The 5 Best Chocolate Tours in Ecuador

1.Cocoa farm and Chocolate making!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $155Our pick

Leave Guayaquil by private vehicle for a family-run cacao farm. Walk among the trees with guides such as Mario, Alison, or Antonio, harvest a pod, and follow the beans from fruit to chocolate. The visit is hands-on and often includes a generous three-course lunch served beside the grove.

“Mario was absolutely amazing and has so much knowledge about the agriculture of the crops grown on the farm. He friendly personality, combined with the breathtaking scenery, hands on experience and delicious meal at the end, make this tour a MUST DO!!! If you only have time for one tour, make this the one you choose.”

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2.Private Full-Day Mindo Cloud Forest,Butterfly Farm, Chocolate Tour bird watching

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · 9 to 10 hours (approx.) · from $130

Travel from Quito into Mindo’s cloud forest with a private bilingual guide such as Francisco, Marco, or Christian. Feed hummingbirds, visit a butterfly garden, cross the forest by cable car, learn how Ecuadorian chocolate is made, and stop at the Equator Monument. Entrance fees, lunch, and optional activities cost extra.

“A very beautiful place to visit and a great tour with a very knowledgeable guide. Some beautiful scenery and birds and butterflies.”

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3.Day Trip Churute Howler Monkey Observation and Chocolate Making

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 55 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $276

Spend about seven hours with guides Simon and Yamil traveling from Guayaquil to Churute Ecological Reserve and a family cacao farm. Look for howler monkeys, walk through tropical forest, eat a farm-to-table Ecuadorian lunch, and turn cacao beans into hot chocolate and your own bar. Expect heat, mosquitoes, and some time in the car.

“Amazing experience. Yamil and Simon were great guides, friendly, charismatic and very knowledgeable. We were on our to the forest and they got us some fresh fruits from local market that were delicious, they also prepared us for the environment, and covered us with mosquito repellent. The cocoa farm part was also great, we participated in the process of making the chocolate and they took photos and videos for us. The whole tour is highly recommended.”

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4.Cuenca to Guayaquil one-way tour with Cajas Park and a Cacao Farm visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 50 reviews · 6 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $73Best value

Turn the trip from Cuenca to Guayaquil into a full-day Ecuador experience. Hike near Laguna La Toreadora, cross the Andes, stop for lunch and tropical fruit, then visit Cacao Loma for fresh cacao and handmade chocolate. Guides including Wilson, Genero, Luis, and Javier are known for local plant knowledge and flexible service.

“Pleasant drive from Cuenca to Guayaquil. The stops were nice, lunch was good and our driver, Luis, was excellent, friendly and informative.”

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5.Guayaquil to Cuenca one-way tour with Cajas Park and a Cacao Farm visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 49 reviews · 6 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $73

Ride from Guayaquil to Cuenca with a licensed guide-driver, stopping at a family cacao farm, a local fruit market, a mountain restaurant, and Laguna La Toreadora in Cajas National Park. Guides such as Wilson, Javier, and Louis explain local life, chocolate making, plants, and history. Lunch is available, and hotel drop-off in Cuenca is included.

“The guide was outstanding and very accommodating to our interests. We chose to travel to Cuenca with a local person in order to learn about the culture and the places we drove through. For this the tour was perfect. He is bilingual as are we so the conversations were fun and informative. We were able to visit a cacao farm though not the regular one because the guide convinced a nearby farmer so spend some time with us which we enjoyed immensely. Cajas Park is stunning but the top of the pass is at 11,000 feet so we did not spend time there due to the cold weather and elevation.…”

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