Acuario Valdivia

South Coast


Acuario Valdivia is an animal rescue center where you can get an up-close look at some of the marine life of Ecuador (sea turtles, penguins, blue footed boobies and a sea lion).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby South Coast attractions

2. El Pital

22.09 MILES

An option for reaching the high forest in and around San Sebastián is to go via El Pital, a community ecotourism project 9km (35 minutes by 4WD) east of…

3. Mirador de Salango

23.22 MILES

Awesome sunset views of Salango, Isla Salango and Río Chico from a wooden observatory jutting out over the sea on a spit of land between Las Tunas and…

4. Salango Archaeological Museum

23.66 MILES

A fascinating collection of more than 245 ceramics pieces is exhibited here. Objects date from 3000 BC to 1500 AD and account the settlements of the…

5. Los Amantes de Sumpa

24.01 MILES

Located a couple of blocks from the main road, on the west side of Santa Elena, this museum sits on an ancient cemetery of the indigenous Sumpa people…

6. Fritz the Whale

25.65 MILES

Fritz the humpback whale washed up dead on the beach 40km south of Puerto López in 2004. His skeleton was recovered with the help of Hosteria Mandala and…

7. Whale Museum

25.77 MILES

Run by the passionate Ben Hasse, a pioneer of whale-watching in the area, this small and informative whale museum has several whale skeletons, including…

8. Chipipe Beach

26.3 MILES

To the west of San Lorenzo Beach is Chipipe – equally well maintained, but with a fraction of its neighbor's crowds. If you're looking for a quieter beach…