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What to do in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador 【Complete guide】
Puerto López It was the last stop on our route through Ecuador and our only experience on the coast of this great country. The impressions of this small fishing town were so good that we were left wanting to see more places on the Ecuadorian coast.
The beach environment, the calm pace of life of its inhabitants and the usually good weather makes you relax as soon as you arrive. All this, together with being one of the best places for whale watching excursions and other marine fauna, makes Puerto López a unique destination.
In this COMPLETE GUIDE TO PUERTO LÓPEZ We tell you how to get there, where to stay, where to eat and nearby excursions that you can't miss if you are a sea lover, so keep reading!
best excursions What to do in Puerto Lopez
Here you will discover that all the excursions to do in Puerto López are related to the sea, and it is no wonder, since it has enormous biodiversity.
Whale Watching
The most popular and impressive activity is humpback whale watching that arrive from Antarctica to the warm coasts of Ecuador between June and September. We did not go between those months so we were not lucky enough to see them but this activity deserves to be in this complete guide to Puerto López since it is the most famous thing to do in the place. We have yet to return in the future to be able to enjoy this spectacle of nature.
Visit to Isla de la Plata
An option offered by tour operators in the town all year round It is the boat excursion to Isla de la Plata. This island could be considered a cousin of the Galapagos Islands since the birds that are observed there also nest on Isla de la Plata, you will see, for example, blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds. Furthermore, visiting this island is much cheaper than going to the Galapagos, The tour costs between 40 and 50 dollars per person Depending on the company and how much you can haggle. If your budget is tight, but you want to visit an Ecuadorian island with a lot of biodiversity, you should consider this option.
This excursion lasts almost the entire day and includes round-trip transportation, snorkeling near the island with the possibility of seeing a turtle, a visit to the island with a guide, and something to eat and drink during the trip.
Tour to Salango Island
If you don't want such a long excursion or want to take a cheaper tour, your best option is a visit to Salango Island. The cost of this tour is 20 to 25 dollars per person, we haggled and ended up getting it for 17. It lasts around 4 hours. Blue-footed boobies are also seen, although in much smaller numbers than on Isla de la Plata. Before reaching the island there is a stop to snorkel. where you can see a large number and variety of fish and sometimes turtles, or take a ride in the kayaks that are on the boat. Finally, you arrive at the island's beach where they leave you for a while to sunbathe, take a bath or continue snorkeling if you're left wanting more.
During the excursion they offer you some fruit and drinks, however, we recommend that you also bring your own water.
Sport fishing in Puerto López
The tourist offices in Puerto López also offer sport fishing trips to go in search of huge specimens. The price of these outings is about $180 for the entire boat that can accommodate 1 to 6 people.
Diving in Isla de la Plata
Another thing you can do in Puerto López is diving. There are different diving schools where they offer various courses and diving trips. ANDSome of these dive centers make diving trips on Isla de la Plata where there is much more underwater life. The cost of the outings is between 100 and 150 dollars per person for two dives in the same day, the price depends mainly on the diving location.
Where to eat cheap in Puerto López
Fish abounds in Puerto López, you will see it from the first moment you arrive here. On the beach itself there are many restaurants that will offer you all kinds of fish, seafood and cocktails. All of these restaurants stand out for having a somewhat curious decoration based on LED lights of all colors and very loud music.. The location, the people who work attracting customers and the crazy decoration have a price so these restaurants have quite high prices.
In our complete guide to Puerto López you cannot miss recommendations for delicious and cheap food. There are several possibilities throughout the town, one option is to go next to the fish market near the pier, Many of the fishermen eat there and the price of breakfasts and lunches is affordable. Of course the lunches are mainly based on fish.
Going a little further into the town from the promenade itself you will find many restaurants on the second line of the beach with very competitive prices and a wide range of fish and seafood. In one of them we ate a lobster for 12 dollars when on the beach they asked us 30 for that same dish.
If you've been in Puerto López for several days and you're tired of eating fish (how can you get tired of something so delicious?) there are also several very good pizzerias on the promenade.
Where to stay in Puerto Lopez
As in any tourist place on the coast, the hotel offer is quite varied, but for us the best place to stay in Puerto López is without a doubt el Nido Boutique B&B.
This small accommodation is located in front of the sea and both From the rooms and from the terrace you can enjoy the best sunsets in Puerto López. The location is perfect as it is close to the shopping and restaurant area, but far enough away to not hear the music that the bars play at night and be able to sleep peacefully.
In this accommodation, breakfast is included, it is very complete, it varies daily and During the time we were there we enjoyed the best breakfasts we have had in all of Ecuador.
How to get to Puerto Lopez
The best way to get to Puerto López in Public transportation is from the Guayaquil bus terminal. There are direct buses that leave quite frequently and the cost is $6 per person. Even if they are direct, don't think they will be fast, as usually happens in Ecuador the bus makes many stops to drop off and pick up passengers, the total journey takes about 4 hours.
There are also direct buses to Puerto López from the nearby towns of Montañita and Manta.
We hope that our complete guide to Puerto López has been useful to you in organizing your trip. If you have any questions, write to us and we will be happy to solve them for you. If you would like to see more photos about our time in Ecuador you can see our featured stories on Instagram.
