Manta Cultural Experience: Learn Local History, Customs, Cuisine and Montecristi Hat Weaving

Immerse yourself in the Manta Cultural Experience and discover the rich history, customs, cuisine, and Montecristi hat weaving. Get a glimpse into the daily lives of locals and explore the fascinating traditions of this vibrant city.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Plage de Tarqui - Our first stop is the fish market, where we will discover how local fishermen bring fresh fish to our shores and tables. Next, we will explore the boat factory to observe the construction of fishing boats.
  • Plage de Tarqui - At the boatyard, you will have the chance to see the craftsmanship involved in building fishing boats….
What's Included
  • All Fees and Taxes
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Entries and plenty of bottled water
Additional Information

Enjoy unbeatable prices and exceptional quality! This tour offers an authentic glimpse into the daily life of locals, providing insights into the education system, history, customs, culture, and cuisine. Discover the craftsmanship behind our fishing boats, and you might even have the chance to pose with a big tuna at the fish market, as friendly…

Location
Terminal Portuaria De Manta
Inside the terminal, we will be next to the exit door or standing at the entrance door. WI-FI available in the terminal.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(71 Ratings)
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1 star
Martin_walsh9
Apr 4, 2026
Amazing - Very well organised tour. Everything went like clock work with an amazing enthusiastic guide Juan Carlos who took us through the different venues efficiently despite the amount of tourist in the areas. I highly recommend this tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cherylkz9337yl
Apr 4, 2026
Great Manta tour - We had a lot of fun while learning all about Manta and the love everyone emits. Great demonstrations that were above our expectations and very appreciated. We ended with some yummy food with a great view of our ship and the harbour/port. Everyone was professional, helpful and even helped with language translation. We were very happy with everything.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bjdoo
Apr 4, 2026
A Really Fun and Educational Tour! - We arrived on an NCL cruise and wanted to customize our tour. I reached out to Fernando and we bonded as we worked thru a modified agenda. We wanted to focus on 3 activities: the chocolate factory, hat making in Montecristi, and ending with a nice lunch. And they delivered on all 3. Our guide (whose name I unfortunately can’t remember) was a real professional, knowledgeable and fun. We spent ample time at each location with rave reviews from our entire group. I was given “star” status for putting this tour together but all the credit goes to Fernando. We all stocked up on the delicious and inexpensive chocolates. Half of us bought“Panama” hats and everyone enjoyed a delicious meal with a view. Job well done!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James_p
Apr 2, 2026
Nice variety - It was interesting to see such a variety of things on one tour. Our guide Jorge Elias was excellent. We really enjoyed the fish market and the hat making demonstration.
Review provided by Viator
Dreamer57557745330
Mar 22, 2026
Excellent experience - Excellent experience in l to the beautiful city of manra
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kelly_g
Mar 16, 2026
And I even bought the hat they finished - This tour was amazing, especially the hats. We watched the end making of the hat and it actually fit my husband perfectly, so we bought it. Totally amazing tour.
Review provided by Viator
Leslie_s
Mar 9, 2026
Excellent overview of Manta - Our guide communicated with us before the tour and met us right on time at the port with a sign. He was very knowledgeable and kind and did an excellent job explaining everything we saw. We loved the variety of stops, the fishing boats, vegetable nut factory, hat presentation and chocolate stops were all very educational and informative.
Review provided by Viator
Denise_l
Dec 13, 2025
Excellent - Excellent tour from start to finish. Informative and entertaining. Easy to find the tour reps, comfortable bus, great info, each of the stops worth seeing.
Review provided by Viator
Charles_e
Apr 2, 2026
Good tour to consider - Be aware of the amount of time you spend shopping. Others are sometimes waiting to move on. We enjoyed the opportunity to learn how chocolate, vegetable ivory, and Panama hats are made. The fish market was wonderful and NOT smelly! A little bit of the ship building was interesting. The museum was unremarkable, but the view from on top of the mountain was nice.
Review provided by Viator
Donna_h
Mar 9, 2026
Our tour guide Nichole... - Our tour guide Nichole was very sweet but wasn’t very knowledgeable about her city. Read a lot of facts from her phone, didn’t know the population, no idea what an apartment or house cost since she lived with her parents, the fish market she couldnt identify the fish. We missed a museum stop that was on the itinerary. At the chocolate store she read the board about production with no other facts. Didn’t even talk about the cocoa beans or show us. Very disappointing.
Review provided by Viator
From $65
up to 14 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).