Welcome to the region of infinite sun, sand, and ocean! The costal region of Ecuador not only offers endless miles o virgin beach, but also virgin forests too – including arid forests, humid forests and some rare cloud forests – many tucked away in protected reserves, all boasting rare flora and fauna difficult to find else where in the country.
Of course, most people end up coming for the beaches, the most visited and arguably best include: Atacames, Muisne, Crucita, Manta, Montañita, Salinas, La Chocolatera, Playas Villamil and Los Frailes (located in a protected national park and considered by many the absolute most beautiful, empty and pristine of the them all!).
At all of the beaches, and numerous more, you'll find warm, tropical, turquoise water and at many of them you can enjoy snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing and paragliding. Some beaches will offer motorized aquatic activities too. In many of the beaches from North to South, you'll find specific flora and fauna unique to that area. For example, Esmeraldas has the Cayapas/Mataje Ecological Reserve which has some of the country's most famous, and the world's tallest, groves of Mangalore trees. These are rare trees, found in very few places on the planet.
South of Esmeraldas is a region called Manabi. This region is famous for its "Panama-hat-like-hats", which are actually called "MonteCristi". The MonteCristi hat is the highest quality hat of its type. The famous "Panama hat" is actually a cheaper version of the "MonteCristi".
Further south of Manabi, we find the National Park Machilla, famous for having one of the driest forests in the world. Not surprisingly, the fauna found within in incredibly unique and rare. In this same region, only one hour from the coast, lies the famous island called "Silver Island", or by some called "Money Island" ("Isla de la Plata" in Spanish).
This unique island, located only about 1 hour from the coast, is very similar to the Galapagos Islands. While not nearly as well preserved, not having the record number of endemic species that the Galapagos has, one can still experience, or see, some of the same things that the Galapagos offer – such as Blue-footed Boobies, Frigate birds and iguanas. However, the island is perhaps best known for its amazing Humpback whale sightings seen mainly in July and August.
The Ecuadorian coastline is also rich with archeological and cultural treasures. One of the more interesting arqueological sites is found at "Las Vegas", known as "the Lovers of Sumpe" – which are remains of two people embrassing each other.
Traveling further south, one finds a modern mix of beach and cosmopolitan city life on the famous boardwalk of Guayaquil. Recently remodeled, the waterfront in this modern city is alive, exciting, fun, tropical and relaxing all at the same time.
No other South American city located on the Pacific comes close to Guayaquil – with having a warm climate, warm water, a tropical, Palm-tree-filled atmosphere with great tropical food, and exciting, spicy night life!
The last place we'll mention about this region is arguably the most unique of any is the Petrified Forests of Puyango, located south of Guayaquil. This is the oldest forest in South America and is world renowned for its petrified trees, vegetation and abundant animal fossils which date to prehistoric times and make up one of the most important ecosystems on the planet.
Formed by volcanic eruptions over millions of years, they are located a very remote 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. These islands remain shockingly unspoilt and are where Charles Darwin invented the theory of evolution after studying the islands' many different species of Finches. Thus, the islands remain of high scientific importance. e fact they are located so far from the coast and weren't inhabited by humans until 150 years ago, has helped the hundreds of species of animals develop over 1000's of years without the slightest fear of human beings.This fearless wildlife is unmistakably one of the biggest reasons to visit as truly no where else on the planet will one encounter animals in their original, natural, wild habitat that are absolutely not bothered in the least by the presence of humans. In fact, in the case of land iguana, you have to be careful not to step on them because many just refuse to move!The species found on Galapagos are often endemic, meaning they cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Some of these include land tortoises, the Galapagos Penguin (the 2nd smallest in the world), land and marine iguanas, Darwin Finches, the famous Blue-footed Booby and it's cousin the Red-footed Booby.harks (Galapagos shark, white tipped shark and the extremely rare and fascinating Hammerhead, among others). For birds, a small sample include Frigates and its similar cousin the Cormorant, Flamingos, Pelicans, the enormous Albatross. The water is of course crystal clear and the snorkeling and diving there is among the best in the world (ask any expert!).
