Puerto López is a fishing town on the pacific coast of Ecuador. The most famous whale-watching destination in Ecuador, yearly it hosts the arrival of the Humpback whales who mainly choose this area for their reproduction and mating. From June to September, they swim from the Antarctic to these warm waters offering spectacular courtship jumps that national and international tourists come to enjoy.
Puerto López is the headquarter of the National Park of Machalilla. It’s an ideal place for beach and mountain ecotourism thanks to the rich nature of its wide beaches backed by green hills. At the end of the beaches, on the northern area, there are caves with stones called "mesas" named after their resemblance to the shape of tables. On the southern area there’s a viewpoint on a hill where you can see the wide bay and condors flying.
Whale-watching tour and the Isla de la Plata
The whale-watching tour can be booked on the jetty area (malecón) with two excursion options. One which exclusively takes you to watch them and on the way back there is a snorkeling stop on the Salango Island, a beautiful coral beach resort with seals laying on the beach. The second option is to take the whole day tour which consists of the whale - watching and the Isla de la Plata tour. This island is named after the legend of pirate Sir Francis Drake whom is said to have stolen the gold from the Spanish ships and hid it somewhere on the island in a secret place that has never been found. This island is also called "Mini Galápagos" because it is inhabited by the same species as in Galápagos such as the Red, Blue-footed and Masked boobies, Frigate birds, Pelicans and Albatross. To enter the island, an entrance fee is charged extra to the tour package.
Other touristic attractions on the area
Los Frailes Beach
This white sand virgin beach, ideal for swimming for its crystal waters, is minutes away from Puerto Lopez. The beach is between two cliffs surrounded by a dry tropical forest with a viewpoint where you can admire small islands and islets.
This complex is a protected area with local facilities such as paths with signposts, parking, toilets and an entrance control where they charge a fee. Bear in mind that if you decide to visit the Isla de la Plata, you can buy a 3-day entrance ticket to the National Parks of the area covering the cost of entrance to Los Frailes.
Arena Blanca
This archaeological site and museum of the Manteña culture dates from B.C. 500 to 1500 A.D. There are funerary graves and sulfurous pools very good for your skin located on a dry forest.
San Sebastian Cloud Forest
The path begins in a tropical dry forest and there is a transition toward tropical humid forest in the San Sebastian area, at 800 meters above sea level. This place has a wide variety of flora and fauna and is home of a thousand birds species. It is quite common to find ant bears, white-tailed deers, howler monkeys and hummingbirds. Between May and November, this mountainous area’s climate becomes very cloudy and rainy. Horseback riding, trekking and bird-watching are very popular activities to do on this trails.
