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Quevedo, Ecuador
September 4, 2025
Is Quevedo Safe for Tourists?
No, not right now. Numbers + experience both say avoid.
I visited Quevedo about 3 years ago, and I'll tell you right up front - don't bother visiting this city if you visit Ecuador. Skip it. In fact, skip the entire La Costa zone. The crime rate is astronomical. The littered streets, the dirty parks, it's just not a pleasant place. Instead, cross the mountains and visit La Selva zone, the jungle, or Amazon, region. Clean towns, much, much friendlier people, very low crime. Here in the coastal region (everything west of the Andes Mountains) is a high crime zone. And I'm not exaggerating.
TL;DR (The Gritty Reality)
- Yes, crime in Quevedo has skyrocketed over the past three years—it's not just a bad mood, it's reality.
- Yes, locals and visitors perceive Quevedo as very unsafe—especially after dark.
- No, the situation isn’t isolated—it's part of a nationwide security crisis, especially along the coastal zone.
- Yes, the criminal groups behind this are powerful, organized, and have no qualms dragging violence into public space.
Alright, here’s the unvarnished, yet data-driven look at what’s going on in Quevedo.
Crime in Quevedo — What the Numbers Say
| Metric | Insight |
|---|---|
| Numbeo Perception (Sep 2024) | Quevedo scores 92.86/100 for "Level of Criminality: Very High," and 100/100 for "Increase over the last 3 years" — both based on visitor/locals’ perceptions ([es.numbeo.com][1]) |
| Safety Ratings | Feeling safe walking alone during the day scores 35.71/100 (Low), and at night drops to 3.57/100 (Very Low) ([es.numbeo.com][1]) |
| U.S. Travel Advisories | The U.S. government flags violent crime, kidnapping, armed robbery as widespread in Ecuador, especially in areas with transnational criminal groups ([hesaidgo.org][2], [Travel.gov][3]) |
| Ecuador’s National Crime Trend | Ecuador's homicide rate spiked dramatically: from 5.8 per 100,000 in 2018 to an estimated 26.1 per 100,000 by 2022 ([TIME][4]); by 2023, it soared to a staggering 44.5 per 100,000 ([The Sun][5]) |
| 2025 Violence Escalation | As of early 2025, Ecuador recorded 1,300 homicides in just the first 50 days—a 40% increase from the prior year—with an overall rate of 38 per 100,000, making it the most violent country in Latin America ([El PaĂs][6]) |
| Organized Crime & Armed Conflict | Since January 9, 2024, Ecuador has been in an internal armed conflict with organized crime gangs (notably Los Choneros)—with kidnappings, attacks, and police casualties reported in cities including Quevedo ([Wikipedia][7], [Wikipedia][8]) |
| Gang Influence | Los Choneros—a major organized crime syndicate—has deep influence in Ecuador, controlling trafficking routes, prisons, and even extending into areas like Los RĂos province ([Wikipedia][9], [Wikipedia][8]) |
| Historic Comparison | Back in 2014–15, Quevedo was among the 20 most violent districts, but eventually dropped from that list—but that was over a decade ago and doesn’t match the modern surge ([ministeriodegobierno.gob.ec][10]) |
| Reddit Buzz | Locals chimed in: “Plus Esmeraldas, Quevedo, Babahoyo and Machala. They’re all pretty bad.” — giving some street-level color to official data ([reddit.com][11]) |
[1]: https://es.numbeo.com/criminalidad/ciudad/Quevedo-Ecuador?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Criminalidad en Quevedo"
[2]: https://hesaidgo.org/en/travel-advisory/view?id=101&utm_source=chatgpt.com "Advisory: Ecuador Issued by US Department of State"
[3]: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Ecuador Travel Advisory - U.S. Department of State"
[4]: https://time.com/6306577/ecuador-election-gang-violence-safety/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "How Gang Violence Is Shaking Up Ecuador's Election"
[5]: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/34582364/medieval-style-executions-worlds-murder-capital/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Medieval-style executions & gangs who cut out HEARTS... inside world's 'murder capital' after Brit lynched in street"
[6]: https://elpais.com/america/2025-03-02/ecuador-se-situa-como-el-pais-mas-violento-de-america-latina-un-asesinato-cada-hora.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Ecuador se sitĂşa como el paĂs más violento de AmĂ©rica Latina: un asesinato cada hora"
[7]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecuadorian_conflict_%282024%E2%80%93present%29?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Ecuadorian conflict (2024–present)"
[8]: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflicto_armado_interno_de_Ecuador?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Conflicto armado interno de Ecuador"
[9]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Choneros?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Los Choneros"
[10]: https://www.ministeriodegobierno.gob.ec/quevedo-dejo-de-ser-uno-de-los-20-distritos-mas-violentos-del-pais/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Quevedo dejó de ser uno de los 20 distritos más violentos ..."
