Attractions and Destinations travel guide in Santa Elena, Guayas, Los Rios and El Oro, visit Montañita, Olon, Salinas, Guayaquil, Machala and beautiful paradises in Ecuador

Southern Coast Atracctions

Guayas Attractions

• Guayaquil and Malecon 2000
• Guayaquil Historical Park
• Playas

A favorite escape for Guayaquileños, Playas offers everything that a beach town should offer. The city is fronted by a long strip of sand, and there are some excellent breaks in and around Playas, which draws surfers from throughout the country and beyond. Playas is still very much a working fishing town, and if you come early in the morning you will see fishermen hauling their catch onshore. As a result, Playas has some of the finest seafood in the country. The high season in Playas runs from December to April, and during this time the town can fill up on weekends. The revelry pours out of the clubs and into the streets, which creates a festive atmosphere. You can reach Playas by taking highways 70 and 19 from Guayaquil, or you can take one of the many buses that leave from the bus terminal.

• Isla Puná

A mangrove-ringed island in the Gulf of Guayaquil, Isla Puná is an emerging eco-tourism destination. A low-key place, Isla Puná is still mostly devoted to traditional trades, like harvesting tropical fruit and fishing. Visitors to the island can splash around on the beach, visit the mangrove forests in a boat, go birdwatching, or ride horses through the wilderness. Offshore, there is excellent fishing, and you can find dolphins swimming in the waters. To get to the island, you need to take a boat from the Malecón in Posorja. Posorja can be reached easily from Guayaquil by private vehicle or bus (departing from the Terminal Terrestre).

The high season in Playas runs from December to April, and during this time the town can fill up on weekends...

• Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco

A private reserve, Cerro Blanco preserves an important stand of tropical dry forest near Guayaquil. The landscape here is dominated by towering ceiba trees. This is one of the only places you can hope to find the Buffon's Macaw, and the wildlife is almost as impressive as the bird life. If you explore the forest long enough, you might find pumas, jaguars, deer and monkeys. Guides are available to help you spot wildlife and birds in the reserve. If you tire of wandering through the forest, you can visit the reserve's wildlife rescue center and organic farm. The reserve is located off the road to Playas. A bus can drop you at the entrance, where you will have to pay the admission fee. Camping is available at the site.

• Manglares Churute Ecological Reserve

This is the largest reserve of red and black mangroves in Ecuador, covering an area of more than 50.000 hectares. Seventy percent of that area is mangroves, The reserve is a RAMSAR area and is a hotspot for viewing wildlife.