Travel
Ecuador travel
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Los Frailes – Ecuador’s most beautiful beach
Los Frailes Beach is often referred to as Ecuador’s most beautiful beach for good reason. With pristine sand on a gently sloping beach surrounded by cliffs on either end of a crescent shaped bay, Los Frailes Beach provides an environment perfect for relaxation. Located a few minutes north of Puerto Lopez, Los Frailes Beach is inside Machalilla National Park and often free of people. Rare July blue sky On an unusual sunny day in July, the beach is as full as I have seen it since February’s Carnaval holiday. Typically, the Ecuador coast has sun during the rainy season (explanation here) and clouds during the dry season. By “clouds,” I…
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Horseback Riding – Las Tunas to Ayampe, Ecuador
Want to go horseback riding on Ecuador’s coast? I found the perfect spot in Las Tunas, ManabÃ, a few minutes south of Puerto López. During our two hour ride, we galloped on a beach, crossed a river, watched butterflies on a forest trail, and rode along the top of a hill with a spectacular ocean view. Finding horses to ride in coastal Ecuador Finding horses to ride in Ecuador is not difficult. Finding good, healthy, well trained horses to ride in Ecuador is not easy. I rely on Tsafiki Resort to find good horses. They scout area horses and guides so they are always up to date regarding who…
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Yellow Orb Over Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
A Yellow Orb (YO) arrives every morning in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador at 6:30, dazzling us with it’s beauty. It silently preys on our eagerness to celebrate beneath it. It’s primary victims are tourists, freshly arrived from cooler climates, where they have been protected by clothing for months. They arrive, strip off most of their fabric and offer their skin up to the YO. Ecuador is named for the equator, which runs through the middle of the country. Did you know? The Earth is closer to the sun at the equator than elsewhere because of our planet’s Equatorial Bulge. As it spins, the Earth forms an oblate spheroid rather than a sphere.…
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Visitor Center, Machalilla National Park, Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
Machalilla National Park surrounds Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. Two monkey species and more than 270 bird species, including the endangered Waved Albatross live in the park. Whales mate and birth just off the coast and turtles hatch on the beaches. If you like active outdoor vacations, this is the place for you! Activities in Machalilla National Park Hike, bike and horseback ride Dry forests – from sea level to midway up the hills, the dry desert-like flora is brown for about half the year, waiting for water Cloud forests – always green hills where monkeys, orchids and a wide variety of birds live Hike beaches – Playa Los Frailes is often referred…
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Ultralight Flight Over Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
Sunday, 5:29 PM “You did what?!” “I know you’ve said they are deathtraps, Dad. Before I went, I… “Ultralights ARE deathtraps, Emily!” “…weighed the risks verses my desire to see Puerto Lopez from the air…” “It’s not worth your life!” “…and decided it was more likely I would land safely on the beach than crash into the ocean.” So it went when I told my retired pilot father about my first ultralight flight. Friday I first saw the plane Friday afternoon. The pilot took off, looped the bay, and landed on the beach. I watched several takeoffs and landings, timed the flights (about 4 minutes), and yearned to…
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Sunrise in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
My favorite place to watch the Puerto Lopez sunrise is the south end of the bay. For an overhead shot of this area, click Boats in Puerto Lopez. As the sun rises over the eastern hills, I love the reflections in the bay. If you read my post, Rainbows and the rainy season in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador, you know overnight cloud cover is common this time of year. I took the first three photos on the same day as the clouds shifted while the sun rose. They managed to hide the sun itself the entire time. We do sometimes have clearer skies during sunrise. I personally prefer the sunrises with…
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Rainbows and the rainy season in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
Puerto Lopez sunrise rainbows are most common during the coastal Ecuador rainy season. The same is true for Puerto Lopez sunset rainbows. The rainy season, December through May, is also the time for cerulean blue skies. This causes confusion when people are planning their visit. They see blue skies on social media photos yet all of the guide books say it is the rainy season. When does it rain during the rainy season? Rain usually falls at night though certainly not every night. The above photo was taken at the Victor Hugo Hotel in February at 10:00 pm. Hours earlier, I walked there in the sunshine. I was drenched when…
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Oeste de Puerto Lopez (West of Puerto Lopez), Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
You may be surprised to learn that if you cross the Pacific ocean 993 kilometers west of Puerto Lopez, you will be in Ecuador. Specifically, you will be in the Galapagos Islands’ Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Thanks to Hosteria Mandala‘s directional sign, you can find out how far it is to other places around the globe. A few distances from Puerto Lopez: Jacarta, Indonesia is 18824.80 km west. London, England is 9463.62 km NNE. Ottawa, Canada is 5210.32 km north. Nairobi, Kenya is 13999.18 km east. Buenos Aires, Argentina is 4331.64 km southeast. Cape Horn, Chile is 6143.12 km south. Come to Puerto Lopez, learn a bit of geography! __________________________________________ A look…
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Mototaxis – Second Most Popular Way to Get Around Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
Walking is the most common way to get around Puerto Lopez. Riding in a mototaxi is second. Dogs welcome Puerto Lopez is a casual town. Sometimes you will even find a mototaxi driver who brought his dog to work. Hiring a mototaxi Wave your arm when an unoccupied mototaxi is approaching to flag them down. Unless they are already on a call, they will pick you up for your trip anywhere within Puerto Lopez. There is no central dispatch. If you regularly need pickup in less traveled areas, get a couple of driver’s phone numbers. Want an informal tour? Hire a mototaxi! Many drivers are…
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Lights Reflecting Off the Ocean, Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
Stand at the end of the Puerto Lopez pier after dark. Street, building, and beach cabana lights dance to create a symphony of color reflecting off the water. The photo for E (see Emily in Puerto Lopez here) is a daytime picture from the spot above. Next, walk to the south end of the malecon to see the pier lights reflecting like in the photo above. The pier has all white lights. In this photo, many are turned off because it is after 11:00 PM, when about half of the lights go dark. Purple and red lights from the nearest beach cabana are the only cabana lights visible from this vantage…
