Discovering Los Frailes: Machalilla National Park

By Connected Horizons

Spending a relaxing day out exploring the Playa Los Frailes in the Machalilla National Park is a great budget-friendly activity to see more of the surroundings around the “left-behind” village of Puerto Lopez. Even though the beach is located just at a short 10min bus ride from the village, getting to it by walking the short path through some very dry scrubland might end up being a nice little adventure.



Hiking through scrubland

The entrance to Los Frailes is right off the main road if you’re taking a bus you’ll be dropped off just in front for just 0.50$/pp. Once there you’ll only have to register (there’s currently no entrance fee) and then make your way to the beaches. There are three options to get to Playa Los Frailes but whether you’re thinking about going with a Taxi (from the entrance 5$ or from Puerto Lopez 10-15$) or a Motorickshaw (cheaper option at 1$/pp), the best way to get there is by foot.

After walking for a bit on the dirt road leading to the beach, this will kind of branch off into a path through dry scrubland (on the right side) known as Sendero Los Frailes. This easy path encompasses two beaches (Playa Prieta & Tortuguita), two miradors (Mirador Islote Sucre & Las Fragatas) and eventually ends up at Los Frailes after less than 1 hour of walking.

Views from the Mirador Islote Sucre

Playa Prieta

Playa Prieta

This is the first spot we arrived at just after 25min or so walking through the scrublands and after having had a brief stop at a mirador from where we enjoyed gorgeous views over the Islote Sucre. The beach itself is nice, its like a small cove with a tiny bit of shadow, the water is crystal-clear and there’s very little current to worry about. All in all, this was our most favourite of the three.

Playa Tortuguita

The second spot we hit was after walking another 10min. This other & longer beach is divided into three inter-connected small areas which all have their own entrance path. The first part of the beach is a small sandy patch, the second a rock path and the last one a much bigger mixed patch. Even though you can have a dip in all three, here current is pretty strong (and its forbidden to swim) so make sure not to go too far in. Should you loose the trail, just follow until the end of the beach and there you’ll find the exit.

Playa Los Frailes

The last spot, from which the place gets its name, took us another 15min to reach as we decided to stop at another not-so-amazing mirador (Mirador Las Fragatas) on the way there. On the contrary to previous beaches, this one is much more touristy due to being the most easily accessed (cars, taxi or tuk-tuks would drop you off at the parking lot here) and also a lot longer/wider than the others. Should you wish to buy drinks, food or rent a parasol, this is the only beach you can do it at. Swimming here is pretty nice, current is not-so strong but we didn’t really have the same “wilderness” feeling of Playa Prieta. If you don’t fancy walking 45min back on the main road (park closes at 4pm), here you can get a taxi or tuk-tuk (or snitch a ride) to drive you back.

If you plan on visiting Los Frailes, taking the path instead of heading straight to the beach is a much more rewarding and fun experience. Don’t miss it!


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