Guayaquil To Cuenca One-way Tour With Cajas Park And A Cacao Farm Visit

Had a fantastic experience with this tour. Flavio was punctual, contacted us early to brief us on the plan, coordinated well and gave a good description of the many interesting sights along the trip. Only thing I would change is to leave a bit earlier than the 1030am that I chose to have a better hike around Cajas National Park. Everything else was well executed

We had a very safe and enjoyable drive from Guayaquil to Cuenca yesterday with Adrian, our driver. While a short stop at a roadside Mango stand to pick up some delicious fresh Mangos was fun, the stop at the small, off the beaten path Chocolate farm was the high point. After a nice arepa and fresh juice lunch with the owner, we proceeded to learn how to make fresh chocolate from Cacao fruit picked from his trees. And the fresh hot chocolate made from the chocolate we made was also delicious. A later stop to the Cajas Park was also interesting - just bring a jacket as it was very cool in the mountain. All in all, this trip was a great value and I highly recommend it.

I had booked this tour for a family vacation and we encountered a family emergency a few hours before. Unfortunately we were not able to attend, but the process of contacting and canceling with TripAdvisor was beyond my expectations. Not only did they facilitate the process but we felt taken care of and I will definitely be using them for the future and will refer them to friends and family.

Wonderful service, highly reliable, and punctual. Everything that we needed. Used them twice so far and will absolutely use them again. Couldn’t recommend them enough.

CuencaBesTours and our driver Luis were amazing. The organization and prompt responses from CuencaBesTours were excellent. Luis was our guide, and spoke perfect English. He and our driver took us from our hotel in Guayaquil to our hotel in Cuenca, with stops along the way at a cacao farm, a fruit stand, a lunch restaurant, and El Cajas National Park. They also happily added stops for water and a nice viewpoint when we asked. Luis was incredibly knowledgeable about everything we passed along the way, answering all of our questions and offering great anecdotes and facts to help us learn all about Ecuador. He was also so patient with us at El Cajas, when we hiked around Lake Toreadora and our kids had to take several breaks due to altitude. Highly recommend this tour!

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.

Excellent tour. Our guide Wilson was amazing, extremely friendly and professional The ride was comfortable, on time pick up and fun. The stop at the cacao farm was so very authentic . We met the family and explained us how to grow cacao tree and the process to make chocolate. That was so much fun.. then we stopped to a fruits and veggies market. Wow. The best fruits ever! El cajas is absolutely beautiful. We did the whole day hike the next day, it was amazing! Totally recommend that tour. Ask for Wilson!

Luis was an amazing guide. He is very knowledgeable guy and we loves all the information he provided along the trip. He is very generous very accommodating. We definitely will recommend to friends and family. Definitely will look for him for future tours.

The breathtaking nature on the way to a historical city, resilient Ecuadoreans during this difficult time are all very impressed. Our tour guide Louis Gonzales was very knowledgeable and patient, thank you for the rich experience.

Extremely comfortable transport. Wonderful stops and sightseeing on the way including local vendors, Cacao Farm and Caja National Park highlights. Very professional service from start to finish. Highly recommended!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

We enjoyed the tour to a local Cacao Farm and to Cajas National Park. Our guide, Sebastian, is very knowledgeable and fluent in English. He is also a naturalist who knows the plants and pointed out the birds during our walk in the National park. With his help, we took many great pictures of nature in the park. He answered our questions about Ecuador, history, industry, etc. We learnt a lot from him during our drive to Cuenca. He is a very professional and patient guide. He is also very punctual with pickup and a very safe driver.

Excellent! Sebastian picked us up promptly at our hotel in Guayaquil and drove us to Cuenca through the mountain road. He is a wonderful driver and tour guide! At the cacao farm, restaurant, and during our guided hike, Sebastian answered all of our questions and gave us excellent insight about the history and nature of Ecuador. I would highly recommend and would definitely choose to book with Sebastian again. Prior to that, the tour company was also extremely communicative on WhatsApp and helped with any questions we had beforehand. Terrific experience overall!

My friend and I had the BEST trip from Guayaquil to Cuenca with Sebastian! He was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about Ecuador, and answered all of our questions about the country from plant life to politics. He made the journey very comfortable and we truly felt like we were in good hands as first timers in Ecuador. He gave us some great recommendations for our stay in Cuenca as well. We would definitely suggest taking a tour with Cuenca Bestours (and specifically Sebastian) to future visitors!

Wilson was an excellent driver and guide. He was very helpful and patient with us, especially on the hike. The chocolate making demonstration was definitely a highlight.

