From the capital city Quito, it’s about a 6-hour 30-minute drive down the winding roads that descend the Andes. We left at around 6 AM and stopped in Santo Domingo de Los Tsachilas for some breakfast at around 8.30 AM. We then continued for another 2 hours and 30 minutes to Chone where we took a small break at around noon. We then drove 1 hour 15 minutes to San Jacinto getting there at around 1.30 PM. It’s a very small town and joins with San Clemente. We stayed in a villa just off the highway which was 2 blocks from the beach. After settling in, we headed to a restaurant in San Clemente. The tide was high in the late afternoon with violent waves crashing onto the rocky shores. It wasn’t possible to get in the sea but there was a beautiful sunset on the horizon.
The following day, we headed to San Jacinto beach where there’s a colorful sign with the town’s name. The tide was low now with gentle waves so it was possible to get in. A family friend was from the area and he met us there and took us to a beach a little further south towards Crucita. This beach was on the mouth of a river so you could bathe in the river as well. There was also a protected mangrove swamp where you can go for a walk. A site official takes you around and provides info on the flora and fauna. It’s free but they sell bracelets to help with the maintenance of the site. There are several birds at the beach, especially cranes. You can also look for small crabs popping out from their burrows.
At around 4 PM, we went to get some food at Hotel San Jacinto. They have a seaside restaurant serving fresh seafood and outdoor seating. They have a viewpoint looking out to the sea that you can climb. The waves break on the banks so you’ll get wet when a large wave comes in. After eating, we headed to Bahia de Caráquez which was about a 40-minute drive away. There’s a small town in this bay which has a large bridge that crosses over to San Vicente. We drove over the bridge and walked out to a pier at San Vicente Malecon which has great panoramic views of the city. After the sun had set, we headed back to our villa.
On the final day, we headed to the beach at Crucita in the morning which was a 20-minute drive south of San Jacinto. This beach is more touristic and we had breakfast at one of the beachside restaurants. After breakfast, we went for a short stroll along the beach before making our way back to Quito.
