We made it out of the city and were quickly travelling up the coast to the town of Montanita, which is well known for its surf culture, and wild party scene. We got off the strange bus, on a muddy corner on a hot and humid day. With heavy backpacks and tired eyes, we set out to find our accommodations, After wandering to the north end of town and exploring back roads we landed at our destination, Casa Del Sol.

Casa is one of the most affordable options on the north end of Montanita away from the noise of this town’s perpetual party. It is also only a short walk away from the beach, and the only point break in town. Casa is a cool set up, with private rooms, bunk rooms, and a shared open-air dining area they do a great job making you feel like your staying in the jungle. Their surfboards are well loved but surf great, breakfast is excellent, and the staff (especially Mike and Jackson) are very helpful. The only downside is their semi lack of cleanliness, and if the power goes out there is no backup generator so you may be bathing in the ocean but hey, that’s part of life in Ecuador join in!

On our first trip to the beach, we witnessed the largest community funeral procession I have seen. A local lifeguard had passed away and the entire community got together with a band and had a massive paddle out and party wave surf session to commemorate their friend. Everyone surf’s in Montanita so this became the most packed lineup I have ever seen. The sunset was firing on our first night, it was great to end our first day with two Pilsener’s, and a good meal at our friend’s beach bar Savannah Del Mar. After a meal, drinks, and hanging out for awhile it’s time to hit cocktail alley. A line of drink carts spanning the whole town. all offering a variety of mixed drinks at very low prices. We recommend scouting it out, and finding the coolest bartender, give them a good tip on your first drinks and keep going back to them for a good hook up.

After some cocktails, you should be feeling ready to move your feet and there is no better place to dance than the number of clubs in town. The biggest, and rowdiest is Lost beach, they bring in world renowned DJ’s charge a high cover, and offer a wild time for sure. There are many different scenes, music options, and restaurants all over town. Explore, have fun, don’t do anything dumb, and enjoy all…..well maybe not all Montanita has to offer.

It was always my goal to get into the surf as early as possible, most of the crowds tend to be hungover for quite some time so the morning is definitely the best time to indulge in the world-class right point break at the north end of town. As the day goes on the line up will get busier. Like any line up, be nice and pick off what you can around the locals eventually you be getting called into waves and shredding along side the local talent (which sets the bar high) There are professional level surfers of every age living in town and you can watch the action right from bars on the beach if you are not partaking in the waves. We tried to end each day either surfing till sundown or watching the action. With the nightlife going ’til the wee hours of the morning it’s all about time management here and mid-day siestas have never been more important.

f you are looking to get away from the mayhem of Montanita check out the town of Olon just to the north. You can walk, catch the green bus, or take a cab easily. If you want a more mellow environment all together Olon also has many nice, and lower priced accommodations than Montanita but does not have the same unique culture.

Speaking of Buses,  It’s very easy to travel the Routa Del Sol via bus,  we used the local bus (green bus) often for short trips up the coast to Ayampe.

Ayampe is an incredible little town consisting of a few dirt roads and really fun surf. There are two small islands off the coast that make excellent sunset views and although it is only half an hour north of Montanita, Ayampe feels like a very different climate. There is much more greenery and animal life around the area.

After the raucous that is Montanita, you should expect life to slow down a lot in Ayampe, rather than feeling like the town comes alive after dark this town goes to sleep with the sun. There are a few restaurants in town and each offers excellent cuisine. The vibe here is much more family-centric and it’s all about relaxing, taking surf sessions, and enjoying this sleepy way of life while you are here. The uber relaxing vibe in Ayambe sucked us and in we ended up spending a long time here. The surf is excellent, the community is small but sweet, and it’s easy to make friends. We stayed at La Tortuga’s which was excellent, both in price and quality. Their rooms are top notch, they cook good food and have a very helpful staff. There are also other options in town, we did not hear a negative review of any so if you are shopping around you should be able to find something cheaper than La Tortuga but will be sacrificing cleanliness and quality.

The morning hours in Ayampe are tranquil, with birds chirping, and the sound of breaking right out your door it is hard to start a day here stressed. From your door, it’s a short walk to breakfast and the first surf check of the day. Each day in Ayampe blurred together to one long stint of lounging, surfing, eating, and hanging out with our new friends who run a very cool Yoga/Surf school called Otra Ola’s. Their boards are top notch, Yogi’s teach well, and they make some delicious snacks. These guys are also working on their own organic surf wax, and sunscreen! There are a lot of great day trips within a short bus or cab ride from Ayampe. Isla De Plata is the next best thing to the Galapagos islands but costs a fraction of the price. If you would like to check out some Blue Footed Boobies, Frigate Birds, and other wildlife this small island is definitely worth touring. Another nearby gem is Los Frailes beach, which is a beautiful sandy beach located in a protected nature reserve. Ayampe is a place we never wanted to leave, it was very easy to settle into a great rhythm of life at this beach town but in the spirit of adventure we had to move on up the coast to our next destination, Canoa.

