NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



though an even better arrangement is 

 to take a room at the Posada Lacas- 

 sagne. Living is more expensive than 

 in Quito, though low when compared 

 with the United States or with Colom- 

 bia and Peru. 



Excursions can be made up the river 

 to interesting lowland regions and by 

 land to Milagro and other points on 

 the Quito line. Autos can be hired to 

 take one across the dry plain lying east 

 of town and as far as Santa Elena (see 

 below). Small steamers and launches 

 make trips to points on the coast below 

 Guayaquil, and there is communica- 

 tion every two weeks with Manta, 

 Bahia, and Esmeraldas. 



Guayaquil should be avoided, if pos- 

 sible, from January to April, during 

 which period the rains are heavy and 

 constant. The coolest months are June 

 to November, inclusive. 



The Ecuadorian Littoral 



Esmeraldas, the northernmost port 

 of the republic, lies at the mouth of 

 the Esmeraldas River, in a region of 

 humid climate and rain forest. Accom- 

 modations are fair, and from this point 

 it is possible to penetrate into a little- 

 known part of Ecuador, using canoes or 

 other shallow draft boats. 



Bahia de Caraques, commonly referred 

 to as Bahia, is clean and attrac- 

 tive, offering good supplies of food- 

 stuffs. A railroad extends from this 

 point about 25 km. inland to the settle- 

 ment of Tosagua. There is an overland 

 route from here to Quito, little used, 

 which passes through Chone and Santo 

 Domingo de los Colorados. The region 

 is less humid than Esmeraldas, rains 

 occurring from January to April, as at 

 Guayaquil. The dry season is long and 

 severe. 



Manta, an unattractive settlement 

 perched upon a sand heap, is the port 

 for the town of Monte Cristi. There is a 

 railway from the port to Monte Cristi 

 (13 km.), Portoviejo (40 km.), and Santa 

 Ana (60 km.). All this section of the 

 country, back to the Andean foothills, 



is dry and brown during a large portion 

 of the year, being subject to the influ- 

 ence of the Humboldt current. 



Guayaquil to Santa Elena Bay 



An excellent opportunity to study 

 life, both animal and plant, in the arid 

 coastal region is offered by the route 

 Guayaquil to Santa Elena Bay, which 

 has as its objective the watering-place 

 known as Salinas. Plans were put on 

 foot to build a railroad connecting the 

 two points, and a route was surveyed 

 and a roadbed graded. Tracks have not 

 been laid up to the present (1925), and 

 the roadbed is used for automobile 

 travel. The 150 km. between Guayaquil 

 and Salinas is usually covered in about 

 five hours. There is no good drinking 

 water available along the road, nor 

 supplies of any sort, excepting a small 

 stock of canned goods at the settle- 

 ment known as Zapotal. 



The first 50 km. are over level country 

 covered with low, scrubby growth, 

 parched and brown during the long dry 

 season, but luxuriant during the rains; 

 the remainder of the journey is mainly 

 over a flat plain covered with a very 

 scanty growth of shrubby vegetation, 

 and in places grass during the wet 

 season. 



Southern Ecuador 



A journey through the southern 

 portion of the republic involves a deal 

 of hard travel, but presents opportuni- 

 ties for studying several highly in- 

 teresting regions. It may be made on 

 horse or mule back, starting either from 

 Huigra, on the Guayaquil to Quito 

 railroad, and proceeding thence through 

 Canar and Cuenca to Loja, or one may 

 leave Guayaquil by steamer and proceed 

 to Santa Rosa, whence the journey is 

 made on horse or mule through Portovelo 

 (Zaruma) to Loja. It may be found 

 advantageous to enter by one route 

 and leave by the other, and in the fol- 

 lowing brief notes such a course will 

 be assumed: 



A small steamer leaves Guayaquil 

 once a week for the port of Santa Rosa, 



