Friday, September 24, 2010
Dear Reader,
The stretch of Ecuador’s north Pacific coast between Canoa and the area just south of Pedernales is her finest. Getting here to enjoy the lush jungle canopy covered hills and empty beaches hasn’t been easy.
Previously, you had two options to get here. A seven-hour drive from Quito… or a short domestic flight from Quito to the city of Manta, followed by a drive up the coast. Problem is, you could never tell how long the drive from Manta would take. That’s down to the bay between Bahia de Caraquez and San Vicente. Until now, it didn’t have a bridge…which meant relying on ferries.
Some days, if you timed it just right, you’d only have a short delay waiting for the ferry. Other days, with low tides or a lot of vehicle traffic, you could easily spend four hours sitting in line at Bahia to get on the ferry.
Once you reached the nicest section of coast on the other side of the bay, you bounced around on roads riddled with potholes. If you’ve been following these dispatches, you know that’s changing. An infrastructure plan calls for:
- The construction of a bridge across the bay from Bahia to San Vicente.
- Road upgrades along the entire coast , as part of a coastal highway plan.
- A new coastal road to link Quito with Pedernales. This makes our favorite stretch of coast the closest beach area to Quito.
Today, I have good news to report. Not just on the new bridge…but on all three elements of this infrastructure plan.
As you can see in the photo below, the bridge across the bay at Bahia is nearing completion. The official opening is slated for the end of October. This is ahead of schedule. It will cut out the need for car ferries…meaning you won’t face any delays driving up the coast from Manta.
Work is progressing on the highway upgrades between San Vicente and Pedernales, below. Only a small number of stretches haven’t yet been completed. These upgrades are part of a government plan to make the entire Ecuadorian coast drivable. This modern highway has already made a huge difference in driving times and comfort along the coast.
The new coastal road from Quito to Pedernales is complete…waiting on an available date in the President’s diary before he officially opens the road. This cuts the drive time from Quito to Pedernales in half, to three and a half hours. It means that more of Quito’s residents can come here for weekends and vacations …and foreign tourists, too.
There has been very limited development on our favorite section of coast. Prices stayed low because this area was difficult to get to. Now that this is most accessible beach area to Quito, I expect that will change. It’s still not too late to get in at “pre infrastructure” prices. I’d suggest acting soon though. This stretch of coast is changing. I expect prices will rise.
Ronan McMahon
Editor’s Note: The finest development along this stretch of coast is Coco Beach Village. Set right on the beach, alongside the charming fishing village of El Matal, the property features spacious lots, ample green space, and around a thousand coconut palms dotted throughout the development. Construction quality is excellent, and the ocean views uninterrupted. Even today, you can buy a lot and build a home here for just over $110,000. If this stretch of coast has your attention, you should get in touch with the developer today.
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