A Guide to Mompiche, Ecuador: Surf, Banana Bread & Mangroves

Mompiche is a little slice of paradise on Ecuador’s northern coast. Whilst it is still a tiny fishing village, tourism has increased thanks to Mompiche’s surf, beaches and surrounding activities.

I wanted to write an updated guide for Mompiche after my 2020 visit, as a lot has changed, and there was no information about how to get to Mompiche from the coast. So here it is!

SKIP TO:
SURF IN MOMPICHE
OTHER THINGS TO DO
MOMPICHE ACCOMMODATION
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
HOW TO GET TO MOMPICHE
WHERE NEXT?
RANDOM THINGS TO KNOW

surf in mompiche

Surf!
Mompiche has great waves, especially when a north swell comes in. There are three main surf spots:

– La Punta: This is the point break, with lots of nice slow left waves for all levels! Walk around the beach and over the rocks, or follow the short footpath up to get to the hidden beach. If you are a beginner, do not go beyond the rocks. Low tide is best! Works best when a north swell comes in.
– El Rio: To the right of Mompiche for the beach to the river opening, or slightly beyond. It is a beach break, but it can be nice for beginners on small days. Works best at mid-high tide.
– Playa Negra: Walk to Playa Negra for more beach break waves. Better for more experienced surfers. Mid-high tide.

If you need to hire a surfboard, there are a few options. Figu’s surf school has a good reputation.
Check out Surfline for tide and swell forecasts (but always take with a pinch of salt!) Windy is quite good for weather forecasts.

black beach Mompiche

other things to do

Visit Playa Negra: This is signposted Playa Ostional. This is a short 30-minute walk. Take the beach way. Walk left along Mompiche’s beach. You will eventually see a path to your left with two buildings. Follow this path. It will meet a road. Keep walking straight, and then you will see the sign.
Visit the mangroves! Go at high tide for sure. It is a one hour walk or $3 motor taxi to the boats to Isla Patete, where you will find cheaper deals. Tours should be 8.50-15 dollars. It becomes cheaper the more people there are.
Isla Patete and Isla Jupiter: We paid to go to the mangroves then to Isla Jupiter. You will see many guides with boats- but only some will give actual information; most just drop you at each point.
Maybe on a sunny day, this is better, but the boat ride to Isla Jupiter is ROUGH. I do not say this lightly. Alternatively, just take the .50 cent boat to Isla Patete, then walk along the beach to see Isla Jupiter, and even you could see some of the mangroves to the left.
Jungle tour: There are jungle and waterfall tours. Ramon is recommended. His tours (at the time of writing) cost $25 for one, 2-3 people: $15pp, 4+: $12pp. Boots and transport are provided. Contact on: +593 997396244 or go to Casa Banana and ask.
Enjoy Mompiche beach: Mompiche beach is beautiful and pretty quiet. You can go for a walk. To the right is much longer. At high tide, most of the beach vanishes.
Turtle spotting: Maybe you will see turtles if you walk along the beach or go to Isla Portete between September and November.
Take a workshop: Secret Garden Mompiche runs chocolate making classes, cooking classes, coconut oil workshops etc. Contact them directly to check what is running.
Have a massage: Michela is an incredible massage therapist; contact her via WhatsApp:09918474451
Relax! Of course, you can also relax and enjoy the slow pace of life here.

mompiche accommodation

Mudhouse hostel: Mudhouse was recommended to me by several friends. Tourism is still picking up, but I can imagine it has a good vibe when busy. Not by the ocean, but clean and one of the cheapest options. The owners are lovely.
La Facha hostel: More comfort with a variety of different rooms. Also, dorm options. Hot showers what is an added bonus. Ask for the room with the balcony if you opt for the private room.
Hidden house hostel: The supposed ‘party’ hostel in town.
There are also several cabana options along the beach to the right and some Airbnbs.
Camping! There are some camping spots, and vans were parked up by hostels and in empty lots. A couple offered to exchange work for a secure lot to park their van when I was there.

food in Mompiche

Food and Drink in Mompiche

Some of Mompiche’s restaurants have changed their opening hours or have closed completely despite whatever google reports. At the time of writing, La Chocolata was only open in the evenings.

