Manta Ecuador Cruising Guide

Guide/Book Page

Manta Ecuador Cruising Guide

About Manta Ecuador

Manta is a medium sized city in Manabí Province, Ecuador and possesses the largest seaport in the country. It is the most populated city in the province, and the fifth most populated in all of Ecuador.

Manta Ecuador has an international airport, Eloy Alfaro International Airport as well as a military base (also known as Manta Air Base or Eloy Alfaro Air Base).

Manta has existed since Pre-Columbian times. It was a trading post for the Mantas and the Incas. The city of Manta has grown in the last 50 years to well over 250,000 inhabitants. Its main economic activity is tuna fishing. Other economic activities include tourism and a chemical industry.

Anchorage

Anchorage Manta: S 00 56.301 W 080 42.986

We came in next to the breakwater and weaved our way in front of the big ships to avoid the wreck. The wreck does have a marker on it. It is quieter inside here and not so smelly from the generators. We have only used this place for one night.

Immigration

Office behind Policia Nacional building, second floor (ask Guard in booth near driveway entrance). Initial entry into Bahia de Caraquez by boat (3 months) – get passport stamped and tourist card.

Places to Eat Manta Ecuador:

Bar Mama Rosa – Reyes y Perimetral, Barrio Umiñia, Frente al Parque. Pizzeria y Parrillada. Tel. 05-
262-6076.

Things to Do Manta Ecuador:

Manta receives numerous visits from foreign as well as local tourists. The most visited beaches include "El Murciélago", "San Lorenzo" and "Barbasquillo". Surfers often travel to San Lorenzo to find powerful waves (regularly head high).

Nearby, also, is the small town of Montecristi, founded in the early 1600s. With its colonial architecture, this small town is best known for its wickerwork weaving, and as the original birth place of the Panama hats which, despite their name, were historically produced in Ecuador.

Montecristi is a great place for shopping for local crafts at a number of shops across from the main plaza, featuring ceramics, wickerwork and Panama hats in a variety of shapes and colors.

The evenings are full of activity: partying people, loud music and groups of young people gather around the waterfront Malecón (jetty) that arcs around the bay and its nearby side streets. The Malecón is always a pleasant area to walk in the evening with its refreshing evening breezes.

The refurbished Playa Murciélago (Bat Beach), very popular with locals, is in the Malecón area; it features a scenic boardwalk, restaurants serving excellent seafood fresh out of the ocean, recreational sports, craft markets, bars and other places for fun and relaxation.

Other important sites include Iglesia La Dolorosa, the "Mirador" at San Lorenzo beach, the Teatro Chusic, the "Parque de la Madre", and the "Plaza Civica".

• El Paseo Mall: modern, enclosed mall, with food court on second level. Large “Mi Commisariato”
supermarket, Ace Hardware store, etc. Discount store (reportedly best liquor prices) across the street from the mall. Supermaxi supermarket near new hotel area downtown.
• Malecon: stroll along the wide, white-sand beach, studded with windbreak enclosures. Many
restaurants.

• Museo de Banco Central:
• Yacht Club

Boat Supplies and Repair Manta Ecuador:

• Refrigeration supplies: Angloequatoriana de guayaquil; Av. 4 de Noviembre y Calle 118 (halfway
between El Paseo Mall and Migración, on the same side as Migración. Tel. (05) 292-1097, email
anglo3@ecua. net .ec
• Diesel injector repair, cleaning and adjustment: Manadiesel; Via Manta a Portoviejo, Sector la “Y”. Tel. (05) 292-0907 or 292-0909. Email manadiese@interactive. net.ec. Roberto Cevallos, Technical
Manager.
• Hardware, hoses, building supplies, pumps, some marine equipment: Grupo Zurita; Via Manta a
Portoviejo, Sector la “Y”. Tel. (05) 292-4321. Email: gerencia@grupozurita. zzn. com. Edison
Zurita, General Manager. See “Boris”, who speaks good English.
• Hoses (high pressure, high temperature), swaged fittings, hydraulic fittings, auto parts and supplies: El Amigo; Avenida 113 y Las Acacias. Tel. (05) 292-1629. Email: elamigo@manta. ecua. net. ec. Jose Luis Cedeno, Manager. Cell phone: 09 318-7665.

Montañita
Surf center of Ecuador with waves up to 3 meters!

Places to Stay Near Manta Ecuador:
Hotel Las Tres Palmeras, directly at the point, $7pp incl. breakfast, prices are negotiable during low season until December.

Ecuador Marine Weather

NOAA for Ecuador
Ecuador Marine Forecast
7 Day Forecast for Ecuador
Ecuador Virtual Buoy Map