Navigating Quito’s New Airport

      International arrival into Quito’s airport is pretty straightforward.  Customs and immigration are well-marked, and the route to the arrivals hall - where most folks will have arranged for one of Adventure Life’s drivers / guides to pick them up - is easy to follow.

     Of course, for those who are nervous about this international arrival, we are able to arrange (at additional cost) an official “VIP greeting”.  In such a VIP service, a well-dressed airport employee would meet the traveler at the end of the ramp as they exit the airplane.  The employee would guide the travelers first to the immigration desk, where they’d escort folks to the very front of whatever line might be forming… and then to the luggage pick-up… and eventually to the customs desk, where they would again whisk folks to the front of the line.  We “test-drove” this VIP service on our last arrival, and it took no more than 15 minutes, total, from the aircraft to the arrivals hall, where the airport employee handed us off directly to our local guide, awaiting us kindly with our names on a placard.  Pretty slick.

      When traveling back to the airport for flights to the Amazon, or especially to the Galapagos, things can be a little more confusing, since there are additional steps required for these flights compared to any other normal domestic flight.  Most Adventure Life travelers will have arranged an airport transfer for this morning - provided by an Adventure Life guide, or sometimes provided in a group service as a promotion from the ship operator.  And many of the Galapagos ship operators will station a representative just inside the door of the airport, to meet and greet folks and help them get oriented with the necessary steps.  So it is rare that our travelers end up navigating the airport completely on their own, but it can be good to know what to expect.  So here you go…

             -  Most travelers will have had Adventure Life arrange for their Ingala Card in advance, as part of the Galapagos Flight Package.  This allows travelers to walk in the airport with the Ingala Card in hand, and they can skip the very first line.  This Ingala Card is a sort of “immigration” form to keep track of who is going to the Galapagos… and therefore who needs to ultimately be coming back from the Galapagos.

             -  The first step for most of our travelers ends up being the biosecurity station.  Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands National Park take biosecurity very seriously, so every bit of your luggage - carry-ons and checked bags - will go through the screening process.  This line forms at the far southern end of the terminal - to the left of the Ingala Card line, and to the right of the ticketing counters.  Screening attempts to catch any fresh fruit, plant material, insects, and other organic material that the Galapagos National Park would prefer not be introduced to the islands.

             -  The next step is the normal check-in and ticketing process, using very normal kiosks.  Airline employees are around to answer questions… but if you had an Adventure Life-provided transfer or have met a representative from your ship operator, they’ll be right there to assist as well.

             -  With tickets in hand, and checked luggage properly turned over to the airline, it is time to curl around to the airport’s security check area.  Not biosecurity anymore… just regular ol’ airline security.  Laptops out, coats off… the normal shenanigans.  From here, you head for your gate and truly start dreaming of wildlife sightings!

    Note that for as new as the Quito airport might be, it is really quite small.  Surprisingly small.  So folks hoping to find a secluded area to sit quietly as they await their flight will be deeply disappointed.  Unless…. they allow Adventure Life to arrange for a visit to the VIP lounge.  The one-time entry is a pretty reasonable cost, and includes a buffet breakfast, beverages and a much quieter scene than what would be found in the gate areas themselves.