Qualla: Salinas (Ecuador)

Salinas (Ecuador): Introduction

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Bonsairolex, CC BY-SA 3.0. La Chocolatera is the westernmost point of mainland Ecuador, a rocky headland where the Pacific meets the continent in a way that looks designed by someone who wanted drama. Waves crash against cliffs. Sea lions laze on rocks below. The Humboldt Current, which swept up from Antarctica, runs into warmer equatorial water here, and the collision produces some of the most consistent surf on the continent. Salinas is the city that grew up around this point, a resort for Guayaquileños escaping the sticky heat of the inland summer. From December through May, the city doubles in population on weekends. The rest of the year, it quiets down, though the waves and the whales keep arriving on their own schedule.

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Image: Bonsairolex | CC BY-SA 3.0

Salinas (Ecuador): The Air Force Base and the Point

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Supernova76, CC BY-SA 4.0. La Chocolatera sits on Ecuadorian Navy property, inside the Base Naval de Salinas, but tourists are allowed in with nothing more than an ID check at the gate. The base was strategically important during the twentieth century, guarding the northwestern approach to the country, and...

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Image: Supernova76 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Salinas (Ecuador): Punta Carnero and the Surfers

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit dave kess, CC BY-SA 3.0. Punta Carnero, a ten-minute drive from Salinas, is where the surfers actually go to surf. The beach runs 2.6 kilometers of fine sand between a rocky headland at its southeastern end, and the waves are remarkably consistent year-round. Water temperatures average 24 degrees Celsius...

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Image: dave kess | CC BY-SA 3.0

Salinas (Ecuador): The Humpback Season

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit dave kess, CC BY-SA 3.0. From June through October, humpback whales gather in the warm waters off the coast of Ecuador for their annual mating and calving. Whale-watching boats leave from Salinas and other coastal towns throughout the season, and tours often run up toward Machalilla National Park, the pr...

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Image: dave kess | CC BY-SA 3.0

Salinas (Ecuador): Ceviche and the Malecon

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Bonsairolex, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Malecon, Salinas's beachfront promenade, is where the city assembles at night. Cevicheria after cevicheria serves shrimp ceviche and arroz marinero, the seafood-and-rice dish that defines coastal Ecuadorian cooking. Mar y Tierra is among the most established restaurants in to...

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Image: Bonsairolex | CC BY-SA 3.0