Getting from GYE to Cuenca

Not many flights to Cuenca + expensive (it well can go from $200 up)

My strong recommendation is to take the coach-bus to Cuenca the morning after you arrive.  The coach is easy, comfortable and cheap, under $10 per person.

You can take the coach-bus to Cuenca from the Terminal Terrestre de Guayaquil (Guayaquil bus terminal).  The terminal is only 2 km north of the airport. There is a busy three-floor shopping mall that is integrated with the Guayaquil bus terminal, complete with a food court and supermarket. The prices are competitive. The terminal is crowded and chaotic. The  signs will direct you to the ticket window where you buy your tickets.

The trip is about 3.5 hours. Via Guayaquil, You travel through urban sprawl and then the hot, rural wetlands and on to the foothills. And then you'll ascend into the Andes via the lush cloud forest. You won't have phone service in this section. On the other side of the cloud forest in the high mountains, you'll wind through mountain ridges. You'll see some ranches here and there, and then some villages and finally you'll come to Terminal Terrestre de Cuenca. There will be plenty of taxis.

The curvy route through the mountains isn't for the timid. It's a road prone to frequent mudslides. The road has no street lights  between Guayaquil and Cuenca and virtually no places for gas or food. I definitely don't advise trying to drive it by yourself, especially if you aren't familiar with the driving customs of Ecuador. The bus drivers are total pros. Relax and leave it to the experts.

Oh yeah, and the whole bus trip is amazing for the views!! Definitely go during the day for sightseeing reasons.

Hi Scott. I drove this route from Cuenca to Guyaquil, absolutely fabulous. As indicated only travel by day as the road is narrow and twisty and at that time there were no guard rails and the drop offs were straight down a very long way down. There was only one gas stop between Cuenca and the coastal villages befor  Guyaquil. Car rentals in Ecuador at the airport are very expensive cost me almost 1800 for 20 days, we traveled through much of Ecuador.
David