From Ayampe you’ll either need to hire a private driver or take a bus for the trek to Canoa.  It took us about 5 hours by bus and would be 3 1/2 via taxi.  There are buses running the routa del sol, throughout the whole day.  From Ayampe you will either go through Manta, or Puerto Viejo to reach Canoa and will likely need to switch buses at one of these hubs depending on which bus you hop on.  You will have an easier time finding a bus to San Vicente which is a large city by Canoa, then getting a short 15-minute bus to the smaller beach town.

Landing in Canoa is like seeing a combination of Ayampe, and Montanita. The quiet fishing town transforms in the weekends when vacationers flock to this beach and fill the many beach bars which were quite slow through the week. They keep the music blaring like there is a rager going on but really its just a couple of dudes drinking rum reflecting on the day’s surf, or catch. We stayed at Hotel Bambu, which was excellent. They are situated on the north end of town, right on the beach. Once you cross the bridge beside Bambu you are on a beach with no buildings and the start of an excellent hike up the cliffs around town. We found Canoa to offer great waves, they were lower angle than montanita and ayampe which made for some great longboarding, and time to practice nose rides. If you do not surf yet there are some great surf schools in town, but we definitely recommend Mario’s. It’s a great family operation that unfortunately took a lot of damage in a recent earthquake so go visit him, rent some boards, and get his business back together.

Canoa got hit really hard this year by earthquakes and could really use the help. The best way to help is to visit, buy food, buy drinks, and get their tourism industry fired back up. As much as we loved canoa, after about a week it was time to move on. We had our eye set on Mompiche. We had a hard time finding a direct bus and were faced with a long day of travelling if we went with the bus route, so we managed to find a local driver who was willing to take us. We paid him to save us a day of travel time and drive directly in his truck. Hopping into a stranger’s vehicle is always a little unsettling but he turned out to be a nice dude and was stoked to be helping us out. On the way to Mompiche we encountered a police road block where our driver had to pay off the cops from giving us some sort of a hard time, we were thankful but it also set a weird tone for our stay in this new province so Santa Elena.

We arrive in Mompiche, in the afternoon and were introduced to our jungle shack’s we’d be staying in at a place called “The Mud House” with high rain, and a predominately grass common area this name was not far from the truth. Our host Mindi was very nice and happy to tell us all about the area. Places to go, what to eat, where to find surfboards, but also where not to go. Apparently, there had been a run of robberies by knifepoint along the path to one highly recommended beach so we opted to skip this part of town. We had also been warned that people had been robbing hotels so we were reluctant to bust out the camera in this town, and always felt a need to watch over each other’s shoulder. We did end up witnessing some petty theft, a couple who was also staying at The Mud House was on the beach swimming, left their backpack unattended 40 feet away, when a ninja monkey thief jumped out of the woods, sprinted by and snagged their bag…..not good. The wave here looks incredible with the right swell, but unless you are seeking the wave, and know it’s going to be on I don’t recommend waiting around for the wave to turn on. There are a lot of bugs, and our host had gotten Chikungunya, her husband recently got dengue, and we were pretty much staying outside on plastic beds with a mosquito net. Ended up on edge the whole time due to the media hype of zeka, and the fear of other bug carried diseases.

During our whole trip, I felt like we were looking for an easy way out. We had done research and found what appeared to be a really cool town in the cloud forest called Mindo but it would take 14 hour’s by bus for another rather short drive. We were eventually able to track down a private driver, it cost $150 and it saved us another day of travel with only a four-hour ride. During this ride, I got one of the biggest frights of my life. All of the mosquito diseases we had been freaking out about involved some form of a rash. It’s not uncommon for me to rash from surfing on my knees but we went for a run of no waves in Mompiche, the rash should have gone by then but it had actually grown and was covering both knees. On our ride to Mindo, Ellisa was sleeping in my lap when I noticed the same rash covering my knuckles. At this moment I knew it was not right and felt confident one of the many mosquitoes that had bitten me in recent days had something…my heart stopped and I immediately felt scared and dirtier than I had ever imagined. I don’t mind roughing it -actually, I really enjoy it but this was different. Mosquito carried diseases are not cool, and not something to take lightly so I proceeded to be scared shitless for the whole ride….

Mindo, sweet Mindo. Right when we landed in this town I felt at ease. We arrived at the Dragonfly Inn which was by far our nicest accommodation, and really well priced for the 5 star inn. Right when we got some WiFi, I proceeded to google my brains out, and eventually put it together that I had a heat rash. We were sleeping on plastic beds, sweating excessively, and showering in a hose. The bacteria and sweat had clogged my pores and created a heat rash. Life is good again, and it’s time to explore this rad little mountain town and enjoy the adventure again.

