Montañita vs Máncora: Ecuador or Peru for a surf trip?

What the data says

Montañita is best Feb–Mar, and Máncora is best Mar–Oct.

Máncora runs bigger on a typical day in season: 4–5 ft against 3 ft. Both are surfable on nearly every day in those months.

Montañita is nearest GYE, and Máncora is nearest TBP. The two breaks are about 255 km apart in a straight line. From the airport: Montañita, a haul, 2 hr 50 min from GYE; Máncora, an easy transfer, 1 hr 33 min from TBP. Fares move every day, so this page prints none. The app shows the live fare from your airport for the weeks the swell is on.

Which one for your dates

• Jan: both are off, smaller and less reliable, often fine for a lesson.
• Feb: Montañita. It is at its best, and Máncora is only OK.
• Mar: both are at their best, so the town and the wave decide.
• Apr–Oct: Máncora. It is at its best, and Montañita is off or only OK.
• Nov–Dec: Máncora. It is only OK, and Montañita is off.

The two waves

Montañita (La Punta)

Ecuador's party town, with the right point at La Punta: mellow walls over sand and rock at the north end of the beach. The town is busy with backpackers and lively at night.

Máncora

A warm-water left point in front of the town, on Peru's desert north coast, glassy on most mornings. The town is a beach resort with plenty of places to stay.

Side by side

Month by month

Best its strongest stretch OK still worth the trip Off smaller and less reliable, often fine for a lesson

Full tables with wave size, surfable days and the wetsuit for every month: Montañita and Máncora. Taking a board? See what each airline charges and whether your bag fits.

Seasons rank how often great days come; wave size and surfable days are medians. All of it is from years of wave hindcast (how we score a month). Getting there is the ground leg from the nearest airport, the same figure each spot page shows.