The Arenillas Reserve is located in the southern coastal province of El Oro and was only protected from June 2001.
Beware: It is not clear why the government did this but in mid-June the “Reserva Ecologica y Militar de Arenillas” was removed from the list of protected environmental areas. Environmental associations are outraged.
It consists of dry tropical forest and has been managed by the Ecuadorian military since 2004, as the land occupation from the surrounding villages became too frequent and too aggressive.
There are about 2800 ha of mangrove in the reserve.
The reserve is 1 hour drive from Machala and 20 minutes from Huaquillas (on the border with Peru). The reserve is crossed by some paved roads and hiking trails have been marked out.