When I was planning this trip, the one thing that worried me was that it was really hard to find information on bus transport along the road between Coca & Quito that would pass by Wildsumaco, Cosanga (Cabanas San Isidro) and Guango Lodge. It turned out to be as easy as standing on the roadside (or sitting at a bus stop) and hailing the next bus to pass which never took longer than 20 minutes (that could have just been good luck). None of them were full, in fact they were mostly empty enough that we could each claim a bank of 2 seats and stretch out. The buses were also very cheap, between $3-8 for each leg. In the next few photos you can see what the buses were like and see some of the scenery along the way. It was cool to see signs promoting conservation!
WILDSUMACO TO COSANGA
Since our bus was headed to Tena, we had to jump out at the crossroads and hail a Quito bound bus-which pulled up just as we were crossing the street!
It was pouring rain as we pulled over by the Cosanga bus stop. We had been told to go to a small restaurant and call the lodge when we arrived, so braved the rain to walk along the road back towards the town to find the restaurant.
COSANGA TO GUANGO LODGE
After leaving the lodge, they dropped us at the same bus stop and we hailed a bus after a few minutes. This trip took place the day after the earthquake and since we had no internet, we were yet unaware of how much damage was done elsewhere in Ecuador. As you can see, these roads were perfectly fine, you would never know the earthquake had been felt in the region.
This bus was featuring a Bollywood film of all things!
The weather was still rainy and glum as we took the hour long ride to Guango Lodge. Coming from the Amazon, the lodge is on the right side so keep an eye out if the driver doesn’t seem familiar with it.
GUANGO LODGE TO QUITO AIRPORT
Since Guango Lodge is best known for hummingbirds, we only stayed there for a couple hours before heading back out to the main road to get another bus. There was no shelter from the rain this time and we waited around 20 minutes before we were finally rescued by a bus.
We gradually came out of the mountains and started descending into Quito. The bus would go all the way into the city bus terminal but for people headed to the airport, you need to jump out at Pifo and take a taxi. Tell the bus driver you are going to El Aeropuerto and you probably won’t be the only one going there.
I don’t remember exactly how much the taxi was, it was around $10-ish and we probably got ripped off but you are pretty much a captive audience and they know you probably have a flight to catch. It’s less than 10 minutes from Pifo to the airport – easy! The best thing is that you don’t need to schedule a day in Quito to make a flight the next morning. In fact it’s probably easier to get to the airport from Guango or Cabanas San Isidro since there is only one road and no traffic! So why not spend your last night in Ecuador in a beautiful eco-lodge?
They can be found in the higher elevations (mostly above 2500 meters) in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Guango Lodge in Ecuador is a good place although they kept to the flowers in the rear and away from the feeders when we were there-maybe because of the rain. I finally got a better look (pictures above) at the finca near Ventanas above Jardin. Huembo in norther Peru is another good place.
