Salinas is the busiest beachfront cites and one of the main cities in the province of Santa Elena, Ecuador located on the western tip of the peninsula of the same name. Although Salinas is not the closest beach to Guayaquil, many of its visitors come from this city. Here you can find several beautiful hotels, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, shopping centers and museums.
Salinas has a beautiful climate in which most of the time is sunny. During the beach season (December to May) the weather is hotter with an average temperature between 31 ºC. The bad thing is that during these months it is more common for it to rain. During the summer season, which runs from May to December, the temperature drops to 20ºC.
What water sports can I do in Salinas?
The most popular water sports to do in Salina are sailing, jet skiing, surfing, diving or snorkeling, jet skiing and banana boating, paragliding, parasailing and beach volleyball.
The best beaches in Salinas
San Lorenzo Beach
San Lorenzo beach, in my opinion, is the most beautiful in Salinas and has bars and restaurants nearby. It is an excellent beach for surfing (Barco Hundido or now called Paco Illescas) and also to enjoy with the family.
Chipipe Beach
Chipipe beach is located past the Salinas Yacht Club, the waters are calmer and the sand is white. Here you will also find a wide variety of restaurants and bars as well as street vendors.
Walking along the Malecón de Salinas
Something you should do when you are in Salinas is to walk along its beautiful boardwalk which borders San Lorenzo Beach until you reach the Salinas Yacht Club.
The FAE and La Chocolatera/Loberia
To get to the FAE you must be an experienced surfer, since the waves are very strong and the current is strong. This beach is located at the end of Mar Bravo beach on the way to La Chocolatera. In fact, it is considered the most extreme point of the continental coast of South America.
La Chocolatera, La FAE and La Lobería are located within the Salinas Naval Base and are part of the Puntilla Santa Elena Coastal Marine Fauna Production Reserve. In the Lobería you will be able to observe a colony of sea lions in the distance while in the Chocolatera you will see some rock formations that collide with the man creating a chocolate-colored foam.
Whale Museum
The Museum de Ballenas is one of my favorite museums in Santa Elena, as it provides knowledge and helps to conserve these beautiful mammals. In this wonderful museum you will find a skeleton more than 10 meters long from a humpback whale. The museum is open from Monday to Sunday from 7:00 am – 8:00 pm. The only thing is that you need to schedule a tour in advance.
The Megatario Museum
The Museo Megatario is the first Museum of Paleontological inEcuador, where you can see the exhibition of Megafauna remains from the Late Pleistocene (50,000 to 8,000 ap), found in the Tanque Loma sector of the La Libertad Canton, in one of the largest and most important fossil deposits in America of the South.
Mar Bravo Beach and Punta Carnero
These are the favorite places of to watch the sunset in Salinas. As a note, these beaches are intended for surfers, since it is not safe to swim there due to its strong currents.
How to get to Salinas?
- From Guayaquil: The trip from Guayaquil to Salinas by private car is 1 hour and 45 minutes and by bus it can last between 2 to 2 and a half hours. To go by bus we recommend you go with Cooperativa Libertad Peninsular (CLP), Liberpesa or Costa Azul, which you can take at the Terminal Terrestre de Guayaquil. The ticket varies from $4 to $8 depending on the cooperative. The bus leaves you at the Sumpa Regional Terrestrial Terminal and from there you can take a taxi or another bus to Salinas.
- From Quito: You can fly to Guayaquil and from there drive or take a bus to Salinas. If you plan to go the whole way driving, keep in mind that the trip can take between 9 to 11 hours.