The string of resort and surf beaches south of Esmeraldas city makes the most natural day trip — or a longer stay. Atacames is the loud and busy one; Tonsupa just north of it is similar but quieter; Súa and Same are smaller and more relaxed. Mompiche, further south, has the best surf and the longest stretches of empty sand.
Inland, the river runs up into the Chocó rainforest. Bilsa Biological Reserve and the Mache-Chindul Ecological Reserve are reachable from Esmeraldas with a guide and a sturdy vehicle, and offer some of the most biodiverse forest left on the Pacific coast.
