Puerto Lopez

Puerto Lopez is a fishing town on a wide grey bay whose beach is a working one: boats pulled up on the sand, the catch landed and gutted in the morning with frigatebirds and pelicans fighting over the scraps, and a fish market where the day's tuna, dorado and shark are cut up in front of buyers. From about June to September it fills with visitors taking boats out to see humpback whales and across to Isla de la Plata, and the malecon has grown a strip of restaurants and tour agencies to serve them. Out of season it goes back to being quiet and unpolished. The town is the practical base for Machalilla, Los Frailes and Agua Blanca.

What you actually see

• The morning catch on the beach - boats landing and birds fighting over scraps.
• The fish market - the day's tuna and dorado cut on the tables.
• Whale boats from June - the season that fills the malecon.
• The base for the national park - agencies and buses to Machalilla.

When to go

June to September for whales; the coast is grey and misty then, and December to April is sunnier. Two days. Boats leave early and book out in high season.

Honest expectations

The beach is grey, working and not for lounging, and the smell of fish is constant near the landing. The town is scruffy outside the malecon strip. Boat operators vary; check life jackets and capacity.

Nearby

Los Frailes and Agua Blanca are north; Ayangue lies south.