MÁNCORA - Turtles, Surfing, and Relaxation

Accommodation

In Máncora we booked the "Guadalupe Inn" hostel for four nights through Booking.com. We would actually have had to pay 46 Euros, but because Booking.com increased the price for some reason, this was passed on to us. The receptionist was super nice and we found out on the last day that there was a kitchen in the accommodation. In addition, she arranged for her husband, who is a Moto-Taxi driver, for two trips. We had our own bathroom and felt comfortable in the accommodation.

Attractions

In Máncora we explored the city on foot:

• Playa "Las Pocitas" (great beach, suitable for surfing)
• Parque "San Pedro" and "Criadero Natural de Iguanas" (small park with iguanas, in the middle of the city)
• Plaza "Máncora" (many stalls and cute shops) Additionally, we took a Moto-Taxi to the "Aguas termales de Cerro de Amotape". There, we relaxed in the warm, brown water. Finally, we had planned to go to Reserva Nacional de Tumbes. We had hoped that there would be tours there. Unfortunately, the offers were different than expected and included attractions we didn't want to visit at all.

Option 1: MUD BATH / HERVIDEROS NATURAL SPA TOURS for 70 Soles BEACH ROUTES (TUMBES MANGROVES, PUERTO PIZARRO)

• Transfer in Air Ban (air conditioning)
• Guided tours
• Photos and videos
• Entry, showers
• Lunch pack and drinks

Option 2: TOURS TO THE MANGROVES for 90 Soles

Pick-up time: 9:30 am.

• Visit the Punta Sal beach (1 hour)
• Visit the Zorritos beach (1 hour)
• Transfer to the Tumbes mangroves
• Visit of the Salt Forest tunnel
• Visit of the Crocodile Farm Zoo (including entrance tickets)
• Visit of the Frigate bird islands
• Visit of the Whale Bone Island
• Visit of the Love Island
• Visit to Huaquillas - Ecuador (Additional payment)
• Photos and videos
• Transfer in Air-Conditioned Splender Mobility

Option 1: MUD POOL / HERVIDEROS NATURAL SPA TOURS for 70 Soles BEACH CIRCUITS (TUMBES MANGROVES, PUERTO PIZARRO)

• Transfer in Air Ban (Air conditioning)
• Guided tours
• Photos and videos
• Entry, showers
• Lunchbox and drinks

Option 2: TOURS TO THE MANGROVES for 90 Soles

Pick-up time: 9:30 A.M.

• Visit to Punta Sal beach (1 Hour)
• Visit to Zorritos beach (1 Hour)
• Transfer to Tumbes Mangroves
• Visit to the Salt Forest tunnel
• Visit to the Crocodile Breeding Zoo (Includes tickets)
• Visit to the Frigate Bird Islands
• Visit to the Whale Bone Island
• Visit to Love Island
• Visit to Huaquillas - Ecuador (Additional payment)
• Photos and videos
• Air-Conditioned Splender Mobility Transfer We decided to accept the completely overpriced offer from Nina's surf instructor Cesar (500 Soles). He drove us to the dry forest "Parque Nacional Cerros de Amotape". There, we rode with Negra (8 years old), Junior (6 years old), and Favorito (5 years old) to the "White Rock Pools" or "Pilares Peña Blanca". If we hadn't had our brave horse/donkey-horse friends, it wouldn't have worked. We paid 130 Soles for the horses and 20 Soles for the entrance to the national park. Here you can take a look at the route we took. The prices for horse riding spontaneously increased - great. Let's just hope the extra charge is invested in carrots and oats! On-site, the animals and we also relaxed. The water was pleasantly cool and little fishes nibbled at our legs :) The way back in the hot sun was very tiring, and our riding partners broke quite a sweat. Thank you, Negra and Junior! ❤ Afterward, we swam with Cesar and his girlfriend in the warm pools (free of charge). Again, there were small fish in the water :D Back home, we had ceviche and spaghetti with Asian sauce and vegetables for dinner. Unfortunately, we had to skip Reserva Nacional de Tumbes or the rain forest. Tumbes probably would have been a better starting point for that.

Transportation

We got around by Mototaxi and with Cesar's Jeep (as a passenger). Also, on a surfboard! At "Incawarrior", we paid 80 soles per person, per surf lesson. Not exactly cheap (the guidebook mentions 50 to 60 soles), but a great feeling! My surf instructor is pretty successful in South America and has won several prizes. While surfing, we saw fishes jumping out of the water and we also managed to spot a turtle. We (or rather, I 😉) liked it so much that we took another hour in the afternoon. It was a moderately sensible decision, as I had no more energy and once, came under water for quite a while. Then, figuratively speaking, "the air was out" and we relaxed for the next few days. We paid 35 and 40 soles for the pictures taken while surfing. Nina wasn't very pleased with the price, but when are we going surfing next?

Food and Drink

We tried different cakes, pancakes with strawberries and chocolate sauce, a vegan breakfast, vegan burger, vegetarian sandwiches, Leche de Tigre (a raw fish dish), fries with mushrooms, pasta with pesto, ice cream and finally, fresh coconut. Everything was very tasty, just the ice cream was a bit disappointing.

