The Lodge

Mantaraya Lodge is a cozy Mediterranean-style hotel located 3km from the beach (5 minutes by car), in the heart of Machalilla National Park, Ecuador, a perfect place to relax and enjoy activities like diving, snorkeling, kayaking, horseback riding, cycling tours, excursions to la Isla de la Plata (Silver Islands), community visits to Salango, Agua Blanca or just enjoy the nearby magnificent beaches like Salango, Puerto Lopez and Los Frailes.

Mantaraya Lodge can host up to 50 guests in its ample and cozy rooms. The diverse gastronomy offers the perfect combination for travelers seeking recreation and adventure in the best part of Ecuador’s Pacific Coast.

Machalilla National Park

The Machalilla National Park stretches along the Pacific Coast of Ecuador. It comprises beaches, cloud forests, dry tropical forests, small islands and two larger islands, Salango and Isla de la Plata. In 1990, the park was named an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention, Native wildlife includes armadillos, two species of monkeys and more than 270 species of birds. Many of the large mammals in Machalilla National Park are regionally and locally endangered.

Machalilla National Park is the only habitat of the Waved Albatross, outside of the Galapagos Islands. The park also provides an ideal breeding ground for humpback whales. Vegetation includes opuntia cactus, palo santo trees, kapok trees and the algaroba tree. Most of the scrub desert and forest of western Ecuador can be found within this Park.

Isla de la Plata

Also known as Silver Island, was named after the legend of Sir Francis Drake, a pirate from the XIV-century, who stole treasures from the Spanish ships and hid them on the island. According to the legend, much of this treasure was never claimed and is still hidden here. As in Galapagos, because the Humboldt Current flows from the south and meets the northbound warm current El Niño in this area, a spectacular biodiversity of underwater marine life is found around the spectacular Coral Reefs surrounding the Island.

Also, more than eleven different species of marine mammals can be found, including a small colony of sea lions! Another important highlight is that la Isla de la Plata is the only place in the world, besides the Galapagos Islands, where Waved Albatrosses nest (April-November).