isla de la plata

Loved the boobies, turtles, dolphins, humming birds, frigates and the conservationists.Personally I think the boat crews lack a bit of charm and I think for the amount they charge there could be a bit more customer service. I speak Spanish but most of the others on the boat didn't and they were expecting and had been promised an English translator. I don't they got much of a tip.

Before taking the boat , be sure to bring enough water with you, we are talking of a minimum of two liters a person.It is really hot on the island and there is no drinking water available. Sometime in the boat they offer you some purified water in big cans, but it tastes awfull.Sandals are good to get on the boat ( where you have to put them in a big bag), on the island, hiking shoes are recommended. Certainly don't forget a hat, sunblockers, ...When you are easily seasick, a little pill can be usefull, because the ride can be quite rough.What animals you can see depends on the season, we were lucky to see a colony of dolphins passing by the boats and on our way back, we saw a manta jumping out of the water. The big turtels are a common view, as are the blue feeted Boobies and the fregat birds. While snorkling, we didn't see that much fish, but was good to cool off. Picknick was allright : a chunk of watermelon and pineapple to refresh and two little sandwiches. Little beers were offered at two USD.It is nice, but don't expect too much.

Since I didn't make the arrangements I didn't catch name of the operator, something like Aventuras. Hotel Alcazaba made our plans, so ask Maria. Guides were knowledgeable and bilingual. Served portions of various fresh fruits as well as meat and cheese sandwiches and juice. A few boats all left the snorkeling area at the same time, we were the first to arrive back in town. Always wear their life preservers - just in case... Even though it's not mating or hatching season in Jan. there are some colonies of birds that live there year round. Whales run from June thru Oct. but still worth the trip even without 'em.

You can hitch a day trip to the Isla de la Plata. It is a fascinating ride 40 km out on to high Pacific seas to the 'poor man's Galapagos’. There are plenty of boat operators that offer this trip from Puerto Lopez. It can be a bit rough in high seas but operators are skilled and can ride swells. Just check that you ask how long it takes, as some boats are faster than others and one hour is the maximum that you should allow. Once you arrive a local guide shows you around the desert island with complete nesting colonies of blue footed boobies and Frigate birds. The walk is fascinating but do take enough water (1l per person). You are offered lunch and drinks later but it is rarely enough.After lunch they get the snorkelling kit out and that’s what my ten year old liked a lot. The area is full of fish you only know from ‘Finding Nemo’.  On the way back to Puerto Lopez, we saw a humpback whale, a splatter from a manta and a dead bright orange whale buoying along the surface pointing the way home. If you want to evaluate if this is for you have a look at our two minute video that we shot and edited in October 2014. (http://vimeo.com/111486523)

An excellent day trip from Puerto Lopez! Excellent Blue foot viewing, other birds as well. Beautiful views from the top. Nice easy hike, nice boat ride. Not great snorkelling or wildlife sightings but certainly a nice way to spend a day. The drive from Salinas was memorable.

We boated into the harbor to be greeted by 5 sea turtles and then proceeded on the hike around the island. We saw 5 different types of Boobies and Frigate Birds and learned about a number of natural medicines found on the island. It was very informative and interesting.

We needed to visit Isla de la Plata since we didn't have time to go to the Galapagos this trip. We were able to see many of the Blue Foot Boobies nesting and just hanging out. It was a real steep hike to the top, but fortunately my wife and I do a lot of hiking and recently many Rocky Mountain Range treks, so we are in good shape.The boat charter also included lunch after the tour of the island and snorkeling where there were many colorful fish and sea turtles. It would have been better if the sun had been out. The boat ride is about an hour and not real smooth on our day.

We booked this excursion through our hostel, Hostería Itapoá, for $35 per person. We left at 9:30am in a boat with a total of 16 passengers. The journey to the island takes just over an hour. Once docked, we were able to choose one of 2 routes to walk. We chose the walk by the cliffs. There we saw lots of blue footed boobies, including chicks! I never expected to see so many and certainly not so close up. I was pleasantly surprised. The views from the walk were great and our guide was very knowledgeable about the plants and birds.After the walk we returned to the boat where we were able to see sea turtles, which was great! From there we sailed around a headland where we stopped for snorkelling. I was a bit sceptical about the snorkelling, rightly it turned out - the water was quite choppy and too rough to see anything. Still, I enjoyed the swim to cool down and it was nice to relax in the water.For this trip you need a lot of water, a lot of suncream, sunglasses and a hat. When we went, the heat was really intense and I was glad we had been prepared for it. I would also bring some snacks - lunch is included but it is just two small sandwiches and we ended up tucking into some crisps that we had brought as we were still hungry.Last thing - the crossing is actually quite choppy, much more so than I was expecting, especially on the way back at 3pm. So if you haven't got great sea legs, it might be an idea to take a motion sickness pill, or the hour journey could feel very long.

