Is Canoa, Ecuador Worth the Trip?
After hearing stories from friends and fellow travelers of this epic beach town on the Pacific Coast, we decided to check it out for ourselves. Our conclusion: If you’re looking for a spot to spend entire days on the beach and catch some waves, Canoa is your place. If you’re looking for anything other than that, consider elsewhere.
Canoa is a laid-back, small town with a lot of potential. Upon your arrival, you might be surprised by how run-down the city feels. It takes about 10 minutes to walk the length of the town, with crumbling buildings and stray dogs everywhere you look. However, once you make your way down to the beach, you'll see the white sand beaches bordered by rocky hillsides and a stretch of small beach shack restaurants and realize why the city is sought out by so many travelers.
Getting to Canoa
The bus ride from Quito to Canoa is roughly six hours (four and a half from Guayaquil), but we opted to take a 50-minute flight from Quito. Tickets from Quito are typically $55 one way, or $85 roundtrip (almost double from Guayaquil at $80 one way, or $160 roundtrip).
You’ll head to the Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC) in Manta. From here, you’ll need to take a bus to Canoa (roughly two hours). Head to Teminal Terrestre de Manta, a half hour walk from the airport, or a short taxi ride. Here you can purchase a ticket to Canoa for under $10, find your bus, and settle in for the ride.
Where to Stay
There are a few decent hostels close to the beach in Canoa (ranging from $10-14 a night). However, we opted for Airbnb. Depending on the season, this can also be a great option!
Logistics
Canoa really is a very simple beach town, which means the nightlife itself falls pretty flat. That being said, the city takes on a different life on weekends, when many locals flock to the beaches and more street vendors are out and about. If you’re looking for more activities to do, it’s worth it to take a day trip over to Bahía de Caráquez (about a 30 minute bus ride).
There’s also no ATM or major grocery store in Canoa, so plan ahead if you’ll arrive after dark. For both of these you can grab a bus on the main road and head to the next city over, San Vicente, about a 20 minute ride. Here you’ll find Tia San Vicente, which has every grocery item you could think of for relatively cheap.
Things To Do
Surf Rentals: This was our primary form of entertainment in Canoa. Just a quick walk along the beach and you’ll find a number of places to rent boards for anywhere from $5-10 a day. We visited Canoa in early September and the surf was pretty rough, so it’s worth checking the surf reports prior to heading out. Also, beware of jellyfish. We were careful, but Abbey still got a pretty good sting!
Aside from surfing, endless beach time, and a bit of souvenir shopping, there’s not much else to do in Canoa! For us it was a perfect break from nonstop travel, but if you’re looking for more water sports and night life activities, head over to Bahía de Caráquez.
Where to Eat
There’s so many local restaurants in Canoa for seafood, smoothies, and much more, for very cheap prices. There were two spots that we kept coming back to though:
Philly Cheese Steak: Despite the strange name, this place was a staple for us in Canoa, providing a mix of American and Ecuadorian cuisine. The elevated shack-style building gave you a great view of the streets and ocean nearby, while the Jenga at every table made for great entertainment. The food was also AMAZING, especially the tacos, and they did a great job with vegetarian versions of various meals.
Samay: We loved this restaurant and actually had Elliot’s birthday dinner there. The prices are slightly more than average, but the smoothies, pizza, and seafood were some of the best we had in Ecuador!
Overall, Canoa can be hit or miss. If you’re in need of a lot of beach time in an isolated small town, Canoa is an ideal choice! We surfed our hearts out, talked with the locals, made friends with strays, and took the time to recoup from travel and plan the next trip. However, we only stayed five days and felt like it was more than enough. So… take that with a grain of salt!
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