To sail in the Guayas river, is one of the options that the traveler could not leave aside in his visit to Guayaquil. The passage - besides being amusing and exciting - will allow him to know the daily activities of the people that live in the shores.

In the mainland you will be able to cross the avenues and streets of the city simply to be captured by the beauty of its parks and the Simon Bolivar jetty or to inhale that old and bohemian air that comes off from the wooden houses of the historical Barrio de Las Peñas.

In the City

The Cathedral: Originally it was constructed with wood in 1547, but a fire consumed its structures. In 1948, the present temple of neo-gotic style was elevated. They emphasize its glassworks and the marble altar brought from Cuenca. You can find it in Chile Street.

Parque del Centenario: The biggest in Guayaquil. It occupies an extension of four blocks, where you can observe a number of monuments, being the one of greater importance the one for freedom, it shows the image of the Ecuadorian heroes. On its surroundings, statues of a minor size represent history, justice and the heroism.

Parque Bolivar: It is the botanical garden of the city and it has less than a century of existence. In their green areas and pools, you can find turtles and iguanas, that are used to be in contact with the public.

Municipal Museum: The Jibaros (a tribe of the Amazonia) had the custom to reduce the heads of their enemies, those that after the procedure were left the size of a doll head. Until now, the investigators have not been able to discover the methods and techniques used by the natives. An impressive collection of these " Military trophies " is exhibited in the room located between the Sucre and Pedro Carbo streets.

Other interesting museums are the House of the Ecuadorian Culture (it exhibits Pre-Columbian objects found in the Ecuadorian coast) and the Museum of the Central Bank (an important exhibition of Pre-Hispanic utensils and samples of ceramic and textile).

The Simon Bolivar Pier: A meeting point of interchange, a place stuffed of life that located by the sea and its greatness of incessant waves. Here, sailors relate risky stories, children sell refreshments and trying to think that everything is a game and couples interchange promises of love having the sea as their witness. In front of the pier is the Morisca Tower that was constructed in 1770. Thanks to its height is an ideal place to overview Guayaquil.

La Rotonda: A splendid monument that reminds the historical meeting between Simin Bolivar, the liberator, and Jose de San Martin, that determined the formation of the great Colombia (integrated by Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador) and the farewell of San Martin, whom would leave the continent after that.

Barrio de Las Peñas: It was declared a cultural patrimony of the nation in 1982, for being the most representative urban-architectural complex of the 20th century. It is located in the very same place where the city was founded and characterized by its paved streets and their Spanish style wooden houses. The Santa Ana hill - ideal to obtain a panoramic View - and the Guayas river constitute their natural surroundings.

Church of Santo Domingo: It is the oldest church in the city. Its original construction dates from 1548, but had to be restored 390 years later. There is a water well on its interior, that, according to some faithful people has curative properties.