Roaming South America

Gualaquiza, Ecuador - for love of the outdoors

August 20, 2025

Gualaquiza, Ecuador, was first founded in 1816, and has a population of around 24,000. The area was populated by the Shuar people long before it became a town. The city sits in a narrow valley, the bottom of which is at 850 meters (2788 feet). The town is listed as one of the Pueblos Magicos in Ecuador. Gualaquiza is a tourist destination in Ecuador because of it's waterfalls, eco-tourism opportunities, caves, and much more.

History? Nothing of interest

The area of El Pangui was inhabited by the Shuar people for ages. The town itself started out as a cooperative of local indigenous people and farmers in 1974. The town was officially recognized in 1991. The town has a nice Parque Central (central park) with the church at one side, the city administrative building on another, and restaurants and coffee shops on the other sides. In fact, this town has more coffee shops that the previous fours towns I visited, combined. That's a good thing. There a restobar here called Mills Brewing Co. where they are just that - a brewery of artesenal beer. Very good, I highly recommend this place. As for food, the menu is very limited - burgers, wings, nachos. The owner, Ryan, comes from Iowa, USA, and is a very nice guy. He's done an excellent job with this bar. He has profiles on Facebook and Instagram, look for Mills Brewing Co.

Some of the area activities

• kayaking
• rafting
• tubing
• treking
• birdwatching

Jardin Botanico (Botanical Gardens)

Just slightly more than one kilometer from downtown Gualaquiza is a botanical garden that is a must visit if you visit Gualaquiza. The owner, who speaks basic conversational English, told me he bought the 20 hectares (49 acres) of jungle about 20 years ago. He's been replanting it even since. He's also fixed almost all of the trails with pavers, and repaired stone steps on the steep parts. He has purchased thousands of native plants, especially orchids. There are a couple of ponds with fish, and a couple of viewing platforms, one of which has a view of the city below. For three dollars it is well worth the visit. If you visit, you'll want to be wearing hiking/very gnarly shoes, sneakers won't cut it. This is in the Amazon, and the jungle floor is rarely dry. And, while I walked through I saw multiple places where another person had obviously slipped. So, no, this is not accessible for people with any kind of mobility issue, not by any means. There are lots of photos in the photo album.

My Impressions about Gualaquiza

I like this town, in fact, I put it tied for the number one position for a new hometown. The valley it sits in is on the Amazon side of the Andes Mountains, so it is very green, as are all the towns I've visited in La Selva (the jungle) regions of Ecuador and Perú. I met two women who live here, one from Poland but lived in England for many years and the other from the US. Both live here and love it. Another positive point: there are no moto-taxes (3-wheeled motorcyles, also called put-puts or tut-tuts or some such thing in other countries). I hate those awful air-noise pollution machines. This town has more to offer than some of the others of similar size I've visited, probably because this town is a popular tourist destination for people in Ecuador.