Heightened military deployments and new security protocols are reshaping travel between Cuenca and Guayaquil amid Ecuador’s escalating internal conflict.

For the Cuenca expat community, the road to Guayaquil is a lifeline—it’s the route to the international airport, the U.S. Consulate, and the major malls. But in January 2026, traveling this route means navigating a zone of “Internal Armed Conflict.” The national government has launched what it terms a “Total Offensive” against organized crime, deploying over 10,000 military personnel to the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, and Manabí. This is not a drill; it is a full-scale militarization of the region’s arteries.

Guayaquil remains the epicenter of violence in Ecuador. By November 2025, the canton had registered 2,322 killings, in what authorities describe as the most lethal year the country has ever recorded.

The Physics of Travel Have Changed

This deployment fundamentally alters the logistics of travel. The primary change is the intensity of surveillance. The route from Cuenca to Guayaquil via Molleturo is no longer just a drive; it is a gauntlet of security checks.

• The Checkpoints (Retenes): Travelers must expect multiple stops, particularly as they descend from the sierra into the coastal lowlands. Key checkpoints have been established at Puerto Inca (the intersection with the Machala road) and the entrance to Naranjal. These are not casual waves-through. Soldiers are heavily armed and conducting rigorous inspections looking for weapons, drugs, and high-value targets (HVTs) from gang leadership structures.

*Protocol: When stopped, turn on your interior lights immediately if it is dark (though you shouldn’t be driving at night). Roll down all windows. Keep your hands visible on the steering wheel. Have your passport and vehicle registration ready on the dashboard. Do not argue or make sudden movements. The military is on high alert.

The “Safe Corridor” (Corredor Turístico Seguro)

To mitigate the economic damage to tourism and maintain connectivity, authorities have activated a “Safe Tourist Corridor” leading from the José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport.

• How it Works: Police tactical units are deployed specifically along the route from the airport terminal to the main highway exits. This zone is heavily patrolled to prevent “secuestro express” (express kidnappings) that target new arrivals.
• The Limitation: This corridor effectively ends once you leave the immediate airport zone. The backstreets of Guayaquil and the peripheral ring roads remain high-risk areas where the war for territory is active.

*Advice: Do not deviate from the main corridor to find a “shortcut” or a cheaper gas station in the backstreets. Stay on the sanitized main artery until you are clear of the city.

The Route: Cajas vs. Cañar

There are two ways down the mountain. In the current security climate, there is only one viable option for the safety-conscious expat.

1. The Recommended Route (Molleturo-Cajas): This route stays in the high sierra longer and drops directly into the militarized zone. While it is physically demanding due to the Cajas fog factor—which has been dense this week—it is safer from a criminal standpoint because it avoids the gang-controlled agricultural towns of the Cañar lowlands.
2. The Route to Avoid (Biblián-Zhud-La Troncal): This route passes through La Troncal, a flashpoint for violence between rival gangs fighting for control of the sugar cane smuggling routes. Intelligence reports indicate a higher risk of “vacunas” (illegal tolls) and highway robbery on this stretch.

The Verdict: Daylight is Your Shield

The consensus among security experts, private drivers, and veteran expats is absolute: Travel only during daylight hours.

• The Risk Window: Leaving Cuenca at 4:00 AM to catch an early flight puts you in the dangerous lowlands before dawn, the prime window for highway ambushes.
• The Strategy: Travel the day before. Arrive in Guayaquil by 3:00 PM. Stay in a hotel immediately adjacent to the airport (like the Holiday Inn or Wyndham), which are inside the security bubble. The cost of the hotel is the price of peace of mind.