Ambato: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Ambato is a city of 387,309 people in Ecuador (Tungurahua Province), 2,597 m (8,520 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX), 38 km (24 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Daylight in Ambato runs from about 12 h 5 min a day in late June to 12 h 14 min in late December (computed for -1.25° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Ambato is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX), 38 km (24 mi) from the centre, whose 12,117-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft.
Flights to Ambato: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Ambato · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Quito, 114 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Guayaquil, 176 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Cuenca, 188 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Santo Domingo de los Colorados, 127 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Pasto, 312 km (Colombia)
- Portoviejo, 205 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Eloy Alfaro, 170 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Machala, 269 km — tours
- Loja, 312 km — buses · car rental
- Manta, 237 km — buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Antofagasta, Santa Fe, Juliaca, Winchester, Xalapa.
Common questions
Which airport serves Ambato?
Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX), 38 km (24 mi) from the centre.
How big is Ambato?
About 387,309 people live in Ambato, across 47 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Ambato in?
America/Guayaquil, currently UTC-5.
What currency is used in Ambato?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Ambato?
Quito (114 km), Guayaquil (176 km), Cuenca (188 km), Santo Domingo de los Colorados (127 km), Pasto (312 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.