A 17-day adventure by Ralf
  • 14footprints
  • 1countries
  • 17days
  • 63photos
  • 2videos
  • 1.5kkilometers
  • Day 1

    Ready to start the motorbike journey!

    August 5, 2021 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    All set up and ready to roll! Let’s get this adventure going: The plan is to go all the way up the coast of Ecuador from Guayaquil to Esmeraldas on motorbikes with my buddy Ned and explore the secret beaches, seafood and coastal vibes.

    I wanna find a place to live actually as I am planning to move from Cuenca to the coast for a while. So will be a combined fun vacation and property checking adventure!

    Excited about new places, new people and new riding experiences 😎.
    Read more

  • Day 1

    Andean Mountains Crossing

    August 5, 2021 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    The first and probably most difficult part of my motorbike journey all along the coast of Ecuador has been completed!

    We started with bright blue skies in Cuenca, entered Cajas National Park and once we descended on the other side of the Andean mountain ridge, the mists came along: And those were heavy, was a ride nearly with no sight 😳, but we made it to hot steamy Guayaquil!

    Was an awesome first route covering really all climate ranges from cold to hot, dry to humid, fog to clear sight 👍!

    At the end of the day, deserved delicious seafood along the riverside of Guayaquil 😋 and chilling out pool side!
    Read more

  • Day 2

    Exploring Guayaquil

    August 6, 2021 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Guayaquil was surprisingly accommodating to us in terms of temperature & humidity - I even found it more appealing than the sometimes rainy weather in Cuenca at this point of the season. Walking the sea strip Malecon in sunshine and with ice cream was really nice 😎!

    We also checked out the famous Iguana park, where lots of iguanas walk around and are very friendly to all visitors - I guess I made a new friend 😉.

    As I have visited already Santa Ana hill during my last visit in Guayaquil so I went this time with local friends to Urdesa for having drinks and some dinner. This area seems with more locals populated and you have a wide range of food and drink selections there. Recommendable! Next time I wanna take the cable car to ride over to Duran to get a different perspective of the city!

    Guayaquil offers all kinds of shopping, business and nightlife amenities, but I think for living there I would find it too stressful and noisy. Let’s see what other places the coast can offer!

    Stay: Grand Hotel Guayaquil - surely not cheap (around 70 USD a night for a single room), but real five star breakfast included 😋, nice rooms and very secure.
    Read more

  • Day 3

    More beaches!

    August 7, 2021 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Had a delicious seafood lunch at Playas and then headed to the “Miami” of Ecuador - Salinas. Actually, I was missing the nature in Salinas, it is only buildings and the beach and seems for me only suited for party. Not a favorite place to live for me.

    The weather was unfortunately pretty clouded like usual at this time of year for that region of the coast. But met some cool Police Kawasaki dude rider and made instantly friends 😎.

    The roads from Guayaquil to Salinas were only straight highways (good shape) with no or minimal sight of the sea, so not very technical or interesting to drive. Better to cover this distance fast.

    Stay: Chescos - right at the main beach and with a lively bar included (60 USD per double), which could get noisy, but we anyhow went out. Loved the staff!
    Read more

  • Day 5

    Riding the Spondylus route up north

    August 9, 2021 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Heading to the sunshine and up north the famous sightseeing route along the coast line of Ecuador from Salinas to Esmeraldas, the so called Spondylus route.

    Covered the way to the famous party town Montanita and stopped for a lunch beachside in Ayangue, a small beach town, which was packed though due to public holidays. The weather is still clouded and even had heavy rainfalls in MONTAÑITA the last days, but I hope the skies will clear up soon more north 🤞. Happy that I packed a sweater 🙂!

    The roads from Salinas to Montanita started rather boring with lots of traffic lights breaking the rhythm, but became more interesting once you get out of the city: You can ride in sight along the beaches 😎.

    Had a nice party night with Ecuadorians I met at my hostel and made the night to day! That’s how MONTAÑITA rolls 😎!

    Rested afterwards well with chilled out beach walks and got in contact with more nice people - in Montañita really everybody seems laid back and having a good time - love it 🖤!

    I like the Montanita vibes, but currently cannot image there living. A weekend is fun, but everyday party would annoy me pretty quickly I guess. An option might be though to find a place in the nearby town Olon, which is just a 10min taxi ride away and super quiet in comparison. Though you might lack the infrastructure there.

