Galapagos Islands Adventure: Mangrove Forest Navigation, Beach Leisure, and Chocolate Experience

Embark on an immersive Galapagos Islands adventure, navigating through mangrove forests, enjoying leisure time on pristine beaches, and indulging in a chocolate experience. Perfect for nature lovers!

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Guayaquil - A minimum of three attendees is necessary.
    The Gulf of Guayaquil full-day
    all-inclusive experience
    The Gulf of Guayaquil stands as one of the rare mangrove ecosystems still extant globally, with significant relevance for biodiversity and ecological preservation.
    Situated a mere 80 minutes away from Guayaquil, it’s acknowledged as an…
What's Included
  • Lunch provided
Meal Options
  • Seco de gallina ( chicken stew ecuadorian recipe) - this is traditional chicken stew with local spices (not hot spices nor too spicy) this is a traditional every day meal in Ecuador
  • Chocolate cake, or chocolate bars or chocolate bathed fresh fruits - Since this is s chocolate fram the dessert will be chocolate related
  • Fresh tropical fruits…
Additional Information

THE IDEAL MIX FOR NATURE ENTHUSIASTS en route to the Galapagos Islands
We offer a COMPREHENSIVE experiential tourism experience
Ambling through the surrounding forest of the farm is an exploration in the profoundly silent and tranquil environment of an untouched forest.
The Estuary excursion aboard a motorized canoe is indescribable, featuring an array…

Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(20 Ratings)
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1 star
Herbmartin0826
Apr 12, 2025
Ecuador is great! - We had a fantastic trip with Eddie and his crew. Wonderful wildlife views and so many great memories saved in world class photos. Our visit in the chocolate farm included an extraordinary meal. Fun opportunity to taste many different fruits. Best of all was learning all about making chocolate - and eating it! Very special and our hosts were charming. Another highlight was visiting with the howler monkeys. We were right there with them, and the sounds of them talking is unforgettable. Eddie is super knowledgeable and rightfully proud of his country. He has all the contacts to get in just the right places and see everything. Our day in the Ecuadorean countryside could not have been better. Great driver, congenial hosts, and a full fun day! Would do it all again
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nabetconfattendee
Apr 9, 2025
Birds, river trip, forrest monkeys, local food and turning cocoa into chocolate! - If you are interested to see the beautiful nature not far from Guayaquil and to get to know better the local people, take this day trip with Eduardo. It starts with a boat ride in a nature reserve, revealing many interesting birds around the mangroves. Eduardo sent us in a few days a cloud link to all the pictures he took on that tip. Then we visited the forrest with the monkeys. For lunch we experienced authentic tasty local food cooked by the family running a small cocoa farm and observed how cocoa is grown and harvested and the process of chocolate making. Our guide offered wealth of information on everything in an unobtrusive but engaging and caring manner, making this trip unforgettable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deserttraveler230
Apr 9, 2025
Birds, monkeys and chocolate - Between the many incredible experiences we had in Ecuador, the day trip in the Churute Mangroves followed by a walk in the Dry Monkey Forest and Cocoa Farm visit was one of the highlights. Our guide Eddie has a wealth of knowledge and love for the nature, which he shared with us with great enthusiasm and humor. Every single moment of this trip, surrounded by the beauty of the Guayaquil area and his interesting narrative was a pleasure. We learned so much about the mangroves, the beautiful birds, the naughty monkeys, and the life of the hard working people, living in this area! We are grateful to the young family who owned the cacao farm for opening the doors of their house for us, for offering us their delicious food and teaching us about cocoa and chocolate. It was pure luck, that we selected Eddie as our guide- his tour permitted us to understand better the Ecuadorian nature, life and people and to wish to come to this incredible country again. Thank you, Eddie!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maps67952573583
Apr 9, 2025
First class tour - Eduardo was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable, great in spotting and pointing out birds and wildlife in the jungle. Has many contacts. Home cooked unch at cocoa farm owner's home (his friend) was a real treat. Really a first class tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
803caitlinh
Mar 3, 2024
Ecuador's BEST Guide - My husband and I booked a tour with Eddie of the Churute mangroves and Howler monkey forest. Eddie personalized the tour to fit our needs and schedule. We saw many different kinds of birds on our way to the reserve and at the Estuary. Eddie had eagle eyes for spotting birds and he brought his professional level camera to capture high quality photos of them for us. After an enjoyable canoe ride in the Estuary, we went to the forest to search for the howler monkeys. It was a very easy trail and it did not take long for us to find them. We saw some females with their babies and a bit further on we saw a male as well. The best thing about this tour is Eddie! We are fairly well traveled and Eddie was by far the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide we have EVER had. He told us so much about Guayaquil, the wildlife, plants, and answered all of our questions. He even filled us in on some of the information that we missed while we were in the Galapagos. If we ever make it back to Ecuador, we will definitely book with Eddie again! (Eddie captured the attached images for us!)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathydem
Sep 18, 2023
The Highlight of a Memorable Trip - This is a whole-hearted recommendation for Eduardo Meneses. My friend and I met Eduardo as our guide on a walking tour of Guayaquil prearranged by a tour operator. As he showed us the highlights of the city he clearly loves, we were impressed by his knowledge and sense of humor. It was our good fortune to learn he was available until 4:00 pm the next day, and he offered a trip featuring visits to the bird-abundant Churute Mangroves Preserve by boat, a forest walk in search of howler monkeys, and lunch and hands-on experience at a family-owned cacao plantation. Our last day in Ecuador was the highlight of a memorable trip. It was truly our good fortune to make Eduardo's acquaintance. We learned much and had fun while doing so.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anne
Oct 4, 2022
Great Guayaquil Mangrove and Chocolate Tour - I really enjoyed the mangrove tour, but making chocolate was probably the highlight. Eddie is very knowledgeable and lots of fun as well. He is passionate about his country and city and shares his pride and knowledge fully.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fiona2905
Sep 30, 2022
A great trip - I contacted Eddie as we only had until 1500 to do a tour and he agreed to take us to the Churute Eco reserve and miss out the chocolate experience - which is what we wanted. Unfortunately, the day before our tour he tested positive for Covid, but contacted a replacement guide so that we could still take the tour. Simon, our replacement guide was fantastic and we had a wonderful few hours at Churute, journeying through the Mangroves and then walking the howler monkey trail. I obviously can't comment on Eddie as a guide, as we never met him, but I can comment on his professionalism in finding us another very good guide within 24 hours so that we were not disappointed and could take the tour we wanted.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Birds_eye_gallery
Sep 3, 2022
Authentic Wildlife Experience in Ecuador - Going “off the beaten” path is a must when on any adventure. As a wildlife and landscape photographer, this is always how I like to make our trips memorable. On our final day in Guayaquil before heading to The Galapagos, we were introduced to Eddie Meneses. Eddie took us on a guided tour through the Chulute Ecological Mangrove Preserve. During the trip, he taught us about the history of the city of Guayaquil, the local area, its indigenous people, and the preserve itself. We stopped at a local fruit stand on the way to the preserve to sample some of the locally grown fruit. We arrived at the preserve to be met by the caretaker of the preserve, a friend of Eddie’s, who took us on a motorized canoe tour through the preserve to see the estuary from a different point of view. During the trip, we were able to witness over 40 species of birds in their natural habitat, taking photos along the way. We were awarded with some crocodile sightings and family of howler monkeys. Eddie was FANTASTIC, passionate, and a genuinely great person. I would HIGHLY recommend that for those travelers who want a real, authentic experience, book a tour with him. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alleyhouseoftravel
Sep 3, 2022
Private Guide out of Guayaquil / TOP NOTCH - To find a professional local guide rich in knowledge and a love and passion for culture, history and photography is hard to find in a bundle. Eddie Meneses is just that! The experience that he shared is one that all travelers should par taken in. I myself am a destination expert for the State of Florida and to meet someone that is truly passionate about there destination makes the visit so well worth it. Highly recommend if you are traveling to anywhere that is within Eddie's area that you use his services. A++ Eddie takes the time to hand pick local people to also enhance the experience from the driver that navigated the local roads, the the people at a local market ( telling there stories ) to the boat captain and son that shared our adventure on our trip it is a bundle of professionals that created the overall experience to bring back to our families to share. Do not miss out on one of his adventures!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $250
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).