Cacao and Coffee Tour

This is our favourite tour. If you have ever wondered where the best chocolate in the world comes from you are in luck. The worlds best cacao beans have been time and again recognised as coming from Ecuador. This tour shows you the fascinating history and varieties of Cacao. The interactive exhibition takes you through the whole tree to bar process. Let’s see who can make the best batch out of your group. We will then try some delicious local products freshly made, not just from the cacao bean but also the juicy and exquisitely sweet white pulp. Perhaps a pulp ice cream, juice, or chocolate fondue.

From here we will move on to the Ecuadorian Coffee bean. Not as famous as the Columbian industry, the Ecuadorian bean is known for its fruity undertones and is a booming business. We will take you through the cultivation, harvest and production with an interactive exhibition. In the end, you will have prepared you’re very own ready to brew coffee beans and of course we will put them to the test. Then you can try out some great coffee based local delicacies.

Next, we have an exhibition of Ecuadorian fruits. It is truly impressive the quantity and variety of fruits this country has to offer. Some will be completely new to you, others may be familiar. However, the taste of the fresh fruit here far outperforms the taste of the long stored and transported supermarket fruits in the states or Europe. To accompany the Fresh fruit experience you will be offered a selection of local alcoholic drinks.

After working up a healthy appetite, we will take some time to relax in the traditional thatched roofed restaurant.  Watch as the food is prepared with wood burning grills and stoves made from Wood, Mud and Bamboo called a Fogon. This style of cooking produces some intense woodsmoke flavours mixed with the ancestral knowledge of herbs and spices. Order from the range of local countryside or seafood dishes. Take a moment to relax in the time-honoured local hammocks and explore the fruit-filled garden.  Odds are you will see the colourful hummingbirds that are almost always present.

Next, we will travel to the home of the famous Panama Hats, Montecristi. Sheltered at the feet of the Landmark Mountain is the town that birthed these sombreros many generations ago. Once in the small town centre, your guide will show you the Panama hat makers workshops and stores as well as a huge variety of local artisan goods. We can also see some of the last examples of the traditional wooden architecture in the central plaza next to the cathedral.

This is a great light activity tour that requires very little walking and very easily accessed throughout.