Churute Mangrove Ecological Reserve and Cocoa Farm
Description
Visit one of the most important sites of this huge ecological reserve, watch the incredible amount of exotical birds that inhabit the site and learn the types of planting of cocoa, a bit of history of the estate, will walk through the plantations and elaborate homemade chocolate while enjoy a traditional lunch.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Near Guayaquil we will visit the Churute Mangroves Ecological Reserve. It is one of the most important sites of the reserve due to the amount of freshwater birds that inhabit the site. We make a tour by canoe for 40 minutes in which we visualize the formation of the largest in the Pacific coast of South America estuary. Then we will walk the path of the Howlers. It is 1.4 kilometers walking through the tropical dry forest and you can see monkeys and birds native to the area. The tour is average. Mangroves are considered as an important Ramsar site located in the canton Naranjal, Guayas province 40 kilometers from the city of Guayaquil.
After the visit to Mangroves Churute we headed to a cocoa plantation Hacienda. Learn the types of planting, a bit of history of the estate, will walk through the plantations and elaborate homemade chocolate with the same seed that you collect. After the tour expect a traditional ecuadorian lunch made with ingredients from the farm. Later you will go back to Guayaquil.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
In this map you will find a selected radius, but if you are staying in Guayaquil urban area, just let us know your hotel to arrange the pick up. The port is not a collection point, if your pick up point is the port, you must pay an additional usd 30 to the driver
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Dress code is sporty and confortable shoes
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- A mosquito repellent its recommended
Reviews(34)
Thank you Thank you Thank you to Eddie, Driver Cesar, the hardworking Pescadores of the Mangroves as well as the beautiful people of Finca Cumanda for all of your selfless work! <3 If your reading this as a tourist in the Beautiful country of Ecuador I promise you.... you wont be disappointed by the passionate people of BM tours :) This is a hidden gem of a tour honestly.. if your not oposed to the outdoors and tropic weather ( Humid / dry heat with lots of sun ) than your giving your future self a favor by booking your tour with BM tours :)))) Again.... Thank you Eddie! <3 - Owen + the Ford Family
“Wow, what a joy to read this message! Thank you so much for recommending BM Tours in such a genuine way. We are thrilled to know that you appreciated the selfless efforts of all the people who make this tour possible, from the mangroves to the farm. Eddie and César will be very happy to know that their passion left a mark on your trip to Ecuador. Thank you for making us part of your family memories!”
Haimi (I hope I am spelling his name correctly), was super professional, kind and very well knowledgeable. We learned so much and enjoyed this tour.
Thank you very much for your message! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your visit and that Jaimi made the experience so pleasant and enriching. We will pass on your kind words to her. We hope to see you again soon!
This was an amazing experience with a brilliant guide. He was knowledgeable and open to any questions, making the experience an enjoyable one.
We are delighted to hear that you had an incredible experience and that our guide made it so enjoyable and enriching. We hope to see you again soon!
Great excursion from Guayaquil. Professional tour guide and good variety with river boat cruise, howler monkeys, many birds species and a visit to the artisian Cocoa farm.
We had such an excellent time on this tour! We live in Guayaquil and so appreciated having a guide to take us through Churute. We hope to do this again with future visitors! The chocolate experience was awesome as well!
This tour was absolutely amazing!! I ended up getting a solo trip with just the guide. Jaime was amazing and clearly knew so much about Guayaquil. I was only in mainland Ecuador for 1 day and this was the best way I could’ve spent it!
The boat trip through the mangroves was pleasant, and seeing the birds was great. So so many shades of green. Note that it is a small motorboat (what I'd call a panga, not a kayaka). The tour of the cacao farm was utterly fabulous and not to be missed. I learned so much and got to taste so many amazing things. Lunch was also pleasant-- though note that Ecuadorans tend to eat a later lunch than Americans do. Our guide was very informative and good company.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the mangrove walk and that the cocoa farm was to your liking. It is true that the variety of colors and biodiversity in the mangroves are impressive. We also appreciate your comments about the type of boat and the lunch schedules, these are certainly important details for first time visitors! We are glad that the guide was to your liking and that you learned and enjoyed the day, we hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you again soon!
Our guide was great but the experience lacked a little, we weren’t able to find the howling monkeys and the cocoa plantation was nothing like the photos on Viator, definitely not where we were! All in all it was interesting but would not recommend for an all day tour.
Dear Bonnie. We are very sorry that your experience was not what you expected, as for the monkeys, the vast majority always show themselves, and as for the river tour, we had a problem with the boat at the last minute which did not allow the experience to be fully realised, however our guide tried to compensate you with an additional tour of the Las Peñas neighbourhood in Guayaquil. We hope to welcome you back for more experiences in the future.
Great experience! The boat trip through the mangroves was fantastic. As well as the monkey watching. A really special day however the stay at the kakao farm was rather short. Thanks again to the tour guide who made this trip unforgettable!
Hi Ulrike! It was so nice to have you with us. This tour is fantastic and we are so glad you got to enjoy it with us
Our tour guide was the best, thank you Jaime, for an amazing day! We learn so much about Ecuador and all it has to offer.
Hello 584roc Thank you very much for your comments, they are very valuable for us. We are glad to know that you had a good time, we hope you come back soon.
