Montañita
Montañita is a lively beach town famous for surfing, vibrant nightlife, bohemian vibes, and stunning sunsets along its sandy shores.
It is located 180 km (3/4 hours) northwest of Guayaquil, the biggest city in the country. The city is even bigger than Quito, but very unsafe. I mention Guayaquil because it has the Terminal Terrestre, Ecuador's largest bus station. It's a safe and convenient spot to switch buses and travel almost anywhere.
Coming from Quito, Riobamba or Cuenca, you will have to get the bus to Guayaquil and transfer to Montañita.
Montañita itself is a popular destination for surfers from around the world. The beach has one of the best waves in Ecuador, even though many Ecuadorians come down to surf here. The downtown area was originally a small fishing town, but kept growing along with the amount of tourists coming to Montañita.
Nowadays, the downtown area is full with little shops, bars, restaurants and hostels/hotels. It can get very busy and loud in the high season, so you should consider where you book your place to sleep. I would not recommend staying in the downtown area because of the parties and loud music.
During the day, the small down town of Montañita is a relaxing place to hang out, visit some shops and have some food or drinks!
There are a lot of cool hostels and hotels just on the beach, close to or away from the center. Before you book one, make sure to check the reviews if it is a party hostel or not. It can be an unpleasant ‘surprise’.
Also, check the hostels next to the one you want to book, it might be a party hostel and located in each other’s backyard.
Besides surfing, relaxing, walking on the beach and watching the sunset, there isn’t much to do in Montañita. Although, it is the perfect spot to chill after some days/weeks of hiking in the Andes or just charge your batteries. I was supposed to stay here 2 days and ended up staying 5, the vibe really got me.
I can highly recommend Kamala Surf & Backpacker Hostel. This hostel is the furthest away from the downtown area, doesn’t have neighbors and is right in front of the beach. You can book a dorm or a private hut. A beautiful beach walk to the center will take 30 minutes. A taxi there is 2 USD and a 5 min drive.
The large, roofed outdoor area is perfect to meet people, hang out at the bar or chill in a hammock. The hostel also has an enormous pool and a beach volleyball field. The kitchen serves amazing breakfast and lunch, sign up at the bar if you like to have dinner at the hostel!
If you like beach volleyball, get ready by 17h to play some sunset games! Although there is a lot of activity in the evening, Kamala isn’t a party hostel.
Unlike the countryside of Ecuador, Montañita has a tropical climate with an average temperature of 28°C (82°F).
