Playas is an area on the coast of Ecuador an hour and a half drive from Guayaquil. As we had been staying in the city for a few weeks, my boyfriend and I decided to take a day trip out to Playas in the hope of spotting some dolphins.
We were fortunate to have access to a car and so made the drive ourselves. The road is mostly well surfaced except for a couple of areas and there is a toll booth or two, which are an opportunity for local people to sell you anything and everything. Playas is a popular destination for Guayaquil locals who are looking to head to the beach for a day. As we decided to go on the Saturday of Independence Day weekend, we were joined by plenty of other road-trippers with the same idea.
We drove through the main city of Playas and headed straight for Puerto El Morro, a small town and port located at the mouth of the River Guayas where it joins with the sea. This picturesque port is situated in a mangrove area and the main attraction is boat tours along the mangroves in the hope of spotting bottle nose dolphins.
Tour operators run general tours for the price of USD$8 per person for approximately one hour of river cruising. In addition to the dolphin spotting my boyfriend also wanted to visit an island further out so we decided to hire our own private boat for a 3 hours trip with a driver for a total cost of USD$40.
Leaving the port we headed out toward the sea. There are a few small islands scattered through this area and as it is a well used port the local people often have trouble with pirates boarding the larger cargo carrying ships. Fortunately for us it was a pleasant, if a little windy, boat ride in the sun.
After about 30 minutes we arrived at the small island of Sendero and were advised by our driver to walk the trail to the end. I had no idea what we were doing there. Climbing out of the boat up through some muddy mangroves and walking along a dirt trail filled with mosquitos was not what I had in mind when told we would be dolphin watching. However as we approached the opposite side of the island birds came into view, thousands of them.
Home to a colony of frigate birds I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of birds filling the trees and the sky above us. Standing on a specially built platform it felt like a type of prehistoric movie where these black large winged creatures were swooping above our heads, nesting in the trees around us, and making a huge amount of noise. It was spectacular to see so many animals in the one place.
Having seen more birds that many probably see in a lifetime and having been poo’d on by birds sitting in the trees as we walked beneath, we headed back to the boat to try and spot some dolphins.
Going back toward Puerto El Morro we found ourselves amongst the other dolphin boats looking keenly into the water for a bottlenose dolphin to appear. Fortunately after only a few minutes one popped its head above the water and we were able to follow it for the next 15 minutes as it played around the boats.
Arriving back at the port safe and happy we stopped for the required sugary drink of what is supposed to be a form of frozen juice but tastes like sugar and food colouring.
We then drove back to Playas in search of food. Playas is a large town/city with a huge stretch of beach set up for visitors. Lined with restaurants, umbrellas and beach chairs and with the ability to drive your car right on to the beach, it’s perfectly set up for visitors to spend their days relaxing in the sun.
Unfortunately for us food was not that easy to come by. All the beach restaurants serve seafood or chicken with rice and very few if any vegetables. When my boyfriend asked if they served anything without meat we were looked at like we had lost our minds. Correction, I was looked at like a crazy Gringa tourist who would only eat vegetables, and I think they felt sorry for my boyfriend, though he too is vegan the same as me. But happy to take the blame for this vegetable problem we were having we ended up going into the large shopping mall foodcourt directly across the road and eating a mix of fries, rice and green plantain. Carbs only for these crazy vegans!
As we headed toward home we found ourselves making a traditional road trip stop that most visitors to Playas make. Coco helado stands lines the main road as you depart Playas, all serving the same thing. Coco helado is ice-cold fresh coconut that is cut to order with the coconut water poured into a couple of bags with a straw and the fresh coconut flesh scrapped out and put into another bag ready to be eaten. Highly delicious, cold and filled with electrolytes coco helado is a must have on a beach road trip.
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