We recently took a tour from Puerto Lopez and it was a day very well spent. We saw a lot of Blue footed Boobies, Frigates and Sea turtles. The hike in the island was also very nice, with breathtaking views. Take a tour from one of the many tour operators offering a day tour to this place, and you will definitely like it.

We booked our tour through the hostal where we were staying, Hostal Maxima. For about $50 the tour included boat transport to the island and back, lunch, a snack, a tour of the island, and snorkeling. There were approximately a dozen of us in the tour group. Unfortunately, our guides and boat captain spoke very limited or no English so understanding every aspect of the tour was a challenge. Thankfully there were bilingual persons on the boat to fill in the gaps. We were able to see sea turtles, blue footed boobies, other wild birds and colourful fish. The island itself was very dry with challenging terrain (lots of stairs, dirt trails, uphill/downhill). I would recommend bringing lots of water, sunscreen, hat, and long sleeves. We were able to view blue footed boobies, although there were far less than I imagined there would be - but an amazing experience nonetheless. The water was quite rough for snorkelling but we managed to get in 45 minutes worth of underwater viewing. The boat ride was fast enough (about an hour and half), but rough waters on the way back to mainland were enough to rattle more than one of us on board. A great tour and a worthwhile experience with knowledgeable guides and a wonderful chance to experience the wonders of South American wildlife and the beauties of this coastal Ecuador.

You will enjoy a visit to this Island. We left from Puerto Lopez on one of the many boats offering various trips. Ours included whale watching, tour of Isla de la Plata, snorkeling and lunch. A full day for a whopping $45US! The island itself is full of wild birds, iguanas and various indigenous species. Our guide offered and extensive history of this now protected island. Be aware that if you decide to tour there is quite and elevation change. If you are in decent shape at all you will have a fantastic experience. If you are in this part of Ecuador and have not be to Galapagos then make sure to visit Isla de la Plata!

Nice hike around the island during mating time. The island is well managed and was a real treat. The snorkeling stop after visiting the island was superb with more fish and undamaged coral than I have seen anywhere.

We arranged the tour out of Porto Lopez. We were out at 9:30 for the 1:30 min 42 Kilometer journey to Isla de la Plata. Our guide Andy and his assistants were very helpful. Arriving at the beach at Isla de la Plata we disembarked to the covered shelter which had clean restrooms to prepare for our hike and tour. We had to climb about 100 steps. I would not say it was strenuous but it was a good climb. Upon reaching the summit we took in the amazing view and then our party had two choices of three available trails. The fourth trail was closed due to baby albatross along the path. So our entire group chose the RED 4.5 mile trail. This was a pretty easy walk except for the final ascent, it was hot and several had to take it slow. Don't forget to bring, head cover, sun screen, water, hiking shoes and insect repellent. The boat ride can be rough with 8 to 12 foot swells common. To see the birds so close up was interesting. They had no fear of humans, we were advised to respect a two meter limit. We saw a magnitude of birds including blue footed, red footed and nazca boobies along with several other species including the red breasted frigate. We stopped for lunch and snorkeling on the shoreline, there were sea turtles and colorful fish. Not the most impressive snorkel spot but there were things to see but not much in terms of colorful coral. On the trip back we saw several manta rays jumping in the water. Apparently this area is active with whales during the season. The pier that we returned to had very clean restrooms.It is known to some as a poor mans Galapagos and from talking with friends who have been I would have to agree. But we haven't yet taken the Galapagos off our bucket list.

I went there especially to see blue-footed boobies. You can come very close to them and they are very easy to spot as they mostly sit close to the path. We also saw turtles, pelicans and the great frigates. And on the way to the island we were lucky to see many humpback whales.

We spent most of one day on this tour. Had a great boat ride, hiked over the island, seeing blue-footed boobies, masked boobies, frigates, and many other birds. There were a couple of turtles and lots of beautiful tropical fish during the snorkeling. We also had very close encounters with a pod of humpbacks! The guide, Julio, did an excellent job of explaining everything, even though it was in Spanish, he spoke slowly and clearly enough that we understood most of what he said. We had an English interpreter along, but really didn't need him. (We have high school Spanish.) If you can't get to the real Galapagos, this is a fun alternative.