Quevedo

Introduction

Quevedo is a city in Ecuador's Los Ríos Province and the seat of Quevedo Canton, a community founded in 1943. It sits in the country's interior, southwest of Quito and northeast of Guayaquil, and has grown quickly in recent decades.

The city is best known for its agricultural tradition. Its agroindustrial complex is among the world's leading exporters of banana, cacao, passion fruit and coffee bean. More recently, activity beyond agriculture has expanded, particularly in the financial and educational sectors.

Before you go

Quevedo sits inland from the Pacific coast in the western Andes, a region first settled by the Milagro-Quevedo culture around 400 AD. That civilization occupied a wide stretch of the western Andes and was still present when the Spanish conquest began, so the town's roots reach back well before the colonial era.

Getting there

Getting around

Getting around Quevedo is simple and cheap. The city centre is compact enough to cross on foot, so once you're in the middle of town you can generally reach shops, markets, restaurants and your accommodation without arranging transport. For anything beyond the central area, or when you're carrying luggage or it's raining hard, a taxi is the easier choice. Taxis are everywhere and drivers are eager to give you a lift, and within the main city a ride from anywhere to anywhere is treated as costing a set local rate — an unwritten rule that both drivers and passengers follow. Don't let a driver charge you more than that for a trip inside the city; agreeing the fare before you set off, or simply handing over the expected amount, keeps things straightforward.

Quevedo has no metro, tram or passenger rail network of its own, so plan on buses, taxis and walking instead. Long-distance coaches are the most useful option for arriving or leaving: Transportes Ecuador is well known as a safe and comfortable company whose buses run between Quito and Guayaquil almost around the clock and all stop in Quevedo — though only very briefly, so confirm your stop with the driver or an assistant when you board and keep your bags within easy reach. Buses also run from the city to Manta and Puerto Viejo, making Quevedo a gateway to the Pacific coast. Quevedo has no commercial airport of its own, so the practical way to arrive by air is to fly into Quito or Guayaquil and continue overland on those same coaches. Learning at least a little Spanish makes bus travel around Ecuador, including Quevedo, considerably easier.

Where to stay

Quevedo covers both ends of the accommodation spectrum, so you can choose between a full-service hotel and a simple, inexpensive hostel depending on your budget and how much time you plan to spend in your room.

• Hotel Olímpico – likely the finest of the hotels in the area, with a large swimming pool featuring high dives and water slides. It sits a little ways out of the city center, though still within easy walking distance.
• Hostal Mafi, Calle Camilo Arevalo 221 – a clean, cheap hostel environment with apparently good security. Rooms come with two beds or a matrimonio (single large bed).
• Hotel Presidente – about a kilometer out of the city via Valencia. Rooms are comfortable and spacious, and everything is of good quality. The hotel has a bar-restaurant serving homemade food, plus a boutique with imported products and clothes from the USA and China.

If you are traveling as a group, it is worth asking about a discount, as some places offer one depending on whether you take single or double occupancy.

Food & drink

Quevedo has restaurants throughout the city serving good food, and the everyday Ecuadorian standard fare — comida típica — is easy to find. Expect two courses: a soup, then a second plate that usually brings the meat of the day, a generous serving of rice and a small salad, often with juice alongside.

• Asaderos (grills) for grilled meat.
• Seafood: El Picudo Blanco is a more upscale seafood restaurant with a fairly extensive menu. Marisqueria Las Redes is recognized citywide for its encebollado, a seafood soup you can order sencillo (with albacore) or mixto (with albacore, shrimp, chicharrónes, crab and more), served with chifles (plantain chips); it's on Av. June Guzman.
• Chifa (Chinese food): chifas are everywhere in Quevedo. Chifa Hong Kong is known as one of the best in town, one block north of Parque Central on Calle Cuarta. Chifa Xing Fu, on Av. Jaime Roldos Aguilera y Decima Quinta, is noted for its crab rangoon wonton.

What to see and do

Quevedo is not a tourist-oriented city, so unless you have specific business or plans here, the best thing to do is simply walk around the city center. Doing so gives you a good taste of what a true Ecuadorian coastal city is like.

• Walk the city center to get a feel for everyday life in Quevedo.
• Visit the waterfront, where a bustling fish and produce market showcases the whole gamut of food products from the area.

Three days in Quevedo

Day one: Base yourself in Quevedo, a city in Los Ríos Province within Quevedo Canton, and use it as your introduction to Ecuador's lowland interior. Settle into a room at Hotel Olímpico, Hostal Mafi, or Hotel Presidente, then walk Calle Camilo Arevalo to get your bearings. Quevedo sits between the Andes and the Pacific, so expect warm, humid conditions. For dinner, look for the asaderos that serve grilled Ecuadorian food.

Day two: Take a day trip to Puerto Viejo or Manta, both reachable by bus. Transportes Ecuador and other buses connect Quevedo with larger cities including Quito, Guayaquil, and Milagro, so you can plan a longer excursion if you wish. Taxis are available for getting around town. If you prefer to stay local, spend the day learning the rhythm of Quevedo itself.

Day three: Use your final day to travel onward or return. Buses run to Quito, Guayaquil, Milagro, Manta, and Puerto Viejo, giving you several options. Don is a common Spanish title you will hear, and bear in mind that Quevedo's connections to Valencia, the USA, and China shape its trade and its people. Long-distance travel from here is straightforward by bus.