Having spent almost a year traveling Mexico and Central America, we have had our fill of beach time and since we left Colombia, our desire to be on the coast is minimal. So we debated if we would even visit the coast of Ecuador. Since the country is small (in South American standards) and diesel cost $1.03 a gallon here, we decided we might as well check it out.
We spent our first night boondocking on a beach where it was just us and a few fisherman. It was peaceful, but very cool and grey. We were visiting during Ecuador’s winter, and even though we were close to the equator, the water was California cold. In fact, the misty cool weather reminded us of the beaches in California in the winter.
Machalilla National Park
We woke up the next day to sun! Wanting to take advantage of the nice day we headed to Machalilla National Park, where the beach Los Frailes is, supposedly one of the prettiest in Ecuador. One thing that surprised me was how dry the coast was. I was expecting the coast to be more lush and tropical, but is had a desert feel to it. I am sure during the rainy season it is much greener.
Machilla National Park. You have to hike to these beaches, but it is an easy hike.
Los Frailes beach. White sand, crystal blue water that was too cold to swim in. (Central America has ruined us…)
The horseshoe bay of Los Frailes from the mirador.
I decided to go on a hike barefoot. Let me just say I regretted it about a mile in.
I wish the water was warmer. I am not sure if it is better during summer months. I am a little confused about how much the weather changes this close to the equator.
View from our hike around the park. The coast is very similar to California.
Puerto Lopez
After our sunny days in the national park, we headed to our final coastal stop, the whale watching city of Puerto Lopez. September is peak season for migrating and breeding humpbacks, and this bay is famous for its whale watching. It also has one of the most beautiful camp grounds for overlanders that we have been to yet. When we arrived we were happy to see four of our Swiss friends were there, so we got to spend a few days whale watching together, sitting around a campfire at night overlooking the bay and celebrating Marcus’s Birthday.
The view from our camp spot! We did not see the sun for days, but it was not very cold and with this view who cares about sun!
The view of our XP from our whale watching boat.
One day a group of us went whale watching. It took over an hour to see our first whales and we were all getting worried we would not see anything. Suddenly we started seeing two whales breaching over and over. It was difficult to take pictures because it was so amazing, you did not want to look through the camera. We all just sat there with our mouths open in awe. Sam got a few good ones of the whales jumping, but no picture can capture the emotion of seeing these massive, beautiful creatures throw themselves out of the water. It was another memory that will stay with me always.
Two whales kept breaching, one after another. I have never seen anything like it before!
Sam started practicing his wildlife photography from our perch on the cliff. We saw many pelicans and blue footed bobbies hunting for fish.
For the last few weeks we have been going back and forth on if we should go to the Galapagos. September is not the best time of year to visit, the cold water currents are flowing and the seas are rough. There is also more fog and rain. In Puerto Lopez we finally decided that we would regret it if we did not go so we agreed if we could find a cheap flight we would go. I found airfare from Guayaquil for $250 a person round trip. It was so cheap, we looked at each other and said, LET”S DO IT!
So get ready for our next post on the spectacular Galapagos islands!!!!