Montañita and the Ruta del Spondylus

The Ruta del Spondylus runs along Ecuador's Pacific coast, named for the spiny orange shell that Andean cultures traded and prized above gold, and it links a string of fishing villages, cliffs and beaches. Montañita is its loudest point, a small town of sand streets, hostels, surf schools and a nightlife that runs until dawn, with a right-hand point break that is the best-known wave in the country and works consistently enough to have made the place a surf destination since the 1960s. Along the road either side are quieter alternatives: Olón just north with a long empty beach, the fishing town of Puerto López, and, within Machalilla National Park, Los Frailes, a perfect crescent of pale sand between headlands that is regularly called the finest beach in Ecuador and, being inside the park, has no development at all.

What you actually see

• The Montañita point break - the long right-hander that made the town's name.
• Los Frailes - the undeveloped crescent beach inside Machalilla National Park.
• Olón - the long quiet beach just north of the party town.
• The coastal road - fishing villages and cliffs along the Ruta del Spondylus.

When to go

December to April is the warm, sunny season with the best surf and the busiest scene; from June to November the coast is often grey and cool under sea mist, though that is also the humpback whale season out of Puerto López. Carnival and New Year fill Montañita completely.

Honest expectations

Montañita is a party town first and a beach town second, with music until dawn, drug offers on the street and a reputation that puts off as many travellers as it attracts; if that is not what you want, stay in Olón or Puerto López and visit for the day. The sea has strong rips. From June to November the coast is frequently overcast, which surprises people expecting equatorial sun.

Nearby

Puerto López and boats to Isla de la Plata are up the coast; Guayaquil is three hours inland.