El Oro Province · Ecuador
Where to stay in Machala
Machala is a city in El Oro Province, Ecuador, home to about 288,000 people.
- Best months
- May to December
- Nearest airport
- ETR20 km · Santa Rosa - Artillery Colonel Victor Larrea International Airport
- Currency
- USDUnited States dollar
- Time zone
- America/Guayaquil
- Language
- Northern Quichua, Shuar, Spanish
About
About Machala
Machala is a city in south-west Ecuador. It is the capital of the El Oro Province, and is located near the Gulf of Guayaquil on fertile lowlands.
Machala has expanded and become a lot safer. The city features a nice harbour called Puerto Bolivar, there are restaurants right on the water. Machala's cuisine is unique in that it is a blend of Ecuadorian coast cuisine and authentic Peruvian cuisine, making Machala's cuisine truly undiscovered. Machala also features a few malls and noteworthy monuments such as the Sword-Fish near the elevated flyover and the monument to the Bananero which is on a roundabout near La Piazza. Machala's people are kind and welcoming, making it an ideal stopover if you're travelling between Ecuador and Peru.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Machala
See
Puerto Bolivar is Machala's port, about 20 minutes away by bus ($0.25) or 15 minutes by taxi ($3). You can see big ships being loaded with bananas and there are a lot of seafood restaurants, bars and some shopping. Plaza Colon is a nice park with a huge model of the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria that you can climb into.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Machala
4 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Hotel Americano | 1.3 km | |
| Oro Verde Machala | 2.9 km | |
| Reec Machala by Oro Verde Hotels | 3.2 km | |
| Regal Hotel | 1.0 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Machala
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Machala are May to December. March is the warmest month, with average highs of 28 °C; March is the wettest, with about 203 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Machala: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Santa Rosa - Artillery Colonel Victor Larrea International Airport (ETR), about 20 km from the city centre in a straight line; Captain Pedro Canga Rodríguez International Airport (TBP, 56 km) and Mariscal Lamar Airport (CUE, 117 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
You can take a provincial bus from most cities in Ecuador to the brand new Machala Bus Terminal, which has a small mall inside where you can shop for any essential items you may need for your trip when you arrive or before you depart Machala. There is a pharmacy, a grocery store, a sports store where you can get comfortable clothes if needed, and a food court with KFC and local fast food restaurants. Trips from Guayaquil take about 3 hours, and trips from Cuenca take about 3 hours. AndesTransit has further information on bus schedules and trip times.
Getting around
In Machala, you can walk around within town in about an hour. Buses are $0.25 everywhere, and there are numerous bus lines that connect Puerto Bolivar to El Cambio and El Shopping. For example, the number one bus does this. Taxis are $1 within town, $3 to the port (Puerto Bolivar), $2.50 to El Shopping, and $1.50 after midnight. Unlike many other regions, taxis may seek to overcharge North Americans; the simplest approach to avoid this is to not ask for the price before entering. Instead, hail a cab to your desired location, pay the driver $3, and exit the taxi.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
ETR · Santa Rosa - Artillery Colonel Victor Larrea International Airport
TBP · Captain Pedro Canga Rodríguez International Airport
CUE · Mariscal Lamar Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Machala
Drink
There's a Zona Rosa, a place with many bars, but it's not very safe for non-Ecuadoreans after dark (or for Ecuadoreans for that matter).
Stay safe
Puerto Bolivar is normally not a safe area to walk on the boardwalk at night, therefore if you must go, it is best to travel by car rather than walking.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Machala: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Machala?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Machala are May to December. March is the warmest month, with average highs of 28 °C; March is the wettest, with about 203 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Machala?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Santa Rosa - Artillery Colonel Victor Larrea International Airport (ETR), about 20 km from the city centre in a straight line; Captain Pedro Canga Rodríguez International Airport (TBP, 56 km) and Mariscal Lamar Airport (CUE, 117 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Machala?
United States dollar (USD).
Nearby
Destinations near Machala
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.