Translations:Beaches/21/en

The Ruta del Spondylus, south to north

West-facing village beaches, one after another. Any Ruta del Spondylus bus from Terminal Sumpa stops at all of them — see Buses Along the Ruta del Spondylus.

• Ballenita: a quiet clifftop town. Watch whales for free from the cliffs in season.
• Capaes: calm, open sand between Ballenita and Punta Blanca. There's a live cam.
• Punta Centinela: next to Punta Blanca, home of the Royal Decameron all-inclusive resort.
• Punta Blanca: 1.3 km of beach under white cliffs. The Coito surf break is at its south end, at Punta Barandúa. Ayangue is about 35 minutes north.
• San Pablo: 3.2 km — the first big beach town on the route.
• Monteverde: 2 km and quiet.
• Jambelí: 1.2 km in front of a working fishing village.
• Palmar: 1.3 km, with the biggest mangrove in the province — go by kayak.
• Playa Rosada: a small, hidden beach between Palmar and Ayangue, down a side road off the highway.
• Ayangue: a horseshoe bay with the calmest water on the coast and the best snorkelling.
• San Pedro and Valdivia: fishing villages. Valdivia has Ecuador's first community museum.
• Libertador Bolívar, San Antonio and Cadeate: quiet villages known for crafts, cazuela and clay-oven bread.
• Río Chico: 1 km with its own estuary — a quiet base close to Montañita.
• Manglaralto: 1.7 km and an estuary for birds and kayaks.
• Montañita: 1.5 km — Ecuador's surf and nightlife capital.
• Olón: 3.3 km, the longest beach in the canton. Good for beginner surfers and long walks.
• Curia, San José and Las Núñez: unspoiled villages — horses on the sand at San José, painted murals at Las Núñez.
• La Rinconada and La Entrada: high cliffs, then the province border.
• Ayampe: on the border with Manabí, where the cloud forest meets the sea.