JAMBELÍ

Facing the Gulf of Guayaquil from the northern tip of the Archipelago de Jambelí, this beach resort becomes crammed with Machala’s hard-working residents during weekends and holidays. There’s little shade on the beach, one of the few south of Guayaquil, but the mangroves and palm trees make it an agreeable spot to stick your toes in the sand.

  Jambelí is almost deserted midweek, when you’ll have it pretty much to yourself, although many businesses are closed. Inexpensive restaurants and hotels cater to locals and the few foreign tourists who visit. There aren’t any cars, and electricity and hot water are not that dependable, but that’s part of the charm of the place.

  Stay at La Casa en La Luna (tel. 9/7046-049 or 7/2964-116, jambeliluna@hotmail.com) at the northern end of the island. It has rooms for $5 pp, campsites for $3–5, and offers a book exchange and tour guide services into the mangroves. You can eat there (plates $3–5) or at El Niño Turista, open daily on the main street, with entrées for $3–6. Otherwise, interchangeable kiosks and open-air restaurants line the beach on weekends.

  About 10 canoes leave daily from the old pier in Puerto Bolívar, departing every 30 minutes (or when full on weekends) until noon on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends and holidays. The trip ($3 pp) through the estuary affords birders some small relief from the brackish heat, with the chance to view rufous-necked wood rail or yellow-crowned night heron. It costs $0.25 to get onto the island itself.