Sebastian, our guide, was waiting for us at the airport. He was friendly, informative and a great driver. He tailored the trip to our needs. The lunch stop he chose had incredible food. The walk in the Cajas beautiful. Sebastian offered advise on the use of sunscreen, you definitely need it. He delivered us to our destination happy and enlightened on Ecuador and it’s culture. Javier from Cuenca Bestours was responsive to our emails and helped with the planning. Great job!

We had to get from Guayaquil to Cuenca and there are options. We decided to enjoy the trip and take this tour. This turned out to be an excellent decision. Javier picked us up at our hotel making the experience easy from the start. His knowledge of Ecuador and his English were excellent. Our stops included a nice little cocoa farm, where we made chocolate; a gas station with nice views and banos; a roadside fruit market where we bought giant mangos; Cajas National Parc where we hiked for an hour (take your altitude pills a day in advance, since the hike is at 4,100 m - I didn't and was dizzy at times); and we had delicious trout for lunch at a restaurant with spectacular views of a valley and mountains. This was a perfect way to mix travel between cities with a day trip.

So, you have to get from Guayaquil to Cuenca, why not make the trip fun? Genaro, who spoke perfect English, picked us up at our AirBnb and dropped us off at our AirBnb in Cuenca. Our first stop was the cacao farm, a modest family operation that sells cacao in the area. We tasted raw cacao, then roasted some, grinded it to a paste and tasted it again with some sugar. Quite an educational experience. We then continued the drive through a cloud forest and stopped for lunch at a delicious local restaurant. From there we went on to hike the incredible Cajas National Park. It is absolutely stunning. The hike was slow-paced, as Genaro was very mindful of the high altitude and how it could possibly affect us. We were fine, by the way, maybe just a little winded. The trip was well spaced, with appropriate bathroom stops. Overall, great experience. Highly recommend.

The tour was wonderful and Sebastian was an excellent guide, full of information and very attentive to our needs and questions. It was well worth it to come and see Cuenca for the day from Guayaquil even if it was a long journey there and back. Cuenca is a beautiful city and felt very authentic for a UNESCO protected site.

Great trip! It was a very nice trip. The guide, Andres was excellent. I enjoyed the tour. Thanks Andres.

I booked this and several other day trips from the US before ever visiting Peru and Ecuador for the first time. I put my confidence in these travel agencies to deliver as promised and to meet my expectations. This travel from Guayaquil to Cuenca did not disappoint. As it turned out, I was the only passenger on this trip. A huge landslide on the primary highway on route to our destination meant we had to stay flexible. Best tours Ecuador did an excellent job of keeping me informed and providing me with the options available to us. My guide and driver, Sebastian, was extremely informative and helpful regarding suggestions for this day of travel as well as other things to do in and around Cuenca. His English was outstanding. I learned quite a bit at the cacao farm visit and Sebastian catered my Cajas National Park visit to my physical limitation. It was a good day of travel and I would be happy to do it again.

We booked the "Guayaquil to Cuenca one-way tour with Cajas Park and a Cacao Farm visit" tour and really enjoyed our stops at the cacao farm and at Cajas. Our guide was friendly and it was a pleasant drive, but the lunch stop could have been better. We had the locro de papas and of the 10+ variations we tried around Ecuador, it was our least favorite. Also, we didn't stop to buy any local fruits, even though that is mentioned as stop no. 2 in the official itinerary. Overall, though, it was a great way to get from Guayaquil to Cuenca.

Cuenca Bestours provided me with comfortable and convenient transfer from Cuenca to Guayaquil with a stop for a two-hour trek in the beautiful Cajas National park. We also stopped for a enjoyable lunch at a local restaurant with scenic views and delicious Ecuadorian food. Also, included was an informative visit to a cacao farm. Sebastian was an excellent driver and very good company. His English is excellent and he gave me a lot of useful information and answered many questions for me. I was very happy with the quality of this tour/transfer! Cuenca Bestours is an excellent company to assist a solo independent traveller.

We chose this tour/transit for its stops at a small cacao farm where we saw cacao trees and the initial processing in a close and personal interaction with the grower. We stopped for a delicious lunch with great views. With a final stop at the highest mountain top before arriving in Cuenca. The driver was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English.

We had a great tour with Wilson! He was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about so many things. He went over the whole itinerary at the beginning of the tour, which we really appreciated. He also gave us a lot of good recommendations for Cuenca as well. Javier, the tour operator, was also very responsive to me on WhatsApp and well organized. I would highly recommend this company!

Edison was great, he speakes very good English and touring was a breeze with him. We went to Jubones, and also a tour from Cuenca to Guayaquil. The tour to Guayaquil became more or less a mission with some "unscheduled" mud slides. Eddie was able to creatively use his contacts to keep me headed in the right direction in order to make it to the airport on time. I will use Eddies services each time I am in the Cuenca area.

