Popular expat destinations, Cuenca and South Coast, to be featured in October real estate tours

Interested in checking out two of Ecuador’s most popular areas for foreign investors and expatriates — the south coast and the Andean colonial city of Cuenca? TransAndean Trading Company and Ecuador Properties have announced dates for their October real estate tours. The South Coast tour runs from Oct. 15 to 18, while the Cuenca tour follows, from Oct. 19 to Oct. 22.

The South Coast tour will visit the popular coastal town of Salinas and then head north on Ecuador’s Ruta del Sol to visit Ballenita, Punta Blanca, Montañita and Olón.

Salinas is Ecuador’s most popular resort, complete with high-rise condos, fabulous seafood, a lively beach scene and vibrant night life. Its world-class deep sea fishing continues to set records and, over the years, it has attracted such fisherman as Ernest Hemingway, Fidel Castro and Ted Williams. Montañita, Ecuador’s surfing capital, is famous for its international youth culture. Further north, Olón is known for its broad, gentle beaches and its handsome single family beach houses. 

In addition to viewing real estate, the Cuenca tour includes a tour of the city’s historic district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as an overview session with Ecuadorian real estate and immigration experts. According to Ecuador’s immigration office, Cuenca is the single most popular destination for expats in Ecuador. The city has also been picked by several publications, including the German magazine Stern and International Living, as Latin America’s best city for foreign residents. 

The Cuenca real estate tour will include new and older condos, houses, haciendas and acreage. In addition to properties in and near the city, the tour will visit nearby Yunguilla, one of Ecuador’s famed valleys of longevity. 

The tours are coordinated by real estate experts David Morrill and Mike Sager. Morrill is the author of the Ecuador Owner’s Manual, published by International Living, and writes for newspapers in Europe and the U.K, on subjects ranging from Ecuadorian art to the Latin American economy. He has lived in Cuenca for five years. Sager, Ecuador correspondent for LiveandInvestOverseas.com, has been a sound engineer, rock and roll band leader and motorcycle racer. He has been an Ecuadorian resident for four years.

For more information about the tours, contact Mike Sager at redwulf3@juno.com about the South Coast tour and David Morrill at dmorrill@CuencaRealEstate.com about the Cuenca tour.

Photo caption: Cuenca's iconic cathedral is one of Ecuador's most recognized symbols