Astonishing Mangroves & Dry forest /Chocolate experience trip
- 8 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
“My trip is NOT for everyone; it is for active people who love nature and seek a physically challenging experience and connection with nature, not just another tourist excursion.” “After this trip, the participants will become more self-confident, with the satisfaction of Having been in close contact with nature, having eaten on the porch of the house and sharing a few moments with country folk and farmers. Having overcome their limits and with unforgettable memories in the heart of nature.” THE PEREFCT COMBINATION FOR NATURE LOVERS on their way to the Galapagos islands The Estuary ride on a motorised canoe is an experience beyond words with a wide variety of birds and learning the interaction of the mangroves with crabs and birds. And learn in absolute detail how chocolate is produced from the fresh fruit all the way to chocolate paste. Our passionate team of guides and drivers only enhance this adventure further.
Inclusions
What's included
- Lunch
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
5.0
- 526
- 40
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Ratings come from 26 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5Great Nature Tour
Great time with Eddie on a private tour to the mangroves and chocolate making. Eddie is very friendly and knowledgable. Communication is excellent, he and the driver are super friendly. He also makes sure to support local families on these tours (for example the chocolate making is with a local business, the mangrove tour is with a local guide, etc).
5Amazing Experience in the Churute Mangroves
My family and I toured the Mangroves with Eddie this November. I would highly recommend this full-day tour. Eddie is highly knowledgable of and passionate about the Churute Mangroves and the chocolate-making process. He was able to name every bird we saw, many of which I had never heard of before. He is eloquent and very accommodating, one of our group members had to join later, so Eddie arranged a car to pick up and drop her off mid-tour. I felt very immersed in the local Ecuadorian culture due to Eddie’s local connections. We ate a traditional-style Ecuadorian lunch at a family’s farm, met “the Captain”, and cut down cacao fruit with a traditional saw. You can trust Eddie to deliver an info-packed, interactive, and unforgettable experience in the Mangroves. Thanks so much! 🙏🏼
5Sharing love of the Lowlands of Guayaquil
Eddie guided us on a wonderful learning adventure through the back roads outside Guayaquil. The birding was exceptional as Eddie shared his knowledge and photographic skills. We ended with a greater appreciation of mangroves and chocolate production. His friendly personality exudes warmth. Eddie is an excellent ambassador of his community and country.
5Exciting, delicious, informative.
What an exciting day Eddie (Eduardo Meneses) gave us. Our motorized canoe through the estuary was filled with many beautiful bird citings, and amazing sites. Eddie is a great guide, spoting howler monkeys and birds in a flash. Lunch, including the chocolate dessert at the cacao farm was magnificient. The harvesting and processing of the cacao was a fasinating process, and making and tasting the chocolate bars we made was beyond delicious. Highly recommend this 8+ hour tour, and especially Eddie as the guide. He's full of information, knowledge and humor. We enjoyed every minute.
5Amazing Experience
Our Guide, Eduardo (Eddie) Meneses, was amazing. Very personable, friendly, funny, and full of information. He could spot a bird in a flash! His whole tour was amazing, and we would absolutely recommend him for any excursion.
5Outstanding Guide – Professional, Flexible & Knowledgeable
In January 2025 we did two full-day tours with Eduardo Meneses: the Churute Mangroves Reserve (including the cacao experience at Finca Cumandá) and a custom trip to the El Morro Estuary & Playas. Both were excellent. Eduardo guided in both English and Spanish, which was perfect for our mixed group. He was always on time, professional, very informative, and also flexible — on one day he even extended the tour beyond the planned schedule without charging extra. The cacao experience at Finca Cumandá was a highlight: the hosts were as welcoming and knowledgeable as Eduardo, and we learned so much about cacao and other fruits. His strong connections with local guides also made activities like dolphin watching and bird spotting smooth and reliable. A wonderful surprise was that Eduardo is also a talented photographer. He took photos of wildlife, landscapes, and our group throughout the tours, and shared them with us afterwards. The pictures were fantastic and a great memory of our trip. I highly recommend Eduardo to anyone visiting Ecuador — he’s professional, trustworthy, and makes every excursion both fun and meaningful.
Know before you go
- Pickup
- Pickup is included for everyone.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Guayaquil a guided visit
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
How it compares in Guayaquil
- Its from-price is 60% above the median of the 141 experiences we list in Guayaquil.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 17 of 141.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Guayaquil
Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city and main port, a hot, humid river city with a landscaped waterfront and a hillside of coloured houses.
Guayaquil sits on the estuary of the Guayas River on the Pacific side of Ecuador. The Malecón 2000, a long riverside promenade, runs past gardens, museums, a clock tower and a viewing wheel. At the northern end, the Las Peñas quarter climbs Cerro Santa Ana, its coloured wooden houses lining a stairway of more than 400 steps that ends at a lighthouse and chapel.
Top-ranked sights in Guayaquil: Seminario Park (Parque de las Iguanas), Malecon 2000, Guayaquil Historical Park (Parque Histórico).
