Isla de la Plata Ecuador
Ecuador
Frequently Asked Questions
Because it concentrates, an hour and a half by boat from the Ecuadorian coast, a share of the birds that made the distant archipelago famous, without the distances or the formalities. Blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds and Nazca boobies nest right beside the trail.
At a small cove, in a landing that may wet your feet: walking sandals or amphibious shoes are welcome. There is no pier and no village, and the site belongs to Machalilla National Park.
One to three hours depending on the loop chosen. The terrain is steep and so is the sun, and the trails follow ridges with views plunging onto a deep blue Pacific.
Yes, the nests are beside the path and sometimes on it. Boobies incubate while watching walkers go by, males lift their turquoise feet in their balancing dance, and downy chicks beg without embarrassment. Around thirty bird species use this tiny territory.
Yes, after the walk. The waters around the island hold reef fish, green turtles and, with luck, a manta ray gliding past like a shadow. The water stays cooler than in the Caribbean and visibility varies with the swell.
June to October, during the southern winter, when humpback whales come up from Antarctic waters to calve along this coast. The crossing then becomes the sighting: blows in the distance, raised flukes, sometimes a full breach.
From Puerto López, a fishing port that lives by the whale migration: cetacean murals on the walls, blue skiffs hauled up on the beach, frigatebirds patrolling above the fish market.
It can be, depending on the swell: about an hour and a half by boat in open sea. Bring something for seasickness if you are prone to it, as that is the main reservation to note about this outing.
Legend says Francis Drake hid a haul of silver there; others credit the metallic sheen the moon or the guano gives the island. Neither version has ever been settled.
A hat, plenty of water and sturdy shoes: shade is scarce and the trails are stony. Groups are accompanied by a park guide, nothing may be collected, and you stay on the loop trails.
