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Mindo Chocolate Tour: Explore Ecuador's Artisan Chocolate Making Process at El Quetzal de Mindo
4.7
129 Ratings
Mindo
Embark on a captivating journey through Ecuador’s chocolate-making process at El Quetzal de Mindo. From cocoa tree to finished chocolate, indulge in tastings and discover the art of artisan chocolate making.
Embark on a captivating journey through Ecuador’s chocolate-making process at El Quetzal de Mindo. From cocoa tree to finished chocolate, indulge in tastings and discover the art of artisan chocolate making.
Duration:
1 hour
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Mindo - At the El Quetzal de Mindo Chocolate tour you will be met with a guide that will show you step-by-step how to make chocolate!
- Mindo - At the El Quetzal de Mindo Chocolate tour you will be met with a guide that will show you step-by-step how to make chocolate!
What's Included
- Gourmet food tasting included
- Gourmet food tasting included
What's Not Included
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional Information
El Quetzal de Mindo marks the start of the Ruta de Cacao (Chocolate Route) in Ecuador. Experience the complete journey of chocolate creation from an artisanal, small-batch perspective. We start off with the cocoa tree, try fresh fruit, and witness the full process up to the production of the final chocolate product. The tour concludes with a sampling of…
El Quetzal de Mindo marks the start of the Ruta de Cacao (Chocolate Route) in Ecuador. Experience the complete journey of chocolate creation from an artisanal, small-batch perspective. We start off with the cocoa tree, try fresh fruit, and witness the full process up to the production of the final chocolate product. The tour concludes with a sampling of various chocolates, our signature chocolate barbecue sauce, chocolate tea, and of course, our globally renowned brownie.
Tours are available seven days per week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. A new tour commences at the start of every hour.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Location
El Quetzal de Mindo with Chocolate Tour
All of our tours are at El Quetzal in Mindo. From the main square in Mindo El Quetzal is 2 blocks up the hill towards Casa de Cecilia.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(129 Ratings)
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Traveler662759
Apr 17, 2026
Welcoming and expert chocolate tour! - A welcoming start to Mindo! From the moment I walked in, I was greeted and the team told me to make myself comfortable. It turned out to only be me on the tour (even better!). You get a history of the cacao pod to bar process, and a walk around the small grounds to be shown different stages of the process and also different types of cacao tree. I was very lucky with my guide as Jari stopped to show me other bits of wildlife (like a hummingbird nest) and explained the importance of chocolate to the Quechuan people as well as the importance of maintaining an organic and sustainable process (unlike most large scale chocolates famous around the world). We finished off with a tasting experience which included how to REALLY taste chocolate, and even a 100% chocolate skincare trial. Thanks very much to both staff members. All the best with your English teaching career!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brandon_c
Mar 3, 2026
Thorough tour with knowledgeable guide - Got a slightly late start but they gave us some great hot chocolate for free make up for it. Fantastic! Once the tour got started, we only had three in our group but he spent over an hour with us describing all the nuances of producing chocolate and giving us numerous samples of the finished product. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Elvizz
Dec 3, 2025
Excellent Tour - This tour was very interesting and informative. I learned so much about how chocolate is made, from the cacao fruit, step by step, to the chocolate bar. Brian was an excellent guide, and we did several tastings along the way. The gift shop is wonderful also. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nila
Aug 27, 2025
Mindo Chocolate Tour is the most interesting and interactive tour on cacao and chocolate that you will ever have - Mindo chocolate tour was one of the best experiences I had in Mindo. If you love chocolate, this tour is for you. Our guide Miguel was very knowledgeable and personable. We learned about artisan chocolate, from growing cacao to the process of creating varieties and all the steps involved in creating what we know as the end product, the chocolate bar. It is also a very interactive experience which made me appreciate all the work and effort that goes into what they do at Mindo Chocolate Makers. What also impressed me was the “nothing goes to waste” mentality that is shown here. So to reiterate, when in Mindo, make some time to experience Mindo Chocolate tour. You will not regret it. P.S. You will also get to try some chocolate that is truly phenomenal.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jessica_t
Feb 12, 2025
El Mindo Chocolate tour... - El Mindo Chocolate tour was amazing!!! Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and thorough. We were the only ones so we had a private tour which lasted a little over an hr. We got to try 9 different types of chocolates and a brownie and they were all amazing!! They also have a restaurant there and we had a petso, tomato sandwich which was delicious, but the chocolate martini was definitely the best! Would definitely check this out when you come for a visit!!
Review provided by Viator
Mariellette2022
Jul 24, 2024
A great insight on how to make state of the art chocolate - An awesome, private and captivating tour. Our guide was Miguel, he speaks French and English and I have had tte best guided tour ever. Miguel was caring, interested, interesting and helpful. He provided us with a unique experience and a preferable treatment. We absolutely loved this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daytrip152527
Jul 15, 2024
Recommended! - Very nice and interesting chocolate tour, learned a lot and tasted delicious chocolate. Really authentic and highly recommended to do if you are in Mindo!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
582annabelg
May 25, 2024
Super informative and yummy tour. - The guide taught us a lot about the flavours of chocolate, and toured us through their garden full of the fruits they add to their chocolate. The tour ended with a tasting experience beyond what we expected. This is a small production outfit - no mass production here.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melindat696
May 7, 2024
Amazing cacao farm & chocolate making tour in the heart of Mindo! - Wow… we had an amazing time! Me and my brother are visiting Mindo from US and always wanted to visit cocoa farm. We were pleasantly greeted by Miguel, he spoke very good English and was very welcoming! We had a tour around the garden and learned about different varitarions of cocoa, the soil, nutrients and other flavors/fruits that can be mixed into chocolate! In addition to cocoa trees, there were coffee trees, guava, oranges, ginger, berries, and so many other fruits/plants on the farm. We got to taste many different percentages of chocolates and tried cocoa tea as well! Miguel walked us through the entire chocolate process and answered many questions, he is very knowledgeable about the plant of Ecuador in addition to chocolate process! We had an amazing experience, we highly recommend this tour and Miguel!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Corymaria13
May 5, 2024
Best Chocolate Tour EVER - This is the best chocolate tour I’ve ever been on, and I’ve been on many around the world for work. Our guide spoke English, Spanish, and French fluently and was informative, fun, and humorous. The chocolate tasting experience at the end of the tour is fantastic! We loved learning about how true chocolate is actually Medicine, which was a beautiful way to feel more in touch with the land and Pacha Mama.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