Mindo has a lot to offer, It is one of the world’s top bird watching destinations, there’s butterfly garden’s, great food, mountain biking rentals, incredible hikes, great views, and a lot of rain in the Cloud Forest. There are guide services all through town as well if you are having trouble putting together logistics. We highly recommend the Dragonfly Inn, the innkeeper Ingo is the man! He’s quite the character. Without a doubt, the tallest man in town, who goes by “gringo alto” to the locals makes excellent food, runs a nice inn, and if you are willing to listen and get through his sarcasm will give great advice. We loved touring the roads and trails around town via mountain bikes, there is a cable car that crosses a valley to an incredible hike up to nine different waterfalls and swimming holes. Bring good shoes and a lot of water!

From the food, locals, and experiences, we loved everything about mindo, there is a lot to do within the town and if you have your own set of wheels the exploration of this area could be limitless. The potential for mountain bike trails in these mountains is also unreal, if the bike tourism can take off in this town it will be spectacular. After Mindo, we were looking for something different and decided to head to the Capital City of Quito…

We arrived at one of the bus stations of the outskirts of town and took a cab to our accommodations, Hostal El Arupo in the Plaza Foche area.  This area is the party spot in town and can be very loud but El Arupo is just far enough away to hide from the noise when it’s time to go home.  You can get anywhere in Quito easily via cab, and the Foche area is centrally located so its easy to get to the beautiful parks and old town area.  When you hop in the cab do not ask the rate, you’ll look like a gringo, they’ll turn the meter off, and charge you more.  

Quito is a really cool city with a ton of culture. The old town area is very colonial, and there are a ton of churches, government buildings, and old architecture to tour. If you are looking to dance hang around the foche area and check out one of the many discoteks. If you are looking to get your shred on you also came to the right city. The skate park in Parque Carolina is sick, and the street potential here is through the roof whether you want to skate, or bmx, there is a very healthy scene for both. The City is situated around 10,000 feet which makes the drinks more effective, and it’s not uncommon to feel woozy from the altitude.

On the flip side of this, you are also high in the mountains with roads going even higher, and there’s a sick mountain biking scene.  I have never seen a city this large with such easy access to world class cross country, and downhill bike trails.  If you are looking to go ride, hit up Brian at Flow Bike rental.  He will provide a top notch bike, shuttles, and great times.  There is a whole crew of rippers in the bike scene and these guys are all about their downhill race style.  Super fast, stylish Ecuadorian rippers!  These guys took me out for one of the best rides of my life, and treated me like another member of the crew.  Their hospitality is top notch, and they really are just there to shred and have a good time….wish I could go for a ride in Quito right now.

There are a ton of other cool towns in the Andes around Quito, we took a day to explore Otavalo which was a great experience.  They have the most famous market in South America and are apparently the world’s most industrious indigenous group.  There is lots of handmade alpaca swag, all sorts of trinkets, and arts.  It’s a great place to go pick up a new Pancho and work on your haggle game with the locals.  After some shopping, if you are looking for a cool nature experience catch a ride up to the Parque De Condor.  It’s a bird of prey refuge, with some talented falconers, a condor couple, and a lot of cool recovering birds to check out.  The surrounding area also offers incredible views that make me want to return with a mountain bike and stay in Otavalo for longer than a day.

After our time in Quito, we were stoked to get to a lower altitude, and back into the rainforest. Our next stop was the highly recommended adventure town of Banos. This town is nestled in a steep valley with a lot of adventure to be had in the surrounding mountains. Whether you want to kite, mountain bike, raft, rock climb, ride zip lines over waterfalls, ride horses, ATV’s, or get any sort of mountainous adventuring in this is an excellent spot. The views from the ridge lines are all breathtaking it you should pack a camera for sure. There’s also a zoo if you want to check out some critters.

There a lot of bike rentals in the area that recommends riding the road to check out all of the waterfall’s outside of town which sounds like a great idea…. We rented these bikes and ended up riding along the side of the road with trucks and buses hauling ass inches away from us.  After a near collision I decided road biking is still not for me, and terrible for one’s nerves.  Instead of biking we found the ultimate way to site see…..cattle truck party bus.  These converted flat beds will drive you to a lot of sites, for really cheap, and don’t mind if you drink beers along the way.  They tend to play club music very loudly which is great to set the vibe, and stoke level high.  We had a great time in Bano’s  We stayed at a hostel called Plantas y Blanco which was modest but clean, and they restaurant on the roof had excellent breakfasts.  Especially the pan cakes covered in fruit.  If you’re travelling Ecuador, you can’t pass through without checking out Bano’s.

We intended to visit the Amazon during our trip but there was a drought and the river we intended to boat up ran dry so we had some time to kill at the end of the trip. We could go anywhere but the beach was calling so we made the trip full circle and went back to Montanita for a few nights, and finished off the trip with another week in Ayampe to live the lazy surfer’s life again.

Our Journey through Ecuador was the trip of a lifetime.  It was incredible to experience such a different culture, re-learn Spanish, and live this adventure for a month and a half.  We travelled as a couple and came out stronger and more in love than ever.  These are times where you test yourself, test your relationships, and it is a good way to check yourself in life for better or worse.  We saw each other at our worst, best, and at times most stressed along this trip and always worked together well.  Whether you are looking to travel alone, or with a partner we highly recommend it, and Ecuador is a great place to do it!