The 6 Best Ecuador Chocolate Tours

1.PRIVATE Mindo Cloud Forest tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 63 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $130Our pick

Spend about eight hours exploring Mindo from Quito in a private vehicle with a guide such as Christian, Daniel, or Mauro. Choose among waterfall walks, butterflies, chocolate, coffee, zip lines, and hummingbird sanctuaries. Expect a long mountain drive, flexible planning, and extra fees for several activities.

“The guide was very good at giving us info about Ecuador as a whole over a huge variety of topics. The stops never felt rushed and we all felt like we got a good sampling of what Mindo had to offer.”

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2.Cocoa farm and Chocolate making!

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

Travel from Guayaquil to a family-run cacao farm with guides such as Mario, Alison, Tony, or Antonio. Walk among cacao trees, harvest a pod, learn how Ecuadorian cacao becomes chocolate, make your own bar, and enjoy a home-cooked three-course lunch.

“Mario is a fantastic guide and very knowledgeable about cocoa farming. 10/10, highest recommendation”

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

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

Leave Quito at 8:00 am with a private bilingual guide such as Francisco, Marco, or Christian. Visit hummingbirds, waterfalls, butterflies, and a chocolate workshop in Mindo, with time for lunch and optional cable-car or zip-line activities. Expect a long but flexible day with extra entrance fees.

“We enjoyed visiting the cloud forest and hummingbirds, butterflies, chocolate tour very much. Rick also found a good lunch place.”

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4.Day Trip Churute Howler Monkey Observation and Chocolate Making

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

Travel with guides Simon or Yamil from Guayaquil to Churute Ecological Reserve and a family cacao farm. Expect wildlife spotting, a hot outdoor hike, traditional chocolate making, local fruit, and a three-course Ecuadorian lunch in a private, seven-hour outing.

“Our guides were amazing…very informative and always willing to help however we were not prepared , despite using insect repellents and covering up, for the mosquitos and unfortunately we all ended up covered with mosquito bites”

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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 $73Best value

Turn the long Guayaquil to Cuenca transfer into a private sightseeing day with a bilingual guide such as Wilson, Javier, or Louis. Visit a family cacao farm, taste fresh cacao pulp, stop for local fruit, eat lunch near the Andes, and hike around Laguna La Toreadora in Cajas National Park.

“It was easier and more enjoyable than flying to drive from Guayaquil to Cuenca and enjoy stops at cocoa small farm, Cajas National Park (at both Tres Cruces view point and La Toreadora for opportunity of a hike) and lunch at Estancia San Juan.”

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6.Half Day Guayaquil Historical Tour and Cocoa Culinary Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 42 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $135

Spend about five hours with Yamil and his team exploring Guayaquil’s Historical Park, Las Peñas, Cerro Santa Ana, and a cocoa museum and factory. Finish with a private Ecuadorian cooking class featuring seafood, chocolate, desserts, and chicken with cocoa.

“Yamil is an outstanding tour guide & communicator ahead of our experience! We were running behind because it took awhile to get off the ship. We had a rich enlightening culture experience! Learning about the history of Guayaquil from the indigenous perspective to modern times. The on going commitment to preservation & advances that support people. We learned about Ecuador’s coffee & chocolate from framing to production. Walked through historic sites and went to a wildlife preserve and historical site with a traditional home. A true highlight was a culinary experience in Yamil’s home with his wife Wendy!! We learned about how to prepare ceviche (delicious), has a fish dish…”

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