Here's our public transport guide to help you travel from our favourite little beach town in Ecuador to Canoa. Expect the total journey to take 4-5 hours and cost $7-8 per person.

#1 mompiche to the main road

To leave Mompiche you have two options. Either you will find a bus departing from the main street which will drop you off at the main road for $0.50. Alternatively, on the main street there are guys doing collectivo taxi runs to the main road for $1 per person. If you stand on the side of the road with all your luggage, one of them will probably stop and ask if you want a lift.

| cost: $1 | time: 10 minutes

#2 main road to chamanga

At the main road, you need a bus travelling south to Chamanga. Although relatively frequent, it makes sense to ask in your hostel for the rough times.

This bus will either drop you off in the small town of Chamanaga OR at a small bus stop pretty much in the middle of nowhere - either of these options work, so don’t stress.

| cost: $1 | time: 45 mins

#3 chamanaga to pedernales

Whichever stop you are dropped off at in Chamanga, you need to find a bus heading to Pedernales. Again, these pass by every 30 minutes or so.

| cost: $2 | time: 1 hour

#4 pedernales to canoa

At the bus terminal in Pedernales, you’ll find two or three companies travelling to Canoa. Buy your ticket from the taquiila and do this independently - someone will often lie to you that their bus leaves next, when there is actually another company's leaving in 10 minutes.

| cost: $3.5 | time: 2 hours

#5 arrive in canoa

You’ll be dropped off outside a restaurant in Canoa - this is where you also catch the buses to go further along the coast, so remember where it is. From there, it’s around a 3 minute walk to the beach and you’ll find no shortage of hostels around.