Your Complete Guide to Crossing the border between Ecuador and Colombia (or reverse)
Update: As of October 20, 2022 both Colombia and Ecuador no longer require travelers to present a vaccination card or a negative PCR test prior to entering the country. However, it is still required to submit a declaration of traveler health, which you can do online with the following links.
For travelers entering Ecuador, fill out the government of Ecuador's declaration of traveler health in advance of your border crossing.
For travelers entering Colombia, fill out the government of Colombia's declaration of traveler heath in advance of your border crossing.
How much should I expect to pay for crossing the Colombia Ecuador border?
The best price point is on Thursdays when we have regularly scheduled trips planned to pick up qualified travelers at the border. These are called shared shuttle trips, so you would be sharing the ride with other travelers, with prices ranging from $72 to $154 per person/seat depending on what portion of the distance between Bogota and Quito you require transportation.
For trips on any other day of the week (except major holidays, which we do not serve), the shuttle service is considered a private shuttle arrangement reserved exclusively for you and your immediate family or personal traveling group. Therefore you should use the Private Reservation buttons below if you must travel on any day of the week that is not a Thursday.
Ready to make a reservation?
First, consult the below chart to determine which type of shuttle works best for you (shared or private), then proceed to the corresponding section to begin the reservation process.
| Shared | Private | |
|---|---|---|
Cost |
Pay only for the seats needed. |
Pay for the whole vehicle. |
Cost |
Cheapest for a solo traveler. |
Cheapest for groups. |
Scheduling |
Trips only operate every Thursday. |
No date limitations. |
Scheduling |
Dates may be more restricted for solo travelers. |
No minimum passengers required. |
Scheduling |
Departure times operate on a set schedule. |
Departure time is more flexible. |
Conveniences |
Rest stops decided by driver. |
Flexible to stop where you want on the route. |
Conveniences |
Pickup from fixed locations. Delivery to your hotel, but limited to Ibarra, Ipiales, Otavalo, and Quito. |
Both pickup and delivery locations more flexible between Quito and Ibarra. |
Conveniences |
Driver assists passengers with migration protocol at border. |
Driver assists passengers with migration protocol at border. |
Policies |
Non-refundable, but postponable up to 90 days. |
Non-refundable, but postponable up to 90 days. |
Shared shuttle services are limited to the Rumichaca route that crosses the border near Ipiales, Colombia or Tulcan, Ecuador. You have a choice of boarding or departing the shuttle on the Ecuador side in Quito, Otavalo, or Ibarra. Ibarra<-->Ipiales is the minimum price point you can reserve, even if you request to go a shorter distance. The shuttle does not operate south of Quito or north of Ipiales. However, we do offer connection packages that include both the international shared shuttle and bus connections in Colombia. If you need something that is more flexible than these conditions, you should refer to the Private Shuttles section below.
To reserve a seat on a Shared Shuttle
Just use the yellow search bar below and type in one of the following origin and destination pairs (or click these list items to directly load the query)
From Colombia
- Ipiales to Ibarra (shortest distance, but remember to only select dates on Thursdays)
- Ipiales to Otavalo (remember to only select dates on Thursdays)
- Ipiales to Quito (remember to only select dates on Thursdays)
You can also access connection packages to any of these destinations by entering your origin as Cali or Bogota instead of Ipiales. For these connection packages from Cali or Bogota, you need to choose a Wednesday trip date in order to arrive in Ipiales in time to make the connection on Thursday, and there will be about a three-hour layover when you arrive in Ipiales before you can continue your trip from Ipiales to Ecuador.
From Ecuador
- Ibarra to Ipiales (shortest distance, but remember to only select dates on Thursdays)
- Otavalo to Ipiales (remember to only select dates on Thursdays)
- Quito to Ipiales (remember to only select dates on Thursdays)
You can also access connection packages from any of these origins to destinations of Cali or Bogota instead of Ipiales. For these connection packages to Cali or Bogota, there will be about a three-hour layover when you arrive in Ipiales before you can continue your trip from Ipiales Cali/Bogota, and you will arrive in Cali or Bogota on the next day (Friday).
Private Shuttes
Private shuttle services are much more flexible with departure and arrival locations and schedules. However, the international crossing is limited to the Rumichaca crossing. Shuttles do not cross at any other border crossings as those other crossings have to be traversed manually by pedestrian bridge or by boat.
To reserve a Private Shuttle
- If you need a private shuttle service starting in Ipiales, Colombia and going to any location between Ibarra and Quito Ecuador, use our Colombia shuttle calculator here.
- If you need a private shuttle service starting in Ecuador and going no farther than Ipiales, use our Ecuador shuttle calculator here.
- For any other private reservation that starts or ends at other places in Colombia or Ecuador than those mentioned above, use our custom reservation form here to have us work on a custom quote for you.
