Manta

Understand

History Between 1999 and 2009, Manta shared its airport with the U.S. Air Force in unison with Ecuador in strategic warfare against Colombian drug cartel traffic through surveillance flights in an effort to stop the flow of illegal narcotics. In 1996 a Boeing 707 cargo aircraft crashed into a wooden church located in Manta. It was reported that amazingly the statue of the virgin remained intact. Manta was also the host city for the sixth South American Windsurfing Championship in 1991.

Climate Manta is located in a dry tropical forest area with an average annual temperature of 25° C (77° F). The area has a wide variety of climate zones attributed geographical characteristics of the area. During the year, there are two seasons; rainy, and dry. The rainy season is approximately six months long when it is hot and humid, and occurs from December to May. The dry season is approximately six months long and occurs during the months of June to November. It is warm but very low humidity.

Terrain Manta is a port city situated on a coastal plain. The outskirts of the city is a dry tropical forest area.

Getting there

By plane 1 Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC IATA) (on the outskirts of the city). There are daily flights serving Manta from Quito. Airlines include Avianca and LATAM. Round-trip airfare to Quito will run $75-100.

By bus Bus service is readily available to most cities and towns. Long distance fares are generally around $1 per hour of the trip.

Frequent bus service to Guayaquil which is about a four and a half hour trip, ticket cost about $5. Service to Quito which is about a ten hour trip ticket cost about $7, to Portoviejo, 1 hour, ticket cost about $1, to Jipijapa, 1 hour, ticket cost about $1, to Bahía de Caráquez, about 3½ hours, ticket cost about $2, to Esmeraldas, 8½ hours, ticket cost about $7.20, to Santo Domingo, 5 hours, ticket cost about $6.20.

Getting around

Taxi service is inexpensive and you can get to most places from one to three dollars. You can also take buses throughout the city, but with an abundance of inexpensive taxis, that is the best option for a tourist. Negotiating the cost of your taxi as soon as you step in is common practice. Carry small denominations of money and have exact change for your taxi fare if possible. If you do not have exact change, taxi drivers conveniently will not be able to make change for you and will try to convince you to leave the change as a tip instead.

See

Manta hosts an International Theater Festival every year in September. There are sporting events from January through April. Downtown you can find first rate night clubs, bars, and casinos.

Banco Central Museum, Avenida 8 and Calle 7 (behind the bus terminal). Displays ceramics from the pre-Columbian Huancavilca-Manteño era culture.

Do

The evenings is 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 ocean winds, the Malecón is always a pleasant and most refreshing area to walk in the evening and taking in the night breezes.

Casinos Fantasy Casino, Malecón y Calle 23 (next to the Oro Verde Hotel), ☏ +593 5262-9200. Very nice casino operated by the Oro Verde Hotel. Traditional and video slot machines, Blackjack and poker tables, American Roulette. Drinks, beverages and snacks are available. Small dance floor with live entertainment on weekends. Plaza Casino. Operated by the Howard Johnson Hotel. Traditional and video slot machines, Blackjack and poker tables, American Roulette. Drinks, beverages and snacks are available. The casino has a small mezzanine where bands play supplying the live entertainment on weekends.

Beaches 1 El Murciélago. This is the most popular beach area in Manta. It has a wide variety of restaurants serving seafood and local dishes, bars and other attractions for fun and relaxation. Recreational aquatic sports such as surfing, diving, sailing, body-boarding, and fishing are enjoyed here as well. The beach is in the vicinity numerous hotels, retail stores, supermarkets, and banking facilities and automatic teller machines. Regional Beaches

2 Barbasquillo. is a resort complex on Barbasquillo beach with a pool, sauna, gym and a disco. It has direct access to the an extensive beach. Horses are also available for riding on the beautiful beach. La Tiñosa is 3-km long with sand dunes along with cactus three meters (10 ft) high, as well as varied wildlife species. This area is used for tourists rest and recreation. This beach is located a few kilometers from the parish San Mateo, and it is surrounded by mountains with a dry vegetation. Linguique is 50 minutes from the center of Manta, at a distance of 18 km (10 mi). It has interesting rocky areas; place where snails, octopus and lobsters are plentiful. From the high point, it offers the visitors the possibility to observe the sea in all directions in a beautiful panoramic view. The people in this area are devoted to fishing and agriculture. San Lorenzo is 28 km (17 mi) from Manta. It is known for its diverse rock formations, caves, marine birds and the Island of the Silver. The months of June to September you can take in the incredible sight of hunchback whales as they pass from the north to south. San Lorenzo's forest, with an extension of 50 hectares, was declared a prot

Buy

1 Paseo Shopping Mall, Avenida 4 de Noviembre. is a western-styled modern shopping mall including clothing shops, a supermarket, banks and automatic teller machines, movie theater, and food court.

Eat

Manta has an amazing selection of fresh seafood. You can find fish, shrimp, 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.

1 Club Ejecutivo, Av. 2 and Calle 12 (Banco del Pichincha building). El Mediterraneo, Malecon. Spanish. Guen Roku, Malecón and Calle 16. International 2 Martinica, via San Mateo. Italian and Ecuadorian typical. Really great food! El Resero, Malecón opposite Hotel Oro Verde.. Argentinian food, cheap and great service Mima, Calle 104 and Malecón. Seafood. 3 Palmeiras, Circunvalacion Norte. Seafood. Restaurante Mexicano, Malecón and Calle 15. Mexican. Paraná, Calle 17 and Malecón (close to the port). Seafood. Restaurant Riviera, Calle 20 and Av. 12. Italian. Shamu, Calle 11 No 1-12. Set meals. For the more experienced traveler, there are many good restaurants along the beach (see above) which are a bit cheaper. Most food is well-prepared and safe for tourists to eat.

Drink & nightlife

The city water supply is contaminated with mercury and other contaminants. Drink bottled water only and do not use ice in drinks either. Iced coconut water (agua'e coco) is very popular due to the hot temperatures. It is freshly extracted from the coconuts in front of you, and it tastes really good.

Club Premimum Beer. Pilsner Beer. Pilsner Light.

Nightlife Manta offers many places to have a great time, many 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.

Sleep

Cabañas Balandra, Av. 8 and Calle 20, Barrio Córdova, ☏ +593 5-620316, fax: +593 5-620545. Hotel Oro Verde, Malecón y Calle 23, ☏ +593 5-2629200, fax: +593 5-2629210, [email protected]. Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel Manta Ecuador, Km 1.5 Via Barbasquillo, ☏ +593 5262-9999, fax: +593 5262-9989, [email protected]. 100 rooms starting at $85. Hosteria Manta Beach Inn, Calle 127 y Via Aeropuerto, ☏ +593 5-292-3792. Bed and Breakfast for only $25. Mantaraya Lodge, Ruta del Sol - E15 (a 2.5Km. de Puerto Lopez, Vía Salango), ☏ +593 2-336-0887. 15 rooms. Hotel Costa Verde, Los Algarrobos Calle 24 y, Av 30, ☏ +593 99 005 3174. Has a boutique pool and calm atmosphere. $35. (updated Nov 2020)

Go next

Close to Manta is Montecristi, which has been known for years for their Panama hats. There are numerous small shops selling Panama hats, tagua nut artwork, and other types of artisan craft works made in Ecuador. An English-speaking tour guide or taxi driver can be helpful in your shopping.