Galapagos Islands Adventure: Mangrove Forest Navigation, Beach Leisure, and Chocolate Experience
5.0
16 Ratings
Embark on an immersive Galapagos Islands adventure, navigating through mangrove forests, enjoying leisure time on pristine beaches, and indulging in a chocolate experience. Perfect for nature lovers!
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
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Guayaquil - A minimum of three attendees is necessary.
The Gulf of Guayaquil full-day
all-inclusive experience
The Gulf of Guayaquil stands as one of the rare mangrove ecosystems still extant globally, with significant relevance for biodiversity and ecological preservation.
Situated a mere 80 minutes away from Guayaquil, it’s acknowledged as an idyllic spot for observing avian species. This destination boasts three main highlights:
⢠ESTUARY ROUTE: An area where the estuary’s wildlife can be appreciated. We’ll explore the mangrove ecosystem and its critical role, the symbiosis among flora, crabs, and avifauna. Here, we can observe a multitude of bird species in their natural setting.
⢠CERRO DEL MUERTO Birdwatching and Dry mountain climb This location provides a chance for: Ascending a rocky trail for a brief hike rewards us with spectacular vistas, and there’s a lagoon in proximity where a diverse bird population thrives OR
Alternatively, we can allocate time to the beach to delve into the customs of local fishers and even enjoy a swim.
⢠COCOA FARM: Experience the chocolate creation process starting from cocoa beans and spend a delightful afternoon engaged in experiential tourism. Relish in a sumptuous traditional Ecuadorian meal served in a quaint cottage.
A traditional lunch is included
What's Included
- Lunch provided
Meal Options
- Seco de gallina ( chicken stew ecuadorian recipe) - this is traditional chicken stew with local spices (not hot spices nor too spicy) this is a traditional every day meal in Ecuador
- Chocolate cake, or chocolate bars or chocolate bathed fresh fruits - Since this is s chocolate fram the dessert will be chocolate related
- Fresh tropical fruits directly from the tree to the mouth - We will walk through the farm harvesting and sampling a wide variety of tropical fruits. Paya mango pineapple and many others
Additional Information
THE IDEAL MIX FOR NATURE ENTHUSIASTS en route to the Galapagos Islands
We offer a COMPREHENSIVE experiential tourism experience
Ambling through the surrounding forest of the farm is an exploration in the profoundly silent and tranquil environment of an untouched forest.
The Estuary excursion aboard a motorized canoe is indescribable, featuring an array of birds and insights into the synergy of the mangroves with crabs and birds.
On the cacao farm, we will taste about a dozen varieties of fruit that we pick ourselves directly from the trees. And delve into the intricate process of how chocolate is crafted from the fresh fruit to the chocolate paste.
Our dedicated team of guides and drivers only serve to make this journey even more memorable.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(16 Ratings)
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803caitlinh
Mar 3, 2024
Ecuador's BEST Guide - My husband and I booked a tour with Eddie of the Churute mangroves and Howler monkey forest. Eddie personalized the tour to fit our needs and schedule. We saw many different kinds of birds on our way to the reserve and at the Estuary. Eddie had eagle eyes for spotting birds and he brought his professional level camera to capture high quality photos of them for us. After an enjoyable canoe ride in the Estuary, we went to the forest to search for the howler monkeys. It was a very easy trail and it did not take long for us to find them. We saw some females with their babies and a bit further on we saw a male as well.
The best thing about this tour is Eddie! We are fairly well traveled and Eddie was by far the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide we have EVER had. He told us so much about Guayaquil, the wildlife, plants, and answered all of our questions. He even filled us in on some of the information that we missed while we were in the Galapagos.
If we ever make it back to Ecuador, we will definitely book with Eddie again!
(Eddie captured the attached images for us!)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathydem
Sep 18, 2023
The Highlight of a Memorable Trip - This is a whole-hearted recommendation for Eduardo Meneses. My friend and I met Eduardo as our guide on a walking tour of Guayaquil prearranged by a tour operator. As he showed us the highlights of the city he clearly loves, we were impressed by his knowledge and sense of humor. It was our good fortune to learn he was available until 4:00 pm the next day, and he offered a trip featuring visits to the bird-abundant Churute Mangroves Preserve by boat, a forest walk in search of howler monkeys, and lunch and hands-on experience at a family-owned cacao plantation. Our last day in Ecuador was the highlight of a memorable trip. It was truly our good fortune to make Eduardo's acquaintance. We learned much and had fun while doing so.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anne
Oct 4, 2022
Great Guayaquil Mangrove and Chocolate Tour - I really enjoyed the mangrove tour, but making chocolate was probably the highlight. Eddie is very knowledgeable and lots of fun as well. He is passionate about his country and city and shares his pride and knowledge fully.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fiona2905
Sep 30, 2022
A great trip - I contacted Eddie as we only had until 1500 to do a tour and he agreed to take us to the Churute Eco reserve and miss out the chocolate experience - which is what we wanted.
