Land border crossings are always a worry especially post covid as things seem to change by the day. This one from Ecuador to Peru couldn’t really be simpler. We found the actually process of the crossing stress free and although, quite time consuming, was conducted with a great deal of professionalism.
There are three land border crossing points from Ecuador to Peru. La Balsa, which I believe is a complicated crossing which involves an adventurous journey through a jungle pass. La Tina which we have been told is a quite easy crossing with a simple immigration process however if you’re travelling from the Cuenca area, this route, requires multiple bus journeys that can take up to two days to complete.
We will concentrate for this blog on the border crossing we used to get from Ecuador to Peru. The Aguas Verdes crossing between Huaquillas, Ecuador, and Tumbes, Peru is close to the coast and the most convenient method of crossing the border at the time of writing the post. This route is especially easy as there is a direct bus service between Guayaquil or Cuenca in Ecuador and the coastal town of Mancora in Peru and beyond.
The bus pulls up firstly at the bio security office where you must prove that you have the correct covid passes to get into the country. At the time of writing, you required two jabs to get into Peru. After completion of the required proof process you were issued with a stamped ticket to indicate to the border control that you were allowed to proceed.
We then got back on the bus and were ferried round to the immigration office although those at the back of the queue were left behind and had to walk over. Both the Ecuadorian and the Peruvian immigration are in the same building you queue to get the stamp out at one desk and then move over to the other to get the stamp in. Basically that is it. Once everyone has been through the immigration process the bus continues on its way. The whole process took about two hours to get everyone through and back on the bus.
There were a lot of people there to learn to surf, we didn’t have time to take part but it looked really good conditions for the beginners with good gentle breaks. One of the most popular day tours is to take one of the many boats out to watch for whales. Lynne had been looking forward to this for a good few weeks and wasn’t disappointed. Between July and September the whales migrate down the coast from the north to breed and give birth in the shallow waters. If you’re have keen eyesight and your lucky you can actually see them from the beach although they are very distant.
We stayed in Mancora for three nights mainly because we didn’t realise the bus went further. We stayed at Eco lodge Mancora which was quite pleasant with a great breakfast although we thought it was slightly overpriced for what you got. The room was good and it was in a quiet part of town down a dusty track away from the noise of the road but still quite close to the beach.
We have always tended to use Booking.com having said that if your on a tight budget another good site to try as a comparison is Hostelworld, If your looking to compare different sites you can do that on Hotellook, we tend to look on here first to make sure we are getting the best deal.
You can book your visits as you go at the entrance to your chosen attraction or site. Or you could use the following links to book in advance or just to find out what your choices are in the area. GetYourGuide and Tiqets are our go to choices you could try Viator to see how they compare.
For a full list check out our resources page. Don’t forget always shop around to find the best deal for you. What works for us should be good for you but it’s always reassuring to check.
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The Santa Cruz trek is one of the best multi day treks in Peru if not the world. With stunning views that take your breath away.
Cusco has a number of museums covering all different aspects from Chocolate making to the history of the Inca civilisation.
These four archeological sites, Sacsayhuaman, Q’enco, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay sit above Cusco and are included on the Cusco Tourist Ticket.
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