Puerto López is located on the Pacific Coast of Ecuador about 1.5 hours south of Manta or 3 hours north of Guayaquil.
Puerto López has a population of approximately 15,000 people and the major industries are fishing and tourism. It takes 30 minutes to walk from one end of town to the other. There is only one stop-light in town.
Puerto López has all the businesses you’ll need: grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware and building supplies etc. There is a large municipal market that sells fruits and vegetables and there are local fruit/vegetable vendors in almost every neighborhood. If you need big city shopping experiences, Manta and Portoviejo are only 90 minutes away and have all the malls, big box stores, traffic and noise that you’ll need.
A fresh fish market near the pier enables you to buy fish right from the fishermen – and they’ll clean and fillet it for you too!
There is a year-round population of about 150 English-speaking residents in Puerto López and another 100 that spend part of the year here. You’ll quickly become part of a community of like-minded folks – after all, they decided to make Puerto López home too!
You don’t need to speak Spanish to live in Puerto López but let’s be honest, you’ll enjoy life in town a lot more if you can at least communicate in Spanish. Most locals don’t speak English but they love to chat. So a little Spanish-language skills will help you buy tomatoes at the corner fruit stand and become friends with the vendor – likely your neighbor.
Life is pretty relaxed here. There’s a nice variety of restaurants to enjoy if you don’t feel like cooking: from ones where the locals eat, to the ones where the tourists eat. Naturally, seafood is a popular dish but you can get everything else: from gnocchi; to pizza & burgers; to authentic Mexican food.
Access to health care is important.
Ecuador has a two-tier health system. The doctors and nurses have all received excellent training (many in the United States). The public health care system is called IESS and monthly fees start at $70. The private system provides service equivalent to (or better than) what’s available in the United States – at a fraction of the cost. Puerto López has a 24 hour health clinic, lots of doctors and specialists, dentists, labs and related medical service providers. If you need specialized medical care, Manta and Portoviejo are only 90 minutes away.
Two Popular Seasons
There are two very different seasons on the coast of Ecuador, both of which attract tourism.
December to May is the warmer season which attract beach seekers, both nationals and internationals. Plenty of sun, spectacular sunsets, warm evenings. The average temperature hovers around 31C.
June to November is the cooler season making the waters perfect for the Humpback Whales. The whale watching season draws a lot of tourism, both national and international. The average temperature hovers around 24C.
Regardless you need one wardrobe here!
FAQs
What else can I do?
Puerto López is located in the heart of the Machalilla National Park (Parque Nacional Machalilla). We are surrounded on all sides by natural wilderness where you can take advantage of:
- Isla de la Plata (the mini-Galapagos islands) located 90 minutes offshore
- Agua Blanca – 15 minutes north with incredible archaeological ruins and museum, and a spiritual lagoon with healing massages to help realign your chakra
- Río Blanco – 15 minutes inland where you can see howler monkeys while riding horseback along the trails
- Bird watching: there are more than 250 different species alone registered within 15 minutes of Puerto López
- great surfing in Ayampe and Las Tunas (15 minutes south)
