When Bob and Lori were visiting here in August we took a tour by boat up the Portoviejo river to see the mangrove forests and the birds and animals that congregate there. The beach communities of San Jacinto, San Alejo, and San Clemente on the north side of the river are separated from Crucita and points farther south by the Portoviejo river. The area where the river meets the ocean is called the boca (mouth) and because the river has salt water rush upstream twice a day with the tides the depth of the river at the mouth varies by six to eight feet. The beach near the boca is isolated and fairly remote.
Living It Up in Ecuador 