San Lorenzo

About twenty minutes south of Manta, a big city on the Ecuadorian coast, there is a tiny village without tourists, called San Lorenzo. One of the most precious coastal fishing towns that nobody knows about and are not in the center of the visitors’ attention. However, when you are friends with local people, there is a great chance to discover hidden gems like this. 

San Lorenzo is a small village with picturesque surroundings, with 90% of the year sunny days. The beach of San Lorenzo is wide, steep and long, offering some of the best surf waves in the country. At the end of the beach, there are rock formations that you can go under and reach the other part of sandy pleasure where you can have complete privacy. Behind the rocks, there is a hill accessible from the beach. At the top of the hill, there is a lighthouse that you can visit after climbing the steep stairs to the top. 

Unlike the bushy vegetation that’s present around the hill, the story changes completely if you cross the main road and enter Pacoche Forest, a part from the same town. From the crystal clear blue ocean and sandy beach with no shade, the ecosystem changes into a tropical forest with rivers, monkeys, and exotic birds. Coffee plants and giant flowers are the main attraction of the forest where you can follow a well-marked path from the entrance to the exit. When exiting the forest, you can return to the beach, and cool off in one of the hammocks facing the Pacific. 

San Lorenzo is a perfect vacation spot for nature lovers who prefer camping over luxury hotels. Connecting to the wilderness, and observing whales from the lighthouse between the months of May and October is one of the greatest experience that one can wish for.