La Ruta del Sol

By Dawn Wohlfarth

La Ruta del Sol, "The Route of the Sun," is a strip of some of the most popular and nicest beaches in Ecuador, with the best surfing this side of the Galápagos. It is best from December to July, when the sun is shining constantly. However, from September to November the prices drastically drop, along with the temperatures.

La Ruta del Sol is the section of coastline along highway E15, starting in Manabí at Manta and winding down the best part of the Ecuadorian coast to Salinas in the Guayas province. You could spend months beach hopping along this practically undiscovered stretch of beach. However, a shorter trip is also feasible by taking advantage of the rapidly developing tourist infrastructure. The public transportation is fairly extensive and inexpensive. There are also several tour agencies that will offer you package deals to highlighted spots along the Ruta del Sol, although these tend to be overpriced. With a little research on our site, you should be able to plan out a perfect itinerary for your trip.

Places not to miss along the Ruta del Sol from north to south: Los Frailes beach, La Isla de la Plata in the Machililla National Park and Montañita, a lively surfing/party town, about an hour and a half south of the Machililla National Park and three and a half hours north of Guayaquil.