Manglares Churute Ecological Reserve

Churute protects around fifty thousand hectares on the eastern side of the Gulf of Guayaquil, combining two very different landscapes: a wide belt of mangroves and tidal channels along the gulf, and behind them a range of steep hills carrying tropical dry forest that rises out of the flat. Boats run through the mangrove channels past crabs, herons and roosting birds, and a trail climbs the Cerro Churute through forest where howler monkeys are common and loudly audible. A freshwater lagoon in the reserve holds waterbirds. Shrimp farming presses hard on the boundary, which makes the surviving mangrove here regionally important, and the ranger station arranges guides and boats.

What you actually see

• Mangrove channels by boat - the tidal creeks along the gulf.
• Howler monkeys on Cerro Churute - the hill trail through dry forest.
• Hills rising from flat wetland - the abrupt change in landscape.
• The freshwater lagoon - waterbirds inland of the mangroves.

When to go

June to November is drier and cooler for walking; the wet months green the forest but bring mud and heat. A day. Boat trips depend on tides and must be arranged at the station.

Honest expectations

Boats and guides are not always available on arrival; call ahead. The hill trail is steep, hot and slippery. Mosquitoes in the mangrove are severe. Shrimp ponds and highway noise reach parts of the reserve.

Nearby

Guayaquil is north; Machala lies south.