Surf & Yoga Escape at Ecuador's Hidden Pacific Coast Village

Puerto Engabao sits on Ecuador's southern coast, about a two-hour drive from Guayaquil airport. It's a genuine fishing village — not a resort town rebranded as one — and the retreat property is positioned directly in front of what locals consider the country's most reliable surf break. You can check conditions from your hammock and be in the water in under a minute.

The retreat runs five days and four nights. Each day starts with yoga on a raised deck overlooking the ocean, classes designed around the surfing lifestyle with a focus on flexibility and building the strength you need to paddle and pop up. After breakfast, you're in the water. The package includes two beginner surf lessons with local instructors who know these waves inside out, plus unlimited board rental for the rest of the time — so you can keep practising between lessons or just paddle around on your own.

You also get unlimited skateboard rental and access to a skatepark on-site, a cooking class to learn some local dishes, and use of a coworking space with decent wifi if you need to stay connected for work. The property has a pool, a small library, laundry facilities, and free parking.

Meals are vegetarian, prepared with local ingredients, and served communally. Breakfast and dinner are included; lunch is on your own, which gives you an excuse to wander into the village and try the local spots. The vibe is deliberately unplugged — phones away at dinner, conversation encouraged, sunsets watched properly.

The people who started this place were travellers themselves who wanted somewhere they could surf without a wetsuit year-round, right on the beach, with a community of like-minded people around. Seven years later, that's still what they're running. It's not a spa retreat with a surf add-on; it's a surfer's hostel with yoga and good food built in.

What's included

- 4 nights accommodation - Vegetarian breakfasts and dinners - Drinkable water - Daily yoga classes - 2 beginner surf lessons with local instructors - 1 theoretical surf class - Unlimited surfboard rental - Unlimited skateboard rental - Cooking class - Luggage storage - Free parking - Wifi connection - Pre and post retreat support from the team

What's not included

- Airport transfers (available for $75-85 USD) - International or domestic flights - Travel insurance - Lunches - Additional surf lessons beyond the 2 included - Additional activities not in the itinerary - Spa treatments or massages - Extra nights (available at hostel rate)