North Coast & Lowlands
San Lorenzo
San Miguel
Playa de Oro
Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas
Esmeraldas
Atacames
Súa
Same & Tonchigüe
Muisne
Mompiche
Canoa
Bahía de Caráquez
Manta
North Coast & Lowlands
Why Go?
Ecuador’s north coast doesn’t make it onto the itineraries of many international travelers – it’s hard to compete in a country that offers so much variety. But for surfers, backwoods explorers and nature lovers, this is a hidden treasure.
Here you’ll find quiet beaches, uncrowded waves, little-explored mangrove forests, indigenous jungle settlements and entrancing Afro-Ecuadorian villages. Although noticeably poorer than most of Ecuador’s other regions, the north coast makes up for this with its fascinating cultural mix.
Further south, the sun-kissed beach towns of Same, Mompiche and Canoa are the top backpacker draws, with good surf, peaced-out vibes and bacchanalian booze-ups that carry on ‘til dawn.
Sadly, the 2016 earthquake, whose epicenter was near Manta, devastated the region, and its effects were still being felt in late 2017 when we visited.
When to Go
Dec–Mar Surf’s up. The rainy season brings downpours and bugs, but there’s still heat and sun.
Jul–Aug Beach resorts heave with Ecuadorian tourists and the coast is alive with holiday fun.
Sep–Nov Come and enjoy the coast at its quietest while the weather is still great.
North Coast & Lowlands Highlights
1 Mompiche Walking for miles on the lost, lonely and out-of-this-worldly lovely beaches.
2 Playa de Oro Reserva de Tigrillos Hiking beneath the lush jungle canopy.
3 Canoa Taking in the laid-back beach and surfer scene in the region’s top backpacker spot.
4 Same Frolicing in the waves in the idyllic beachside settings.
5 Reserva Biológica Bilsa Marveling at the verdant, wildlife-rich scenery.
6 San Lorenzo Enjoying Afro-Ecuadorian rhythms near Ecuador’s steamy northern border.
Western Lowlands
Most travelers high-tail it through the western lowlands on their way to the attractions of the coast. This fertile farmland with its rolling hills is not without its charms: there are very authentic and very grimy cities, large plantations of cacao, African palm and bananas, and a scant few remaining stands of tropical forest.
Quito to Santo Domingo de Los Colorados
Dramatic scenery is a big part of the journey west from Quito, with steep pitches plunging toward the misty void as lush hills appear around sharp curves. It’s best to travel this stretch in the morning, when skies are more likely to be clear.
Outside of Quito the road climbs into the páramo (high-altitude Andean grasslands), with views of the extinct Volcanes Atacazo (4463m) and Corazón (4788m) to the north and south, respectively. The tortuous descent leads into the Río Toachi valley, where the air thickens and tropical plants begin sprouting up.
Careful driving on these windy roads – tailgating is a national pastime.
4Sleeping
Tinalandia LodgeLODGE $$$
(
%99-946-7741; Vía Alog, Km 85 (Ruta 20); r per person incl meals $100; 
p)
About 16km outside of Santo Domingo, Tinalandia was built for golfing but receives much greater acclaim for its top-notch bird-watching. This rustic resort sits at 600m in a wet premontane forest. Guests stay in weathered bungalows with private bathrooms and hot showers. Birding tours cost $75 to $220.
The driest months (May and June) are particularly popular with bird-watchers. Delicious meals with fresh veggies from the hydroponic farm are included in your room rate. It may be necessary to make reservations – make them on your own or through major travel agencies in Ecuador. Staff can arrange transport from Quito with advance reservations.
8Getting There & Away
Tinalandia is about 18km east of Santo Domingo. You can take any bus bound for Alluriuian and ask to be dropped off if you don’t have your own wheels.
Santo Domingo de Los Colorados
%02 / Pop 270,835 / Elev 500m
This bustling and very uninspiring town is an important commercial center and transport hub. However, there are few attractions to encourage you to do anything other than pass through. The chief reason to stop here is to arrange a visit to the fascinating Tsáchila communities. Santo Domingo has a seedy side and visitors should be somewhat wary, avoiding the market area and Calle 3 de Julio after dark.
LOS TSÁCHILAS
The Tsáchilas, dubbed ‘the Colorados’ by colonists, are well known for their curanderos (medicine men) as well as for their beautiful woven crafts in shocks of rainbow colors. The group’s signature dress is easy to recognize: they paint their faces with black stripes, and men dye their bowl-shaped haircuts red.
Nowadays it is much more probable to see Westernized Tsáchilas. With curio shops selling their postcard images, gawkers in Santo Domingo calling them ‘painted tigers’, and bus drivers protesting that the hair dye stains the backs of their seats, it’s no wonder that the Tsáchilas have closeted their customs. Nevertheless, there have been some important victories for the Tsáchilas in recent years, most notably the creation of their own province in 2007, granting the group a much more prominent role in the nation’s political system.
Kasama, the New Year (coinciding with Easter Saturday), is a time for the Tsáchilas to reaffirm their roots. It unites all of the villagers, who gather to wish one another prosperity in the coming year. Cane sugar chicha (a fermented corn or yuca beverage traditionally drunk by many indigenous cultures in Ecuador) is served and the festive atmosphere ignites with music, dance and theater. Despite being the most important Tsáchila celebration, it was shelved for 30 years and only began to be celebrated again in 1998. With the return of this celebration springs the small hope that other important features of the landscape – such as the guatusa (agouti, a type of rodent) and the armadillo – will eventually return as well.
1Sights & Activities
Tsáchila CommunitiesCOMMUNITY
(admission $10-20) 
S The Tsáchila people number about 3000; their eight communities spread across a 10500-sq-km reserve around Santo Domingo. A community tour is available that includes a demonstration of plants used for medicinal purposes, an explanation of customs and traditions, and even dancing. Locals produce lovely hand-woven goods in their signature wild rainbow colors, as well as jewelry.
Contact José Aguabil (%09-770-8703; day tour from $15), leader of the El Poste community, to arrange a visit. You can also visit Chihuilpe, located 17km from Santo Domingo on the road to Quevedo. Contact Tsapini Calasacón, (%098-884-9835) the leader of the community there. To visit Los Naranjos (%098-557-0207; tour with aura cleansing $12.50, overnight stay $25),
contact Alejandro Aguibil. Visitors are charged about $10 to $20 depending on the activities in which they partake. Tour agencies in Mindo can help you in contacting these folks.
4Sleeping & Eating
Hotel Del PacíficoHOTEL$$
(%02-275-2806; Av 29 de Mayo 510 btwn Ibarra and Latacunga; s/d $30/40, with air-con $38/$48; p
a
W)
There’s not really any reason to stay in Santo Domingo, but if you get caught overnight, try this central spot. It has clean and spacious rooms with tile floors and glazed windows; you’ll find it in the center of town between the main square and the market.
La TongaINTERNATIONAL$
(%02-276-7950; cnr Río Toachi & Galapagos; mains $4-5; 
h7am-10:30pm)
A crisp and formal setting with a varied menu of well-prepared international dishes, vegetarian options and criollo (of Spanish influence) specialties. It’s located in the Gran Hotel Santo Domingo. The tonga a special coastal dish of chicken and plantains in a peanut sauce, is served on Wednesdays and draws a crowd.
8Getting There & Away
Santo Domingo is an important transportation hub, with connections all over Ecuador. The bus terminal, almost 2km north of downtown, has frequent buses to many major towns, as well as internet access, an ATM and luggage storage facilities. Most major destinations have hourly bus departures.
BUSES FROM SANTO DOMINGO
| DESTINATION | COST ($) | DURATION (HR) |
|---|---|---|
| Ambato | 5.25 | 4 |
| Atacames | 4 | 4 |
| Bahía de Caráquez | 5 | 5 |
| Loja | 11 | 12 |
| Coca | 13 | 16 |
| Esmeraldas | 4.75 | 3½ |
| Guayaquil | 7.25 | 5 |
| Ibarra | 9 | 6.5 |
| Manta | 8 | 6 |
| Mindo | 4.50 | 2 |
| Muisne | 7.50 | 5 |
| Puerto Viejo | 6 | 5 |
| Quito | 3.50 | 3 |
The North Coast
The north coast is a lush green swath of tropical rainforests and tangled mangroves, with a sprinkling of inviting beaches, dirt-poor backwater villages and laid-back surf towns. This is home to the country’s largest Afro-Ecuadorian population, which gives the area its marimba music and lively festivals as well as outstanding seafood dishes.
Common sense and a taste for adventure are essential tools for travelers heading to this region. Some visitors are turned off by the obvious poverty, higher crime rates and lack of creature comforts. The party-hearty beaches are not for all tastes either, but if you look hard, slivers of solitude peek through.
This region was also hardest-hit by Ecuador’s devastating 2016 earthquake, and you’ll still see the after-effects in many of these towns. If you’re up for it, your tourist dollars can help to support the rebuilding process.
STAYING SAFE IN NORTHERN ECUADOR
Previously, the US State Department had a travel warning for Ecuador’s northern border region, including the provinces of Sucumbios, northern Orellana, Carchi and Northern Esmeraldas (from Esmeraldas to San Lorenzo). Kidnappings and crime were a big threat. Although those threats have lessened, you should still stay alert in this region. Top tips to stay safe include the following:
A Cross the border to Colombia from San Lorenzo with caution, if at all.
