Cuenca eSIM
In Cuenca you connect to Claro or Movistar, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 34 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Claro and Movistar
- Typical speed in Ecuador
- 34 Mbps typical, 8 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- 4G only
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Cuenca
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $9.89 | $9.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $6.30 | $18.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $5.78 | $28.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $4.29 | $42.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $3.94 | $78.89 |
How Ecuador compares across South America
- Regional typical speed
- 33.5 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, Claro, Movistar
- 5G
- 4G only
- Next fastest nearby
- Peru, 35 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Argentina, 33 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 3: Quito, Galapagos, Cuenca
Landing at Mariscal Lamar International Airport (CUE)
- Airport
- CUE / SECU
Getting into Cuenca
- Cuenca Tramway (Tranvia de Cuenca)
Worth knowing about Cuenca
- The airport sits inside the city: it is due east of the Terminal Terrestre bus station on Avenida Espana, a five-minute walk away, and the Spanish Wikipedia article notes the city has grown to surround it completely on the north side.
- Despite the 'International' in its name, every scheduled route listed from Mariscal Lamar is domestic - Quito, Guayaquil, Baltra (Galapagos) and Macas.
- Cuenca has no metro; its rail transit is the single street-level Cuenca Tramway line, about 10.5-10.7 km with 27 stations from the Industrial Park in the north through the historic centre to Banos in the south, open since 25 May 2020.
- The airport and city sit high in the Andes - the airport at 2,532 m (8,306 ft), the city at about 2,560 m - and Cuenca's historic centre has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.
- In Cajas, a guide is compulsory for groups organised by tour operators or schools and for anyone who does not know the routes. Pets, fires and leaving the marked trails are not allowed.
- Mariscal Lamar is not a 24 hour airport: the operator lists opening hours of 06:00 to 21:30 local time from Saturday to Thursday, and until 22:00 on Fridays.
- Flights into Cuenca are short, about 55 minutes from Quito and about 35 minutes from Guayaquil, according to the airport operator CORPAC.
- The tram stops close to the airport exit and the airport calls it the quickest way into the city. For the historic centre, read the timetable for Vía 2, the direction heading downtown.
- Airport taxis operate 24 hours through an agreement with the UTPA drivers' union, and the city mobility company EMOV EP makes the taximeter compulsory on every trip within the canton.
- Free wireless internet and phone charging points are listed among the airport's free passenger services.
- Neither city buses nor the tram take cash. Buses need a Movilízate card, which comes in a grey version for tourists, sold at points such as the El Arenal and Terminal transfer stations.
- The tram has its own card, separate from the bus card, sold at outlets including Mariscal Lamar airport and the Terminal Terrestre. Station machines also sell single tickets, and every trip must be validated or a fine applies.
- The tram runs from 6 in the morning until 9 at night along its north to south route through the city.
- Cajas National Park, the classic day trip from Cuenca, lies between 3,200 and 4,500 metres. Visitors register at control points such as Toreadora, at km 32 of the Cuenca to Molleturo road, between 08:00 and 16:30.
- ETAPA, which manages Cajas, warns hikers not to start or continue walks after 16:00, because the fog can become very dense and the temperature very low.
- Buses to Guayaquil that take the Cajas road leave Cuenca's Terminal Terrestre every day and can drop hikers at the Toreadora refuge.