The best banana bread in Mompiche: The small bakery opposite the big bakery. There is no sign, but it is right by Figu’s surf shop.
Good coffee: In all honesty, it is a tough call. I liked La Facha’s coffee, but it is more costly. For vegan milk and espresso, try La Catona. The main bakery has an espresso machine, but I did not try the coffee here.
For smoothies, pan de yuka and other affordable, quick eats: Munchies. A small hole-in-the-wall restaurant with some seating.
For pizza: Chivo’s. A small pizza for one is around 7 dollars.
For breakfast: On the weekend La Catona. For example, pancakes, coffee and juice cost $4.50.
At the time of writing, not much was open during the weekdays for breakfast. You could try La Facha, the main bakery or Munchies.
You can also call Secret Garden a day before to organise a breakfast for $5 (social-@secretgardenmompiche)
Traditional food: La Vista del Mar. I never tried it, but it was always busy.
For delicious pasta and other eats/ delicious desserts: La Chocolata. From salads and pasta to burgers and sandwiches. There are plenty of options for vegetarians and some meat options. Plus wine!
I also enjoyed La Catona.
Bars: Well, it is certainly busy on the weekends, even during rona times! I did not go out to drink, but many hostels put on parties on weekends, such as Hidden House and La Facha. Did you party in Mompiche? Let me know where by commenting below!

how to get to Mompiche

A guide to Mompiche is not complete without transport information, and I really struggled to find up-to-date information. The usual websites I use do not even have the correct information. At the time of writing, these are the possible ways. Please let me know if there are more!

Quito to Mompiche:

Take a bus from Quito to Esmeraldas, then a bus to the entrance of Mompiche. From here there are taxis you can take to Mompiche.

Montañita to Mompiche/ Coast to Mompiche:

Now this route is more complicated. There are two options:

Option one:
– Montañita – Puerto Lopez
– Puerto Lopez- Portoviejo
– Portoviejo- Pedernales
– Perdenales – Chamanga
– Chamanga to ‘La entrada de Mompiche’
– Taxi to Mompiche
Option two:
From Ayampe (an hour North of Montañita), there are some buses directly to Manta that do not go via Jipijapa. If you go via Jipijapa keep going to Portoviejo. If you are on a direct bus to Manta go:
– Manta- San Vincente or Bahía de Caráquez
– San Vincente/ Bahía – Perdenales
– Perdenales – Chamanga
– Chamanga- the entrance of Mompiche.
– Then taxi or hitchhike in.

Important points to consider when going to Mompiche:

– If you get to Chamanga after 6pm, you have to pay between $10-15 for a taxi.
– If it is dark or there are no taxis at the entrance to Mompiche, then you can ask the bus driver to drop you off in ‘Tres Vias’ (a small community further on), where it can be easier to get a taxi.
– Sometimes, there are more direct buses, but it is luck, and sometimes people get confused if you ask for Mompiche from an earlier stop.

For example, I went to Manta but then should have stuck to going to the next destination on the above itinerary. Instead, I asked for Mompiche and ended up on a bus that went via jIpijapa etc., which added two hours to my journey. On the way back, I got on a bus from Chamanga that went all the way to Guayguail, so I could get off in Jipijapa.

Guayquail to Mompiche:

Take the overnight bus to Esmeraldas, then take a bus to Mompiche’s entrance. Alternatively, you might find a bus that goes via Chamanga, and you can get off there and then follow the route above. At the time of writing, there was one bus each hour from Esmeraldas to the entrance for Mompiche.

Leaving mompiche

Follow the routes in reverse to leave Mompiche.
The bus on the main street goes to Esmeraldas but ask to be dropped at ‘La entrada’ if you are going from Mompiche to Canoa or Mompiche to Ayampe/ Montañita. Usually, you will then be able to catch the bus heading south from Esmeraldas that passes the entrance to Mompiche 15 minutes or so after you are dropped off.
Buses from Mompiche are hourly from 6am- 2pm. Then at: 3.30pm, 4.30pm, 5.40pm.

Mompiche beach

What next?

Head south along Ecuador’s coast to one of the many other surf spots, such as Canoa and Montañita. Follow the instructions under ‘how to get here’ in reverse.
Head to Quito.
Go to Colombia… once the land border is open!

MORE ON SOUTH AMERICA

Mompiche streets

A guide to mompiche: random things to know

ATMs in Mompiche: There is no ATM. The closest ATM is in Atacames, so come prepared. Some hostels accept cards or Paypal transfers.
Facilities: There is a pharmacy and a few grocery shops. Try and buy fruit and vegetables from one of the many trucks that come round as it is cheaper.
Internet speed: Slow. The best internet speed I got was 5mbp, but it was not consistent, and there is no fibre optic. There was no 4G coverage on Claro (unless you walk over to Playa Negra). Check this website for coverage.
Noise: Weekends can be noisy in the evenings with parties and loud music. If you are off the main strip, it is not so bad.
Safety tips: As a solo woman, I felt relatively safe but be prepared for many people to talk to you- locals are friendly.
Weather: If you want sun, from the end of December to March/ April is generally beautiful. It is cloudy and cooler along all of Ecuador’s coast during winter.

Mompiche sunset I hope you find this Mompiche guide helpful. However, things are changing a lot, and not just because of 2020, so please post updates if you notice any changes when you visit. And as always, keep up-to-date with your government’s travel advice.