Beautiful beaches are found all along the Ecuadorian Pacific coast. Alongside ports, fishing villages, and modern cities, dense protected forests grow with their gigantic and moist terracotta roots. The tallest mangroves in the world (64 meters / 194 feet) are found in the Majagual Forest in the Cayapas-Mataje Ecological Reserve.
In Machalilla National Park the visitor will find virgin beaches and forests that recall the history of pre-Incan cultures. The waters around Isla de la Plata are a paradise of multicolored fish and the island’s fauna is similar to that found on the Galapagos Islands.
From Puerto Lopez you can see the humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) that arrive from the Antarctic waters to mate between June and October of each year. The biggest refuge for marine birds in Ecuador is Santa Clara Island off the southern coast.
Lush tropical landscapes fronted by long beaches are found in Esmeraldas, while in Atacames tourism blends with the happiness and hospitability of the Ecuadorian people.
