Isla de la Plata

The reason that tourists journey up the coast to Puerto Lopez is for the most part to visit the Parque Nacional Machalilla. Part of the national park includes the small island of Isla de la Plata, reached by boat in about an hour and a half.

To visit the island you must take a tour and the price is pretty much fixed by the tour companies in town. You also need to buy an entrance ticket to the park itself but that lasts for five days and you get access to Los Frailes beach and Agua Blanca, an archaeological site. When the whales aren’t in town, going to the park and the Isla will set you back $50 USD. It isn’t a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, but enough to temporarily break the budget.

The other thing that probably swayed the balance in deciding to go to Isla de la Plata was its comparison with The Galapagos. Isla de la Plata is the poor man’s Galapagos trip, according to many.

So, once in Puerto Lopez, we got ourselves on a day tour to Isla de la Plata. The first thing I’ll say is that it should not be mentioned in the same breath as The Galapagos. It just isn’t a fair comparison. Not that I’ve been to the Galapagos, but I’ve seen enough of people’s photos to know that it’s an amazing unique place. It’s in a league of its own. But that’s the only criticism I have.

So, Isla de la Plata is Isla de la Plata. The trip comprises the boat to the island, a tour around the island where a guide explains about the place and the birds that live there, lunch back on the boat and then some snorkelling. It is a really nice day trip and, if you’re into birds, then an excellent opportunity to see some rare ones. The island itself is a fairly dry place and it was interesting to learn about the different weather systems that are present out at that point in the ocean.

The trip would be even better in whale watching season but as it was it was a great day out – even if our group consisted of a lot of very odd-looking people. Not meaning to be shallow but perhaps it was the most random collection of humans to ever venture onto Isla de la Plata! I wondered what the birds thought of us.