Along the coastal area you will find beautiful beaches and steep cliffs that combined create breathtaking scenarios. The inlet mangroves and marine environments provide a habitat ideal for fish and shellfish. Unfortunately the expansion of shrimp farms one of Ecuador's major export products has diminished massive mangrove areas in the inlets.

Temperatures along the coast has an average of 72°F. the rainy season lasts from December to May and coincides with the warmest currents of El Niño making it ideal for swimmers and surfers. The dry season lasts from June to December.

Products like: bananas, coffee, cacao, rice, sugarcane, soybean, cotton, citrus and other tropical products are extensively cultivated along the coast of Ecuador, both for domestic and international markets.

Ecuador first entered the international banana market in 1910, since then has became the world's largest  producer and exporter of bananas. Around 130,000 hectares are dedicated to the production of the fruit, and now exports exceeds the 2.5 million tons per year. Ecuador has been one of the largest producer and exporter of coffee and cocoa for over a century.

The Ecuadorian Coast is well known around the world for the many varieties of fish caught there, the fishing season lasts all year round and has converted to the largest producer of pond grown shrimp in the Western Hemisphere, and fourth in the world. Some of the most important sea products are: Sole, Sea Bass, Halibut, Dolphin, Swordfish and many others.

There are five provinces in this region: Esmeraldas, Manabí, Guayas, Los Rios and El Oro. Each of these regions has interesting attractions and type of vegetation, these five provinces share more than 1,860 miles of coast and beaches.

Esmeraldas

In the northern corner of Ecuador we find the busy port of Esmeraldas. Europeans first touched Ecuadorian soil here, when the Spanish landed on the Pacific Coast in 1526 they found a native culture named Atacames. These people used gold and silver as settings for green emeralds, conquistadors in believe that the region was abundant in the brilliant gems they named it Esmeraldas.

The city of Esmeraldas is the capital of the province, the terminal for the Ecuadorian Trans-Andean Oil pipeline running from the Amazonian Region is located here, this line carries about 450,000 barrels of black gold a day.

Atacames is a great place for travelers, the seafood, beaches and people are something everybody enjoys around here.

Esmeraldas is the wettest Coastal Province, summer is just a little less rainy than the rest of the year, almost every night the sun goes down to a spectacular red and bright horizon.

Manabí

Manabí is located in the center of the Ecuadorian Coast. It's capital is Portoviejo, this was the first city founded by the Spanish in the Ecuadorian Coast by Francisco Pacheco in March12, 1535.

This province is traversed by the Equatorial Line, it's extension corresponds to 6.97% of the Ecuadorian territory. The province name is the result of the union of two Quechua words, Mana (nothing) and Pi (water) "nothing of water". Is the believe that the Mayas arrived to this area 1,500 years ago, at that time the region was already inhabited by a group of Indians called Mantas, this is confirmed by the objects found in the region.

This Province is subdivided in 19 cantons: Portoviejo, Pedernales, Sucre, Chone, Flavio Alfaro, El Carmen, Tosagua, Rocafuerte, Junín, Bolívar, Pichincha, Santa Ana, Manta, Montecristi, Puerto López, Olmedo, 24 de Mayo, Jipijapa and Paján. The majority of the region is flat and dedicated to the production of the land and fishing.

Manabí holds the second largest port of Ecuador, the port of Manta situated in the city of Manta. The beaches are among the most beautiful of Ecuador, the variety of food is excellent and delicious specially the seafood. History tells us that this city was targeted, attacked and destroyed many times by Pirates in 1543, 1607 and 1628.

Guayas

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