Playa Bruja

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Playa Bruja runs directly alongside a 3 mile dead-straight stretch of the Ruta del Spondylus, which has a steep hillside on the inland side of the road.

About 4 miles directly in front of the beach you can see the islet El Pelado which is the nearest snorkeling and dive spot.

This location is best known as one of a few spots suitable for paragliding in Santa Elena province. The paragliding launch site is on top the hill directly in front of the beach.

What makes this a choice site, is a steady on-shore / cross shore wind, a flat hilltop, no hazards like electric pylons or radio antennas, and a decent length ridge for gaining altitude. The site is accessible to the public, and is used regularly by two or three paragliding operators and individual flyers.

Whether you want to fly or not, you can spend an entertaining afternoon at this location. From the top of the hill, you can see all the way north to Montañita and south to Ayangue. If you’re lucky, you may see a hang glider or two as well as paragliders. A tandem ride for 10-15 minutes is typically $35 per person.

The beach itself is rarely used as it is completely barren, with no shelter, no facilities and no vendors. Not even fishermen! The beach is quite flat, but not very deep, and when there’s a decent swell, the ocean is very dangerous with some serious currents and rip tides.

With the road so close to the beach, there is no opportunity to build beach front properties here, except at the southern end of the beach, which is currently occupied by some sort of private marine park.

Beach activities include:

Type of beach	Golden / Grey sand
Length of beach	2.7 mi / 4.3 km
Wind Direction	On-shore / Cross-shore
Restaurants and Cafes	None
Distance to Salinas	37 mi / 60 km
Distance to Guayaquil	102 mi / 164 km
Distance to Manta	92 mi / 149 km
Distance to Quito	339 mi / 546 km

Surfing: Playa Bruja has an exposed reef break with lefts and rights. There is no swell most of the year, Jan and Feb are the most viable months, but it works occasionally at other times in the year, when there is a big swell. Caution is advised however, as there are serious currents in the area. Best at low tide and with wind from the southeast.

Snorkeling: The small islet of El Pelado, offers snorkeling and diving activities. You can charter a boat to get there from Ayangue. A two-three hour round trip will cost you about $40 per head with a minimum party of four people.

Surf and weather by surf-forcast.com

Playa Bruja is easy to miss, or rather sail right past it, because there is almost nothing there except the beach and the hill. Approaching from the south, look out for paragliders as you near the Montañita area. You can ascend to the Paragliding site from the south side of the hill, via a steep dirt track. As you pass by Parque Marino on your left, you will see advertising signage saying Playa Bruja on the right side of the road.

From the north, after you pass communa Libertador Bolivar, look out for paragliders. If there are none, the landmark you’re looking for is Parque Marino In front of you at the end of a 2-3 miles stretch of straight road. Then look out for the advertising sign labelled Playa Bruja and dirt track on the left side of the road.

Hotels and Hostals around Bruja Beach

Name	Service	Prices
Tagua Lodge	Hostal
Hostal Bamboo Paraíso	Hostal
La Polita	Cabañas	$10-20
Manglaralto Sunset Hostel	Hostal	$15-25
Hostería El Bosque	Hostal	$15-25
Hosteria Maracaya	Hostal	$15-25
Hosteria Arandú	Hosteria	$25-50
Montanita Estates	Hotel	$50-100