Montañita, located in Santa Elena, Ecuador, is the preferred destination for nationals and foreigners looking for fun, adventure tourism and exquisite cuisine. The coastal profile offers multiple options to enjoy the warmth of the sea in the center of the world. It has been a leading surf destination for about 40 years when it was discovered by some foreign surfers who quickly spread the word. Now surfers from all over the world come to enjoy the wonderful and powerful waves, ideal for practicing this sport. For visitors it was a virgin place and therefore the word spread about the discovery of this area, which motivated hikers from South America and the world to travel and discover the charm of this hidden paradise in Montañita Ecuador.
How to get to Montañita?
From Guayaquil, if you arrive at the Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport, you can go to the land terminal by taxi, these have a minimum cost of $4. Once at the bus terminal, you should ask for the CLP bus cooperative, it is the one that goes directly from Guayaquil to Montañita.
Bus tickets cannot be reserved in advance, you must buy them the same day.
The bus departure times are: 05:00 – 06:00 – 07:00 – 09:00 – 11:00 – 13:00 – 14:00 – 15:00 – 16:30 – 18:30
The time it takes to travel from Guayaquil to Montañita on the bus is 3 hours, if you go by car it may take 2 hours and 30 minutes. The cost of the ticket to get to Montañita is USD 7.
If you travel from Quito to Montañita, you must take a bus to Manta or Puerto López, and from there there are buses that go to Montañita.
On holidays such as carnival, Easter and New Year’s, there are usually buses in front of the terminal station, at a gas station, they take you directly at a higher cost.
Best time to visit Montañita
The best time to enjoy Montañita is during the Ecuadorian beach season, which runs from December to April, as the weather is around 25-29ºC and the ocean water is quite hot. But at this time it also rains quite a lot and there are a lot of mosquitoes in the area.
On the other hand, the summer season runs from May to November. It doesn’t usually rain as much, the weather is cloudier around 20-23ºC and the water is cold especially for the Ecuadorian coastal. Maybe it’s cooler for the average tourist.
Party in Montanita
The center of Montañita is where the party breaks. Here you will find all kinds of bars with live music and nightclubs, from places where pure reggaeton is danced to a unique place where you can listen to the best electronic music in the world.
At night, restaurants and food places are also lit.
Among the places that should not miss your visit are:
- Lost Beach Club, one of the most popular electronic music clubs in Latin America.
- Cañagrill, a Montañita birthplace bar where they play live music.
- Nativa Bambú, one of the largest nightclubs in the beachfront area.
Gastronomy in Montañita
Thanks to the number of travelers who have decided to live in Montañita, its gastronomy has grown in a fantastic way, where you can eat from a hamburger stand to an international haute cuisine restaurant.
We recommend eating the delicious seafood fresh from the sea, and fresh fish taken from the sea by the locals of the Montañita area, if you are a seafood lover, it is the right place to enjoy a unique cuisine in the world, you can eat together to his family, breaded shrimp with fried plantains, very delicious fried fish, crabs, shrimp ceviche, breaded fish filet, among many other delicious seafood.
Remember, you have to be very careful where you eat, especially if you want to eat at street food stalls to avoid getting sick to your stomach, although it seems unbelievable that places, no matter how beautiful they look, can have poor food handling.
Montañita Surfcamp Space for rest and fun
We have already been talking about surfing in Montañita, but If you are looking for a place to sleep, there you will find many hotels and hostels, with different prices, among which you can choose; Keep in mind that these prices may vary depending on the season in which you visit this area of Ecuador, although in general the prices are comfortable and are not considered very high. However, we want to make a special recommendation of Montañita SurfCamp Hostel, this wonderful Hostel where you can enjoy surfing classes, cultural spaces, live music, private parking, and a variety of rooms that fit each traveler. It is an incredible place with access to the beach, which will also offer you meals, cocktails and comforts to spend some incredible days in which you can enjoy all the beauty and warmth of Montañita and its people.
- You will be attended by its own owner and our close friend Mr. Charlie Sanchez
- You can contact him through this phone number +593 969440164
- You can also follow them on their social Medias
Facebook Montañita Surfcamp Hostal
Instagram Montañita Surfcamp
Visit Montañita and we assure you an incredible experience as well as very good memories.
