News affecting holidays in Ecuador - transport, visas, news and more http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/ Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:10:00 GMT Ecuador's indigenous communities have been marching through Ecuador for the past two weeks, and this march arrives in Quito today, with the potential to cause traffic problems in the Old Town and disrupt tours of the city. The march is designed to draw attention to the issues faced by indigenous communities and as a statement of their presence in what is an overwhelmingly white and mestizo society. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/quito-protest-march Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:10:00 GMT If your holiday to Ecuador involves flying with Iberia via Madrid, then you may have heard the news that pilots may be striking in December with some concern. The dates in question are the 18th and 29th of December, and although they aren't confirmed yet, it does seem likely that strikes will go ahead on both these days. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/iberia-strikes-ecuador-flights Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:00:00 GMT Anyone on a cruise to the Galapagos Islands at the moment should be aware that we are receiving warnings of unusually high swells in the islands, coming from a southerly direction. They are actually primarily affecting the Ecuadorean coast, where waves of up to 2m high have been reported, but there is also some effect in the Galapagos Islands. These swells are predicted to last throughout the weekend. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/galapagos-high-tides Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:25:00 GMT Almost exactly a year on from last years flight disruptions caused by the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano, the island nation is at it again with its Grimsvotn volcano trying to ruin our countries holiday plans this year. Luckily this time, however, it seems the effects of this new ash cloud will only cause a fraction of the disruption that last year’s events did to your Ecuador holidays. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/ecuador-ash-cloud Tue, 24 May 2011 14:40:00 GMT Some good news for Ecuador holiday-makers from TAME airlines today. They are to begin operating a route from Guayaquil to the new Latacunga airport next to the Cotopaxi National Park and then onwards to Loja. The new Latacunga airport dealt with its first flight on Tuesday with the country's President, Rafael Correa, on-board to celebrate its opening. The airport has an extra long runway, as the airport is at a high-altitude meaning planes have to land at higher speeds here to maintain lift in the thinner air. The fact the runway is built like this means that they hope to attract larger, international flights here along with domestic ones. Let us know if you want to make use of this new airport on your Real Ecuador holiday. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/ecuador-budget-flights Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:30:00 GMT The tsunami wave that resulted from last week’s earthquake off the coast of Japan has struck the Galapagos Islands. Luckily, by the time it reached the islands, its destructive power had diminished and the effects have been minor, with police reporting no major damages. Most tourist activities have resumed on the islands, including all flights to and from the mainland. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/ecuador-galapagos-tsunami-warning Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:45:00 GMT Many will have woken this morning to the tragic images of the aftermath of an earthquake, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, which struck off the coast of Japan. The earthquake, whose epicentre was out at sea, caused a tsunami which has devastated vast regions of the Japanese coastline. Worries that the tsunami may affect other countries with pacific coastlines have led to states of emergency being declared in many of these places, one of these being Ecuador. All people in low-lying areas of land have been moved to higher ground, including everyone on the Galapagos Islands and all flights have been cancelled to and from the Galapagos. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/ecuador-galapagos-tsunami-warning Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:00:00 GMT TAME, the Ecuadorian airline, announced today that it will be increasing the frequency of flights to Mexico, San Jose, La Habana, New York and Miami. This is good news for anyone who is looking to travel around this area of the world on their holiday to Ecuador. The airline is also seeking the permission of the National Council for Civil Aviation to establish routes between Lima, Bogota, Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo which, if given the go ahead, will mean a range of options for travellers to add many must visit destinations in South America to their trip. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/ecuador-holiday-flights Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:45:00 GMT Cruz del Sur, a company we often use on our Peru holidays due to their high quality coach services, today announced that they will be running a new coach route between Guayaquil, in Ecuador, and Lima, in Peru. This is good news for travellers who are perhaps looking from a cheaper way of touring South America. Only stopping in Mancora and Trujillo, the route will be an express one and free onboard Wi-Fi will be available to all passengers. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/coaches-to-peru Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:55:00 GMT It’s been a busy decade for the Tunguruhua volcano, which makes up part of the Cordillera chain of mountains in Ecuador and lies around 85 miles South-East of the capital Quito. Having been in state of rest since 1918, the volcano became active again in 1999 and has seen several major eruptions since then. Now it is erupting again. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/tungurahua-eruption Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:25:00 GMT Those wanting to escape what is fast becoming the coldest winter Britain has seen for many years may be tempted by the latest flight offers to be released by Lan Airlines, South America’s best airline. Starting from £451 (excluding taxes), travellers can get return flights from the UK to Quito, Ecuador’s capital, for travel between 10th January 2011 and 31st March 2011. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/ecuador-holiday-flights2 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:50:00 GMT All transport, land, sea and air will be suspended in Ecuador on 28th November from 4am to 7pm, as the country carries out its national census. All sales of alcohol will also be forbidden from noon on Saturday 27th November until noon on Monday 29th November and any shows scheduled for 27th and 28th November will also be cancelled. This includes religious festivities and sporting events. Ports and airports will also be closed from 7am to 7pm on 28th November along with the country’s borders with Colombia and Peru. http://www.therealecuador.co.uk/guide/census-affects-holidays Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:15:00 GMT