A Walk in groups – especially at night. Better yet, take a taxi.
A On the coast, do not leave the central tourist district (the strip with all the booming bars) at night.
A Avoid cocaine. Dabbling in drugs is particularly dicey in these parts.
A Take limited amounts of cash and leave your camera and other expensive items locked up in your hotel.
A As a general rule, if you see women and children around, it’s safer.
San Lorenzo
%06 / Pop 20,209
Encircled by verdant jungle, at the edge of a dank, still river, San Lorenzo is a decrepit and dangerous hodgepodge of blaring heat, tropical beats and crumbling storefronts. Hollow marimba notes and salsa is what flavors this mostly Afro-Ecuadorian town. It has a few good music festivals, plus it also makes a great base for visiting the nearby Reserva Ecológica de Manglares Cayapas Mataje.
With road access only completed in the mid-1990s, the area still has the air of a forgotten outpost. It is extremely poor, tourism is barely developed and getting around isn’t easy. But if you like the vibe of old port cities, you might enjoy the atmosphere here.
1Sights
Reserva Ecológico de Manglares Cayapas-MatajeNATURE RESERVE
(%02-398-7600; www.ambiente.gob.ec/reserva-ecologica-manglares-cayapas-mataje)
Millions of migratory birds pass through this coastal paradise in June and July, creating a cacophonous and memorable spectacle. The 513 sq km reserve supports five species of mangrove, and includes the tallest mangrove forest in the world – Manglares de Majagual – near the villages of La Tola and Olmedo. Most of the reserve is at sea level and none of it is above 35m. San Lorenzo lies in the middle of the reserve, making it a good base for exploration.
A highlight is the pristine 11km island beach of San Pedro near the Colombian border, but visitors should inquire about safety before venturing into this area. You can reach the reserve by paved road from San Lorenzo or Borbón, but for a more immersive experience, organize a boat tour with a local agency.
TTours
Trips to nearby beaches leave at 7:30am and 2pm ($3). Tour guide Andrés Carvache (%06-278-0161; andrescarvache@yahoo.es) arranges these and other trips. He can be found in a stilted Ecuador Pacifico office to the right of the pier.
Touring the mangroves isn’t really possible via public transportation. To arrange a trip, contact Cooperativa San Lorenzo del Pailón (%099-795-0944), an authorized service offering private tours in boats for $20 to $30 per hour (it’s next to the office of the capitanía – the port captain). You can also arrange tours through Andres Carvache for $60 and $80 for a two- to three-hour trip.
zFestivals & Events
San Lorenzo Marimba FestivalMUSIC
(hMay)
This three-day festival normally held in the last week of May will set your rump-shaker a’shaking.
4Sleeping & Eating
Pickings are slim, but consider mosquito nets and fans as essentials, especially in the rainy season.
Gran Hotel San Carlos 2HOTEL$
(%06-278-1189; Av 26 de Agosto, near José Garcés, next to a BanEcuador branch; with/without air-con s $12/15, d 25/30; paW)
The Gran Hotel San Carlos 2 is comfortable with state-of-the-art air-con, cable TV and spotless floors. It’s worth the $5 splurge if the original Gran Hotel San Carlos is a little too basic for you.
Gran Hotel San CarlosHOTEL$
(%06-278-0284; cnr Imbabura & José Garcés; s/d without bathroom $8/15, s/d incl air-con $13/25; paW)
The Gran Hotel San Carlos No 1 has clean, bright rooms with large windows. Kitschy, rainbow-hued decor prevails in the common areas. Its brother hotel, the San Carlos 2, however, is a bit nicer for a few bucks more.
Doña LucaECUADORIAN$
(Eloy Alfaro; mains $2.50-8; h6am-9pm)
Probably the best place in town, this laid-back joint serves breakfasts and a wide variety of food, dishes from meat to delicious local seafood. It’s in the center of town between the main drag and Parque Central.
El ChocóECUADORIAN$
(Imbabura, near Tácito Ortiz; mains $2-6; h7am-midnight Mon-Sat)
On the main street, this clean and well-liked spot serves all the local seafood favorites including ceviche and encocado de camarones (shrimp and coconut stew).
8Information
Cyber San Lorenzo (Tacino Ortiz; h8am-8pm) Internet cafe next to Hotel Pampa de Oro with reliable access.
Hospital Divina Providencia (%06-278-0188; Av Carchi & Av Principal) Main hospital in town; a Catholic institution with a reputation as one of the region’s finest. Located next to San Lorenzo Technical College and near the bus terminal (Terminal Terrestre).
Ministerio del Ambiente (%06-278-0184; Parque Kennedy; h9am-7pm Mon-Fri) Offers information on Reserva Ecológica de Manglares Cayapas Mataje.
Police Station (%06-278-0672; opposite Parque Central) If you’re traveling into or out of Colombia on the coast road (which is not highly recommended), take care of passport formalities here, or with the port captain at the pier.
8Getting There & Away
BOAT
Ecuador Pacífico (%06-278-0161; andrescarvache@yahoo.es; Simon Bolívar, near Imbabura) services depart daily to Limones ($3, 1½ hours) at 7:30am, 10:30am and 1pm, from which you can catch a connecting service to La Tola ($5, 45 minutes). At La Tola, you can connect to Esmeraldas by bus.
To cross the Colombian border, there are daily departures at 7:30am, 2pm and 4pm ($3), which also require bus connections to Tumaco in Colombia. The safety situation has improved in recent years, but it’s still worth inquiring locally about the current risks before crossing here.
BUS
La Costeñita departures for Esmeraldas ($5.50, five hours) leave the bus terminal (cnr Av Esmeraldas and Av Armada Nacional) hourly from 5am to 4pm. Trans Esmeraldas buses leave regularly from in front of the church on 10 de Agosto to Quito ($16) via Ibarra ($7) and to Manta ($9).
San Miguel
%06 / Pop 1092
San Miguel is a modest and friendly Afro-Ecuadorian community of stilted thatched huts set in the forest, with Chachi homes scattered nearby along the shores of the river. The village is the main base from which to visit the lowland sections of the Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas.
The Cotacachi-Cayapas Ranger Station overlooks the village in the San Miguel Lodge.
4Sleeping
San Miguel LodgeLODGE$
(%06-0303-5008; San Miguel; r per person incl breakfast $10, meals $3-4)
This basic six-bed lodge overlooks the village and has a cool veranda, spectacular views and basic rooms with mosquito nets. The food is basic. Contact Merlin or Leiler Nazareno at the number listed for further information.
8Getting There & Away
The driver of the daily passenger canoe from Borbón (a down-on-its-luck lumber port 30km downriver) spends the night about 15 minutes downriver from San Miguel. He won’t return to San Miguel unless passengers have made previous arrangements, so book ahead by informing the San Miguel Lodge when you plan to return. The canoe leaves San Miguel at around 4am.
La Costeñita and Transportes del Pacífico run buses to Esmeraldas ($3, four hours) or San Lorenzo ($1.50, one hour) about every hour from 7am to 6pm.
A daily passenger boat leaves at 11am for San Miguel ($8, three hours). Ask for the ‘Canoa San Miguel.’ This boat can drop you at any location on Río Cayapas or at San Miguel. Various boats run irregularly to other destinations – ask around at the docks.
Playa de Oro
As the Río Santiago leads inland from Borbón, the last community upriver is the remote settlement of Playa de Oro. Populated with the Afro-Ecuadorian descendants of slaves brought here to pan for gold 500 years ago, Playa de Oro’s charm lies in its authenticity. Locals do what they and their ancestors have always done, whether that be roaming the forest, riding the river currents, panning for gold, making drums or encouraging their children in traditional dances. When visitors show interest in their way of life, locals are quietly proud.
This is a great entrance point to the surrounding Playa de Oro Reserva de Tigrillos.
1Sights
Playa de Oro Reserva de TigrillosWILDLIFE RESERVE
F Half an hour upstream from Playa de Oro, this 100-sq-km reserve is owned and operated by the community of Playa de Oro. It borders the Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas and protects native jungle cats – but you’ll need to work hard to sight one.
Visits to the reserve can be organized through the Maquipucuna NGO, located near Mindo. If you’re staying at one of Playa de Oro’s lodges, you can also coordinate a visit through your hosts.
4Sleeping
Playa de Oro LodgeLODGE$$
(%99-421-8033; www.maquipucuna.org/playa-de-oro; r per person incl meals $84) S
Maquipucuna, an NGO which manages a cloud-forest lodge near Mindo, also helps the Playa de Oro community manage this lodge. A group canoe trip to the lodge costs $80, and a guide costs $25 per day. The lodge has three different cabins as well as more rustic camping sites and a research station.
Tigrillos LodgeCABIN$$
(www.maquipucuna.org/playa-de-oro; r per person inc meals $84) S
Located upriver from Playa del Oro, these rustic, community-managed accommodations include eight rooms, each with a private bathroom. To get here, you’ll have to arrange river travel with the Maquipucuna NGO, located near Mindo.
8Getting There & Away
The village of Playa de Oro is about five hours upstream from Borbón, but there are no regular boats. You have to take a bus from Borbón to Selva Alegre ($3, two hours). From Selva Alegre, only if you made a reservation, a boat from Playa de Oro will motor you up to the village or the reserve.
