South America : Ecuador : Manta
Manta
Manta is a city in Ecuador. Manta is a major commercial and holiday resort center and is the second major Port of the country. The city's main industries include tuna canning and processing, coffee, tagua and cocoa, and other products quoted in the world markets. The climate, the marine ecosystem, and the relief of the land are central elements of the tourist attractiveness of Manta.
History
Since 1999 Manta has been used as a military location for U.S. Air forces in unison with Ecuador's in strategic warfare against Colombian drug traffic cartels through surveillance flights as well as being used as a geographical look out point for the U.S.A for any war crafts heading north from the Middle East and Asia.
One famous episode in Manta history occurred when a Boeing 707 carrying cargo crashed into the town's wooden church in 1996 although it was reported that amazingly the statue of the virgin remained intact.
A bridge on the eastern side of Rio Manta connects Manta with Tarqui which is the popular beach over the weekends. There is one museum of interest, Banco Central museum (Avenida 8 and Calle 7) at the back of the Bus terminal which displays ceramics from the Huancavilca-Manteño culture. During weekends locals flock to the main and recently refurbished Playa Murciélago area of the Malecón. The seafood here is excellent as well as the music, beach aerobics, parties and general night life ambiance. On your way out of town you'll also find a new shopping mall called Paseo Shopping center (on Avenida 4 de Noviembre).
Geographic
Manta is an important city at the province of Manabí. It located in a dry tropical forest area with an average annual temperature of 25 degrees Celsius (77° F).Manta was selected as the site of the sixth South American Windsurfing Championship. It is known for its diving and sport fishing. It also serves as the primary industrial port of Ecuador's tuna industry.
Climate
The Ecuadorian territory has a huge variety of climate, thanks to the peculiar ones characteristic geographical like the coast, interandina or mountain, amazon and insular.
Coast region: During the year, there are two stations: a rainy one and a dry one. Rainy stationThis station is hot and humid for one period, approximately, of six months, from December to May. Dry stationThis station happend during the months of June to November. This station is warmer than the others.
Get in
Frequent bus service to Guayaquil (4 1/2 hours), ticket value around US$5.00. To Quito (about 10 hours), ticket value around US$7.00. To Portoviejo (1 hour), ticket value around US$1.00. To Jipijapa (1 hour), ticket value around US$1.30. To Bahía de Caráquez (about 3 1/2 hours), ticket value around US$2.50. To Esmeraldas (8 1/2 hours), ticket value around US$7.20. To Santo Domingo (5 hours), ticket value around US$6.20. If you plan to travel by airplane frequent flights from/to Quito and Guayaquil (US$75 round trip).
Get around
Taxi service is cheap and you can get to most places for a dollar to three dollars. You can also take buses everywhere but it is more complicated to mention all routes here.
See
The evenings see a hive of activity of partying people, loud music and meandering cars that form around the nearby side streets and main frontage of the Malecón that arcs around the bay. Bathed in constant fresh winds the Malecón is always a pleasant area to walk in the evening and most refreshing in the night breezes.
Beaches
El Murciélago
The best beach in Ecuador--really the best. There has a group of restaurants, recreational sports, craft markets, bars and other places for fun and relaxation. Located nearby are banks, hotels and a commercial area. The waters are favorable for practicing aquatic sports such as surfing, charting, diving,sailing, body-boarding, and fishing.
Tarqui
It is a Park of the Shellfish where have delicious local foods are prepared for your enjoyment.In this beach you practice diverse sports as beach soccer, voleyball, and other sports in general.
Barbasquillo
Complex Tourist Barbasquillo: It have a pool, sauna, gym and a disco; all this with direct accesso to the an extensive beach. There are also available horses for walks for the beautiful beach.
San Mateo
San Mateo is a rural area where the fishermen that are devoted to the capture of marine species are seated.
La Tiñosa
Area where they are dunes and cactus three meters high, as well as varied species. Sector used for tourists' rest. This beach is located to few kilometers of the parish San Mateo, it is three kilometers of extension and it is surrounded of mountains with a dry vegetation.
Santa Marianita
The perfect area for the capture of marine species. It is located to 12 kilometers in the rural area of the canton Manta. Forty minutes of the urban center going in car. This beach of approximately 8 kilometers invite the visitors to enjoy their warm waters in the characteristic tranquility of this sector. This beach has telephony services.
Linguique
Beach far from the urban area, with interesting rocky areas; place where snails, octopi and lobsters are plentiful. It is located 50 minutes from the center of Manta, at a distance 18 kilometers. From the height, it offers the visitors the possibility to observe the sea in all their extension in a beautiful panoramic view. Their people are devoted to the fishing and agriculture.
