Guayaquil – Iguana Park and other free attractions #AtoZChallenge
Guayaquil is Ecuador´s largest city with over 2 million residents. It is known as the gateway to the Galapagos – anyone flying to the Galapagos connects in Guayaquil.
There are many free attractions for visitors to enjoy. Three of my favorite are Iguana Park, Malecon 2000 and the Las Peñas neighborhood.
Seminario Park (Iguana Park)
Iguana Park is a great destination for iguana and people watching. The park has lovely trees, walking paths and a fish pond, all enjoyed by iguanas. Be sure to look up periodically because there are iguanas in the trees, too.
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| Iguana Park |
Simon Bolivar Pier (Malecon 2000)
Popular with morning joggers and afternoon families, Malecon 2000 is a beautiful 2.5 km (1.5 mi) waterfront boardwalk. It includes gardens, sculptures, parks, restaurants, and an IMAX theater. Visit on July 25 for the anniversary of Guayaquil´s 1538 founding.
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| Guayaquil´s anniversary on Malecon 2000 |
Las Peñas Neighborhood
Walk to the north end of the Malecon 2000 and enter 400 year old Las Peñas, the oldest neighborhood in Guayaquil. Climb 444 steps to the top of Santa Ana Hill for a spectacular view of the city.
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| 444 numbered steps |
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| View of Guayaquil from Santa Ana Hill |
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| Lighthouse on Santa Ana Hill |
Emily Bloomquist
I am a US Expat in Ecuador. I grew up on a Minnesota farm, worked in IT in California's Silicon Valley, then moved to a coastal Ecuador fishing village. My goal is to share Ecuador with you, one snippet at a time. Topics include attractions, compassion, ecotourism, Ecuador products, everyday Ecuador, and flora and fauna. Please let me know what you would like to read more about!
28 Comments
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Hi Emily – what a magnificent place … I'd never realised there was this enormous harbour/gulf area on the coast of Ecuador – I must have a closer look another day. Fascinating history too … love it – and yes I'd love to visit —- one day! Cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/g-is-for-goose-gobbling-or-otherwise.html
Emily Bloomquist
It really is a magnificent place. I did not mention that many of Ecuador´s presidents have lived in the Las Penas neighborhood, too.
Anonymous
Che Gueverra also lived in Las Peñas for a time.
Emily Bloomquist
I did not remember that. Thanks Anonymous!
Operation Awesome
Great post. Love the images you shared here. Well done!
operationawesome6.blogspot.com/
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks, Awesome! I appreciate it.
Judy Rinehimer
So glad you climbed the 444 steps for the photo. Thanks for sharing.
Emily Bloomquist
During the climb, there are a lot of historical photos and buildings so plenty of resting spots on the way 🙂
Jean Davis
So many iguanas! And steps. Wow, but the view sure looks worth it.
Discarded Darlings – Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction
Emily Bloomquist
Yes, the view makes the steps totally worth it!
Leslie Moon
Those iguana are well fed. Great shots indeed.
Happy weekend
A Piece of Uganda
Emily Bloomquist
The iguanas are not lacking for food, that seems certain. Thanks much!
Lisa
you've seen so many interesting things!!
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks Lisa, I am fortunate to live in a country with so many interesting things at my doorstep!
Donna B. McNicol
That is such an amazing park to visit. I was staggered at the size of the iguanas there and they were everywhere!
G: Galapagos & Glacier Nat'l Park
DB McNicol, author & traveler
Theme: Oh, the places we will go!
Emily Bloomquist
I expected to find a few the first time we visited. I was surprised there were so many.
Shilpa Garg
My husband and son would love to visit the Iguana Park. They are fascinated by these unusual lizards and animals in general. Climbing up 444 steps to get the city's beautiful view is interesting.
Emily Bloomquist
A morning climb up the stairs for the view, an afternoon in the park with iguanas. What a great day that would be!
Susie
What a lovely place to live.
Emily Bloomquist
I only mentioned three of the Guayaquil attractions. There are many more that I skipped in an effort to keep this short.
Courtney Turner
444 steps! Good workout. Are there stores along the steps or just houses? Maui Jungalow
Emily Bloomquist
Along the steps are stores and restaurants. The homes were included in the restoration project. Many owners turned their first floors into businesses and live on upper floors.
One cool thing they did was include a photo of homes before restoration on the outside of each. The photos provide nice stopping points, too.
Arlee Bird
When we visited Guayaquil we missed the iguana park, but that might have been on purpose–I'm sure my wife would have hated it. We did climb the stairs to Santa Ana Hill. It was at night and the place was packed. We didn't go into any of the busy clubs, but we got a nice view at the top. It was a workout, but we did take it very slow.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Emily Bloomquist
It may very well have been by design, Arlee. During my first visit to Iguana Park, I stood right under a tree and almost got iguana poo on me.
I have not been to Santa Ana Hill at night. The views must be wonderful.
Arlee Bird
I asked my wife about this tonight and she knew exactly what the park was and said that's why she didn't want to go.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Emily Bloomquist
I can completely understand 🙂
Nilanjana Bose
No thanks to iguana poo but that lighthouse looks amazing.
Emily Bloomquist
The lighthouse and surroundings are very cool – there are old cannons and other weaponry there, too. It's basically like an open air museum showing how the port of Guayaquil was protected from anyone coming up the river.