It’s best to plan your trip through Maquipucuna Lodge. Located between Quito and Mindo, Maquipucuna is essentially the community’s conduit to the outside/tourist world, and will coordinate with the community as to the best and safest time to traverse the river, as well as other logistics.
PROTECTING PARADISE
Located hours inland from the coast in a roadless wilderness, Playa de Oro’s end-of-the-earth location has helped to keep it a natural paradise, the kind of place where the huffing of margays can still be heard at night outside your window. Amid mounting pressures from the mining industry, locals have turned to tourism in the hope it might help to keep their jungle home intact.
Much of the area around the reserve has changed dramatically in the last 15 years, owing to gold-mining activity. Small villages have disappeared and in their place lie heaps of gravel piled up by machinery sluicing for gold; the river water has become contaminated by cyanide and arsenic used in the mining process. So far the villagers have resisted overtures from gold-mining and lumber companies to receive goods and services (a generator, a new road, jobs to log their own forest) in exchange for their land.
In Playa de Oro every villager over the age of 14 gets to vote on important issues. Some villagers have long argued that ecotourism is the sensible, nondestructive way forward, but their insistence on maintaining control of their own ecotourism, and not allowing it to fall into the hands of large tour agencies who take a big cut, forces them to rely on independent travelers and small groups. Recently, however, they’ve partnered with Maquipucuna (www.maquipucuna.org), an NGO that manages an ecolodge between Quito and Mindo and pledges to bring tourism to the region in a responsible manner. The question remains whether this trickle of income will be enough to sustain them.
Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas
To really get off the beaten track, this reserve, the largest protected area of Ecuador’s western Andean habitats, might be just the place. As altitudes increase from about 200m to 4939m, habitats change quickly from tropical forests to premontane and montane cloud forest to páramo (high-altitude Andean grasslands). This rapid change produces the so-called ‘edge effect’ that gives rise to an incredible diversity of flora and fauna.
The lower reaches of the reserve are home to the indigenous Chachi, famous for their basketwork which you might be able to purchase directly from artisans. About 5000 Chachi remain, mostly fishers and subsistence farmers, living in open-sided, thatched river houses on stilts. Over the last few decades, the Chachi have been swept by an epidemic of river blindness that’s carried by black flies, which are particularly prevalent in April and May. Vaccination efforts have stymied the disease locally, but to protect yourself, use insect repellent and take malaria medication.
When to Go
River levels are high during the rainy season (December to May), making for swifter travel. At this time mosquitoes, black flies and other insects are at their highest concentrations; definitely cover up at dawn and dusk when they come out in full force.
Even during the rainy months, mornings are often clear. Up to 5000mm of rain has been reported in some of the more inland areas, although San Miguel is somewhat drier. The drier months of September to the start of December are usually less buggy, and you have a better chance of seeing wildlife, although river navigation may be limited.
1Sights & Activities
Guided tours of the reserve can be arranged at the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ranger Station (%06-278-6029; http://areasprotegidas.ambiente.gob.ec; h8am-5pm) in San Miguel. The rangers here can serve as guides, and charge about $10 per day (entrance to the reserve is free). Two guides are needed for trips, with one for each end of the paddle-and-pole-operated dugout canoe. Alternatively, you can visit on a guided tour arranged through one of the lodges in San Miguel.
These hills are the haunts of rarely seen mammals including giant anteaters, Baird’s tapirs, jaguars and, in the upper reaches of the reserve, spectacled bears. However, the chances of seeing these animals are very remote. You’re more likely to see monkeys, squirrels, sloths, nine-banded armadillos, bats and a huge variety of bird species.
8Getting There & Away
To visit the reserve you can approach from the highlands (at Laguna Cuicocha, near Cotacachi) or San Miguel. Hiking between these regions may well be impossible; the steep and thickly vegetated western Andean slopes are almost impenetrable.
It’s about two or three hours by canoe from San Miguel to the park boundary. Another one or two hours brings you to a gorgeous little waterfall in the jungle. A guide (pre-arranged in San Miguel) is essential as the reserve’s few trails are poorly marked. The lodge in Playa de Oro is also an access point for the reserve.
Esmeraldas
%06 / Pop 161,868
Esmeraldas is ugly, dangerous and dirty, and there’s really no reason to stay here. Most tourists just spend the night (if they have to) and continue southwest to the popular beach destinations of Atacames, Súa and Mompiche. You can, at least, make a number of bus connections here.
While you’re here, stop to grab a seafood lunch along the malecón (waterfront) and check out the cultural center, where you can learn about the Spanish conquistadors’ first Ecuadorian landfall, which happened right here.
1Sights
Centro Cultural EsmeraldasMUSEUM
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Bolívar 427; h9am-5pm Tue-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun) F
This combined museum, library and bookstore contains materials ranging from recent local history to fine ceramics and gold work from the ancient Tolita culture. Some of the exhibit signs and documentary videos are in English, and the staff is very obliging. When we visited the museum was closed for construction on weekends, but staff promised to open again soon.
TTours
Mandagua ToursTOURS
(%991-391-649, 98-145-6235; pandafinu@hotmail.com)
Javier Valencia runs tours to destinations all over Esmeraldas Province.
4Sleeping
Hotels and hostels are plentiful, but the cheapest ones are just about intolerable. During the wet months you’ll want a mosquito net in your room.
El TrébolHOTEL$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %06-272-2101; Cañizares 1-18; r per person $16; aW)
A fern-lined hotel offering oversized rooms with cable TV, but no hot water. Like the owner, it shows a combination of age and charm.
Hotel Perla VerdeBUSINESS HOTEL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %099-501-2909; www.hotelperlaverde.ec; Piedrahíta btwn Olmedo & Sucre; s/d incl breakfast $45/55; paW)
This is the best hotel in town, boasting spacious rooms with lots of creature comforts (as long as you don’t mind some truly awful art on the walls and darkish corridors). The staff is friendly and you’re in a central location. The downstairs restaurant is also recommended.
5Eating
The food in the many cheap sidewalk cafes and comedores (cheap restaurants) is often good – try those along Olmedo between Mejía and Piedrahíta. There is also a number of food stands across from the Terminal Terreste bus station.
AKI SupermercadoSUPERMARKET$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; cnr Malecón Maldonado & Montalvo, Plaza Civica)
This is a good supermarket for stocking up on provisions. In addition to this downtown locale, there’s another branch next to the bus terminal (Terminal Terreste).
Parrilladas El ToroSTEAK$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Calle 9 de Octubre 4-23; mains $7-10; h5pm-midnight)
Beyond the uninviting decor you’ll find a decent steakhouse specializing in beef and chops. The thatched courtyard seating is preferable to sitting inside.
7Shopping
Centro ArtesenalARTS & CRAFTS
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; cnr Malecón Maldonado & Plaza Cívica; h8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun)
This is where to come to browse for tapestries, baskets, tagua (vegetable ivory) carvings and other Chachi pieces.
8Information
Esmeraldas is arguably the most dangerous city in Ecuador. Avoid arriving after dark, do not walk around at night; take a taxi instead.
Immigration Office (%06-272-4624) At the Policía Civil Nacional, 3km out of town (take a taxi). Have your passport stamped here for entry or exit via the rarely used coastal route to Colombia. You can also inquire at the main police building on the main plaza (Libertador and 9 de Octubre).
Police Station (cnr Bolívar & Cañizares) Two blocks south of the central plaza.
Post Office
Tourist Office (%06-272-7340; www.turismo.gob.ec; Bolívar; h9am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Sat) Located between Calle 9 de Octubre and Piedrahíta.
8Getting There & Away
AIR
The TAME office (%06-272-6863; www.tame.com.ec; Centro Comercial, Av Maldonado near Manabi; h10am-8pm Mon-Sat, until 7pm Sun) is on the lower floor of the snazzy mall at the Centro Comercial, about five blocks from downtown on Maldonado; it also has an office at the airport (%95-956-0672; Highway 15) itself. TAME has daily flights to Quito (one way $75), and Guayaquil (one way $138, with one stop) and Cali, Colombia (one way/return $196/$240; one-way fare sold only to Colombian nationals).
BUS
The new bus terminal, Terminal Terreste, is 4km from the city center on the road to Atacames. Note that you’ll pay more for a comfy coach-cama seat on long-distance rides, but your spine may thank you. A taxi from the terminal to the city center is $2.50.
BUSES FROM ESMERALDAS
| DESTINATION | COST ($) | DURATION (HR) |
|---|---|---|
| Atacames | 1 | 1 |
| Guayaquil | 11-12 | 9 |
| Manta | 12 | 10 |
| Mompiche | 3.90 | 2½ |
| Muisne | 2.50 | 2 |
| Quito | 9-11.25 | 6 |
| San Lorenzo | 5.30 | 5 |
| Santo Domingo | 4.75 | 4 |
8Getting Around
The airport is 8km from town, across the Río Esmeraldas. A taxi charges about $25 to go directly from the airport to Atacames, thus avoiding Esmeraldas completely. A taxi to downtown Esmeraldas from the bus terminal costs $2.50.
A taxi to the beach costs $1.50, or you can take a Selectivo bus signed ‘Las Palmas No 1’ northbound along Bolívar. Taxis charge a $1.50 minimum, which doubles after 11pm.
