Walk a family cacao farm near Milagro, open a pod, make your own chocolate bar and eat lunch at the farm while it sets. Then Guayaquil’s landmarks on the way back, or the whole day in the countryside.
The story
Ecuador’s fine cacao grows on family farms an hour or so from Guayaquil. On this one, the family who works the trees shows you the whole path from pod to bean to chocolate, feeds you at their table and sends you back to the city with something you made yourself.
Pickup at your hotel, Airbnb or in Samborondón, and the city thins out behind you. Your guide uses the drive to tell you how cacao made Guayaquil rich, long before bananas or shrimp, so that when you step out at the farm near Milagro you already know why these trees matter.
The family walks you through the plantation and shows you how they know a pod is ready. Crack one open: inside, the beans sit in sweet white pulp that tastes of lychee and lemon, and almost nobody outside a farm ever tries it. Then the beans’ next steps, fermenting and drying, before they become chocolate.
Roasted beans, a stone grinder and your own two arms. The paste turns glossy as you work, the family adds the finishing touches and you pour your own traditional chocolate bar. It takes muscle, patience and a lot of laughing, and it smells better than any chocolate shop you have ever walked into.
A farm-to-table lunch with a fresh drink, under the roof where the family eats, while your bar cools. Ask anything: about the harvest, the weather, how long a young tree takes to bear fruit. On the farm-only day you stay longer here, with time for the fruit the season brings and a roadside fruit stand on the way.
In Guayaquil, the landmarks look different now: the cathedral and the iguanas of Parque Seminario, Plaza de la Administración and La Fragua de Vulcano, the Malecón 2000 and Las Peñas, in a city that grew rich on cacao. Your guide drops you at Puerto Santa Ana or your hotel, chocolate in hand.
Your day
Also listed on ToursByLocals ↗, GetYourGuide ↗, ToursByLocals (farm only) ↗
Every experience is shaped around your group, so we talk first and then send you a proposal made for you. No fixed packages.
Real reviews
6 reviews mention this experience; all are quoted as written, from the platform where they were left.
Allyson was a very informative and considerate guide! She explained every part of the tour in excellent English with a deep knowledge of the area and Cacao farm. Everyone at the farm was very welcoming and accommodating. We highly recommend this tour and consider it one of the highlights of the trip!
Charles W.
Allyson Aleman was the perfect guide for us. We were two people who booked this tour months prior to landing in Ecuador. Allyson kept in contact with us periodically and then the day before the tour confirmed all arrangements. She is a very pleasant person and very knowledgeable about this chocolate making tour - plants, process, products. It was hands on and loads of fun besides being educational. I’d recommend her to anyone.
Clinton L. · United States
Allyson did a fabulous job of showing us the sites of Quayaquil over the span of two days when our cruise ship was diverted from Peru this past February. She put together the perfect trip of countryside and city on very short notice. Her English is excellent, her communications are excellent, her responsiveness to questions are excellent, and her sense of humor charming. Book with Allyson and you will not be disappointed. She is a credit to the Tours by Locals service.
Margaret P. · United States
In making these arrangements, Allyson wrote me to treat her as my friend in Guayaquil. In fact, she was like a best friend. The tour was amazing. She made everything run smoothly and led our family on a terrific tour of the Cocoa farm. We made our own chocolate and had a delicious farm to table lunch while the chocolate was cooling. We loved the city tour which she adjusted per our request as it was a long day - our first in the country. She is a lovely woman and has perfect English. She is extremely knowledgeable about her city and country. She went above and beyond by helping us arrange airport transfers both leaving Guayaquil and on our return. I do feel as if I have a friend in Guayaquil and would recommend her to anyone looking for the perfect guide while visiting.
Vivien M. · United States
We have been on a number of Tours by Locals outings. Before going into specifics, we’ll start by saying that the tour we had with Allyson Aleman on Guayaquil, Ecuador was easily the most enjoyable, informative, and rewarding tour we’ve ever had. Guayaquil is one of the two main jumping-off points for the Galapagos Islands, the other being Quito. Guayaquil may be less well known, but as far as we are concerned, it is absolutely not to be missed. And Allyson is the guide you want to have. She has lived here her entire life, loves the city and its environs, and is incredibly well-connected. We spent an entire day roaming around, and we lost count of how many times people on the street greeted her or were greeted by her, waved to her, shouted out to her: she seems to know everybody in this city of 3 million! This personal connection played great dividends, because she was easily able to get us into any place she wanted to show us because, well, she knows everybody! Our day began with a tour of Guayaquil’s beautiful Municipal Cathedral. We were able to get a rare inside look of a gallery hidden in the walls that encircles the structure high up above the floor, on the back side of stained glass windows depicting over 100 saints. Afterwards we strolled through parks and other sites where Allyson pointed out statues of important figures and gave a us a great overview of Ecuador’s history. We ended up at the waterfront (on the Malecon) and had a look into the fascinating Museum of Archeology and Modern Art, before sitting down for a wonderful lunch at a fine restaurant right by the river. A stop for some of Ecuador’s excellent coffee followed. After strolling through some older neighborhoods we took a cable car ride across the water to have a look at the communities on the other side. We finished our day back at our hotel. Even though the tour was described as 6 hours, Allyson spent well over 7 hours with us. While she offered us rides from place to place, we are walkers and were happy to do all of our exploring on foot. Ecuador is reknowned for its Cacao farms and the chocolate that they produce, and Allyson mentioned that she was available the following day if we were interested in an excursion to one. We immediately agreed, and we were treated to a ride out of the city to Finca Cumanda, a small farm run by Roddy and Alexandra, a couple who are justly proud of what they have built. They showed us the entire chocolate making process (and they let us help!), from hacking open the cacao fruit, extracting and drying the beans, separating and roasting the nuts inside, and finally processing all the way to amazing bars with complex flavors—nothing like the Nestle’s back home! We always thought that Belgian chocolate was the best in the world. The fact is, the Belgians have come here to learn how it’s done! Afterwards Roddy and Alexandra treated us to a delicious traditional lunch, entirely from the farm’s produce. Then back to our hotel, after another amazing day with Allyson Aleman.
Carrie Schore
We were so grateful to tour with Allyson. This was our first visit to Guayaquil and Allyson immersed us in the political and architectural history of the city. We climbed to the top of the hill (444 steps) and were rewarded with a beautiful view of the city and the river. We also learned about the origin of the Paja Toquilla and toured the Music Museum. A stroll along the Malecon was followed by a refreshing drink of juice made from cacao (nothing like coffee). Thank you, Allyson, for a great day!
Suzanne S. · United States
On time pick up from our hotel. Tour around the highlights of the city. Guide was very knowledgeable and personable but the city itself is just not that scenic.
Trevor R. · United States
Wir hatten einen sehr schönen Tag mit Allyson. Bereits im Vorfeld war Allyson sehr kommunikativ und der Ausflug selbst war bestens organisiert. Vielen Dank Allyson gerne wieder.
Klaus W. · Germany
Mix and match
A combination
Land in Guayaquil, see the city while your bags wait with us, fly to the islands light, and come back to a cacao farm before you go home.
A combination
A market breakfast, a cacao farm and a vineyard on the equator: Ecuador, tasted.
Tell Allyson your dates and who’s coming. She replies personally, usually the same day, with ideas and questions; the proposal comes after.