Jungle and Field - Pick up at our hotel was great! Our guide, Simon, knew, lots about everything, and was able to answer all of our questions. We did not end up, seeing as many hollers, as we heard, which was a little bit disappointing, but the jungle hike Was good nonetheless. Afterwards, our lunch was spectacular at the Cacao and mango plantation. The information we got about all kinds of native plants and how they’re used was awesome - making chocolate “the old fashioned way” and then the “modern way” also really cool.

Excellent nature tour of Guayaquil - Our guide, Simon, took us on a full-day tour of the Churute Forests. He is a native of Guayaquil, but also lived in Canada for many years, and his English is excellent. Communications before the trip were great, and pick up and drop off from our hotel was seamless. Unfortunately, the visit to the cocoa farm was not available (they let us know this a day in advance and offered alternatives), but Simon made extra efforts to have us see other wildlife we were interested in, as well as a short visit to a small local cocoa farm to show us the cocoa growing and describe the process and differing varieties, and we also had a demonstration where we roasted and ground our own cacao for hot chocolate at lunch. The hike to the Churute Forests was very good--but it does get very hot! There are also a lot of mosquitoes, so wear long pants/long sleeves, a good hat, and a mosquito net under your hat. Bring water. It is not a difficult hike, but I did appreciate my walking stick once our twice. We saw the howler monkeys in the trees, which was fun. Lunch was at a small family-owned restaurant, and was delicious. We thought this was an excellent way to spend a day in Guayaquil.

Explore different eco systems in one day and experience local life, take this tour - Start the day by meeting up with Simon and driving to a family owned cocoa farm, he knows these people well and immediately creates an atmosphere of togetherness. You are not there to just visit a farm, you get to know these people and how they live and what makes the whole farm work. The family that owns the farm makes sure that you are going to get to know them and what they do as well, the friendliness just shines trough everywhere. While walking around the property getting to not only look at all the different kind of trees they have (not only cocoa because cocoa requires a lot of fruit to get nice flavors) you also get to taste them (my greatest joy... want to get to know a culture... eat the food!), lots of different kinds of fruit and you learn the role they play in growing the actual cocoa crop. This farm is fully pesticide and herbicide free and thus they have to make their own natural version of these and you get to see how they do it. Then comes the cocoa itself, after sucking in the beans directly from the tree you get to roast (previously prepared) the beans yourself after seeing how they go from raw beans through fermentation and drying to something we might recognize. Then after you get to taste the wares yourself! Then the local hospitality comes back around as you go to the owners house for lunch, local food made with love. A morning very well spent Then on to the Mangrove forest of Churute, when you drive out it's all tropical forest but when you get closer and start hiking the last miles in it changes to a very different environment. With Simon as your guide you get to experience an area he loves and it shows in how he talks about and the animals that are there. Spotting monkeys in the trees, avoiding snakes hanging from them and then pestering the red crabs that live in among the mangroves. An afternoon well spent, certainly when afterwards you get to meet more local people and enjoy a few drinks with them and talk about how people are much more alike all over the world than that we are different from each other.

Great quick getaway near Guayaquil - Great one day tour away (but very near) Guayaquil! We were able to see howler monkeys right from our arrival! Then we saw some cappuccino monkeys and some coatis! The walk through the forest doesn’t requiere any experience (just a lot of mosquito repellent!) And the ride on the canoe through the Churute River was spectacular! Lots of birds to see! And lastly the food was delicious and fresh! Highly recommended! Especially our guide Simon!

Good experience with an excellent guide - The cocoa farm was fascinating - it was amazing to learn the ENTIRE production process. Very well organized and presented. We also enjoyed our walk through the Churute forest. We only managed to find 3 howler monkeys that day, but we still got some good photos. Our guide was excellent - his knowledge of the area was encyclopedic. We learned a lot! The only downside was the long car rides, but talking to the guide occupied the time well.

Fun tour with an excellent guide - The cacao farm was fascinating - to amazing to learn the FULL process of production. Very well organized and presented. We also enjoyed our walk through the Churute forest. We only managed to find 3 howler monkeys on this day, but still got some good photos. Our guide was superb - his knowledge of the area was encyclopedic. We learned so much! Only downside was long drives in the car, but talking to the guide filled the time well.

Unforgetable experience - It was an unforgettable experience...in the forest in search of the howlers and then the possibility of being able to make chocolate in the cocoa plantation! 2 geniuses Yamil and Simon. An experience that I would repeat again without a doubt!

Fantastic day with Howler Monkeys and at a Coco (cacao) Farm - My girlfriend and I had a wonderful time with Yamil and Simon! They were on time, polite, and professional throughout day. We were picked up by Yamil in Guayaquil at our hotel and driven to the mountains where we met Simon for our howler monkey tour. The hike itself is very doable for anyone, only a few hills, and it really gives you the rainforest vibes. We saw a ton of monkeys and other animals along out way. Simon was informative and knew where to find everything. My only advice is to wear long clothes and bug spray since the mosquitoes are very active there. That being said, there are mosquitoes everywhere so just be prepared. After our morning hike of seeing monkeys and the waterfall, we headed back to a Coco farm where we had a fantastic lunch and were given a guided tour. They walked us through the whole process, from growing the Coco (Cacao), to the final product. We were able to participate, taste, and learn all about it. If you’re looking for a great way to spend the day in Ecuador, you’ve found it.

Cerro Blanco and Chocolate plantation, a unique experience - Our guide, Yamil, made the tour great for us. Because of the rainy season we had to adjust the tour, he made sure we were informed of the changes beforehand. Yamil was enthusiastic and gave great information about the flora and fauna of the Cerro Blanco. He got completely soaked in the river!! My shoes are ruined but it's a good excuse to buy new hiking boots!! The chocolate plantation was a truly unique experience. We got to taste the Cacao plant straight from the pod, saw the fermentation and drying process, and then - of course - got to taste the final product! Yum. It was a pleasure speaking to Yamil in the car and getting to know him a bit. He even took us to get food at the end of the day when my friend mentioned she was hungry! He worked so hard to make it a good experience for us, and that is truly appreciated.

Our guides were... - Our guides were amazing…very informative and always willing to help however we were not prepared , despite using insect repellents and covering up, for the mosquitos and unfortunately we all ended up covered with mosquito bites