.Beaches

THE PACIFIC COAST

This province also has very important beaches and resorts prepared to accommodate tourists with restaurants, hotels, bars and other places for relaxation as well as places of natural beauty such as Pedernales, San Vicente, Bahía de Caráquez, San Clemente, San Jacinto, Crucita, Jaramijó, Punta Blanca and Manta and the surrounding countryside. In this province, it is worthwhile noting the wonderful variety of Manabí cuisine in which typical dishes and seafood predominate in most of the cooking. People here are very clever craftsmen in the use of palmetto fiber, the straw used for making the well-known Panama hats tourists are keen on buying here..

Now we will continue on south to the province of Guayas to find one of the best tourist resorts in Ecuador, Salinas, with its tall buildings, excellent hotels, bars, discotheques and modern entertainment centers. Here you can sail, fish, go motor boating or surfing, enjoy other water sports or take a beautiful yacht trip along the bay. Nightlife is very exciting and the city is full of tourists year round. Close by, some of the places you can visit are Olón, Montañita, Playas, La Puntilla de Santa Elena, Ballenita, Punta Carnero and Punta Blanca. This province is known for its happy, extroverted people who provide color and hospitality for the tourist. One of the most important cities in the country, Guayaquil, is in this province. Guayaquil is the most important commercial port in Ecuador and the base of its economy. There are many interesting places to visit in the city such as the Cerro del Carmen, the Botanic Gardens, La Rotonda, the Barrio de las Peñas, Bella Vista, Malecón 2000 (the breakwater), museums and galleries. There are luxury first-class international hotel chains, bars, restaurants and interesting discotheques where you can spend a nice evening.

Continuing south to the province of El Oro, we find the beautiful beach of Jambelí, and then, following the coastline, we will visit Puerto Bolivar, El Salto, El Bendito and Puerto Pizarro. Another important attraction in El Oro is the petrified forest of Puyango where you can hike, camp out or enjoy an ecological excursion.

El Oro is a vigorous land --one of the most productive of the country. This is where coffee, cacao, bananas, sugar cane and the like are grown. Its capital, Machala, has hotels and entertainment and is only a short distance from the ocean. For the tourist who has more time and wants to continue traveling, the border with Peru is not far.

In addition to our Ecuador Packages, tourists can ask for an extension tour of 3, 4 or 5 days that will allow them to visit other sites in this enchanting part of the country.