Guayaquil & Cocoa: Ecuador's Ultimate Sweet City Escape

Mario was very thorough, knowledgeable and thoughtful on this tour. We easily made it up 444 steps for the view was nice.

My wife and I did a full day Guayaquil tour with Antonio Escobar. We started off with an excursion not too far out of the city in a cocoa farm where we see a range of local fruits and get to experience harvesting, roasting, grinding and tempering of cocoa to its finish product. We were guided by Rosa with Antonio translating along the way. We tasted the fruit at each process and it was an eye opener. Lunch at the farm was yummy. Antonio then brought us around the city, cathedral, iguana park, Malecon and the old districts. He gave great descriptions and historical information of the region and showed us a side of the city that we would not have experienced otherwise by ourselves. Throughout the tour Antonio made us feel safe and well looked after. Thank you for this wonderful experience of your city.

Our guide was Antonio and he was really good about answering my additional questions about Ecuador that was not directly related to the tour. We had a great time at the farm and as others have stated the provided lunch was amazing. My child had a lot of fun making his own chocolate and seeing the many steps associated with it. The tour of Guayaquil was sufficient in letting us get a feel of the city and we felt safe the entire time with our guide telling us where we could and couldn’t go. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Guayaquil!

We arrived a day early for our Galapagos tour so signed up for the all day cocoa plantation and city tour. This was a great choice and we had a wonderful day with our guide, Allyson, and driver Darwin. The plantation tour was fascinating and fun as we followed the process of the cocoa pod from taking it off the tree to making our souvenir candy bars. It was hands on, too, which engaged our interest. Our host at the plantation was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable- his family owns it- and we were treated to a delicious three course meal before we returned to town. Cautious travelers will be reassured to know that they used only filtered water for cooking and in the homemade lemonade. Allyson’s enthusiasm did not falter in the late afternoon walking tour of the city. She is a wealth of information and fun to be with. This was a fabulous day and some of the best money we’ve spent on tours.

This was a terrific tour. I was traveling with my adult son and we had only one day in Guayaquil before heading to the Galapagos. So glad we selected this particular tour. Mario picked us up at our hotel and we headed to the cocoa farm where we learned about all the many plants on the farm, made our own chocolate, and enjoyed a delicious lunch. Then, as an added benefit, Mario took us to several spots in Guayaquil and we learned some of the town’s history. Mario was a great guide - extremely knowledgeable and he shared his love for the area with us.

Mario does a wonderful tour! We were picked up promptly at our hotel. While driving to the cacao farm, Mario talked about the plan for the day; the Guayaquil area - neighborhoods, getting around the city, sightseeing, restaurants, local industries, and life in the city for its 3M inhabitants; Ecuador in general - its history, the regions within the country, seasons, primary industries and exports. After arriving at the cacao farm, Rody, the owner, showed us around the farm and had us taste several fruits grown with the cacao trees. The fruits add various aromas to the cacao. Some of the fruits we recognized, others were new to us. All were delicious. We then went through the chocolate-making process which was a lot of fun. Afterward, we had a delightful lunch and then returned to the city. We stopped at Parque Seminario and the Catedral Metropoltana de Guayaquil; went up to Mirador Bellavista; and toured the cemetery. It was a very full, lovely day with Mario. I highly recommend this tour. 

What a fabulous tour in every respect. Such an entertaining and knowledgeable team. We loved the tour of the farm--so much more than cacao to explore and taste--and the chocolate making was such fun. And lunch--oh my! Took Farm-to-Table to the next level. My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed our day at your farm.

We enjoyed walking through the orchards with lots of different fruit trees, not just cacao trees. It was obvious from the start that our guides were not just knowledgeable but passionate about the farm and of course about everything chocolate.

Allyson was amazing and ensured that we had a great time. The cacao farm was an incredibly unique experience and taught us a lot. The opportunity to see exactly how the chocolate is made, and how it was traditionally made was informative. We left with a new appreciation for everything that goes into the process and some delicious treats. The meal was also incredible and Rodi and Alexandra were wonderful hosts. The city tour was also very informative. Allyson showed us many different areas that we wouldn't have known to find on our own. We were worried about safety when we first arrived but after our tours and understanding the city better we felt much more confident. Thank you for the opportunity to explore Guayaquil!

Really enjoyable day. Antonio was an amazing guide who went out of his way to make sure we had a good time and saw everything we wanted to see. He is so passionate about Ecuador culture and history. The family owned cocoa farm where we made our own chocolate after watching the whole process was so cool!