Fish is sold from the beach in Puerto Lopez. It's hard not to get caught up in the frenzy as hoards of fishermen rush the shore. Hungry birds swirl above as fisherman push in the day's catch. It is a sight to see! When we returned from whale watching, they were still at it, so you won't have to wake up early to see it all go down.

The whale watching off Puerto Lopez was spectacular. We must have seen more than a dozen humpback whales playfully breaching all around us. Peak season runs from June to August. While the tours are extremely cheap ($30)--I paid more than twice that in Hawaii--the town itself is quite dirty. There are reportedly much better locations to stay along the coast. I would recommend arranging a tour with your hostel and just taking the bus in for the day.