Atacames
%06 / Pop 16,855
It’s hard to ‘get’ Atacames. The beach is just OK, the town is dirty, kind of dangerous and crowded as hell, and still serranos (highlanders) love it for the partying, the beachfront ceviche stalls and the easy trips to nearby beaches. If you want to get down to all-night reggaeton and cheap drinks, this is certainly a good spot. If not, head further south for better beaches, bigger waves and more relaxation.
TTours
Fishers on the beach can take you on a boat tour around the area, passing by Isla de Pajaros just offshore. Plan on about $20 per person for a 75-minute tour, and $40 per person for a fishing trip.
4Sleeping
Atacames is packed with hotels, but it can get awfully crowded on holiday weekends. Reserve in advance if arriving during the high season.
Hostal LudosHOTEL$
(%98-191-5052; Malecon; r per person $10-20; W
s)
This new bamboo structure along the malecón has a karaoke veranda and clean rooms with nice sea breezes and little ‘attic’ spaces. Cable TV and a Jacuzzi add to the ‘luxe’ factor. Staff offer loads of information on tours, including an excursion to an interesting archeological museum in the small northern coastal town of Àfrica. Most rooms are comprised of bunk beds.
Hostal JenniferHOTEL$
(%06-273-1055; near Malecón; s/d with hot water $18/35, without hot water $15/25; paWs)
This simple, straightforward place has kind staff and clean, spartan rooms that get a decent amount of light (there are windows in every room). It’s a concrete block structure with small swimming pool, only half a block from the action.
5Eating
Cocada (a chewy coconut sweet) and batidos (fruit shakes) are two local specialties sold everywhere. Seafood shacks dominate the beachfront.
Ceviche StandsSEAFOOD$
(Malecón; ceviche $5-10)
There are ceviche stands on the beach and in a couple of central spots along the malecón. Pick a stand that looks clean, and dive into fresh-caught ceviche de concha (shellfish ceviche) or ceviche de pescado (fish ceviche).
Camarones Por Un Dollar $1SEAFOOD$$
(Malecón; lunch specials $4-6; mains $7-20; h11am-10pm; W)
Don’t be fooled by its name – the only thing on the menu that costs $1 is a serving of rice. Nevertheless, this cozy seafood restaurant packs in the crowds. Its recipe for success? Big family plates that are piled high with fresh seafood, plus daily lunch specials and soups from just $2.
7Shopping
Handicraft MarketARTS & CRAFTS
(Malecón; h9am-8pm)
There’s a tiny handicraft market daily at the west end of the malecón.
8Information
The beach has a strong undertow and lifeguards work only midweek to weekends. People drown here every year, so stay within your limits.
The beach is considered unsafe at night, when assaults and rapes have been reported. Stay near the well-lit areas in front of the hotels, and avoid the isolated stretch between Atacames and Súa, as knifepoint robberies have been reported. Needless to say, the beach is not a place to bring your valuables at any time of the day.
Banco del Pichincha (Malecón; h8am-2pm Mon-Fri) Next to Hotel Castel, the bank has an ATM. There is also a Banco de Guayaquil ATM at this location.
8Getting There & Away
All buses stop by the taxis ecológicos on the main road to/from Esmeraldas; there is no bus terminal, and bus offices are scattered around the town center. Buses for Esmeraldas ($0.80, one hour) normally begin from Súa. Most buses from Esmeraldas to Atacames continue on to Súa (10 minutes), Same (20 minutes) and Tonchigüe (25 minutes) for about $0.50. There are also regular buses to Muisne ($2, 1½ hours). Ecovias (motorcycle taxis) charge $2 to Súa and $7 to Same.
Bus companies including Transportes Occidentales (%06-276-0547; cnr Prado & Cuarta), Trans Esmeraldas (cnr Vargas Torres & Juan Montalvo) and Aerotaxi (Cuarta) operate a daily service to Quito ($9, seven hours) as well as to Guayaquil ($11 to $12, eight hours). If you’re returning to Quito on a Sunday in the high season, be sure to buy your ticket in advance.
Tonsupa
Just 5km north of Atacames, Tonsupa has a high-rise beachfront skyline and a big, hard-packed golden-gray-sand beach with plenty of space to roam. There’s less partying here, but that also makes for a better night’s rest. Head to the beach to make arrangements for a whale-watching tour for $15 to $20 (depending on group size and your bargaining skills).
4Sleeping & Eating
Aside from the massive Makana Resort, there are plenty of more affordable lodgings on the ‘other’ side of town (hostels and hotels), closer to the Malecón.
Makana ResortRESORT$$$
(%06-246-5242; www.ghlhoteles.com; Grey St, northern edge of Tonsupa’s beach; r incl breakfast $122-159; paWs)
This gleaming beachfront resort and condo complex has 31 massive post-modern inspired rooms. All come with ocean views, private balconies and kitchenettes. With a large infinity pool, Jacuzzi, restaurant and gym to boot, it’s the nicest hotel for a hundred miles. It stands apart from the rest of Tonsupa, barricaded by construction and other high-rise buildings.
Wendy RestaurantSEAFOOD$
(Malecón; meals $7-12; h8am-9pm)
Right on the main drag, Wendy serves up northern beach fare like fish soup, langostina (king prawns) and fresh ceviche in a thatched-roof, open-air restaurant. It’s opposite Checho’s Bar and next to the Fogón Manabita Hotel on the ‘land’ side of the street. Beach vendors selling sunglasses and other wares may interrupt your meal (not only here, though!).
8Getting There & Away
To get here, take Bus Interplaya ($0.30, 10 minutes) from the main road in Atacames. If you’re coming from Esmeraldas, it’s $1 to Atacames, where you’ll transfer.
Súa
%02
Groups of scissor-tailed magnificent frigatebirds wheel over the roiling surf in Súa, a more family-oriented, quieter and less popular seaside spot than neighboring Atacames, with more-reasonable weekend hotel prices. That said, the cocktail bars along the beach still screech out music, so it’s hardly the place for an idyllic break. Humpback whales can be seen off the coast from June to September. You can walk here on the beach from Atacames, but watch the tide and don’t do it at night (take an ecovia).
4Sleeping & Eating
Hotel Chagra RamosHOTEL$
(%06-247-3106; hotelchagraramos@hotmail.com; north side of Malecón; r per person $13; pW)
Nestled against the beach, this friendly, wind-battered classic is the most popular guesthouse in town. Rooms are clean if a little weathered, with antiquated bathrooms, softer-than-wonderbread mattresses and pretty darned nice views. There’s no hot water, but there’s a good-value restaurant. Octogenarian owner Aida is an inspiration.
You’ll feel like you’re in a medieval fort when you scale the mirador and scan the horizon for pirates.
KikesSEAFOOD$
(Malecón; mains $7-10, breakfast $3; h7am-9pm)
For a bamboo beachfront eatery, try Kikes. It serves up mouthwatering encocada de camarón (shrimp and coconut stew, $8).
8Getting There & Away
Bus services to and from Esmeraldas run about every 45 minutes. From Súa it takes 10 minutes to get to Atacames ($0.30) and about an hour to get to Esmeraldas ($1). If you want to go further along the coast to Muisne, you have to wait out of town along the main road for a bus that’s heading south from Esmeraldas (flag it down anywhere along the road). Getting to and from Atacames is easy in an ecovia ($1.50) when the buses aren’t running at night.
Same & Tonchigüe
%06
Same (sah-may) is a real mixed bag of a resort town, boasting a wonderful beach and a genial atmosphere, while also being dominated by a vast resort and condo complex called Casablanca. The beach itself, while certainly beautiful, is far from pristine and would benefit from a community-wide effort to keep it clean, such as that seen in Mompiche.
It must be said that the community has rallied and organized better private security up and down the little road which leads to the beach. All in all, Same is an unbridled delight compared to Atacames – mucho mas tranquilo, you might say. You can rent stand-up paddleboards (per hour $10) on the beach, and there are a surprising number of fine little dining establishments in this hidden nook.
Tonchigüe is a tiny fishing village about 3km west of Same, along the same stretch of beach. Go early in the morning to see the fisherpeople unloading their catch.
4Sleeping
AzucaHOTEL$
(%98-882-95881; azuca2@hotmail.com; Same; r per person $10; W)
This incredibly cheap place is just a short walk from the beach (at the turn-off where Same’s main ‘street’ leaves the coastal road). It has a decidedly atavistic air and five pretty comfortable and spacious wooden rooms (two with shared bathrooms) with balconies and mosquito nets – though the sheets are slightly dirty. Artist-owner-chef Evelyn, from Cali, Colombia, serves up the catch of the day ($9 to $15).
El AcantiladoCABIN$$
(%06-302-7620; www.elacantilado.net; s/d $45/90, cabana sleeping up to 6 $120, camping $20; pWs)
Perched on a cliff above the crashing waves, El Acantilado offers unobstructed sea views from its rooms, which make it great for whale-watching from June to September. Rustic suites are open to the elements, with just bug screens separating the rooms from individual private gardens and views down to the sea and beach below. Camping is available, too.
New management took over in September 2017. Be forewarned that the cabins are often full of student groups.
Isla del SolHOTEL$$
(%06-247-0470; www.cabanasisladelsol.com; Tonchigüe; d/q/ste $60/72/112; paWs)
With new modern suites replete with living areas, beachfront decks, air-con and flatscreen TVs (and a few cheaper worn-down cabins out back with wood floors, beamed ceilings and small verandas), this is a good midrange bet. English is spoken and kayaks are available (per two hours $10).
