Next stop after Baños was Montanita, a small beach town 3 hours north of Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil. There were no direct buses from Baños but we found a night bus to take us to Santa Elena, an easy hour shuttle away from the beach. Unfortunately our bus decided it wanted to take a nap around 4:30am and the substitute bus was only going as far as Guayaquil. Still, our journey went remarkably smoothly - we waited for less than 10 minutes for a fresh bus to pick us up, the driver of our bus walked our group to the ticket booth in Guayaquil and purchased our tickets to Santa Elena, and 5 minutes later we were on our way. Well done Ecuadorian bus company.
When we stepped off the bus in Montanita we were greeted by a blast of beach heat and quickly changed into proper attire. Montanita is tiny - maybe 5 square blocks - and after a quick walk we had scoured its entirety and reserved a room for the night. We had been told of a beach oasis with cheap bungalows a little ways outside of town but since it was off the grid of the normal hostal-booking sites we needed a day to scope it out. A few of the other guys in our group confirmed this place did indeed exist and reserved our spots for the next 5 nights. With the logistics taken care of, all there was left to do was enjoy the beach!
I had actually been to Montanita 6 years ago to visit my cousin who ran a hostel there and it was amazing to see the development since. Dirt roads and a smattering of backpacker hostels have exploded into a bonanaza of bars, restaurants, and discotecas. Despite all the changes the hostel still stands!
Frolicking in the waves at sunset was a must. And it was oddly reassuring that some things remain equally entertaining whether you are 5 or 25.
At night we would head to town to visit the sea of street vendors for empanadas, plates of meat and rice, and even burritos.
5 days melted away, but I had to get to Cuenca to catch my flight back to Colombia for Carnival. I said goodbye to most of the group - they understandably stayed behind for a few extra beach days - but for once I had a schedule to follow.
When we stepped off the bus in Montanita we were greeted by a blast of beach heat and quickly changed into proper attire. Montanita is tiny - maybe 5 square blocks - and after a quick walk we had scoured its entirety and reserved a room for the night. We had been told of a beach oasis with cheap bungalows a little ways outside of town but since it was off the grid of the normal hostal-booking sites we needed a day to scope it out. A few of the other guys in our group confirmed this place did indeed exist and reserved our spots for the next 5 nights. With the logistics taken care of, all there was left to do was enjoy the beach!
I had actually been to Montanita 6 years ago to visit my cousin who ran a hostel there and it was amazing to see the development since. Dirt roads and a smattering of backpacker hostels have exploded into a bonanaza of bars, restaurants, and discotecas. Despite all the changes the hostel still stands!
2008
2014
We arrived at the beach bungalow hostel, Kamala, the next day, and to be completely honest my initial reaction was disappointment. I knew that the rumored $5/night bungalow right on the beach was too good to be true but I couldn't help get my hopes up just a bit. Accommodation was indeed $5/night but those were for dorm beds - a bungalow went for $50/night. And we were a few minute walk down an overgrown path to the beach - still incredibly close but not quite the same as watching the waves from your window.
But the longer we stayed there the more I appreciated how awesome Kamala really was. Perks like super fast wifi and hot water were incredibly unexpected, Santiago the host cooked a tasty breakfast, and best of all there was nobody else there besides our group until the last night. Santiago even managed to secure us a few cases of beer even though the entire country was dry for election weekend.
We ended up all piling into one bungalow to have our own space.
Santiago was very accommodating and added a bunch of double mattresses so we could all squeeze in. Despite the tight quarters I had some of my best sleeps on that lovely blue floor mattress.
And a lovely outdoor shower with piping hot water!
Days at Kamala can best be described as casual. Wake up, have breakfast, hang out in the shade, play ping pong, lounge around, consider walking to get lunch, jump in the ocean, hop in a hammock, more lounging. That is about it.
Frolicking in the waves at sunset was a must. And it was oddly reassuring that some things remain equally entertaining whether you are 5 or 25.
At night we would head to town to visit the sea of street vendors for empanadas, plates of meat and rice, and even burritos.
5 days melted away, but I had to get to Cuenca to catch my flight back to Colombia for Carnival. I said goodbye to most of the group - they understandably stayed behind for a few extra beach days - but for once I had a schedule to follow.
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