Unfortunately, the day before our tour he tested positive for Covid, but contacted a replacement guide so that we could still take the tour. Simon, our replacement guide was fantastic and we had a wonderful few hours at Churute, journeying through the Mangroves and then walking the howler monkey trail.
I obviously can't comment on Eddie as a guide, as we never met him, but I can comment on his professionalism in finding us another very good guide within 24 hours so that we were not disappointed and could take the tour we wanted.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Birds_eye_gallery
Sep 3, 2022
Authentic Wildlife Experience in Ecuador - Going “off the beaten” path is a must when on any adventure. As a wildlife and landscape photographer, this is always how I like to make our trips memorable. On our final day in Guayaquil before heading to The Galapagos, we were introduced to Eddie Meneses. Eddie took us on a guided tour through the Chulute Ecological Mangrove Preserve. During the trip, he taught us about the history of the city of Guayaquil, the local area, its indigenous people, and the preserve itself. We stopped at a local fruit stand on the way to the preserve to sample some of the locally grown fruit. We arrived at the preserve to be met by the caretaker of the preserve, a friend of Eddie’s, who took us on a motorized canoe tour through the preserve to see the estuary from a different point of view. During the trip, we were able to witness over 40 species of birds in their natural habitat, taking photos along the way. We were awarded with some crocodile sightings and family of howler monkeys.
Eddie was FANTASTIC, passionate, and a genuinely great person. I would HIGHLY recommend that for those travelers who want a real, authentic experience, book a tour with him. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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Alleyhouseoftravel
Sep 3, 2022
Private Guide out of Guayaquil / TOP NOTCH - To find a professional local guide rich in knowledge and a love and passion for culture, history and photography is hard to find in a bundle. Eddie Meneses is just that! The experience that he shared is one that all travelers should par taken in.
I myself am a destination expert for the State of Florida and to meet someone that is truly passionate about there destination makes the visit so well worth it. Highly recommend if you are traveling to anywhere that is within Eddie's area that you use his services. A++
Eddie takes the time to hand pick local people to also enhance the experience from the driver that navigated the local roads, the the people at a local market ( telling there stories ) to the boat captain and son that shared our adventure on our trip it is a bundle of professionals that created the overall experience to bring back to our families to share. Do not miss out on one of his adventures!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Georget0819
Jul 10, 2022
One awesome day in Guayaquil - My wife and I were lucky enough to have Eduardo "Eddie" Meneses as our private tour guide for the Guayaquil portion of our Equdor/Galapagos vacation. He is amazingly knowledgeable about both his country's history, culture and wildlife. Our one day tour included a walking excursion of the city, but the real highlight was about 20 miles outside of the city at the Hacienda Cacao y Mango where we went through the process of making chocolate, from harvesting the cocao beans, through roasting and grinding the beans to cocao paste. We were also interested in the local wildlife and Eddie has an extraordinary knowledge of his countries flora and birds.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
498maryanns
Apr 14, 2022
The perfect way to end a vacation! - Eddie and his driver were the perfect guides for our last day in Guayaquil and were exemplary ambassadors for their country. Eddie was informative about the art, culture and history of Guayaquil as well as the towns leading out to the mangroves. Eddie was enthusiastic about pointing out birds and vegetation along the way and we stopped often for pictures... of which he sent us copies after we returned home. The Mangroves and Tropical forest were worth the trip alone... the Cacao Farm was over the top. It was artisan in every sense. We had a private lunch and tour of the grounds, every moment kept getting better. We bought different types of chocolate from our travel to Peru and Ecuador during our vacation and after returning home we opened it all up for friends. The chocolate from this farm was the best... I wish we had bought more!
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Silviah301
Feb 26, 2022
Manglares, monkeys and chocolate experiences - My favorit part of this tour was manglares forest and chocolate farm. Remember we spent a wonderful day enjoying with everything there. Eduardo was very gentle and nice as well. Thank you very much for that experience. We'll repeat for sure 👍😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eripa124
Mar 8, 2020
This is a MUST DO experience with Eddie! - We spent a day touring with Eddie to a Cacao Plantation and to Guayaquil. This day was one of the highlights of our wonderful cruise through the Panama Canal. It was by far the best tour we took on our entire trip. We usually use private guides on our cruises, and Eddie is probably the best guide we’ve ever toured with. He is very knowledgable, speaks excellent English, and planned our day to meet our interests, comfort and mobility limitations. He has a delightful personality, and is an expert professional. His van was very comfortable, and his excellent driver allowed Eddie to focus on explaining all we saw. Although we were well outside of the city, we never were concerned for our safety with Eddie. The plantation experience wonderful. The young owner was our guide, with Eddie translating to English. He assured us we could safely eat the food prepared for us at the plantation, and everything they served was very tasty. I highly recommend that you choose Eddie for a very special experience.
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