Isla de la Plata is a small island off the coast of Manabí,

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: ' ...

, and is part of Parque Nacional Machalilla. It can be reached by boat from the city of Puerto López, which is 40 kilometers away. On the island, there is a large diversity of animal species, including the blue-footed booby, red-footed booby, and the

Nazca booby The Nazca booby (''Sula granti'') is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae, native to the eastern Pacific. First described by Walter Rothschild in 1902, it was long considered a subspecies of the masked booby until recognised as distinct ...

. Another species found here is the

South American sea lion The South American sea lion (''Otaria flavescens'', formerly ''Otaria byronia''), also called the southern sea lion and the Patagonian sea lion, is a sea lion found on the western and southeastern coasts of South America. It is the only member ...

. Guided tours of the island are given on a couple of different hiking trails. There is a shrine from

Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...

times located on the island.

In popular culture

Isla de la Plata is featured in an episode of the travel series Jet Set Zero.

Gallery

File:Blue-footed Booby at Isla de la Plata.jpg, Blue-footed booby on Isla de la Plata in winter. File:Blue-footed Booby with young.jpg, Blue-footed booby with new young on Isla de la Plata. File:Isla de la Plata tour.jpg, Tour guide addresses customers at the beginning of a tour.

References

Pacific islands of Ecuador Beaches of Ecuador Geography of Manabí Province Tourist attractions in Manabí Province {{ecuador-geo-stub

External links

Isla de la Plata, Ecuador
(in Spanish)