5Eating
La TerrazaPIZZA$
(Same; pizzas $8-10; hnoon-4pm, 6pm-11pm; pW)
Spanish-owned La Terraza has a great beach setting and turns out good pizzas that keep it packed with locals throughout the week. Pepo, who was one of Same’s original expats three decades ago, can also rent you a room up top ($15 per person).
oSeaflower LateneusSEAFOOD$$
(%06-247-0369; Same; mains $15-25; h9am-11pm)
Boasting one of the best chefs along the north coast (born here, trained in Europe), Seaflower serves delicious plates of grilled seafood (try the spaghetti marinera). It’s worth reserving a table on weekends, when it’s often packed with a smart crowd of cocktail-sipping weekenders – it also doubles as Same’s best bar, with an array of hanging bottle decorations (watch your head!).
Rooms for rent here, too – one’s even categorized as a ‘suite’!
Toquilla y MarPERUVIAN$$
(%099-384-1496; Same; mains $9-20; h8am-10pm; p)
There is a Peruvian sensibility to the fresh seafood served at this relaxed, open-air beachfront spot. It offers fried rice with shellfish, garlic crab and nine varieties of ceviche. When it’s time for dessert, don’t doubt the house coffee, which comes from the family finca in Loja down south. Like other restaurants in the area, Fabiola will rent you a comfy room.
8Getting There & Away
Buses heading northeast to Esmeraldas and south to Muisne pick up and drop off passengers at both Same and Tonchigüe. Rancheras (open-sided buses, or trucks mounted with uncomfortably narrow bench seats – also known as chivas) head to Tonchigüe from Esmeraldas.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
RESERVA BIOLÓGICA BILSA
Rugged adventurers looking to get truly off the beaten path and into nature should head to Reserva Biológica Bilsa, 30km west of Quinindé. Crashing waterfalls and spectacular wildlife adorn this 30-sq-km reserve in the Montañas de Mache. Biodiversity is exceptionally high in these last vestiges of premontane tropical wet forest, with howler monkeys, endangered birds, jaguars and pumas all present. The reserve, administered by Fundación Jatun Sacha (%02-243-2240; www.jatunsacha.org; La Yecita, Km 80 Esmeraldas Quinindé; r per person incl all meals $30), sits in the 1200-sq-km Mache Chindul Ecological Reserve, which ironically only preserves 2% or 3% of the original forest from the area, the rest being used for logging, oil and other industrial enterprises.
This trip is for the hardy: rainy season access (January to June) requires hiking or mule-riding a mud-splattered 25km trail. From October to December you can make this journey by car or truck. Contact Fundación Jatun Sacha before visiting.
Corredor Turistico Galera-San Francisco
About 3km south of Tonchigüe, there’s a turn-off to this rough lost coast, which sports a few cool hotels, forgotten Afro-Ecuadorian villages and plenty of virgin coastline.
4Sleeping
oPlaya EscondidaCABIN$
(%99-650-6812, 06-302-7496; www.playaescondida.com.ec; Corredor Turistico Km 10; camping per person $8.50, cabin per person $25, beach day use $5; W)
Look no further for seclusion: the lovely and remote Playa Escondida offers accommodation in rustic cabins surrounding a beautiful beach cove, set amid 1 sq km of protected land. There’s a restaurant serving seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes, and tours and other activities are offered. Children under 12 pay half price. It’s just one kilometer east of Cumilinche Club.
Cumilinche ClubCABIN$$
(%06-302-7526; cumilincheclub@hotmail.com; Corredor Turistico Km 11, near Punta Galera; s/d/tr $41/61/80)
Set on a secluded cove with just a sliver of beach, this remote lodge has thatched-roof adobe cabañas with large living areas that can sleep the whole family. There’s a restaurant on-site and you will love hanging out in a hammock from your private porch. There’s no air-con, but good ocean breezes cool things down.
8Getting There & Away
It’s easiest to travel here in your own car, or by taxi from Atacames ($20). The road eventually turns to dirt as it follows the coast, before finally arriving in Muisne.
From Atacames, Sua, Same or Tonchigue, you can also take a local bus ($1, runs every two to three hours) headed to Punta Galera. Ask the driver to let you off in Playa Escondida. You can also take a bus to Abdon Calderon or Tonchigüe and then a tricycle-taxi or camioneta for 10km to Playa Escondida ($5).
Muisne
Muisne is a tumbledown, working-class island surrounded by river and sea, its ramshackle little port bustling with a minor banana-shipping industry. Being relatively remote, Muisne attracts far fewer visitors than the more popular beaches, but it makes an interesting foray off the beaten track. The long and lonely palm-lined beach at its back is its best feature, and the few remaining mangroves in the area are protected and worth a visit.
Muisne was badly affected by the earthquake of 2016, and the main road along the island was still being rebuilt during our visit in late 2017. However, it has an amazing new pedestrian bridge from the mainland, another project of the Correa government, and a splendid little plaza on the mainland side, with soccer-ball adornments at the foot of the bridge.
Note there is no ATM on the island, so plan ahead.
1Sights & Activities
Congal Bio-StationNATURE RESERVE
(%02-2243-216; www.jatunsacha.org/congal-biomarine-station) S
Only 2km from Muisne, this 6.5-sq-km marine reserve established by Jatun Sacha in 2000 focuses on mangrove conservation and organic aquaculture. Volunteers are needed, but visitors are also welcome. There are great opportunities for snorkeling and scuba diving, plus comfortable private cabins with seafood on the menu. Room and full board costs $40 per person per day.
FundecolECOTOUR
(Foundation for Ecological Defense; %06-248-0519; tours per day $25-50) S
Community and mangrove tours are organized by this outfit based in the local area. Costs vary depending on the type of tour and the size of your group, with tours including boat trips up Río Muisne to see the remaining mangroves and the impact of commercial shrimping. It’s across the street from the hospital on Muisne.
4Sleeping & Eating
Most of the island’s lodgings didn’t survive the quake. If you do find a place, during the rainy months mosquitoes can be bad, so be sure to get a room with a net.
There are a few places to eat and sleep on the mainland before you cross, including Viejo Willy (3 de Octubre; $5-6; h7pm-11pm), a local fave which moved after the quake. Walk all the way to the beach for a seafood feed, though. You’ll be glad you did.
Las PalmeirasSEAFOOD$
(Beach; mains $7-13; h7am-7pm)
This simple beach restaurant serves up shrimp or freshly caught fish with a sea view. It was one of the few businesses to survive the earthquake, and there’s a funky bar right across the little road on the beach with a pit fire.
8Getting There & Around
Buses from Esmeraldas go as far as the cement launch of El Relleno. From here take a motorized canoe across the mottled-blue Río Muisne to the island ($0.20). With the new pedestrian bridge, however, you can just walk across to the island any time. Cars can also take a ferry until 5pm.
Buses depart from El Relleno about every 30 minutes to Esmeraldas ($2, 2½ hours) passing Same, Súa and Atacames en route. There are five buses daily to Santo Domingo de los Colorados ($6, five hours), where connections to Quito or Guayaquil are made. Transportes Occidentales (%06-243-4009; cnr Calle Principal & El Relleno) has a nightly bus to/from Quito ($9, 8½ hours). To go further south, take a bus to El Salto and then a bus to Pedernales ($3, three hours), from where you can connect to other towns down the coast.
Muisne’s main road leads directly away from the pier, crossing the center to the beach. It’s 2km from end to end. Ecovias vie for passengers at the pier. It’s $1 well spent for the wild ride at top rickshaw speed over potholes and sharp, rolling rubble. The road was being resurfaced during our visit.
Mompiche
%05
Famed for its world-class waves and gorgeous 7km-long strip of pristine (if grayish) sand beach, this little fishing village has long been popular with backpackers and surfers for its good waves, and cheap eats and lodgings. Mompiche had barely been touched by the modern world until the creation of a good new road nearly a decade ago, but even now there’s not extensive vehicular traffic, and everyone in town still knows everyone else. Besides its fabulous stretch of palm-fringed sands, Mompiche has little else (not even an ATM), and that’s its beauty.
Like much of the region, Mompiche’s businesses were hit hard by the 2016 earthquake and are still attempting to rebound. Rising sea levels have also brought the high tide all the way to the sea wall, effectively eliminating beach time for a quarter of the day, and cutting off land access to the beach hotels north of here.
2Activities
November through February sees the best surf, with waves up to 2m – the rest of the year it’s pretty flat. There’s a river break north of town and a steep point break (for experts) to the south. Two friendly competitors in town rent surfboards and give lessons for the same price: Jefferson Panezo at La Peña Escuela de Surf (%9672-74-255; La Fosforera; h8am-5pm) is one of them.
Head to the beach to arrange whale-watching tours as well as trips to Isla Portete, Muisne, nearby mangroves, and a bunch of lost beaches. Boats cost about $25 per person per hour, depending on occupancy. Ask for Ramon at the Banana Hotel (%099-739-6244), who runs popular jungle tours.
4Sleeping
The MudhouseHOSTAL$
(%093-911-2203; www.the-mud-house.com; Via a Mompiche; dm/d $9/25-30, family cabin $50-60; pW)
This newish entry on the Mompiche scene is run by a friendly American expat couple and has both private rooms and dorms, the nicest of which have outdoor stone showers. It has capacity for singles, couples and families, and Mendy has a wealth of information on local activities in her handy spiral notebook.
