Loja Vilcabamba

Y AIR

The closest airport to Loja is Camilo Ponce Enríquez Airport in nearby Catamayo. Flying from Quito to there is normally the fastest way to get to Loja. Roundtrip tickets can vary in price, ranging anywhere from $90-120. TAME is the most frequented operator.

BY BUS

Getting to Loja by bus from Quito is a long, 12- to 15-hour trip, best taken overnight. Panamericana (Av. Colón and Reina Victoria. Tel: 02-255-7133/34) makes the trip from the Mariscal. Loja Internacional has a more comfortable (and more expensive) express overnight bus to Loja (Av. Orellana between Juan de Velazco and 9 de Octubre. Tel: 02-222-4306), leaving from the Mariscal and also from Quitumbe). Many more buses leave for Loja from Quitumbe. A bus ticket to Loja costs about $14-20, depending on the operator, quality of bus and how fast it makes the trip.

The bus station in Loja is called Terminal Terrestre “Reina de el Cisne,” and has a 24-hour restaurant, bathrooms and other basic services. Buses leave for Quito, Cuenca, Vilcabamba, Zaruma, Zamora, Machala, Guayaquil and Peru, among other destinations.

Transportes Vilcabambaturis has buses to Vilcabamba ($1.30) every 15 minutes from 6 a.m.-7:45 p.m. and every 30 minutes from 7:45-9:15 p.m.

Cooperativa TAC has one departure per day to Zaruma (12:45 p.m.; 5 hr, $6) and Piñas (3 p.m.; 5 hr, $5). Cooperativa TAC's bus is the only direct bus to Zaruma from Loja; all of the others change in Catamayo.

Unión Yanzatza services buses to Zumba (10:45 a.m, 9:45 p.m.; 6 hr, $7.50), Huaquillas ( 6:40 p.m.; 6 hr, $6) and Machala (10:45 a.m., 9:35 p.m.; 5.5 hr, $6).

Nambija Interprovincal goes to Zamora (21 buses per day from 3:15 a.m.-11:15 p.m.; 1.5 hr, $2.40), Zumba (12:50 p.m., midnight; $7.50), Huaquillas (9:30 a.m., 12:40 p.m., 11:45 p.m.; $12-12.50), Machala ( 7:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 10:40 p.m.; $6-7.50) and Guayaquil (9:45 p.m. 10:45 p.m.; 8 hr, $9.45-10.45).

Loja Internacional has many daily departures to Quito (9 buses, last one at 10 p.m.; $14-20), Guayaquil (8 buses, last one at midnight; $10), Machala (11 buses, last one at 11 p.m.; $6), Cuenca (4 buses, last one at 2:30 p.m.; $7.50), Piura (3 buses, last one at 11 p.m.; 8 hr, $10) and Macará (7 buses, last one at 11 p.m.; 5 hr, $6). It also has two buses per day to Lago Agrio (8 a.m., 2:30 p.m.; $22) and Huaquillas (9:30 p.m., 11:15 p.m.; $6) and one per day to Santo Domingo (7 p.m.; $15).

Viajeros Internacional has the most frequent buses Cuenca, leaving every hour to hour and a half between 4 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. You can also catch one of its buses to Quito (3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.; $15) or Zamora (7 a.m., 6:30 p.m., 9:15 p.m.).

Unión Cariamanga Internacional services buses to Machala (3:30 a.m.), Huaquillas (10:15 p.m.), Zaruma (1 p.m., 6:15 p.m.), Zumba (9 a.m., noon, 4 p.m., 11:30 p.m.) and Zamora (5:30 a.m., 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m.). It also has two buses per day to Piura, Peru; the one at midnight goes via Catacocha, while the one at 6 a.m. goes via Cariamanga. Both pass through Macará.

Cooperativa Transportes Santa does the Loja-Cuenca-Ambato-Quito route five times per day, at 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 7:15 p.m. and 8:40 p.m.

Cooperativa Transporte Piñas goes to Piñas (5 hr, $5) at 6 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 3 p.m. every day.