San Lorenzo
It is located 28 kilometers from Manta belonging to San Lorenzo's rural parish. From San Lorenzo's beach diverse rocky formations can be sighted, caves, marine birds and the Island of The Silver with their incredible demonstration of hunchback whales when they pass from north to south, of June to September. San Lorenzo's forest with an extension of 50 hectares is declared as area protected to avoid its deterioration as ecological area.
Main Attractions
Isla Corazón
It’s a mangrove island where one of the largest frigate bird colonies of the southern pacific lives. The island is great for bird watching, at least 60 sea bird species are found.
La segua Marsh
It’s a sweet water humidity area of about 172 hectares. In La Segua there are approximately 280 thousand kinds of birds. It’s one of the most interesting bird-watching sites on the Ecuadorian coast.
Cerro Seco
One of the last tropical dry forests in the world is located in the Bahía de Caráquez area near by the Pacific Ocean.Early in the morning dozens of birds can be seen and heard. A small colony of golden orioles builds its nests in the giant ceibos branches.
El Estuardio
One of the sites to be visited is El Estuario, where 101 bird species have been registered.
Tropical dishes
Manta has an amazing selection of fresh seafood. You can find fish, shirmp, octopus, calamari, clams, mussels, prawns, lobsters, crabs and scallops that are especially fresh and cheap. Ceviche and viche de pescado are traditional tropical dishes in Manta. Fresh coconut juice is always available on the beach, and other delicious fresh fruit juices and smoothies are available on the malecon.
Things to see
- Banco Central Museum
- Native Central American Artifacts
- Fishing Harbor
- Beaches and Coastline
Entertainment
Manta hosts an International Theater Festival in September. There are sporting events from January through April. Downtown you can find first rate night clubs, bars, and casinos.
To Do
Learn Spanish and Surfing Academia Surpacifico [2] and Montanita Spanish School [3] provide special Spanish language programs, such as "Spanish and surfing", "Spanish and kiteboarding", medical Spanish, volunteer program. This language school is recognized by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ecuador.
During the off season you can easily get a beach front hotel room. The cost of your vacation will be pleasantly inexpensive. The people are friendly. If you go during June through August you will enjoy comfortable weather that is not too hot.
Shopping
Close by Manta is Montecristi. Montecristi has been known for years for their panama jack hats. There are so many little shops to see you will absolutely love the experience. If unfamiliar with the area it is a good suggestion is to have a tour guide to help insure your vacation leaves you with good memories.
Restaurants
The people who live in there, they eat at their home. They have their tropic delicious food. They eat rice what cook with the salt and oil. And for the tourist, they always eat in the restaurant.
- Martinica, via San Mateo. Italian/Ecuadorian typical. Really great food !
- El Mediterraneo, Malecon. Spanish.
- Palmeiras, Circunvalacion Norte. Seafood.
- Restaurant Riviera, Calle 20 and Av. 12. Italian.
- Club Ejecutivo, Av. 2 and Calle 12 (Banco del Pichincha building).
- Restaurante Mexicano, Malecón and Calle 15.. Mexican
- Paraná, Calle 17 and Malecón (close to the port).. Seafood
- Guen Roku, Malecón and Calle 16.. International
- Mima, Calle 104 and Malecón.. Seafood
- Shamu, Calle 11 No 1-12.. Set meals
Drink
Iced coconut water (agua'e coco!!) is very popular due to the hot temperatures. It tastes really good, freshly extracted from the coconuts in front of you.
Nightlife
Manta offers many places to have a great time, all of them in the main street called "Flavio Reyes."
- Black Daddy One of the famous clubs in Manta, offers good drinks and good music.
- West End The best place to party. It's a karaoke-bar with the newest songs available to sing and dance that turns into a dance club late at night.
- Conga The cheapest club in Manta. It offers Latin music such as reggaeton, merengue and salsa as well as electronic music.
- Krug If you want to have a good time in a bar, Krug is the place. Krug is an outdoor bar with a lively scene.
Hotel
- Hotel Oro Verde, Malecón and Circunvalación.
- Manta Imperial, By Playa Murciélago (on the Malecón), (fax: 05-623016).
- Cabañas Balandra, Av. 8 and Calle 20, Barrio Córdova, (fax: 05-620545).
- Mantaraya Lodge, El Telégrafo E10 - 63 y Juan Alcántara. Number of rooms: 15
- Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel Manta Ecuador, Address: Km 1.5 Via Barbasquillo. 100 rooms starting at 65€ (85$)
- Hosteria Manta Beach Inn, Calle 127 y Via Aeropuerto, Tel.(593)5-292-3792. - Bed and Breakfast for only $25.
Get out
This page was last edited at 19:48, on 21 January 2009 by Luis Campuzano. Based on work by David, Fernando Gando, Michele Ann Jenkins, Diego, belen, lan and maria jose, Wikitravel user(s) The Yeti and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.