Halve dag Guayaquil-geschiedenistour en Ecuadoraanse keuken met cacao

Yamil and his English translator Simon were both wonderful humans, they arrived early to pick us up at our hotel and we felt very held and supported by them the whole day. We did the main parts of the tour that were on the brief (las Peñas, Santa Ana, the cacao museum, trying local food and drink) and what I really appreciated is they allowed for flexibility (for example, we didn’t want to climb all 444 steps due to asthma and my aunt’s heavy bag, so we only went up about 150 steps). Yamil clearly cares about the experience of the guests and was very welcoming and supportive. I felt very safe with Yamil and Simon (my aunt and I are visiting from the US and were stopping over in Guayaquil before a yoga retreat in the Galapagos) and we both really felt like we got to experience the culture and the heart of Guayaquil by having them as our tour guides! The treats were lovely, we had coffee with rum and DELICIOUS cacao. And then Yamil even had us over to his magical and lovely house (which is also a nice hostel) where we did a ceviche making experience, had a wonderful meal made by his prima, and then drank some delicious cups of cacao and had beautiful conversation. I also must add that a highlight for me was we got to meet Yamil’s two ADORABLE Yorkies, one of whom (Bimba) has my heart!!!! It was a memorable experience and if I ever get the chance to come back to Ecuador I will definitely be calling on them for help with guidance!

Amazing tour! Excellent guide, beautiful sites, delicious cooking class, and safe experience. Highly recommend! xs

After researching many tour options for my overnight stay in Guayaquil, I chose the Half Day Guayaquil History Tour and Ecuadorian Cuisine with Cocoa and I certainly made the right choice! To preface the activity, let me say that the communication was impressive. I was a little apprehensive about touring the city based on the US Embassy's warning and the current rolling power outages, so I reached out to the tour and the owner, Yamil, quickly responded and reassured me that everything will be fine and that the areas that we will be visiting are very safe. We then exchanged ideas of what we could see and do and Yamil created an itinerary based on my interest of local customs, historical sites and culinary experiences. I opted for the private tour which included a pick-up from the hotel I was staying at. Yamil arrived promptly at 9:00 ready to show of his city. As a surprise, he also brought along another guide, Nanfi, who would provide us with an amazing culinary experience at the end of the tour. For almost 6 hours, Yamil and Nanfi showed us the boardwalk, Malecón 2000, Iguana Park, and a tour of a Cacao museum which included chocolate tasting. All the while explaining the importance and the history of each locale. They both were very knowledgeable and a lot of fun! Just when we thought our tour was over, Yamil took us to a private locale where Nanfi, which we did not know at the time, is a professional chef, cooked us a delicious Ecuadorian lunch made from ingredients which came directly from her family's farm! It was truly an unexpected, amazing experience! If you have half a day in Guayaquil, I highly recommend this tour. And if you have extra time, check out Nanfi's tour of her family's farm and their production of cacao.