It’s across from the police station, before you hit ‘downtown’ proper.
Bam-BúHOTEL$
(%095-978-0941; www.bambu-hotel.com; 100m north of T-Junction, btwn La Fosforera & Gaviotas; r per person incl breakfast $25; pW)
This three-story scatterjam of support beams, arches, walkways and terraces is made almost entirely from bamboo (and withstood the 2016 earthquake well). The rooms (six with ocean views) are big, with modern bathrooms, comfy beds and very simple appointments. There’s a friendly restaurant and bar downstairs – probably the most fun you can have in town. Yoga and laundry services are available, too.
A sweet third-floor veranda is open to guests who don’t have ocean views.
IruñaCABIN$$
(Las Pigualas; teremompiche@yahoo.com; d $40, r from $50)
A 45-minute walk down the beach from Mompiche’s center takes you to this wonderfully isolated spot. Six spacious wooden cabañas surround a pleasant restaurant and social area right on the beach among the palms, and come with mosquito nets, fridges and fans. Good meals can be provided by arrangement.
The hotel can arrange to pick you up in Mompiche, or organize a boat transfer from Muisne. You can’t get here by land at high tide.
Los Balcones de MompicheHOTEL$$
(Via a Mompiche; d $45; paW)
If Mompiche had a five-star hotel, we suppose this would be it. With air-con, wi-fi, cable TV and even a small, clean swimming pool, you might not feel like you’re in Miami Beach, but if you want a few creature comforts, here you are. It’s set back a bit from the road noise on the main drag, too.
5Eating
La FachaINTERNATIONAL$
(www.lafachahostel.com; 100m north of T-Junction, across from La Casona; mains $5-8; h8am-10pm)
A charming team of young locals (who also run the hostel in the same building, and are all keen surfers) serve up mouthwatering burgers, salads and sandwiches. It’s on Calle Fosforeras, parallel to the malecón. You can rent a decent room here, too ($13 to $15 for shared bathroom, $20 private).
La ChillanguaSEAFOOD$
(Via a Mompiche; mains $5-8; h7am-7pm)
This basic comedore on the main drag, across from Farmacia Rogers, no longer has sweet seaside views, but it remains a dependable choice, with filling breakfasts like majado de verde (green plantains, white cheese and peppers, with a fried egg on top).
El Chivo PizzeriaITALIAN$
(Chivo’s Pizzeria; %098-300-7557; La Fosforera, 100m north of T-junction; mains $6-9; h6-10pm)
Formerly called Suly’s, this pizzeria has a nice mix of Italian faves like lasagna, spaghetti, pizza and overstuffed calzones.
8Getting There & Away
Buses go to and from Esmeraldas a few times daily ($5, 3½ hours), passing Same and Atacames on the way.
PLAYA NEGRA: BLACK SANDS & THE SHADOW OF MINING
Generations of Mompicheans remember picking up oysters on the black-sand beach of Playa Negra. But the alluring sand also holds titanium deposits, and since 2012 locals have been waging a war against the bulldozers tearing up the beach. An online petition at change.org garnered more than 5,000 signatures in 2017. You can find out more at #SalvemosPlayaNegra. Minister of Tourism Enrique Ponce de León has called the mining actions ‘a crime against the environment and tourism.’ Stay tuned.
Isla Portete
Just 2km south of Mompiche, this palm-frocked island has a long beach with blond sands and little traffic. There are a few seafood shacks right on the beach, and a large resort hotel just across the estuary. Other than that, you get decent surf (with a long 1m-high right-hander from December through March), and a lost island world all to yourself. Check with local fishers about boat tours to nearby islands and further afield. From the Royal Decameron resort you can walk close to an awesome arched rock that’s been carved by the sea.
4Sleeping
Cabaña Caña BravaCABAñAS$$
(%099-191-8054; s/d $35/50)
Since our former island favorite (Donde Tito) didn’t withstand the earthquake, Cabaña Caña Brava is a more-than-adequate back-up just across the estuary from Decameron. Some rooms have nice balconies with views; all have mosquito netting. Basic, but reasonable.
Royal DecameronRESORT$$$
(%06-299-7300; www.decameron.com.ec; accessed from mainland 1km south of Mompiche; d/tr/q all-inclusive $177/191/317; paWs)
This mega-resort geared towards the Ecuadorian elite is located right across the estuary from Isla Portete on the mainland. It has nearly 200 rooms spreading over a hodgepodge of pools, gyms, tennis courts, bars, buffet restaurants, discos and more. The deluxe rooms have ocean views, Ecuadorian textiles, and plenty of modern amenities.
There’s a beach club with kayaks and other water toys just across the way on Portete (which guests access via a free boat service).
8Getting There & Away
There is no public transport here. Take a taxi ($5) or walk the 2km from Mompiche, then hop on a river ferry ($0.50) to cross the estuary to the island.
Cojimíes
This lost spit of sand is a bit out of the way, but it’s worth the trip if you’re looking to escape the crowds of Canoa and Mompiche. There’s a pretty riverfront beach with light-brown sand right in town, plus a long gorgeous strip of virgin sand that stretches all the way to Perdernales 38km to the south.
A gaggle of beachfront food stands and boat trips to the remote Isla del Amor (one way per boat $15) are the number one and two attractions in this low-key village. There’s a running joke that two people go to the island, and three come back (ie with baby in arms).
4Sleeping & Eating
Hotel SantoriniHOTEL$
(%099-377-9957; santorini_hotel@hotmail.com; 200m north of Malecón Turistico; s/d $15/30; pW)
This super-lean cement-block hotel is just close enough to the ocean to catch the breeze. The double-decker rooms don’t have ocean views, but you do get bunk beds, a funky common sitting area and easy access to the beach.
Restaurant AuritaSEAFOOD$
(%05-239-1236; Malecón; mains $6-10; h7am-8pm)
Overlooking the fishing boats bobbing on the water, this simple waterside restaurant serves delectable Manabí seafood. It’s famous for the huge shrimp native to the area, but also prepares tasty ceviche, concha (shellfish) and encocado de pescado (fish cooked in a rich, spiced coconut sauce). The vibe is casual: dine at plastic picnic tables and dig your heels into the sand.
8Getting There & Away
To get here, grab a buseta (intercity bus) from Pedernales, on the corner of Juan Pereira and Velasco Ibarra ($1, 45 minutes).
Canoa
%05 / Pop 6887
A sleepy village with a heart of gold, Canoa has a lovely stretch of beach framed by picturesque cliffs to the north and a disappearing horizon to the south. Despite its growing popularity with sunseekers and surfers, the village remains a low-key place, where kids frolic on the sandy lanes at dusk and fishers head out to sea in the early hours before dawn. In the evenings the beachfront bars and guesthouses come to life as backpackers swap travel tales over rum cocktails.
International surf competitions come in the high season (January to March), when waves reach over 2m and accommodation becomes hard to find.
Note that Canoa’s comeback from the 2016 earthquake may take some time.
1Sights & Activities
Tides are strong here, so stay close to the beach. At low tide you can reach caves at the north end of the beach, which house hundreds of roosting bats. A popular bike trip takes you on the bike path that runs from here to Bahía de Caráquez in about an hour. Surf Shak offers kayaking cave tours ($25, three hours), paragliding ($45, 20 minutes) and surfing classes ($25, 1½ hours).
Reserva Ecologico Jama-CoaqueNATURE RESERVE
(Comuna Camarones)
We’re hoping this reserve, 26 km south of Perdanales and 3km off the main highway, opens to tourism soon. Last we heard, Third Millenium Alliance (www.tmalliance.org) was working with the community and government to establish accessible trail-heads and basic services. In this wonderland of biodiversity, more than 40 new frog species have been discovered since 2009, and its grounds are designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International.
It’s currently possible to volunteer here by contacting Third Millenium Alliance.
Río Muchacho Organic FarmOUTDOORS
(%05-302-0487; www.riomuchacho.com; via Canoa Jama Km 10, Troncal del Pacifico, northeast of Canoa) S
Get your hands dirty learning about sustainable farming practices at tropical Río Muchacho Organic Farm. Most people come here on a three-day, two-night tour costing $172 per person, with discounts for larger groups; there are also short programs from one to three days, plus courses from one week to month ($300 to $1200). You can also volunteer here for $300 per month.
Guest groups are kept small and reservations are preferred. On the accommodation front, cabins are rustic, with shared showers and composting toilets (dorm/private room $8/$18). The coveted spot is a tree-house bunk. Lying along the river of the same name, the farm is reached by a rough 7km unpaved road branching inland from the road north of Canoa. Transportation is by horseback or a $10 taxi from Canoa.
Surfing
There are only beach breaks here. But unlike other spots on the coast, they keep working year-round – getting really big from January through March. Surfboard rentals (per half-/full day $5/$15) and classes (90-minutes, $25) are available at most guesthouses.
