Ecuador Surf and Yoga Camp in Montañita: 8-Day Surf, Spa and Spanish Escape

The camp sits in Montañita, a beach town on Ecuador's central coast that has become one of South America's better-known surf destinations. The setup is a small village of cabins built from bamboo and local wood, painted in bright colours and decorated with art. Each cabin has its own bathroom, a terrace or balcony with a hammock or seating area, and decent internet. The property also has a garden with palms and shaded sitting areas, a restaurant, a cinema room, and a spa.

Surfing is the core of the week. You get six lessons with ISA-certified instructors, and the camp limits groups to a maximum of four students per teacher, which is unusually small and means you actually get corrections rather than just being pointed at a wave. Alongside the water sessions there's one dedicated surf training class on land — a functional training session with video analysis and feedback from the instructor. After sessions, there's also an optional debrief with photographic and video analysis of your surfing, which is included in the package.

Days have a loose rhythm. Yoga runs every morning at 10 a.m. except Tuesdays, which is the rest day from the class schedule. Surf lessons happen around the tides, so the exact timing moves, but you'll typically surf in a morning or afternoon block and have the rest of the day free. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner as part of the package, with a menu that leans on Ecuadorian seafood and a French-Ecuadorian fusion style, plus several vegetarian options.

The extras are what separate this from a plain surf hostel. The spa does a wide range of massage — classical, traditional, reflexology, Reiki, Chinese medicine techniques — plus jacuzzi and steam room sessions. Your package includes one 60-minute surfer massage (aimed at shoulders, back and the muscles you actually use paddling), one jacuzzi session, and one steam session. You also get a visit to the wooden board shaping workshop where the camp's boards are made, a chance to see how a surfboard goes from blank to finished shape. Massages beyond the included one start at around $30, jacuzzi sessions at $5, and the hammam at $8 (or 0 for both).

Montañita's waves are the reason people come. The town sits at the end of a long, gentle point break, often described as one of the longest rides in the northern hemisphere and ideal for longboarding. The climate is equatorial, with a rainy season from October to March and a drier stretch from June to August, but surfing is possible year-round. The best window is generally December to May. If you've got non-surfing hours to fill, there's a Spanish school on site, beach walks, and a town full of cheap seafood and easygoing nightlife.

What's included

- 7 nights accommodation in a private Ecuadorian cabin with private bathroom and terrace - Full board — breakfast, lunch and dinner in the on-site restaurant - Wifi throughout the property - Access to the cinema room - 6 surf lessons with ISA-certified instructors (max 4 students per teacher) - Photo and video analysis sessions with the surf teacher - 1 surf training class (land-based functional training with video corrections) - Daily yoga class at 10 a.m. (except Tuesdays) - 1 special 60-minute surfer massage - 1 jacuzzi session - 1 steam room session - 1 visit to the wooden board shaping workshop - 1 surf camp T-shirt

What's not included

- Flights - Airport transfers (optional taxi available) - Travel insurance - Surfboard rental - Spa treatments beyond the included massage, jacuzzi and steam sessions - Drinks - Desserts and extra dishes - Spanish school classes - Personal expenses - The Volkswagen T1 combi room (optional upgrade, ask the camp)