Montañita, Ecuador

The call of the ocean was getting severe so we booked some (very expensive) flights to Montañita, Ecuador!

Montañita is a cute, tiny, hippie town on the south west coast of Ecuador. I think once upon a time it was just a surfing town but now it is a HUGE party town. If you are looking for super beautiful beaches then I would suggest heading elsewhere, but if you are wanting to surf and party then this place is probably for you.

Best time to Visit Montañita

The best time to visit Montañita is from January to June (apparently). We did check the weather and assumed it had the same reliability as the weather forecast for Medellín. The weather always says rainy and stormy here but that’s a lie. Anyway out of the 8 days we were there we had 1.5 of sunshine and the rest was cloudy and cold?!! Yes cold- who would’ve thought?! We even had to buy pants :O

Surfing Montañita

The main reason why we came! Dan was surfing everyday but it was nothing to write home about. The swell picks up with the high season. We just surfed near the point (punta) but there are also breaks along the beach and you can also head up to Ayampe. It’s all sand bottom and pretty soft with a lot of bodyboards out the back! Our last day was our best- the sun came out and the waves were super nice so we skipped yoga and spent the day getting burnt on the beach!

Getting To Montañita

We flew Medellín to Panama, Panama to Guayaquil. Panama is the International hub for Central/Latin America. A little annoying because Ecuador is right next to Colombia! The other annoying thing is that flights between countries in South America are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Its the neighbouring country and we paid the same price return as our flight from Brisbane to Los Angeles.  Once you land in Guayaquil take the train or a taxi to the bus station a little further down the road. We paid $2 for the taxi. Ecuador uses USD. There are also buses running everywhere through Latin America. Cant comment on the safety or price as we haven’t done it yet but I’m sure its much cheaper than flying!

The bus ride is about 3hrs and you will see lots of desert, cactus, shanty houses and then the ocean. The bus costs $6 each and is comfortable. They even played an english movie with Spanish voice overs, super weird haha!

Where to Stay in Montañita

Daniel is the accommodation guru and he found a really cool surf camp right near the point. Apparently if you stay in the centre of town you can kiss goodbye to any sleep, Montañita is a HUGE party town.We were about 800m walk along the beach or $1.50 taxi ride away from the centre. Bolsa surf camp is so neat, the owner shapes all the boards from balsa wood- super cool. They are pretty different to ride, slow and hard for me to turn but fun! They also have an awesome yoga space and hammock hang out area. Even if you don’t stay here be sure to come and sample the restaurant! Muy deliciosa!

Like always we met some other cool travellers and had a good time! I got sick with a stomach bug which was nasty!! I was out for like 4 days. So lame but that’s only the 2nd time in almost 2 years of travelling that I’ve been sick so I really shouldn’t complain!

Would we visit again? Yes, during the right season! We would also tie in a trip to the Galapagos next time or just head straight there instead. Apparently they have good surf too!