15 Mar 2024
What an incredible day trip from Guayaquil! We initially were worried that there would not be enough to do with 3 days in Guayaquil and we were wrong. We took this day trip to get out of the city for the day and experience nature so close by. Simon and Yamil were the best hosts we could ask for. Even better that Simón was a fellow Canadian for 12 years. We started early with a punctual pick up at our hotel and headed out of the city to Cerro Blanco National Park to see the howling monkeys. We picked up a ranger at the gate who led us on a great adventure into the forest. High along the River bed we found the monkeys. They were as interested in us as we were with them.
Once returning back to the car (well supplied with cold water and beer after our trek), we made our way to the cacao farm. Full functioning with no other tourists, we were treated to a delicious shrimp ceviche lunch with fried plantains and juice from the cacao seed. Beautiful setting amongst the groves of fruit, nut and cacao trees. After a guided walk through the groves with lots of fruit tastings we made our way back to the city. It was absolutely perfect and Yamil and Simon shared all of their knowledge with us along the way. We would highly recommend this tour!
Guayaquil is not what we had anticipated at all. We were initially worried about being in this big city but it has so much to offer, is safe and has lots to do. It was the perfect way to end our trip to Ecuador.