The “Acapulco of Ecuador” enjoys a wide bay dotted with fishing boats and backed by green hills. Even though most people use Puerto López only as a base for exploring the surrounding area, it’s still an enjoyable town with a lovely beach. In the morning, tourists can watch fishermen bring in and clean their catches, and in the afternoon see them cleaning and repairing their nets and boats. The coastal road serves as the long, dusty main street, where it’s easy to picture a Wild West showdown taking place at high noon. Along with is proximity to Machalilla National Park and the Isla de la Plata, Puerto López is probably the best-known and most popular whale-watching destination in Ecuador. Things can get crowded on weekends during whale-watching season (June–September. Understandably, most of Puerto López’s activities center around the ocean. Humpback whales swimming north from Antarctica can be seen gathering in the calm waters of the bay from late June to early September. Visitors can often spot them from the beach, or can choose from about a dozen tour companies in town for close-up viewing from boats. Most of these operations also offer tours to the Isla de la Plata and inland parts of nearby Machalilla National Park. All have roughly the same offerings and prices, and sometimes even share tour boats to ensure that the minimum group size is met.