Manta

Manta is the centre of the country's tuna industry and the largest city in Manabi province, with canneries, a deepwater harbour and a fishing fleet that supplies much of the national catch, and it is also a city with a beach: Playa Murcielago runs along its north side with a malecon of restaurants and a surf break at one end. Its museum holds material from the Manteno culture that gave the region its name, seafarers whose balsa rafts ranged far up the Pacific coast in trade. Manta was hit hard by the 2016 earthquake and rebuilding is still visible. It is a working city rather than a resort, and its ceviche and encebollado are the reason to eat here.

What you actually see

• The tuna fleet and port - the industry the city runs on.
• Playa Murcielago and the malecon - the city beach and its restaurants.
• Manteno collections - the seafaring culture in the city museum.
• Coastal ceviche and encebollado - the food the city is known for.

When to go

December to April for sun; June to November is grey and cool. A day. Weekends fill the beach. Cruise calls bring occasional surges of visitors.

Honest expectations

It is an industrial port city, not a holiday town, and parts feel rough at night. Earthquake damage from 2016 is still evident in places. The beach is fine but ordinary compared with the coast further north.

Nearby

Crucita is north; Puerto Lopez lies south.