Mancora

Often the first tourist stop when travelling south from Ecuador. I liked a lot about Mancora, the constant sun, wildlife rich sea and its cuisine. Luckily for me I spent most of my time right in front of the beach volunteering at a kite surfing club. I was able to spot whales breaching the water, dolphins and birds swarming around schools of fish, sea lions, stingrays and turtles.

A few minutes’ walk out of town on the north side means that hotels disappear, the beach widens and you can see the dunes and mountains that surround the town.

I spent a month in here where you can surf, kitesurf, practice yoga, eat at the vast array of restaurants, and watch the glorious sunsets. Despite this, most people passing through just tend to party for a couple of days before moving on. Mancora has gone from a small town to a tourist hot spot within a couple of decades and you can still feel that it’s somewhere in-between the two, there are many hotels and restaurants but many seem empty.

Food

One of my main recollections of Mancora is just how many different restaurants there are down the main street! There is one street that runs through the whole town and it’s along this where most of the restaurants are found.

Local Restaurants

There are many local restaurants in the north of the town with menus from just s/6. I regularly ate at these restaurants as it was a good budget option and often cheaper than cooking myself. Personally, I had to be a little selective as being a vegetarian not all places had suitable meals on their menu, although if you asked they were usually happy to prepare something vegetarian anyway, usually a Chaufa (fried rice) or Tallarin (spaghetti) with vegetables.

Mercado Municipal

Open early and into the afternoon (stalls start closing around 2 but many are open until 6) you can buy pretty much everything here. There are fruit and veg stalls though the main section. Meat and fish adjacent, and on the opposite side tiendas with everything else such as soy milk, oats, coffee, nuts, snacks etc. During the day there is a great veggie restaurant upstairs with a big filling meal for around s/10 (£2.30). As well as the market Mancora is also dotted with great Panaderias where most days I’d buy fresh ciabatta to make lunch.

Isla Bonita

Simply a small hole in the wall located on the north side of town near the Bitel shop, they are a hidden gem serving the best arepas and empanadas I’ve had to date! Open from 5pm till late they only cost around s/4 and make them fresh to order. They offer a veggie lentil filling or chicken too. Postres and cakes are also made fresh and although there isn’t anywhere to sit inside you can eat on the street chatting to the wonderful couple that run it or take your food to go and eat at the park area opposite.

It’s run by a gorgeous Venuzuelan woman and Peruvian man whom also happens to be an artist so their compact shop is decorated with his artwork. We often went there and liked their tres leches dessert so much that they kindly invited me to their home one day and showed me how to make it!

Cafe Cultura

A café towards the southern edge of town with a menu del dia for s/18 (£4) with food to a good standard. Veggie options weren’t too abundant but the ones they did have were delicious. The brownie and ice cream they sell for dessert is one of the gooiest I’ve ever had!

Surfers Bar

Surfers bar is a cute little restaurant tucked away from the main street towards the beach. The bar has all outdoor seating so the atmosphere is nice and relaxed. Their menu is a bit more catered to tourists and you can get a decent veggie burger for just s/12, much cheaper than the really touristy restaurants on the main street where it’s usually more than double the price.

Hostels

Casa Nomad

Relaxing space away from the hustle and bustle of Mancora but less than a minutes stroll to the beach, it offers private rooms and dorms, breakfast and even has a little outside cooking area. The place is really pleasant to relax in and the owner and her little dog are super friendly and will help you out with anything you need.

Misfits

Great chilled location, right on the beachfront. The rooms are in a series of huts that surround a main fireplace where you can have a fire every night. Misfits is located on the outskirts of town so it may take 10 minutes to walk into town but the beach here is bigger and quieter.

Loki

This place is renowned for being a party place. With an all day party every day, I visited a few times to party and although I enjoyed myself I was pleased to leave it behind and have somewhere quieter to stay towards the end of the night.

Wild rover

Drinking culture is also rife here, their bar area has pool and beer pong and is a bit more socially set up, although their playlist sounds like a 90s school disco. The hostel is located on the outskirts of town close to Misfits which is a short walk along the beach during the day but safer to travel by moto taxi at night.

Surfing and Kite surfing

Mancora may have a good wave and good swell but on these days you’ll have to fight everyone else for it. All surfing is concentrated around one point break with just one wave. It can be amusing and slightly stressful to watch as beginners with foam boards try to catch their first waves and angry locals battle the more experienced surfers. Surfing early in the morning can avoid these crowds somewhat but most serious surfers weren’t a fan of the spot in Mancora and preferred to go to nearby towns.

You can pretty much kitesurf from anywhere along the main beach in Mancora and the season runs from June to around Dec/Jan. Depending on the day wind picks up around 11am and drops around 5pm. There are a few kitesurfing clubs but I was volunteering at Wild Kite Peru which is based from the hotel Casa Mediterranean where many kite surfers stay, albeit a little pricey. Nethertheless you don’t have to stay in the hotel to access the club and you can take lessons or rent gear to use yourself. Riders usually spotted turtles, whales and even dolphins.

Other things to do

Sunsets

One thing I did love about Mancora was it’s beautiful glowing sunsets. There are two main spots for these, the first being pretty much anywhere on the beach. Many people gather around the surf spot and if you walk even further south away from town it’s really beautiful as you can see the sun setting amongst the fishing boats.

The Faro is the other location for sunsets. Walk up the hill a little bit before and there is a café by the top who asks you to register your visit in a bid to get money for upkeep from the council. From the top you can see the whole town and watch the sunset over the horizon. I even watched the surf spot from here and if you’re lucky you can see birds or whales in the ocean.

Walking

I went for runs along the beach and found that north out of town was much nicer and remote. The dunes really open up here, there’s a little lagoon and I saw sea lions swimming in the sea, lots of birds and you can see all the mountains in the distance. There are a lot less people here but you come across some walking or running. Sadly tourists recklessly speed up and down the whole beach on quad bikes whilst taking selfies which occasionally disturbs the peace.

Zorritos

Zorritos is a pretty little beach down between Tumbes and Mancora which is often missed by travelers. If you have the time it is definitely worth a stop. Zorritos has large sandy beaches with hardly anyone on them. I felt sad leaving the beautiful beaches and warm waters of Ecuador but despite Mancora being only an hour south and the water certainly being chillier, Zorritos felt like stepping into a warm bath. There are multiple surf spots around the town, one of which is located in front of Casa Kresala surf hostel that also offers board rentals. You can ask the bus to stop in Zorritos on the way to Mancora or Tumbes or take a collective. I took one from Mancora for s/10 which is about a one hour drive away.

Lobitos

Lobitos is a quiet town where people just go to surf and not do much else. There are hostels and hotels to choose from where you can relax, snooze and do yoga. There are a few places to rent boards and wetsuits (needed) from.

Lobitos has two surf spots, a point break on the main beach where most people go and one called Las Piscinas and 15 minute walk away. It’s usually pretty quiet there in the mornings but towards midday it gets a bit busier, but there’s still room for all and all the locals are super friendly, more so than Mancora.

How to arrive in Lobitos – Talara is around a two hour bus ride from Mancora EPPO depot and will set you back s/7. The road from Talara to Lobitos is unsealed and VERY bumpy, it takes about 30-40 minutes. From Talara you can take a taxi, collectivo or moto taxi. All have varying prices but a colectivo is by far the cheapest at around s/4. The last colectivo usually leaves by 6pm. Moto taxi is the next cheapest (s/20-40) with a taxi being the most expensive (s/50+) but I figure the most comfortable.