Isla de la Plata, the poor man's Galápagos

Trip Start May 10, 2010
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Trip End Apr 20, 2011


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Flag of Ecuador  , Manabí,
Tuesday, August 17, 2010

On Isla de la Plata, a small island off the coast northwest of Puerto López, visitors enjoy many species similar to those found in the Galápagos. And not solely for that reason trips to the island are becoming popular.

From June to September whales can be seen frolicking in the ocean and different to the ones I've seen earlier in Colombia (where the males try to impress the females by slapping their tales into the water), the males try to show off by making photogenic back flips.

Parque Nacional Machalilla has even more in reserve: the magnificent beach of Los Frailes, coral reef, tropical dry forest and pre-Colombian ruins.

Leaving the Pacific lowlands I head for Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, to spend the weekend. Instead of continuing further south and cross the border with Peru, I decide to cut my visit to Ecuador's southern parts short and to head back up to the oil town of Coca. From there I will follow the Río Napo - and a short part of the Amazon - to Peru.
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