View source for La Entrada/en

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<div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; letter-spacing:2px; text-transform:uppercase; color:rgba(255,255,255,0.45); margin-bottom:12px;">[[Main Page|EcuaWiki]] › [[Portal:Ruta del Spondylus|Ruta del Spondylus]] › La Entrada</div>
<div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:2.6em; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:2px; line-height:1; margin-bottom:8px;">La Entrada</div>
<div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:0.9em; color:rgba(255,255,255,0.65); max-width:560px; line-height:1.6; margin-bottom:24px;">A gateway community at the northern edge of Santa Elena Province — where the landscape begins its transition toward Manabí, and the sunsets face west over open water.</div>
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<div style="font-size:1.5em; font-weight:bold; color:#5dc8e8; line-height:1;">Province border</div>
<div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:9px; letter-spacing:1.5px; text-transform:uppercase; color:rgba(255,255,255,0.4); margin-top:2px;">Location</div>
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<div style="font-size:1.5em; font-weight:bold; color:#5dc8e8; line-height:1;">Sunsets</div>
<div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:9px; letter-spacing:1.5px; text-transform:uppercase; color:rgba(255,255,255,0.4); margin-top:2px;">Known for</div>
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<div style="font-size:1.5em; font-weight:bold; color:#5dc8e8; line-height:1;">~165 km</div>
<div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:9px; letter-spacing:1.5px; text-transform:uppercase; color:rgba(255,255,255,0.4); margin-top:2px;">From La Libertad</div>
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<div style="font-size:1.5em; font-weight:bold; color:#5dc8e8; line-height:1;">Transition zone</div>
<div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:9px; letter-spacing:1.5px; text-transform:uppercase; color:rgba(255,255,255,0.4); margin-top:2px;">Ecology</div>
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== Overview ==

'''La Entrada''' is a small coastal community on the Ruta del Spondylus (E-15) near the northern boundary of Santa Elena Province, positioned between [[Las Nuñez]] to the south and [[La Rinconada]] to the north. The name — "The Entrance" — reflects its historical role as a gateway point where the coastal geography begins to change, with low scrubland giving way to higher cliffs and denser vegetation as the route approaches [[Ayampe]] and the cloud-forest zone.

For travellers moving north, La Entrada marks a shift in character. The flat, open beaches of the southern route become rockier and more dramatic. The hills push closer to the water. The light changes. It is not a destination in the way that [[Montañita]] or [[Olón]] are destinations, but it is a place worth pausing — especially in the late afternoon when the sun drops toward the horizon and the painted murals on the coastal structures catch the orange light.

{{EW dyk|emoji=🤝|…the comunas own their land together and elect a council, the cabildo, every year?|page=Government Entities|cta=Who runs what →}}

== Sunsets & Scenery ==

La Entrada faces due west and sits on a section of coast with minimal obstruction between the shoreline and the horizon. Sunsets here are genuinely spectacular on clear evenings, particularly during the dry season (June–November) when the sky is often cloudless by late afternoon. The community's modest murals and painted buildings catch the warm light in a way that makes even basic photography rewarding.

The beach below the main road is accessible and quiet — dark sand, moderate surf, not ideal for swimming but good for walking and watching the light change over the water.

== Getting There ==

La Entrada is on the E-15 and served by all northbound buses from the [[Terminal Terrestre Regional Sumpa (Santa Elena)|Sumpa Bus Terminal]] in Santa Elena. Journey time approximately 3.5–4 hours. Ask to be dropped at La Entrada; it is a small community and the driver may not call the stop unless asked. Returning buses can be flagged from the roadside.

From [[Las Nuñez]]: 10–15 minutes north. From [[La Rinconada]]: 10–15 minutes south.

== See Also ==

* [[Portal:Ruta del Spondylus]] — route overview
* [[Las Nuñez]] — community to the south
* [[La Rinconada]] — dramatic cliffs to the north
* [[Ayampe]] — cloud forest coast further north

== Community facts ==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:0.92em;"
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! Status
| Comuna in Manglaralto parish, Santa Elena canton — the last comuna before Manabí
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! Beach
| About 1.2 km
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! Water
| Junta Regional de Olón (community water board, groundwater)
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! Good to know
| In heavy rains the road north to Manabí can be blocked by landslides (as in 2017)
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! Heritage
| Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús
|}
''Source: PDOT cantón Santa Elena 2023–2027 (beach lengths p. 220; water coverage of Aguapen's network, Oct 2023, p. 104); PDOT Provincia de Santa Elena 2015–2019 (water boards, p. 216).''

{{EW explore|Las Nuñez|Ayampe|Montañita|Olón|Terminal Terrestre Regional Sumpa (Santa Elena)|La Chocolatera}}
{{EW next|La Rinconada}}

[[Category:Ruta del Spondylus]]
[[Category:Santa Elena Province]]
[[Category:Coastal Views]]