El Faro, Ecuador

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Engabao, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: SNC (SNC), 65 km.

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About El Faro

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (224°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (44°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 1000 m out (1 in 99). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 23°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April and May, with about 4 good days in 7; in November and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Engabao, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: SNC (SNC), 65 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 23°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 15 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to GYE, changing at Miami International Airport (MIA).
See flights MDW → GYE · Skyscanner from about £325 returnAd
Getting there. 1 h 45 from the airport to El Faro.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Engabao, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: SNC (SNC), 65 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in El Faro · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in El Faro · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

El Faro on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at El Faro, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	55, good	4 ft12 smushy	449kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots	29°C
Mon 19Oct	51, good	3 ft12 smushy	302kJ	wind from the south-west, 6 knots	29°C
Tue 20Oct	47, fair	3 ft12 smushy	285kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots	28°C
Wed 21Oct	56, good	4 ft13 smushy	426kJ	wind from the west, 6 knots	29°C
Thu 22Oct	65, good	4 ft12 ssoft	396kJ	wind from the south, 3 knots	28°C
Fri 23Oct	60, good	3 ft12 ssoft	283kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore	29°C
Sat 24Oct	37, fair	3 ft5 smushy	29kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore	30°C
Sun 25Oct	30, too small	2 ft9 ssoft	74kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore	29°C
Mon 26Oct	22, too small	1 ft13 scrumbling	61kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 1 knot	29°C
Tue 27Oct	36, fair	2 ft15 ssoft	161kJ	wind from the south-west, 2 knots	29°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to GYE, changing at MIA, then 1h 45 by road. About 15h 45 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf El Faro
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, wind 8 kn (14 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Surf El Faro
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 13 s, wind 6 kn (12 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf El Faro
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 12 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf El Faro
Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf El Faro
Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to GYE, changing at MIA, then 1h 45 by road. About 15h 45 door to door

Rough cost

About £575–£1,115 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return MDW to GYE, estimated from distance and season, changing at MIA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£325–£675
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£50–£85
Food	7 days eating out	£115–£210
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£50–£80
Total		£575–£1,115

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

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Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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