4Sleeping
oHotel BambuHOTEL$
(%05-258-8017; www.hotelbambuecuador.com; Malecón, north end; dm/s/d $10/30/40, camping $20; pW)
The nicest hotel in town has a great sand-floored restaurant and bar area, cabins with exposed cane roofs, wood-panel windows and mosquito nets, plus delicious hot-water showers. Only a few have ocean views, but most catch a breeze and stay cool. A new addition is the good-value, fully equipped camping spot with a raised bed. There’s ping-pong and billiards, too!
oCasa Shangri-LaGUESTHOUSE$
(%099-146-8470; Antonio Aviega, 100m north of town on the main road; camping/r per person $7.50/10; Ws)
This fantastic place is owned by a friendly Dutch guy, Jeroen, who has created a chilled-out surfer spot with a big garden, a plunge pool, very nice rooms and a super-relaxed vibe. There’s a bar and a library, with surfboards available for rent. It’s a short walk from town, which also means you won’t hear the reggaeton from the beachfront bars all night.
Jeroen rebuilt the place following the 2016 earthquake, which is surrounded by starfruit and papaya trees. He also offers a tour of a beautiful cacao plantation in nearby El Águila, a site full of birdlife and howler monkeys.
Hostal CanoamarHOSTAL$
(%05-258-8081; www.canoamar.com; Malecón; s/d $20/25; pW)
There are good ocean views (sometimes with accompanying welcome breezes) from this three-story spot with cane-walled rooms including mosquito nets and nice firm beds. Budget travelers will like the shared kitchen. It’s next to La Vista Hotel, on the beach.
Posada OlmitoGUESTHOUSE$
(%099-553-3341; www.olmito.org; Malecón; d $26, breakfast $3; pW)
Right on the beach you’ll find this decidedly rustic and rather higgledy-piggledy structure perfect for beach bums. The funky, fan-cooled bamboo rooms have small private bathrooms with hot water, and are clean enough. The vibe is beyond relaxed, complete with hammocks and dozing dogs. The bar and barbecue fire up at night.
AmalurGUESTHOUSE$
(%098-303-5039; www.amalurcanoa.com; cnr San Andres & Francisco Aveiga; dm $10-12, s/d $20/25; W)
Overlooking a drab soccer pitch, two blocks from the ocean, this guesthouse is a nice option away from the madding crowd. Rooms have bamboo beds, hardwood floors, bright showers and super sheets. The downstairs restaurant glows orange-pink and oozes light jazz; there’s also a ping-pong table and yoga classes.
La Vista HotelGUESTHOUSE$
(%099-228-8995; Malecón, next to Coco Loco; s/d/tr/q $25/35/45/55; pW)
La Vista is an upscale-ish four-story guesthouse. Its spacious, nicely designed rooms have beamed ceilings and glass (rather than screened-in) windows, and it’s right on the beach. Like nearly every place in Canoa, rates go up $5 per night on weekends.
Cocoa InnHOTEL$$
(%099-228-9372; www.cocoainn.com; Malecón, south end; d/q/ste $30/40/50; pW)
Neat, clean and with nice colorful bedspreads, this newish Chilean-run hostel survived the 2016 earthquake with only a few raised floor tiles. It’s located at the southernmost end of the developed part of the malecón, and because of its age (or lack thereof) is a better option at this price range than some nearby hotels.
5Eating
AmalurSPANISH$
(www.amalurcanoa.com; cnr Francisco Aviega & San Andres, inside Amalur Hotel; mains $7-12; h8am-10pm; W)
Owned by a Spanish chef (Amalur means ‘Mother Earth’ in Basque), this trim, minimalist restaurant is a major step up from your average Ecuadorian small-town restaurant. A chalkboard lists the day’s specials – a few recent favorites include fresh calamari a la plancha, pulpo a la Gallega (boiled octopus with paprika), homegrown, nicely seasoned eggplant in salsa and a marvelously tender sea bass.
Surf ShakINTERNATIONAL$
(Malecón; mains $5-10; h8am-midnight; W)
The ‘Shak’ serves up pizzas, burgers, filling breakfasts and plenty of rum cocktails to a fun-seeking foreign crowd. Its California dreamin’ surf vibe is spot on.
8Information
There are no banks in Canoa (San Vicente has the nearest ATMs).
8Getting There & Away
Buses between Bahía de Caráquez ($1, 45 minutes) and Pedernales or Esmeraldas will all stop in Canoa. The office for Coachtur is about three blocks inland from Hotel Bambu and has hourly services to Portoviejo ($4, 2½ hours), Manta ($5, 3 hours) and Guayaquil ($9, 6 hours).
Bahía de Caráquez
%05 / Pop 26,100
Gleaming-white high-rises and red-tile roofs fill this bustling peninsula city. With the Río Chone on one side, flowing into the Pacific on the other, this tidy former port city basks in the sun and enjoys a wonderfully laid-back feel. There’s a pretty beach and it’s popular with Ecuadorian tourists, though not many foreigners stay here.
In the first half of the 20th century the city was Ecuador’s principal port, but eroding sandbanks let the honor drift to Guayaquil and Manta, and Bahía was left to its housekeeping.
The city was devastated by the 2016 earthquake, with many businesses reduced to rubble. Tourism has yet to recover.
1Sights & Activities
Head to the beach to organize boat tours to heart-shaped Isla Corazón, and whale-watching tours (per hour $25).
Church of La MercedCHURCH
(MAP; Plaza Sucre)
Built of materials imported from the US and Europe in 1912, this church has survived two big earthquakes. Alberto Santos, a big-time businessman of the time, left his mark on the city with his donations for this building and the statues along the waterfront.
Museo Bahía de CaráquezMUSEUM
(MAP; www.museos.gob.ec/redmuseos/bahia/bahia.html; cnr Malecón Santos & Peña; h8:30am-4:30pm Tue-Fri, 9am-2:30pm Sat) F
You’ll find a good introduction to the area’s indigenous history at this well-curated modern museum. The collection includes hundreds of pieces of pre-Colombian pottery, as well as local crafts for sale.
Mirador La CruzVIEWPOINT
(MAP; Barrio de La Cruz, near Av 3 de Noviembre)
High above the peninsula and boasting great views of the city, sea and river, this viewpoint at the south end of town can be reached on foot or by a short taxi ride.
Isla CorazónISLAND
(%05-267-4836; www.islacorazon.com; San Vicente or Puerto Portovelo; admission incl 2hr guided tour from $10)
Bird-watchers shouldn’t miss a visit to Isla Corazon, where you can take guided tours through mangroves in search of frigate birds, herons, egrets and other species. It’s 7km east of San Vicente, reachable by bus ($0.50) or taxi ($5). For tours, contact Leonidas Vega or Juan Montalvo at the Santa Rosa church in San Vicente on the phone number listed.
4Sleeping
With Bahía’s hotel scene still recovering from the 2016 earthquake, you’re likely to find more options further down the coast.
Centro Vacacional LifeCABIN$
(MAP; %05-269-0496; cnr Octavio Vitteri & Daniel Hidalgo; r per person $20; aW)
Just two blocks from the beach, these cabins aren’t much to look at from the outside, yet all come with kitchens, two bedrooms, comfy furniture, plasma TVs and sleep up to five people. There’s also a grassy playground, a pool table and ping-pong. Since everything else fell down in the earthquake, it’s pretty much the only option in the town center.
Casa CeiboLUXURY HOTEL$$$
(%05-239-9399, 099-470-3622; www.casaceibo.com; Av Sixto Durán Ballén; d/ste incl breakfast from $110/240; paWs)
If you’re looking for pampering and seclusion, this gated luxury hotel 4km from central Bahía (on the road out of town, just beyond the bus terminal) is the place for you. With plush rooms that have all the creature comforts, minimalist public areas and huge manicured gardens that lead down to the river, this is definitely the smartest place in town.
Kayaking, biking, use of the gym, Jacuzzi and pool are all included, and there’s a full-service restaurant here as well.
5Eating
You’ll find a slew of weathered restaurants on the river pier with a great sunset ambience. They’re popular for seafood (especially ceviche) and are generally open from morning until midnight. We found a wonderful, long-standing cevicheria right on the malecón that locals love.
HermanachoCEVICHE$
(MAP; %05-269-2483; Malecón; ceviche $4-12; h8am-3pm)
Folks drive over from Canoa to visit this long-lived and well-loved cevicheria. You can get half orders of Pedro Avila’s mixto shrimp or lobster ceviche ($4 to $6) but if you’re really hungry, pay for a whole one ($8 to $12). It’s across the road from D’Camaron, along the waterfront.
Puerto AmistadINTERNATIONAL$
(MAP; Malecón Santos; mains $6-12; hnoon-11pm Mon-Thu, until 2am Fri-Sat)
Puerto Amistad is an expat favorite for its delicious fare, strong cocktails and the attractive and airy deck over the water. The salads, savory crepes, quesadillas, seafood dishes and steaks are all excellent, and service is friendly and professional. This slightly upscale restaurant also functions as Bahía’s yacht club and is the place to bump into other visiting yachties.
D’CamaronSEAFOOD$
(MAP; www.dcamaron.com.ec; Bolívar btwn Plaza Acosta & Leannen; mains $7-11; h9:30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-6pm Sat & Sun)
As the name implies, shrimp is the specialty at this casual open-air spot near the water. Order them grilled, with a cocktail, and enjoy the ocean breezes. For a change, try the arroz marinera, with loads of different shellfish.
8Information
Banco de Guayaquil (cnr Bolívar & Riofrío) Cashes travelers checks and has an ATM.
