Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - Good price to ship to Ecuador from Panama

Hi
Back in June 2002 we shipped our motorbikes from Panama to Ecuador.
We had a twenty foot container, we shared it with a couple taking a jeep to Ecuador. One jeep and two motorbikes fit into the container great.
The shipping company we used :
Panama Shipping Company
Telephone number is 269 6300 (you may want to check this in the phone book as still being correct)
Ask to speak to Glenda she speaks excellent english and was very very helpful.
The container was $900 between us all
Colon dock fees $187 per couple
The lads at the docks packed the container very well, tying everything down, the best part of the packing process was:
Before it goes to the container yard they check the vehicle for scratch's and mark it all down, if its bad they take photos of the scratches.
The whole process of the packing of the container is taped by video and you yourself can be present during the packing, even taking your own photos.
You then sign to say that you were happy with the packing and you sign the video as true.
JUST BE WARNED!!!
If you have not got a Carnet de Passage you will have loads of crap when you get to Ecuador. The couple with the jeep did not have this paperwork and after 4 days arguing with the head of customs they were still told they could not stay in the country. Our customs agent was a very good friend of the head of customs and even his influence could not alter the decision. The head of customs told us that they were sick of travellers thinking they could get away with not having the correct paperwork and so things were changing.He said he did not have to allow the vehicle to even touch the ground here in Ecuador and could make them ship it to another country if he wanted to. Now you may be thinking he was a bit of a hard guy but believe me he was a very nice guy, he showed us paperwork he had sent to all the embassies advising them that travellers bringing vehicles into Ecuador had to have a Carnet de Passage or they risked being turned around and going back where they came from.

When the container was unloaded they took the jeep to the customs head office overnight securely locked in. You should have seen all the vehicles in the yard that did not have the correct paperwork and they had confiscated them. The next day a customs officer went with them, in the jeep, to the Peru border to make sure they left the country.
Everyone says that it is easier to come overland from Peru or Columbia but they could not return as it had been written in their passports that they had 4 hours on a particular day to get out of the country and they had an illegal vehicle. So they could not come back.

The telephone number of our customs agent 04 2303570
Vicete Comano was his name. If the number does not work then go to the port and ask around, everyone knows him. He charged us $150 for everything. He is not the fastest of workers but he did try his hardest for the couple with the jeep.
Our dock fees in Ecuador were $174 but we did go over the 4 days free of charge that they give you once the ship is unloaded.

Good luck