Complete Guide to Puerto López, Ecuador (Vegan-Friendly!)

Puerto López is a small village that hugs the Pacific coast in the Ecuadorian Manabí Province. It is a fishing town that is known for being a gateway to the Machalilla National Park and ‘The Poor Man’s Galapagos’. When I visited this location in Ecuador at the beginning of 2023, I had no idea what to expect. Upon arrival you’ll realize that the layout of the town is quite easy to understand after a few days; there’s a paved road running along the coast, a dirt road in the middle where hotels and local housing sits, and a third dusty and wide road that can take you in and out of town and to the bus terminal.

While Puerto López wasn’t my favorite spot in Ecuador it was calm, quiet, and an excellent gateway to unforgettable attractions such as Isla de la Plata, the Agua Blanca Community, and the stunning beaches located in Machalilla National Park. In this guide we’ll discuss how to get to Puerto Lopez and what to do once you’re there. And oh, this wouldn’t be a complete guide if we didn’t dive into the vegan food options in town!

How To Get To Puerto López, Ecuador

While at times a bit chaotic once on the bus, we found transportation in Ecuador pretty straight forward. Many people fly into Quito and catch a bus to their next destination, and that’s exactly what we did. Before visiting Puerto Lopez we had already eaten our way through Quito, gone bridge jumping in Baños, hiked the Quilotoa Loop, and explored the Amazon Rainforest in Tena. There is only one main bus terminal in Puerto López and surrounding towns have multiple busses leaving daily that can drop you off there. Once in the terminal it is super easy to hail a tuk-tuk (little motorized shuttles) to drop you off at your accommodation.

Where To Stay In Puerto López

We stayed at the Nativa Whale Domes and would stay there again in a heartbeat! It was a stone throw away from the ocean yet tucked away off the Main Street in a location that felt safe and private. There are individual camping options as well as private dome options (which we chose) that have air conditioning. This property uses shared bathroom facilities, but my favorite part about it was the relaxing pool inside the compound! You can check out other accommodations, read reviews, and compare prices on the HostelWorld site.

What To Do In Puerto López

The town of Puerto López itself was not incredibly enticing, as the beginning stretch has a strong, foul fishing smell and the plant-based dining options are limited. But the locals were incredibly friendly and heading out for day trips was easy and affordable. If you decide to visit this laid-back beach town, here’s what to do.

Visit Playa Los Frailes: One Of Ecuador’s Most Beautiful Beaches

Los Frailes is a beach that hasn’t been significantly altered by tourism, despite locals and travelers alike making the trip to experience its natural beauty. It’s a short bus ride from Puerto López, and multiple busses run the route in the morning and afternoon. It’s best to ask your local accommodation about the bus schedule to figure out what time you should arrive at the bus station. It only costed us a couple of dollars each to ride the bus to and from this sandy paradise.

Located inside the Machalilla National Park, Playa Los Frailes is incredibly clean and private. Remember to bring some form of identification because you will need it to enter the park, despite it being free to access. When you get off of the bus at the exit (or maybe you decide to get there via taxi) you can either walk the 2.5 mile loop – a sandy path – to the beaches or catch a tuk-tuk for a small fee that will take you directly to Los Frailes.

How To Get To Playa Los Frailes: Walking Vs Taxi

We wanted to see more than just Playa Los Frailes, so we decided to walk and were incredibly grateful that we remembered to pack our sunscreen, bug spray, and water. The hiking loop takes you first to a black sand beach where you’ll see endless amount of tiny crabs scurrying around, next to a gorgeous vista looking down on the water, then a stunning yet exclusive beach where you can experience the tide from 2 different directions at once, and finally to Los Frailes where you’ll find the most people.

At the last stop people are sunbathing, swimming, and enjoying family gatherings. The beach is short but long and it was incredibly windy when we visited. Once there you can rent an umbrella for a small fee, but it is best to bring your own food and drinks as options are limited. It has bathroom and shower facilities but you must pay to enter and use them.

Once you’re ready to leave you can either retrace your steps back or catch a tuk-tuk to take you back to the entrance of the park. There you’ll wait for a local bus to take you back to the station or call for a taxi.

Important notes: My favorite beach on the hike (the first beach pictured above) was only accessible by foot. But the last beach on the loop, which is the most popular, was accessible by car and has a wooden boardwalk leading up to beach. While I did this hike with my partner, I would have felt comfortable doing it alone as a female traveler.

Take A Trip To Isla De La Plata, The ‘Poor Man’s Galapagos’

I’m a budget traveler who is extremely frugal, and could not afford to visit the famous Galápagos Islands. But we had heard of Isla de la Plata (‘Silver Island’ in English) and decided to pay this small, uninhibited island a visit instead.

You must take a tour with a registered tour operator to access the island that known for its many birds (like the famous blue-footed boobies!) turtles, fish, and whales (they are around from June to September) that either live on the island or dwell in the waters around it.

Choosing A Tour Operator

Finding a tour operator was easy and we did it the night before our trip. They luckily had a few spots still open, and gave us a discount for speaking Spanish and signing up in person (it was around $6 off total). It doesn’t really matter which operator you choose, because they will all merge together for the day and their prices should be about the same. The tour cost us around $35 per person and included transportation, lunch, guides, and snorkeling gear. We made sure to request a 100% plant-based lunch the night before, and they had no problem accommodating us.