8Getting There & Away
A bridge connects Bahía to San Vicente (and the rest of the north coast) over the Río Chone. This eliminates the need for long drives around the bay or a ferry ride across the river.
The bus terminal is 4km from the center of town on the malecón as you head towards Chone. From there you’ll find buses that offer regular or ejecutivo (1st-class) services – they head to Quito (regular/ejecutivo $10/$12, eight hours, four daily) via Santo Domingo (regular/ejecutivo $5/$6), and there are services to Guayaquil ($7.50, six hours, seven daily), Manta ($3, three hours, three daily) and Canoa ($1.25, 45 minutes, half-hourly).
MANGROVES UNDER THREAT
Ecuador’s coastal mangroves are an important habitat. In addition to helping to control the erosion of the coast, they provide homes, protection and nutrients for numerous species of birds, fish, mollusks and crustaceans. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to say who owns these coastal tropical forests, which has left them open to exploitation.
Small-scale crabbing and shrimping operations initially took over areas of mangroves without protections or oversight, but this never posed a serious threat to mangrove ecology, because the harvests were simply too small.
This all changed in the 1980s with the arrival of shrimp farms, which produced shrimp in artificial conditions in numbers many times greater than could be caught by traditional shrimping methods. To build the farms, it was necessary to remove the mangroves. The prospective owner of a shrimp farm purchased the land from the government, cut down the mangroves and began the shrimp-farming process. The net profits of the shrimp farms were very high, and the idea soon caught on and spread rapidly along the coast, resulting in the removal of 80% to 90% of Ecuador’s mangroves during the 1980s and early 1990s. (Driving along the coast, it’s hard to miss the shrimpers in their long, flat boats.) Although there are now laws controlling this destruction, these are difficult to enforce in the remote coastal areas.
The shrimp farms have had many negative short- and long-term effects. Previously, many families could find a sustainable livelihood in the mangroves, whereas shrimp farms employ only a handful of seasonal workers. Where before there were mangroves protecting a large diversity of species, now there’s just commercial shrimp. Coastal erosion and pollution from the wastes of the shrimp farms have become serious problems. A combination of disease and economic decline means that today many farms lie abandoned. Meanwhile, efforts are being made in Muisne, Bahía de Caráquez and a few other coastal towns to start replanting mangroves. You can take mangrove tours around most major tourist centers.
Manta
%05 / Pop 217,553
The largest city in the province (and the fifth largest in Ecuador), Manta is a bustling and prosperous port town graced with high-rises, and a few urban beaches that draw mostly domestic tourists. As an important center for the fishing and tuna-processing industries, it’s the kind of place you smell before you arrive, and its quirkiest sight is a huge statue of a tuna. Indeed, there aren’t a lot of reasons to come here – the beaches are far better elsewhere on the coast – but it’s an important transportation hub and has a lively nightlife scene. You may pass through if you’re visiting the handicraft town of Montecristi.
1Sights
Museo Arqueológico del Banco CentralMUSEUM
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Malecón btwn Calle 9 & Av 2; admission $1; h8:30am-5pm Mon-Fri)
The fully modernized city museum reopened in its new location in 2009, and showcases valuable artifacts from pre-Colombian Manta culture, a selection of Ecuadorian paintings and quirky fishing paraphernalia.
Playa MurciélagoBEACH
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Malecón, btwn Calle 30 & Calle 19)
This beach is less protected than most beaches in the area and has bigger waves (although they’re not very big) along with a powerful undertow. It’s a couple of kilometers northwest of downtown (near Hotel Balandra) and is the town’s most popular beach, backed by snack bars, restaurants and umbrella-rental spots.
Tarqui BeachBEACH
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Malecón)
The east end of this stretch of sand is a hive of activity early in the mornings, as vendors sell row upon row of shark, tuna, swordfish, dorado and other fish (the sizes of which seem to decrease with each passing year). You’ll also find the so-called Parque del Marisco here: lots of stalls serving up fresh fish and seafood in a variety of different styles right on the beach, including what locals will swear to you is the best ceviche in the country.
The beach is suitable for swimming.
4Sleeping
ManakinGUESTHOUSE$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-262-0413; hostalmanakin@hotmail.com; cnr Calle 17 & Av 21; s/d incl breakfast $55/65; aW)
Near the heart of all the nightlife, Manakin is a converted one-story house with a pleasant laid-back vibe. Narrow, well-ordered and highly perfumed rooms are nicely furnished, and the house offers fine places to unwind – including the front patio. And it’s near the mall. Truly, what more could one ask for?
Hotel BalandraHOTEL$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-262-0545; www.hotelbalandra.com; Av 7 near Calle 20; s/d $103/152, deluxe r $155; a
iWs)
This small but upscale hillside hotel offers pleasantly furnished deluxe rooms and two-bedroom cabins, some with balconies looking out to sea. Outside you’ll find sculpted shrubbery, a small gym and sauna, a pool and a playground. Family groups can make for a less-than-relaxing experience on weekends.
5Eating
Seafood comedores line the east end of the beach on Malecón de Tarqui. Playa Murciélago has cafes front and center for enjoying beach action.
Trovador CaféCAFE$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-262-9376; Av 3 & Calle 10, Pasaje Hermanos Egas Miranda; mains $2-5; h7:30am-6pm Mon-Sat)
On a pleasant pedestrian lane set back just a short distance from the malecón, this place offers frothy cappuccinos, sandwiches and inexpensive lunch plates. There’s outdoor seating in this old colonial home.
Parrillada Oh MarGRILL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; cnr Av 20 & Flavio Reyes; mains $9-12; hnoon-11pm Mon-Sat)
This amenable glass-walled grill in the center of Manta’s nightlife area is a great place for a filling steak and a glass of good Argentinian red wine.
8Information
Municipal Tourist Office (%05-262-2944; Av 3 N10-34; h8am-12:30pm & 2:30-5pm Mon-Fri) Friendly and helpful.
Police (Av 4 de Noviembre, near Calle 104)
Post Office (Calle 8) Located at the town hall.
8Getting There & Away
AIR
Located on the Manta waterfront, past the open-air theater, is the TAME office (%05-262-2006; Malecón de Manta betw. Av 13 & 14). TAME has one to two flights daily to/from Quito (one way from $86, 30 minutes). You can buy tickets at the airport on the morning of the flight, but the planes are sometimes full on weekends and holidays. Buying tickets a few days in advance seems to offer big discounts if you can plan ahead.
The airport is some 3km east of Tarqui, and a taxi costs about $2 for the 10-minute trip.
BUS
Most buses depart from the new Terminal Terreste near the airport. Buses to nearby Manabí towns and villages, such as Montecristi ($0.50, 15 minutes), also leave from the terminal.
Buses serve Jipijapa ($0.90, one hour), Canoa ($4, 3½ to four hours), Bahía de Caráquez ($2.50, three hours), Guayaquil ($5, four hours), Esmeraldas ($7, six hours) and Ambato ($8, 10 hours).
Ejecutivo buses to Quito ($10, nine hours) and Guayaquil ($7.50, four hours) leave from a smaller nearby terminal on the malecón throughout the day.
Montecristi
%05 / Pop 46,312
Montecristi produces the finest straw hat on the planet, even if it is mistakenly referred to as the ‘Panama’ hat. Ask for yours as a sombrero de paja toquilla, a fine, fibrous straw endemic to this region. Hat stores line the road leading into town and the plaza, but most of their wares are cheap and loosely woven.
The city was founded in around 1628, when manteños fled inland to avoid the frequent plundering by pirates. Today its many unrestored colonial houses give the village a rather tumbledown and ghostly atmosphere. The key draw here is hat shopping, but Montecristi’s main plaza has a beautiful church which contains a statue of the Virgin to which miracles have been attributed, as well as a statue of native son Eloy Alfaro, who was twice Ecuador’s president. His tomb is in the town hall and there’s a new museum in his honor on the hilltop.
1Sights
Museo Historico de MontecristiMUSEUM
(Centro Cívico Ciudad Alfaro; www.ciudadalfaro.gob.ec; Prolongacion 10 de Agosto; h9am-4:30pm) F
Revolutionary and two-time president Eloy Alfaro was born in Montecristi, and here is an amazing tribute to the man: a hilltop museum with a panoramic view of the city below. There’ s an old train engine in honor of Alfaro’s pioneering efforts with the Guayaquil-Quito line connecting the Andes to the Pacific, and gobs of letters and artifacts honoring the person who brought dignity, citizenship and military rank to the nation’s formerly dispossessed: the indigenous, the Afro-Ecuadorians and women.
On a side note, the bathrooms here are really, really nice.
Basilica Santisima Virgen de MontserratCHURCH
(Calle Sucre, La Madre Parque)
Dating back to the early 20th century, this beautiful church contains a statue of the Virgin to which miracles have been attributed. While the Museo Historico de Montecristi further up the hill may house the city’s political heritage, this site is its spiritual center.
7Shopping
José Chávez FrancoCLOTHING
(Rocafuerte 386; h7am-7pm)
Here you can snatch up high-quality straw ‘Panama’ hats for under $100, but check them closely. None are blocked or banded, but they’re cheaper than just about anywhere else in the world.
José is quick to point out that he also sells higher-grade sombreros for far more than that, too, so take your time shopping.
8Getting There & Away
Montecristi can be reached during the day by frequent buses ($0.50, 30 minutes) from the bus terminal in Manta.