Getting Here
From Cuenca
Cooperativa Libertad Peninsular (CLP) operated direct buses between Cuenca and Montañita ($16) until the beginning of January 2022. In Cuenca the buses departed from the Cuenca Bus Terminal (Terminal Terrestre Cuenca). Until this bus service is resumed you can first take a bus to Guayaquil and from Guayaquil you can take a CLP bus to Montañita.
From Guayaquil (by bus)
Bus company Cooperativa Libertad Peninsular (CLP) offers a direct bus service between the Guayaquil Bus Terminal and Montañita/Olón. The duration of this trip is 3 hours. They are offered every hour or two hours during the day. The price of a ticket is about $7.20. There are no night busses.
CLP has its ticket offices on the third floor of the Guayaquil Bus Terminal and along the Ruta del Spondylus in Montañita.
An alternative is to first travel from the Guayaquil Bus Terminal to the Santa Elena Bus Terminal in Santa Elena. Several bus companies (CLP, Costa Azul CICA, Liberpesa) offer frequent services (about every 20 minutes) between these terminals. The duration of the trip is two hours, and the price is about $4.30. You can buy your ticket at windows 86 to 88 on the ground floor of the Guayaquil Bus Terminal. In the Santa Elena Bus Terminal you can buy a ticket for a local bus to Montañita. Bus services are offered about every 20 minutes by bus companies TransManglaralto and CITUP. The price for a ticket is about $2,00. The duration is approximately 1.15 hours. The last bus to Montañita usually leaves at 8 PM from the Santa Elena Bus Terminal.
From Guayaquil (by taxi)
A private taxi from Guayaquil to Montañita costs about $120.
From Guayaquil (by car)
Most parts of the road between Guayaquil and Montañita are in a good state. Be aware that there are almost every day speed checks on the Vía a la Costa, the road between Guayaquil and Santa Elena. There is one toll booth west of Guayaquil ($1,50). Some villages along the coast have thresholds that are difficult to see in the dark.
From Salinas, La Libertad, Ballenita (by bus)
From the Santa Elena Bus Terminal, you can take a local TransManglaralto or CITUP bus to Montañita. Ticket price: about $2. Duration: approximately 1.10 hours. Frequency: about every 20 minutes. Last departure: 8 PM.
From Salinas, La Libertad, Ballenita (by taxi)
Taking a cab from Salinas and around to Montañita costs about $25-30, depending on your place of departure.
From Olón
Taking a cab from Olón to Montañita costs $1.50. An alternative is taking a TransManglaralto or CITUP bus. By bike it will take about 10 minutes to arrive in Montañita, with a fast electric bike around 5 minutes.