Extended Adventure
The coastal region of Ecuador, also known as the littoral region or simply as the coast, is one of the four geographic regions into which the Republic of Ecuador is divided. It is located between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Its mostly flat landscape varies between the scrublands and dry forests of the south and the humid forests of the north, with the presence of mangroves in the Gulf of Guayaquil and on the north coast. It extends through the provinces of Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Manabí, Los Ríos, Guayas, Santa Elena and El Oro, as well as portions of neighboring provinces. The main and most populated city in this region is Guayaquil, the Pearl of the Pacific.
On the coast, rivers run from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean. Five of its seven provinces have very attractive beaches and resorts for tourists. Those of Esmeraldas, Manabí and Santa Elena stand out. The most extensive fluvial network in the country is located in this area. This is the Guayas River Basin, which has about twelve tributaries along with the towns of Daule, Babahoyo, Macul, Puca, Paján and Colimes.
Ecuador enjoys 640 kilometers of coastline.
The coast is one of the four natural regions into which continental Ecuador is divided, extending between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. With little difference in altitude, the coastal region is endowed with a uniformity of climates and landscapes, however, variations are found between the tropical forest in the north and the desert plains in the south.
The Ecuadorian coastal territory is made up of fertile plains, hills, sedimentary basins and low elevations. Rivers run through its territory from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean.
Ecuador has beautiful seaside resorts that offer all the comforts of housing and tourism, such as Salinas, Montañita, Ayangue, Puerto Lopez, Súa, Atacames, Tonsupa, Same, Manta, Bahía de Caráquez, Crucita, Canoa, Jambelí, General Villamil Playas, among others. In addition to important national parks such as Machalilla and Manglares-Churute, which offer the ecotourism option.
The Guayas River system, which flows south to the Gulf of Guayaquil, is the most important drainage system in the interior of Ecuador. The Guayas River Basin, including the land drained by its tributaries, is 40,000 square kilometers in area. The Guayas River, sixty kilometers long, originates north of Guayaquil at the confluence of the Babahoyo and Daule rivers. In short constrained to Guayaquil by the hills, the Guayas extends to the south of the city and flows through a network of small delta islands and canals. At its mouth, the river forms a wide estuary with two channels around Isla Puná, the deepest of which is used for navigation.
The second major river system, Costa del Esmeraldas, rises in the Hoya de Guayllabamba in the Sierra as the Guayllabamba River and flows westward to empty into the Pacific Ocean east of the city of Esmeraldas. The Esmeraldas River is 320 kilometers long and has a drainage basin of 20,000 square kilometers.
