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Travellers and a local guide tasting fruit at a stall in Mercado Sauces 9

Guayaquil, your way

Guayaquil by the mouthful: Sauces 9 market and city flavours

Breakfast the way Guayaquil eats it, in a neighbourhood market: fruit, bolón de verde, ceviche or encebollado and a stall of Andean healing herbs. Then coffee with the iguanas, chocolate on Calle Panamá and lunch by the river.

The story

Eat your way into the city

Guayaquil’s soul lives in its markets, not its menus. Allyson starts this tour where locals start their day, at the Sauces 9 market, and lets the food tell the story of the coast, the mountains and the city in between, before the landmarks and a chocolate stop on the way to lunch.

  1. Morning

    Fruit you can’t name yet

    Mercado Sauces 9 is loud, bright and early. Stallholders cut open fruit you have never seen and hand you a piece to try; your guide tells you what it is called, how it is eaten at home and which one to take back to your hotel. You learn the market the way a neighbour would: by tasting.

    A fruit stall in Mercado Sauces 9 with travellers tasting
  2. + 40 min

    Bolón first, then the bowl

    A bolón de verde, mashed green plantain with cheese or crackling, still hot from the griddle. Then a choice that divides Guayaquil: a cold ceviche or a steaming encebollado, the fish soup with yuca and pickled onion that locals swear fixes anything. You sit on a stool at the counter and eat with everyone else.

    A bowl of encebollado and a bolón de verde on a market counter
  3. + 1 h 30

    The herb stall

    In a corner of the market, bundles of Andean medicinal herbs hang from the roof and fill the air. The woman behind the counter has a remedy for everything, and your guide translates what each plant is for and how grandmothers still use them. Rub a leaf between your fingers; you will smell it for an hour.

    Bundles of Andean medicinal herbs at a market stall
  4. + 2 h 30

    Coffee, chocolate, then lunch by the river

    Downtown, a coffee or a fresh juice in Parque Seminario while the iguanas watch, a peek into the cathedral and a stroll on the Malecón 2000. On Calle Panamá, a cacao stop with chocolate to taste. Lunch is at Puerto Santa Ana, at a local restaurant your guide recommends, ordered from what you liked most this morning.

    Iguanas in Parque Seminario in front of the cathedral

Your day

Where the bird takes you

  1. PickupWhere you choose
  2. Mercado Sauces 9Fruit, bolón de verde, ceviche or encebollado
  3. Andean medicinal herbs stallInside the market
  4. Cathedral and Parque SeminarioCoffee or a fresh drink
  5. Malecón 2000The riverfront
  6. Calle PanamáCacao museum and chocolate stop (not Mondays)
  7. Puerto Santa AnaLunch at a local restaurant
  8. Drop-offHotel, port or airport
foodculturecacaoHalf day

Also listed on ToursByLocals ↗, GetYourGuide ↗

What’s taken care of

  • Private national guide in English or Spanish
  • Private vehicle with driver
  • Tastings at selected stops, from the market to the chocolate

Good to know

  • Come hungry: skip the hotel breakfast
  • Lunch at Puerto Santa Ana is paid on the day, as are gifts and drinks beyond the tastings
  • The Calle Panamá chocolate stop is closed on Mondays; an alternative is offered
  • Easy pace, little walking
  • Tell us about allergies or diets and we plan the stalls around them

About prices

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

Travellers on this experience

6 reviews mention this experience; all are quoted as written, from the platform where they were left.

Our tour with Allyson was the perfect introduction to Guayaquil and to Ecuadorian food. Our five hour tour was the perfect mix of culture, history and gastronomic adventures. The highlight was the mercado where we were educated about so many of the foods of Ecuador, got to enjoy the most amazing encebollado and ceviche, and even got a selfie with the mayor, Aquiles Álvarez. We had been warned to 'be careful' in Guayaquil, but we felt 100% safe exploring the city streets and the local culture with Allyson, The tastes, the smells, the sounds and the energy of her city is infectious. We recommend Allyson highly. We would definitely call her again if we are ever back in Guayaquil.

Alison M. · United States

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
We really enjoyed the food and city walk tour presented by Allyson. Her passion for the local product is first class. The market experience was genuine as this is the market where she normally shops. We would highly recommend this tour.

David S. · United States

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
What a fabulous day! Allyson was a terrific guide. She listened to our requests and made sure we were safe and well taken care of all day. The mercado experience was truly amazing. We got a great snap shot of Quayaquil and excellent food. Thanks again for a wonderful day!

Kathleen R. · United States

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
Allyson was the perfect tour guide in Guayaquil. She was friendly, very knowledgeable and took us to taste some of the best food in the city! Highly recommended

Chris A.

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
Allyson was great! We got to experience the city more like a local than a tourist, at a casual pace and with great stops to savor the flavors and meet a few of the kind people of Guayaquil.

Randal C. · United States

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
What a wonderful tour! Allyson was a pleasure and so knowledgeable about the food, culture, and history of beautiful Guayaquil! I requested a custom tour that was food-centric and Allyson was quick to accommodate. We visited a local food market, Mercado de sauces, (unbelievable ceviche!), did a chocolate tasting with Artist/artisan chocolatier Patricia Leon (incredible, unique experience!), and toured the parks and river walk of Guayaquil. I highly recommend Allyson and cannot wait to return to Ecuador!

Mark F. · United States

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
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

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
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

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
61 reviews across ToursByLocals, Tripadvisor, Google Maps, Viator and GetYourGuide.Open the five passports →

Mix and match

Pairs beautifully with

6 to 7 hours (farm only: 5 to 6.5)
Guayaquil, your wayThe cacao journey: a family farm and the cityWalk 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.
15 minutes to 4 hours, in modules
Guayaquil, your wayArt at Casa Marín, Las PeñasStep inside a historic house in Las Peñas with the artist who lives and paints there: a short house visit, a watercolour lesson, an afternoon of paint and sip, or a photography walk through the old hill. Pick one, or mix them.
From 2 hours to a full day
Easy days & servicesGuayaquil between flightsA connection in Guayaquil? A local friend meets you at the airport, sees your bags stored and gives you the city: two hours of river and painted stairs, or a whole day with market breakfast, a local lunch and the craft market, back in time for boarding.

A combination

A cruise day, perfectly done

Off the ship and straight into the city's best corners, a taste of the market, and an art stop in Las Peñas, back on board with time to spare.

  1. Guayaquil from the ship: a private shore day
  2. Guayaquil by the mouthful: Sauces 9 market and city flavours
  3. Art at Casa Marín, Las Peñas

A combination

For the food lover

A market breakfast, a cacao farm and a vineyard on the equator: Ecuador, tasted.

  1. Guayaquil by the mouthful: Sauces 9 market and city flavours
  2. The cacao journey: a family farm and the city
  3. A day in an equatorial vineyard

Shall we plan it?

Tell Allyson your dates and who’s coming. She replies personally, usually the same day, with ideas and questions; the proposal comes after.

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