Punta Carnero

🌊 Punta Carnero
Type	Headland and beach
Canton	Salinas, Santa Elena Province
Distance from Salinas	~12 km south
Known for	Rough surf, whale watching, coastal cliffs, resort hotel
Protection	Part of REMACOPSE marine reserve

ECUAWIKI › THE PENINSULA › SALINAS › BEACHES & HEADLANDS

Punta Carnero is a headland and beach on the southern Pacific-facing coast of the Salinas canton, approximately 12 km south of Salinas city. It is one of the most dramatically exposed points on the Santa Elena Peninsula — unlike the sheltered bay at Chipipe, Punta Carnero faces the open Pacific directly and receives far more swell, wind, and oceanic force.

The Headland

The point rises as an elevated cliff of over 10 metres above sea level, offering panoramic views south toward Anconcito and Ancón, and north back toward Salinas. The headland is part of the Reserva de Producción Faunística Marino Costera Puntilla de Santa Elena (REMACOPSE), a 52,231-hectare marine protected area that extends from La Chocolatera around the western tip of the peninsula.

The elevated position makes Punta Carnero an excellent whale watching vantage point during the June–September humpback whale season. Whales are regularly spotted from the cliffs during this period without needing to take a boat.

The Beach

Playa de Punta Carnero is a long, wide beach of dark volcanic sand. The waves here are substantially larger and more powerful than anywhere along the Santa Elena Bay side of the peninsula — this is open-Pacific surf, not beach swimming. The beach carries a mar bravo (rough sea) designation for much of the year and is not recommended for casual swimming without local knowledge and visible lifeguard presence.

During the December–April swell season the waves attract intermediate and advanced surfers from the peninsula. There are no formal surf schools or rental operators based here — bring your own equipment or organize from Salinas.

Royal Decameron Punta Centinela

The large all-inclusive Royal Decameron Punta Centinela resort complex is located adjacent to Punta Carnero, and is the dominant built structure in the immediate area. The resort faces both the ocean and has facilities on the headland side. It attracts primarily domestic tourism from Guayaquil and Quito. Guests can access the beach as part of the all-inclusive offering.

Wastewater Note

The Punta Carnero oxidation lagoons — the peninsula's main wastewater treatment facility — are located in this area and have been flagged in municipal planning documents as a documented environmental concern, with discharge into the Estero Punta Carnero not consistently meeting environmental standards. This affects water quality in the immediate vicinity.

Getting There

Punta Carnero is accessible by:

Taxi from Salinas: approximately $8–12 one-way
Private car or motorbike: take the road south from Salinas toward Anconcito; Punta Carnero is signposted
No regular bus service stops at the beach itself

Natural Environment

Being within the REMACOPSE reserve, the area around Punta Carnero has:

Rocky reef habitat with marine life accessible from shore
Seabird colonies on the cliff faces
Sea lions occasionally hauling out on remote rocky sections
The convergence of the Humboldt and Equatorial currents producing rich upwelling offshore