Montañita is a small coastal

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

located in the parish of Manglaralto, province of Santa Elena, about 180 kilometers northwest of

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

. Its name means "small mountain." In the mid 20th century it was known as a surfing beach, with only a few fishermen's huts, and one or two surfers tents in summer, erected at the site. But in 1960, Montañita, foreigners linked to the hippie movement decided to settle there permanently. It is now a popular destination for surfers from around the world and considered one of the best surfing beaches in Ecuador's south coast.

Characteristics

The town of Montañita is laid out in a grid of small streets crowded with shops and restaurants. Most of the east/west roads have beach access. The town has four main areas: the beach, the Point, Trigrillo neighborhood and the Center. The Point is the small mountain, that separates Montañita's beach from that of the neighboring town of Olon. The first cement beach house in the town, constructed by two foreigners Jack and James who had formerly been camping on the beach, is a notable feature of the town.

Climate

Montañita's climate is that of a tropical, coastal city. Its average temperature is 28

°C The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius scale (originally known as the centigrade scale outside Sweden), one of two temperature scales used in the International System of Units (SI), the other being the Kelvin scale. The ...

(82 °F), and the rainy season runs from December to May. However, rainfall is low and typically occurs in the evening or night. Water temperatures range from 13-20

(56-68 °F).

Economy

Montañita's economy is dependent on tourism, especially food service, surfing, and craft sales. Besides surfing, tourists and locals come to engage in

bodyboarding Bodyboarding is a water sport in which the surfer rides a bodyboard on the crest, face, and curl of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore. Bodyboarding is also referred to as ''Boogieboarding'' due to the invention of the "Boogie ...

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...

, and

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

. The tourist season peaks in January and hits its low in June. Each February, Carnival is held in Montañita.

Surfing in Montañita

Surfing in Montañita offers strong, consistent waves and good tubes make it a great place for accomplished surfers and challenging for newer surfers. Montañita is an increasingly popular destination on the international surfing circuit. In the summer months wave heights range from 0.3 to 1 meter. In the late fall and winter waves can be as large as 1.5 meters. Between January and March, waves may be large as 2 meters. Montañita hosts an international surfing competition each February during Carnival.

Curiosities

The main means of transportation are bicycles,

pedicabs The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport. It is a type of hatchback tricycle designed to carry passengers on a for-hire basis. It is also known by a variety of other names such as bike taxi, velotaxi, pedicab, bikecab, ...

and the occasional truck, although the streets are mostly pedestrian. It is common to hear reggae music on street corners, and banners of peace symbols, or the portrait of

Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quot ...

, John Lennon or Bob Marley are common. Montañita has bars, restaurants, and cafés that cater to international tastes. During peak tourists season, there are many electronic/house music festivals on the beach. There are three schools that specialize in teaching

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

. Montañita Spanish School was the first professional Spanish language school in town. On December 5, 2014 the movie "Sexy Montañita", directed by Alberto Pablo Rivera, was released. Montañita is widely known for its legal

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

use due to an Ecuadorian law according to which individuals are allowed to carry a small "personal" amount of marijuana.

References

External links

*
Montañita 2012
Montañita Ecuador Guide 2012
Montañita Ecuador Area Road Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montanita, Ecuador Populated places in Santa Elena Province Beaches of Ecuador Surfing locations in Ecuador