Manta, Ecuador - Polarsteps

Manta, Ecuador: Population: around 200,000. Founded in:1563. Manta is the largest shipping port in Ecuador and it has been in use since the early 1700s. It is also known as the "tuna capital of the world" due to its large tuna-fishing industry. At least four international tuna canning companies have processing plants in Manta. The climate is quite nice with an average daily high in the low '80s F and an average nightly low in the low 70s F. There are only a couple of beaches here in the city and they are okay, it appeared to me they are more gravel than sand. To get to the nice beaches you have to leave the city and go either north or south. So, my impressions: Manta is a small city so it has all the characteristics of cities - noise, pollution, traffic, etc. Plus, being on the coast, you can smell the sea air and of course, the salty climate causes corrosion like there's no tomorrow. The downtown area is nice, it's walkable. Though there are few decent parks in the city. They are in the process of building a big waterfront tourist area, with the malecon (boardwalk) finished and open. I didn't find anything particularly beautiful, no particularly interesting architecture (even though Manta is listed by Ecuador as a "Pueblo Magico").