Isla Santay

Isla Santay is an island of about twenty square kilometres in the Guayas river directly across from Guayaquil, protected as a wetland of international importance and connected to the city by a long pedestrian and cycle bridge that opened in 2014, so a city of three million has a mangrove and dry-forest reserve fifteen minutes from its centre on foot or by bike. A community of around fifty families lives in an eco-village of stilt houses along a boardwalk, with a crocodile enclosure, a small restaurant and a second bridge continuing to Duran. Over a hundred bird species use the wetlands and mudflats, and the flat tracks make easy cycling.

What you actually see

• The cycle bridge from the city - a reserve reached on foot from downtown.
• The stilt-house eco-village - the community boardwalk on the island.
• Mangrove and wetland birds - herons, ibis and waders on the mudflats.
• Flat cycling tracks - the routes across the island to Duran.

When to go

June to November is drier and cooler; December to May is hot and wet. Half a day. Go early, as midday heat on an open island is punishing. The bridge closes at night.

Honest expectations

There is little shade and the heat is severe by late morning. The crocodile enclosure is a small captive display, not wildlife. The village boardwalk is short. Bicycles for hire are basic and often in poor condition.

Nearby

Guayaquil is across the bridge; Duran lies on the far side.