Manta doesn’t entice international visitors with many attractions, though it's popular with Ecuadorians. It’s a busy, working port, second only to Guayaquil, handling shipments of sugarcane, fiber, pepper, cacao and other agricultural products of the region. Though less crime-ridden than the other big coastal towns, its less-than-pristine beaches are patrolled by naval police.

|Article contributed by Dominic Hamilton|||