A colorful and lively stop for many on the backpacking circuit, Montanita has a reputation of being Ecuador’s best place to party. It is also known for having some of the best surf breaks and cultural experiences, which is what compelled us to make a day trip to check out the town. We arrived in the morning while the backpackers were still tucked into their sleep sheets at the hostels and the shop owners were just opening the doors. Local families filled the beaches, relishing the weekend. Our first stop was a coffee shop and juice bar which seemed like it would fit in better on the shores of Venice Beach.

After getting our caffeine fix, we started down the streets of town towards the beach. Colorful vendor stalls lined the streets, selling everything from fresh fruit and palo santo oil to tacky tourist merchandise.

The sea was calm and the surf was small, so we saw nothing of the iconic waves that Montanita is known for. Instead of surfers, the beaches were filled with the colorful umbrellas, tents and beach toys of families spending their day off playing in the sand. Games of futbol weaved in an out of children playing with body boards and vendors with push carts peddling beach toys, soccer balls, helado, and Coco-Cola.

A small boardwalk runs parallel to Playa Montanita lined with colorful hotels, hostels, and surf shops; mostly quiet waiting for the party crowd to rouse from their slumber.

Our experience in Montanita was very different than many other tourists visiting the party town. We walked the streets, shopped the vendor stalls, and enjoyed the local cuisine. We bought sun hats and beach towels and sipped fresh fruit smoothies.

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