    Stay: Paka Loro, next to the party mile (30 USD during vacation time for a single, afterwards 15 USD). Can be noisy at night due to the near bars and clubs, but super central location with a good value for money.
    Read more

  • Day 7

    Relaxation in Puerto lopez

    August 11, 2021 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Stayed two nights in the small fisher village Puerto López to chill out and recover after Montanita’s party 😉.

    In fact Puerto López provides a bunch of nice beach bars, but none of them were populated during the week. They told me though on the weekends and especially during vacation time these will be crowded!

    Enjoyed though super delicious sea food right at the beach, ran along the seaside and took a whale watching tour (will write a separate post about that impressive experience). Puerto López is also the entrance to the famous Los Frailes beach, one of the nicest remote beaches in Ecuador.

    Extra note: This town has more Tuktuks than cars 😅 - which is something special for the coast, I have never seen a Tuktuk in Cuenca.

    Really nice windy roads leading from Montanita to Puerto López, was a lot of fun driving 😎…even though the streets showed more often holes to curve around. Something I have not encountered around Cuenca.

    For me this seems like a decent place to relax for a weekend, but too quiet for living around here. Also the infrastructure is lacking here, e.g. illumination in the streets at night or I could not even buy chewing gum in a couple of stores I checked out 😳.

    Stay: Tuzco Lodge (25 USD per single) - a well equipped (pool, sauna, etc.) and managed lodge place with very friendly staff. Not directly at the beach side but due to that location very quiet. A clear recommendation!
    Read more

  • Day 7

    Whale Watching in Puerto Lopez

    August 11, 2021 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    It is the season now for spotting whales on the coast, therefore I took this trip out on the sea for an affordable 25 USD (can recommend Rosa tours) and was lucky to spot a whole family (2 patents and one baby) 🖤. In New Zealand could see only one animal at that time, so I consider Puerto López a very good spot for whale watching!

    For sure pics and videos never can give you the real experience, but I can tell you it was very relaxing and peaceful seeing those giants of the sea gliding together through the water.

    We could spot the tail and as well, which is quite rare as the guide told us, the head of them. Furthermore, found these blue legged seagulls nearby.

    I skipped the chance to snorkel (which is included in the tour) as I was already freezing on the boat at this time of the year - German pussy 😉.
    Read more

  • Day 8

    Nature pure on the way to Manta

    August 12, 2021 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Travelled today up from Puerto López to Manta - was a pleasure driving those windy streets along the beautiful Ecuadorian coast 😎!

    I stopped at several small beaches and towns and have to conclude that all of them had something unique and were pretty. Maybe also an effect of the clearing up skies since Puerto López ☀️. This region definitely underlines the assumption as more north you go as more nicer the weather gets!

    Especially note able stops were Los Frailes beach in the same named national park - really a beauty 🖤 - and San Lorenzo - where a 20 min walk leads up to awesome view points at a lighthouse on a mountain ridge!
    Read more

  • Day 10

    Manta - my new home?

    August 14, 2021 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Spent 3 nights in Manta, the capital of the Manabi region and well known for its many beaches and wild parties.

    To cut it short, there were no parties as all clubs and bars have been closed down due to the pandemic, but I found really nice friendly people, awesome beaches, great weather and all amenities (malls, doctors, etc.) you need from a bigger city without feeling overwhelmed. Made overall a great impression on me and I checked already apartments right on the seaside - they are expensive for Ecuadorian standards, but where can you find an apartment fully furnished right next to the beach with awesome views for 700-800 USD?

    Was great catching up with my German buddy Alex and his GF Kata, who showed me around the city and helped me with searching for the right flat 👍. Right next to their place got in touch with locals playing the tabletop version of Parchís, which was my addiction during the pandemic…reinfected now 😜.

    Stay: Casa Latina (18 USD for single) - good value for money with safe parking and coastal breakfast for only 2 USD more. Ask for the second floor if you are tall like me.
    Read more

  • Day 11

    Canoa - short overnight stay

    August 15, 2021 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Travelled today round about 2-3 h up further north from Manta to the small beach town Canoa.

    On the way I found beautiful nature (dry forest, trees looking like out of a Tim Burton movie…) but was too lazy to stop and take pics 😉. Was a pleasure driving through that environment, on the other hand the streets are getting more difficult to drive on as further north I make it due to the worsening quality. Luckily I have a good all terrain bike at hand 😎, which I definitely recommend for making this route!

    Arrived pretty late in Canoa and was lucky finding a place to sleep in Cocoa Inn (20 USD per single) due to public holidays in Ecuador. The view of the terrace on the ocean was really nice, got a safe parking spot and the people super friendly 👍…even though the weather turned out pretty cloudy.
    Read more