Montanita is a fantastic place. Montanita, is a small colourful village located approximately 3 hours south of Manta and 4 km north of Manglar alto, in the Guayas province, known throughout Ecuador as the best beach for surfing. It has a population of around 1,000 inhabitants. Montañita is where sports lovers can find the best beach for surfing with waves reaching three meters of height. Water temperatures range from 56-68 degrees. The place holds surfing competitions the whole year round especially in the high season (December through April), when lots of people from Guayaquil and foreigners arrive to the village Pavement culture thrives in Montañita village and the two main roads are lined with outdoor cafes in which to sit, watch and be seen. The food is cheap and delicious - a diet of tropical fruit for breakfast and fresh seafood for the rest of the day comes highly recommended.

The beach is a glorious expanse of golden sand. There are a number of simple wooden beachside bars near the village and another cluster at La Punta, a sandy headland about 0.5km along at the North end of the beach. These bars are perfect for watching flocks of albatrosses skimming the waves and for sundowners with a view of the Pacific. Today Montañita is not only a place for surfing, it is also a town with a beach ambience and interesting nightlife, perfect for backpackers or groups of families that are searching for a nice holiday in a peaceful beach spot. An added bonus: During the months of May to October the whales swim past the front of Montanita beach, on their way to the Isla de la Plata, wich is their temporary breeding ground part of their route from the South Polo.

Surrounding area: The area has archeological museums in Real Alto, Salango and Agua Blanca, where you can see * Los amantes de Sumpa* the lovers of Sumpa. It dates 7.000 years and was discovered in one of the 32 ruins of the Vega culture in the tomb of the lovers of Sumpa. The Vega people lived well for 3500 years, had great knowledge and left a rich cultural heritage. After the Vega people came the Valdivians. Anthropological studies have concluded that the Valdivians were among the first Americans to make pottery and ceramic figures.

Surfing: The way the Ecuadorian Coast faces both South and North swells hit the coast all year and depending on the swell direction spots can become very good. Montanita is a good home base because it breaks on all tides and swell directions.

Montanita has it all from beginner to expert breaks and its grinding right hand barrel rightly deserves its reputation as a premiere surf destination in Ecuador . There are also great beach breaks, long wrapping points and numerous other spots. The Point known as the End in Montañita is a right of point break located a kilometer to the north of the center of Montañita. Between the center of Montañita and the End, there is pretty much always the possibility of left and right beach-break with a nice sandy bottom preferred by the less expert.