Our Shore Excursion in Manta, Ecuador

We were excited to visit Manta, Ecuador, on our December 2023 Sapphire Princess cruise. The night before, we crossed the equator for the first time in our lives. We couldn’t wait to explore the southern hemisphere! Princess Cruise Line offers a few shore excursions in Manta, but we prefer to venture out on our own. That way, we’re able to freely immerse ourselves in a new culture with no need to be on someone else’s time schedule – except the ship’s, of course! Manta is a very walk-able city with plenty to explore close to the cruise dock.

Manta: Tuna Capital of the World

One of Manta’s primary exports is tune. This has earned the city the nickname “Tuna Capital of the World.”  From the cruise ship, we could see dozens of fishing boats floating in the bay.  To the east of the cruise port, there is a large tuna statue to commemorate this.

The Cruise Terminal of Manta

Because Manta is a commercial fishing port, the pier is quite long and busy with heavy machinery.  Passengers are required to take a shuttle bus to the cruise terminal.  The new terminal was built in 2018. It is a large building with restrooms, filtered water, free WiFi, tables and chairs. Inside, there are a handful of stalls selling local items.  We saw Panama hats, alpaca wool parkas, and chocolate, plus the usual tourist T-shirts.

Shore Excursion Option 1: Cultural Museum of Manta, Ecuador

Almost directly across from the cruise terminal is the Museo Centro Cultural de Manta.  This museum is free to the public and open everyday except Mondays. We spent a little over an hour perusing the displays. There is a range of Ecuadorian artwork and artifacts, both historic finds and contemporary pieces.  Two floors have permanent displays of archeological artifacts from the cultures of the Manta area.  We saw ancient ceramic bowls, decorative statues, stone pedestals, and traditional cotton spindles.  The other two floors have rotating displays of current artwork.  When we were there,  one floor featured work from a local high school and the other was a series of portraits by Ecuadorian artists.  The signage in the museum is all in Spanish, and I enjoyed the opportunity to practice my language skills.  But if you don’t know any Spanish, you can easily use Google Translate to make the sign readable in your preferred language.  

Shore Excursion Option 2: Malecon Escenio in Manta, Ecuador

About five minutes walk from the cruise terminal is the Malecon Escenio, or boardwalk. There are several upscale restaurants with a great view of the water and a cool ocean breeze.  Here you can try ceviche, a dish made with raw fish, shrimp, or other seafood.  To make ceviche, an acid marinade is used to chemically “cook” the seafood. In the Ecuadorian tradition, the marinade consists of fresh lime juice, cilantro, and other spices.  The technique was used by fishermen who would be out at sea for days with no way to build a fire and cook food in the more traditional way.  

Historians are not entirely sure where and when ceviche originated. There is evidence that pre-Hispanic civilizations in northern Peru were making meals from raw fish as early as 3500 BC. The Moche and the Inca made dishes that used fermented beverages to marinade raw fish. But historians point out that the Moorish people have a very similar dish, escabeche. Some believe that Moorish women who accompianed the Conquistadors brought a version of esabeche to Peru and Ecuador during Spanish colonial times.

While the restaurants on the Malecon no doubt serve great ceviche, and also have the option of more American-style food, they do charge a hefty price.  If you’re feeling adventurous, we recommend wandering off the beaten track; walking five to ten blocks away from the ocean will lead you to several little cevicherias.  Outside of the tourist zone, few people speak English, but they will cheerfully help you order with limited Spanish or even just pointing at the menu.  The ceviche will be twice as good and cost half as much – $4 – 8 per plate versus $15 on the tourist malecon.

Playa Murciélago in Manta, Ecuador

The beach in Manta is very long and wide, with fine black sand.  It is known as a great surfing beach and the waves when we were there did not disappoint.  We arrived on a beautiful Sunday and it was full of manteños enjoying their afternoon.  There was a soccer field with a group of boys playing an impromptu game, as well as several smaller groups passing a ball back and forth in several points.   Just above the high-tide line, there was a long row of tents and sun loungers available for rent.  These were quite popular and most were occupied when we were there.

Shore Excursion Option 3: Panama Hats of Montecrisiti

One of the signature items found in Ecuador is the Panama hat.  Despite the name, they are made in Montecristi, not Panama. They earned their name because exporters shipped the hats from Ecuador to the western world by way of the Panama Canal. Over the years, countless celebrities wore these stylish hats, including President Theodore Roosevelt. 

Montecristi is about 15 minutes drive from the Manta cruise terminal. The village is a common destination for shore excursions. If you visit Montecristi, you can watch Ecuadorians make these hats using the same grass-weaving techniques they have used for hundreds of years. In fact, in 2012, UNESCO declared the Panama hat weaving an “Intanglible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”

However, it is not necessary to visit Montecristi to buy a Panama hat. Every street corner in the tourist section of Manta has at least one booth selling hats. The price, and of course quality, of these hats varies widely.  We saw a very finely woven hat, complete with a stylish hat band and a storage box, for $120!  But a basic Panama hat, without band or box, was only about $20.

La Silla Manteña

If you are observant, you will find one final curiosity during your self-guided shore excursion of Manta. There are U-shaped stone chairs, or thrones, set up throughout the city. These are replicas of the Silla Manteñas, ancient chairs dating back to the Manteña culture of 850 – 1600 AD.  The chairs are carved from a single block of sandstone.  They are just over two feet high, with a U shape that sits on a carved base.  The base is often shaped like a jaguar, but other animals and human figures are also used. Many archaeologists theorize that the chairs are seats of power, either religious or political, but in truth we do not know.