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Machalilla National Park Travel Guide

Travel to Machalilla National Park - Ecuador's Only Coastal Park

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Machalilla National Park, is a beautiful sheltered bay with a pure white sand beach and surrounded by a dry tropical forest, it is ideal for anyone in need of relaxation. This Ecuador’s only coastal park protects most of the country’s remaining tropical scrub desert and forest, along with a dramatic stretch of coastline and the islands of Salango and La Plata.

Machalilla National Park is situated in Manabi along the Pacific Coast near Puerto Lopez. The park was established in 1979 and includes beaches, fog forest, dry forest, and three islands. In 1990, the park was named an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention.

Attractions in Machalilla National Park

Wildlife in the park includes armadillos, monkeys, 270 species of birds, and waved albatross. The ocean regions of the park also provide a breeding ground for humpback whales and sea turtles. Small landbirds like the Vermillion Flycatcher, Mockingbird, and Motmot besides hawks and falcons are found in the dry tropical forest. Vegetation includes opuntia cactus, palo santo trees, kapok trees, algaroba tree, ivory palms, heliconias, and mangroves.

Playa de los Frailes is also well worth a visit offering nature trails and viewing spots to the shoreline.

Another important attraction in the area is the Agua Blanca, one of many archaeological sites of pre-Columbian cultures situated along the Pacific coast.