Ecuador’s modern city of Guayaquil and the virginal island of Santay are only separated by a river. Being so close to each other, the resulting contrast is amazing to see: on one side, Guayaquil stands as Ecuador’s most populated city and an icon of the country’s modernity. Only 500 meters (0.3 miles) away, the Santay Island is a virginal place that keeps an intangible record of its history and represents the past and the unknown to the modern world. From the Guayaquil’s famous pier, it takes only a 10 minute boat trip to get to this little natural paradise of 2,214 hectares wide and a population of 233, highly contrasting with the 2,800,000 people living in Guayaquil.
Arriving to the island, you can observe the exotic birds and plants living there and feel the peace of its inhabitants. Different types of tours are available, such as the canoe paddling tour, where you sit on a canoe floating almost as low as the water level and a tourist guide shows you the different bird species appearing among the foliage as you paddle along the river. If you rather take an inland tour, there are various paths to explore the island’s fauna and flora.
In Santay Island, you get to know all the people living there, listen to their stories and learn about their lifestyle while feeling happily welcomed. While you have a cup of hot chocolate, you may hear the story of the times when Simón Bolívar, known as the American Liberator, stayed in the island in 1829 to recover from an illness. You may even want to stay longer than planned, spending the night at the bamboo-made houses where you can comfortably rest after a day of adventures.
Being in the island and looking at the natural preservation of its surroundings feels like time had stopped. As you sit down to enjoy the sunset that kindly illuminates the green landscape full of singing birds, you can understand a way of life that has been preserved for centuries in this island; a way of life that exists only there, although it once was the lifestyle of the entire region including its close and beloved neighbor, Guayaquil.
Photo: Nihilo
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