[11]: https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/193lndd/homicide_rate_in_ecuador_by_province/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Homicide rate in Ecuador by province : r/MapPorn"
What’s Fueling the Collapse?
Gang Turf Wars
After FARC’s demobilization left a void, different cartels (including foreign ones) rushed in to grab control of drug routes through Ecuador’s coast
TimeCartel-U.S. Pipeline
Ecuador has become a major cocaine transit hub, with criminal outfits fighting bitterly for control. Worse, gangs like the Choneros are embedded in prisons and local government systems
WikipediaState of Emergency & Armed Conflict
The government declared an internal armed conflict in January 2024, and deployed the military and police nationwide—but violence remains wildly high
WikipediaPersistent High Homicide Rates
Even with a small dip from 46 to 38 per 100,000, the 2024 rate is still way above anything Ecuador experienced years ago—and Sanctions haven’t crushed the surge
AP NewsQuevedo's Urban Decay
I saw it, I visited this town, twice now—the malecon trashed, businesses shuttered by 7pm, public urination, neglected kids' areas, fading statues—it all lines up with what I've read and what you'd expect when civil services buckle under crime strain.
Further Reading
Visit the Amazon Zone
As I mentioned in the opening paragraph - visit the Amazon side of the Andes Mountains - you'll like it much better. A few of my favorite towns are:
Catamayo (Apr. 12, 2025) and Catamayo (Jan. 9, 2023) and Catamayo (Sept. 2, 2023) (where I will probably live when I settle down in 2026)
Macas (Sept 7, 2023)
Zamora (Aug. 15, 2025) and Zamora (Sept. 5, 2023)
Yantzaza (Aug. 17, 2025)
El Pangue (Aug. 18, 2025)
Gualaquiza (Aug. 20, 2025)
Click the links to read those blogs.
My Impressions
Now, I've finished my second visit to Quevedo, and it was not a pleasant place to visit. This small city has degraded terribly in the past 3 years. After speaking to a couple of local police officers I understand why - the crime rate has skyrocketed. There are police everywhere in town. They have police in the watch-tower things on any properties that have them, such as the malls and big shopping areas. The malecon/riverside promenade is best avoided, it's in terrible condition. When I was there I saw, in several places, four men urinating there, in public, on the malecon. There's a children's area that has several inches of standing dirty/algae covered water with garbage floating in it, even a tire. In downtown, almost all businesses are closed by 7pm, including restaurants. The main street through the center, with all the animal sculptures, is littered, the sculptures show disrespect and fading paint. Like the previous city I visited, Babahoyo, Quevedo is a city you can simply ignore if you visit Ecuador. And, based on the crime information I've seen, the entire coastal zone is best avoided.
I used to teach English as a foreign language in Barranquilla, Colombia. Now I'm retired and traveling throughout South America.
I'm from Kennewick, Washington, USA. In my previous life, as I call it, I was an IT guy, systems administrator, computer tech, as well as a shipping/receiving guy and also worked as a merchandising guy in a RV/Camping store.