If you’re visiting from Montanita, you’ll most likely meet with a tour company mourned 8 AM and take a 30 minute drive to the port in Puerto López. If you’re already there your operator will most likely ask you to meet them at their office around 8:30 or 9 AM. From there we walked down to a dock where we boarded a small boat with other guests and rode 26 miles to the island.

What To Expect On The Tour

Once we made it there we had time to use the restroom before starting our tour. We had two different guides with us, and one was bilingual (speaking Spanish and English) while the other spoke primarily Spanish. We were in with a group of tourists from all over the world with different hiking abilities, so we split off into different groups based on physical ability and desire.

Both groups got to visit with the blue-footed boobies up-close (this was a highlight for me!) and see their nests along the way. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about all of the birds on the island, as well as the plants that were rooted along the trail, and the history of the island.

Important notes: The hike was incredibly hot, so be sure to bring plenty of water and protection from the sun, because there was virtually no shade once we got started on the trail. Don’t forget to pack sunglasses, a hat, ocean-friendly sunscreen, good walking shoes and a thin, long-sleeved shirt. This hike was not wheelchair accessible. It’s a great activity for solo female travelers as well as families with the ability to hike 1-2 miles in the heat. As always, I highly recommend having travel & health insurance on all of your adventures. SafetyWing is my favorite travel insurance provider because it’s affordable and flexible!

After the hike and nature lesson it was time to gear up with goggles and snorkeling gear. Before your tour, be sure to learn about the biggest threats that the ocean is currently facing, and do your best to protect it during your trip by using reef-friendly sunscreen and requesting a plant-based meal. This was the last activity that we did on our tour before heading back to port.

Visit The Agua Blanca Community

Agua Blanca is a community in one of the oldest archeological sites in South America that’s nesteled in the heart of the Machalilla National Park, not too far from the beaches mentioned above. It sits on top of the remains of the Manteño culture’s pre-Columbian period and is open to tourists.

The Agua Blanca community was one of the last costal communities in Ecuador to succumb to colonization. As a result many of their traditions are in tact while archeological findings are well preserved.

How To Reach The Agua Blanca Community

Reaching Agua Blanca by public transport is easy and cheap, and your journey will also begin at the bus terminal in Puerto López. There is a $5 fee to enter the site and be sure to bring some form of identification. The public bus will drop you off at the front gate where you can hail a Moto-taxi or taxi to take you to museum, which is around 3.2 miles from the front gate, for around $5. If you decide that you’re up for a hike instead, you can make the muggy, buggy, and sweaty (yet interesting) hike through the backwoods. The people at the front gate can direct you to the trail head and provide you with additional information.

If you decide to hike, be sure to bring lots of water, sun protection, good walking shoes (whatever that means to you, my partner did the hike in sandals), and bug spray. Along the flat trail we saw some vibrant bugs, grazing goats, and epic trees. At a steady pace is is a one hour walk and around 1.24 miles long.

The trail was easy to follow until we got out of the dry, tropical forest and into the human community, and we had to do a little bit of guessing on where to go. When you hit the main paved road follow the sings for the museum. As you approach you will notice a small church and artisan’s market where locals sell their goods. We bought wonderful some sage oil to use as bug spray before taking a short museum tour.

Take A Museum Tour And Visit The Mineral Waters In Agua Blanca

The fee for the museum tour was covered by your admission to the community, and it’s likely that you’ll be able to request a guide that speaks English if needed. After taking a short tour of the museum and some outside areas, you’ll be lead to a natural sulfur lagoon. The mineral waters and mud is known for increasing well-being and promoting healthy skin.

Once there you may opt to get a mud massage for $15, or just take your time relaxing in the sulfur pool. It has a strong odor, and the water isn’t warm, so it may not be for everyone in your group. If you are going to take a dip be sure to bring your own bathing suit and towel.

Once you’re spa day is complete and it’s time to leave, you can walk back on the main paved road (we accidentally did this, and it was incredibly hot), try to find the hiking path again, or hail a taxi.

Finding Plant-Based Food In Puerto López

While in Ecuador we enjoyed so many vegan-friendly dishes and destinations, but in Puerto López there were no 100% plant-based restaurants, making dining a little more challenging than in other parts of Ecuador. Since we stayed there for about a week we had time to explore the whole downtown area and pick out the best food spots. Once we discovered the small restaurant Pan e Vino that is located on the town’s main road, we literally dined there 5 nights in a row. It’s an Italian restaurant that ran by the sweetest man who got incredibly excited to make us new phenomenal food creations every time that we came in.

Although the menu only boats a few different plant-based options, this man was a magician in the kitchen. During our 5 day occupancy of his restaurant we tired everything from pizza to sandwiches, mouth-watering garlic bread to hand-made pasta. Everything was made from scratch and on the spot.

There are few other places worth writing about in town, but they did have a large super market (with air conditioning!) and a smoothie place/cafe (that was a bit expensive) located not too far from our accommodations. For all vegan eats in Puerto López, check out these recommendations by users on HappyCow.

Share Your Adventure On Roam Rhino!

Have you visited Isla de La Plata, the Aguga Blanca community, or Ecuador’s national parks? Tell us about your experience in Ecuador in the Roam Rhino app! Roam Rhino is a new type of travel app that gives users a place to share their travels through a platform that nourishes diversity. It allows travelers to seek and leverage different perspectives to discover new experiences and find content that resonates. Check out my highlight of Ecuador on Roam Rhino, and then download the app to follow me @unruly_traveller for more Ecuador adventures!