque Seminario, where wild land iguanas roam the paths.
• The Cerro Santa Ana lighthouse - the chapel and beacon at the top of the stairway.

When to go

June to December is the drier, slightly cooler season; the first months of the year are hot, humid and wet. Evening is the time for the Malecón and Las Peñas, when the heat drops and the lights come on. The city fills for its founding celebrations in July and October.

Honest expectations

It is hot and humid almost all the time, which limits daytime walking. The tourist areas of the Malecón and Las Peñas are policed and fine, but the surrounding centre requires ordinary big-city caution, particularly after dark and away from the lit quarters. Most visitors give it a night on the way to or from the Galápagos, which is about right.

Nearby

The Galápagos flights leave from here; the coastal route and Montañita run northwest.