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Adventure Tours |
 W4 WHALEWATCHING Humpback whales are baleen whales and occur in all oceans of the world. They feed in the artic waters and come to the equatorial waters to breed and to give birth. That is the time when they are most active showing acrobatic jumps, leaping even sometimes clear of the water. In the Pacific ocean along Ecuador they gather in the summer months from June to September with July and August the best ones for observation close to the Pacific coast line. Day 1 Today we drive from Quito to Salinas, needing the whole day to get there. We move down the Western Cordillera of the Andes to reach the fertile coastal plains. From there we continue on passing Guayaquil and finally reach Salinas. Day 2 In the morning we undertake the first boat ride along its coast and our first opportunity of catching a glimpse of the mighty whales. The afternoon we spend in this popular beach town, relaxing at the its wide and sandy beach after yesterday's long drive and this morning's boat trip. Day 3 Today we leave Salinas and drive up north along the coast until we reach the fishing village of Puerto Lopez, which is already located in the province of Manabi. The drive takes a few hours and we take frequent stops at various beaches to enjoy the sand and water. Day 4 We hire a boat and head out to Isla del Plata, a small island some 30km west of Puerto Lopez. This stretch of the ocean with shallow waters of 30m is a preferred spot of the humpback whales and gives us an excellent chance of observing them on the way to the island. We visit the island with its nesting colonies of boobies and frigate birds and after some snorkeling along its coast we return to Pto. Lopez. Day 5 In the morning we go out again by boat to observe the whales. This boat trip will be between 3 to 4 hours scouring the area between the coast and Isla de la Plata. The afternoon we spend the day at Playa de los Frailes, a beautiful beach, located in the Machalilla National Park, which was created to protect the beach and the dry tropical forest, a special ecosystem with many distinct plants, surrounding the ocean. Day 6 If we have not seen yet the whales, we go out in a boat again looking for them for the fourth and last time. In case that we saw them already and do not desire to do so again, we visit Aguas Blancas, an archaeological site and dry tropical reserve. Day 7 We drive back to Quito but this time by way of Porto Viejo, Chone and Santo Domingo. We arrive late in the capital, where we end our trip.
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