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Esmeraldas (Province)
In the northwestern corner of Ecuador, African and indigenous cultures come together amidst jungle, river, and sea. The African heritage for many of Esmeraldas' residents comes from a shipwreck off the coast of a slave ship. According to legend, about two-dozen slaves made their way to land and to freedom. You will notice the influence of eastern African dress, music and customs in Esmeraldas.
European feet first touched Ecuadorian soil here when the Spanish landed on the Pacific Coast in 1526. The conquistadors were astounded to find Indians bedecked in emeralds awaiting them on shore. Convinced that the region was abundant in the brilliant gems, they named it Esmeraldas.
While today's Esmeraldas harbors few emeralds, it does live up to its other name, the "Green Province." The northernmost of the coastal provinces, Esmeraldas is also the greenest, riddled with estuaries, mangroves and flooded tropical forest. Its wild and remote inland areas, accessible only by canoe, make Esmeraldas the ideal staging ground for a river safari. Gliding past frontier towns that suddenly appear out of the dense green tangle of jungle, you will be reminded of scenes from "The African Queen" and "Heart of Darkness."
If you would rather vegetate than bushwhack your way though thick vegetation, Esmeraldas also boasts some of the coast's most vibrant beaches with small towns scattered among them. There is a whole range in accommodation here, as it is one of the closest beach areas to Quito and Ibarra and city folk of all income levels love to spend weekends at the beach.
The Esmeraldas province offers an array of beach town options. If you want to party, check out Atacames. If it's peace and quiet that you're looking for, the sleepy towns of Same, Sua, Tonchigue or Muisine should be explored. Surfers should head to Mompiche. Those looking for a variety of things to do could stay in Chamanga and explore the surrounding area.
By Lexi Hazam with Francisco Mallinson
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Things to do in Esmeraldas (Province)
TelefériQo
Quito’s best-known tourist attraction offers some of the most spectacular and most easily accessible views of the city. There are 18 gondolas that soar up the side of Quito's western mountain range
...Northern Quito - the "New Town", Quito, Ecuador
Otavalo's Markets
The Otavaleños have been long renowned for their weaving skills, and over the last couple of decades have become the most successful indigenous group on the continent, thanks to the popularity of
...Otavalo, Ecuador
Hiking around Cuicocha Lake
The hike around Cuicocha Lake can be completed anywhere between 3.5 and 5 hours, depending on your general level of fitness. Most people head off around the lake anticlockwise from the restaurant. Be ...Cuicocha Lake, Ecuador
La Basílica del Voto Nacional
A relatively new addition to the Quito skyline, and now one of its most striking landmarks, is the Basilica del Voto Nacional, or simply ‘the Basilica’. Consecrated in 1988 (though still
...Centro Histórico, Quito, Ecuador
Mirador El Panecillo
El Panecillo, or to use the Inca name, Yavirac, is a lush green hill visible from many different points in Quito. La Virgen del Panecillo, the winged virgin sitting atop the hill, is essentially the
...Centro Histórico, Quito, Ecuador
Cathedral de la Inmaculada
The massive brick facade and sky-blue domes of Cathedral de la Inmaculada Concepción make the building one of the most recognizable (and photographed) in Cuenca. La Inmaculada, which is dubbed the
...Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca's Central Park
Cuenca’s beautifully tended Central Park, Parque Calderón, is an attractive, expansive area of flowers and trees. The park is dominated by a monument to Abdón Calderón, a young cuencano who
...Cuenca, Ecuador
Parque El Ejido
On the southern edge of the new town, the big, grassy Parque El Ejido is fairly empty on weekdays, but fills up at weekends with whole extended families and their lunches—although with the scores
...La Mariscal, Quito, Ecuador
Canopy Tour
If you like the idea of flying silently above Mindo’s cloud forest, like a modern-day Tarzan, a canopy tour is definitely for you. Canopy Adventures, a company with ten years’ experience in Costa
...Mindo, Ecuador
Cascadas hike
One of the few good hiking opportunities around Mindo can be found at the waterfalls tour a few kilometers out of town. You reach the beginning of the path by zipping over the valley in the cable car
...Mindo, Ecuador
Podocarpus National Park
Podocarpus National Park is one of the jewels of Southern Ecuador and is named after the Podocarpus tree, the only native conifer in the Ecuadorian Andes. Spanning 1,462 square kilometers of Andean ...Loja, Ecuador
Reviews
The green province
Esmeraldas is called the green province because of its beautiful nature. This is a region that all the year around has a good climate and high temperatures not like the rest of the coastal provinces in Ecuador. In Esmeraldas lives a big part of the Afroecuadorian population which gives it a great athmosphere, the people ar nice, chilled and funny.
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