Cafes and Restaurants

• Panificadora "Don José Máncora"
• Arepas Na‘Guara!
• Blacksheep Cafe
• Restaurant Naylamp / Pollos y Parillas "Reiser"
• Saxsay Carnes y Pastas
• Café con Mar
• Barinsta Máncora
• Mario's Natural Ice Creams

Plants and Animals

Definitely worth mentioning were the turtles. We read about this opportunity in the "Lonely Planet" travel guide and were immediately thrilled. When would this opportunity arise again for us? Nina and I were driven directly from our arrival in Máncora by a TucTuc, also known as Mototaxi, to El Ñuro. At the jetty (after paying the entrance fee for the harbour) we were informed by a company about two opportunities.

• Only swim with the turtles, or
• Drive out onto the water with the yacht, see cormorants, the "Cueva dos entradas" caves and oil platforms. We decided for the expensive version (2) and were quite disappointed. Because of the noise, I didn't understand much and could hardly translate anything for Nina. The toilet in the "yacht" was hardly big enough to change clothes (which was advertised before), and the music on the boat scared away the animals. Terrible. Then it went back to the harbour. We were confused; didn't we still want to swim with the turtles? We didn't get any information and when I asked after ten minutes what we were waiting for, I got the answer: We are still waiting for the turtles. Our guide seemed to throw crab meat into the water to make the turtles show up. The TURTLE FOUNDATION writes this on their website. Adult Green Sea Turtles are vegetarians and prefer seagrass, seagrass and algae. Young Green Sea Turtles, however, are omnivores and eat jellyfish, snails, crabs, and shrimps. So adult turtles usually don't eat crab meat... When the first turtle showed up, we were quite excited. Cielo (we met her during the ride) and I were the first to go into the cold water. Our guide then lifted the heads of the turtles to shoot pictures with us. You could decide if you wanted to take them above or under the water. Under the water, the GoPro would probably have been the better option, because so you wouldn't have to push the animals somewhere. More and more turtles kept coming, and they also often brushed our legs or other body parts - quite a strange feeling! And they are pretty huge too... After half an hour it was over and we were very conflicted: on one hand, the experience was really great, but on the other side, it was really borderline. We also noted that some of the passengers had just lathered themselves thickly with sunscreen; the chemical stuff with microplastics, synthetic polymers, nanoparticles, and other environmental toxins is definitely harmful for the turtles who even rub against our bodies. We are disturbing these animals and intruding on their natural habitat. In the end, the question arises: Can the animals still survive independently in the sea after years of human feeding? Unfortunately, we were unable to observe any whales; once again, we caught the wrong season. On the beach, we saw a sea turtle (while surfing), Oysters aka "Ostión" and "Macromoluscos".

###Number of Germans in the City A family in white clothes on the beach. They had a private surfing instructor, and it was honestly pretty funny to watch the family. ###Contact with Locals With our nice receptionist, her husband (the Moto-Taxi driver), and the second receptionist. Also with the people from the surf school. ###Acquaintances Made Cesar, Cesar's girlfriend, and my own surf instructor, whose name I unfortunately don't remember. We also met Cielo and her uncle on the yacht in El Ñuro. We had dinner with them and were invited for a glass of wine. At the end of the day, we went to the "Aguas termales Cerro de Amotape". That was quite an adventure! Driving an unknown way in the dark, through fords, and without knowing if it's still open. The last 30 minutes we had to walk, only to stand in front of locked doors. Well, it was definitely an experience! ###Expenses We bought chains, coffee, and a beach towel as souvenirs. We also took a straw bag for 55 Soles, made by an elderly lady. ###Standard Beach Offer

• Self-crocheted bikinis
• Beach towels
• Shells or shell ceviche
• Straw bags and baskets
• Chains
• Shell picture frames
• Ice cream

Laundry

We had laundry done for 15 Soles and got white streaks on the fabric as a bonus. Not optimal.

Unsolvable Mysteries

Why did Cesar rip us off? We feel kind of tricked... His friends go super often to this location in the National Park and 500 Soles for something he often visits just for fun is way too much!

Bus to Cuenca

We bought our ticket to Ecuador in a very suspect store. With "Transportes Azuay" we left around 11:00 PM. We paid about 30 Euros and arrived at our accommodation at 10:00 AM the next day. Migration went reasonably smoothly; Nina had brought all the necessary documents from Germany. Our apostilled police clearance certificate with Spanish translation was scrutinized in detail and a queue formed behind us. A couple from the USA had to return to Peru (due to missing documents). Migration lasted from 1:45 AM to 2:45 AM and there was no light or toilet paper in the bathroom. At least immigration and emigration were in the same building! Completely exhausted, we arrived in Cuenca in the morning and got money from the "Caja Guayaquil" ATM (no fee). With our dollars, we went to the bathroom and then, with a taxi (2 dollars), to our accommodation "Check inn Bed and Breakfast". There, we dropped off our backpacks and explored the city.

Post Scriptum

You can see more pictures at https://hoenisch.eu/photo/mo/sharing/HixQKdNmC.