Ecuador Travel

Biking in Manabi

Esmeraldas, Manabí and Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas has a strong attractions base, here is a short list of attractions, showing the main attractions in each province.

Manabí Attractions

• Spondylus Route, Comprises the Provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabi, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Los Rios, Guayas, Santa Elena and El Oro in the Coast.
• Manta and attractive city with beach and incredible gastronomy
• Machalilla National Park s dry forest reserve rich in native fauna and nice landscapes
• Los Frailes Beach, inside Machalilla National Park is one of a kind natural beach.
• Canoa Beach, the home of surf, ecotourism hikes and quiet beach living
• Puerto Lopez Beach, a beach in a quiet town to live with a friends and family, also is your starting point to practice scuba diving and departs to Isla de la Plata archaelogical site and wildlife hotspot.
• Isla de la Plata and Machalilla National Park, the island was an naciente religious point for the Manteños culture, so you can find the local museum and also practice scuba diving in the sea in a similar way like Galapagos Islands underwater wildlife.
• Bahia de Caraquez and Isla Corazon, a nice beach city with beautiful beaches, clean sea, are the place to do surf and windsurfing, Isla Corazón in other side is an ecological reserve of mangrove with one of the largest frigate birds colony, located inside Chone river.
• Crucita Beach, Paragliding and Whales, the paragliding city in the beach located beside few hills, the city is the ideal place to jump, fly and land in the beach.
• El Murcielago Beach the most renowned and with nice facilities
• Puerto Cayo beach surfing, whale watching and local gastronomy
• Ayampe Diving and Whale Watching
• San Vicente Beach one of the points for local gastronomy, where it is also possible to do kite surfing and sport fishing.
• Santa Marianita Beach Kite Surfing
• Pedernales beach a beautiful rocky beach with nice waves for surfing
• Montecristi, the cradle of the “Panama Hat” and Ecuador´s brand new constitution. If you want a high quality hat, this is the place to go.

Esmeraldas Attractions

• Muisne Island
• Mompiche Beach
• Atacames
Atacames is one of Ecuador's favorite beach resorts. The city sits on a fine stretch of beach, where it is possible to swim and sunbathe most of the year. Atacames also has some of the best restaurants on the coast, and is famous for its nightlife. The town is especially active during long weekends, when many people from the Quito area head to Atacames to relax and celebrate. To reach Atacames, you can get a bus directly from Quito, or connect through Esmeraldas.

• Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve
The Cotacachi-Cayapas Reserve stretches from the heights of Ecuador's northern sierra to the lowland jungles. The portion in the Esmeraldas province protects dense tropical jungle, which is the largest swath of Ecuador's Pacific rainforest. Visitors to the reserve can canoe past indigenous Chachi villages, spot toucans and other tropical birds, or even search for jaguars, sloths and armadillos with nature guides. The best way to access the reserve is through San Miguel, inland from the city of Esmeraldas.

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