My boyfriend and I had a tour with Sebastian this week while visiting and it was unbelievable !! It’s my first time in this beautiful country and I don’t speak English so my thoughtful boyfriend (100% Ecuadorian) requested an English speaking tour and I was so impressed with Sebastian’s knowledge of the English language and the entire country of Ecuador. He made us feel relaxed and comfortable the entire day. Every inch of land we drove by, he gave us new information and facts. Really interesting. I am a pastry chef from NYC so the cacao farm was my main attraction. Sebastian knew everything about the farm, growing, drying and making processes of the cacao produced on the farm. The family at the farm was welcoming and we felt very safe walking through their fields. We assisted them with some tasks and took many photos and videos. Extremely kind people that are ready to welcome more guests into their every day life! After that, it was all uphill! Literally so scared to pass out from the altitude. Sebastian reassured us the whole time that no matter what we could take our time and whatever we wanted to do we could do and whatever we didn’t want to do, no worries. We actually stopped along the way and my boyfriend did a swing (with Sebastian’s suggestion) and he was AMAZED!! He said it was one of the best experiences of his life! Sebastian stopped at every major photo opportunity to take multiple photos of us. Our lunch was along the way and the food was delicious! Once we got all the way to the top, I was so dizzy I couldn’t balance myself and again, Sebastian was very comforting and told us to take our time, drink some water and relax to see how we felt. I built up the stamina to walk a little bit and let me tell you, best views I’ve ever seen !!! I was a little out of breath, my boyfriend as well, so Sebastian suggested taking us through Cuenca so we could see the city and we were blown away! Such a beautiful city with so much life and culture. Sebastian is from Cuenca so he knew where to go, what to see and knew everything! I would recommend this tour to everyone visiting Ecuador! It is beautiful, interesting, worth the money and most importantly safe! Thank you to Javier for assisting my boyfriend in the planning and thank you to Sebastian for a truly wonderful experience !!! See you in NYC! *** just a little heads up what to bring with you, water! (Which you could buy on the way up if you forget) gum, your ears will pop. A jacket or something to keep you warm, it’s freezing at the top. Good boots to hike in. Most important: tissues! To use for going to the bathroom or in case your nose bleeds.

We knew going from Guayaquil to Cuenca would be an adventure, from steeply ascending the Andes through cloud forests to the likelihood of mudslides due to the rainy season (December--April). For these reasons plus COVID, we opted to take what we hoped would be a safer route with Cuenca Bestours. The experience and competence Javier brought was worth every penny. My partner has a fear of heights and anyone else being behind the wheel, so we were a little nervous about how this tour would go, but Javier's supreme confidence and gentle driving quickly put us at ease. Not only did Javier come prepared with every COVID precaution (mask, sanitizer), but we were impressed with his deep knowledge of everything Ecuador. The economy, politics, history, you name it. His tour was a wonderful primer that helped us put into context our experiences/observations for the rest of our trip. We primarily wanted to get from A to B, but since Cajas National Park was on the way we figured, why not? It was a great call to stop. We definitely felt the elevation--these fast-walking New Yorkers were reduced to taking a slow stroll with occasional breaks. But Javier was understanding, encouraging, and filled those breaks with more fun facts. I would share some, but I don't want to spoil it for you! We kept in touch with Javier beyond the tour, and now consider him a friend. He connected us with various resources while we were in his home city of Cuenca, and was endlessly generous and helpful above and beyond the scope of our original arrangement. Can't recommend him and his company highly enough.

I have to commend both Javier and Klever - we had a wonderful time on this tour and wish we had more time to take one of the other tours with Cuenca Bestours. Javier was incredibly responsive the entire time and even went out of his way to recommend other means of transport to other parts of Ecuador. Klever was incredibly knowledgeable and picked us up in Guayaquil. We stopped at a farm, made 100% pure chocolate from scratch with locals, tried some delicious fruits and although we didn't get to hike much in Cajas National Park due to the rain - it was still incredibly beautiful. Lunch was great and we were dropped off our at our hotel in Cuenca along with plenty of recommendations. I highly recommend the company and this particular tour to anyone visiting (I understand they also do Cuenca to Guayaquil). Thank you both!

I booked this tour mainly because I wanted to get fromGuayquil to Cuenca without having to fly or rely on public transportation to get to Cuenca. But the ride with all its stops exceeded my expectations, particularly our hike at National Cajas Park. Javier our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and pleasant. He gave us a lot of useful information about Ecuador.

Klever did a good job with his careful driving, informative guiding. The chocolate making at the cocoa farm was fun. The lunch at the restaurant on the mountain was awesome with good food and extraordinary view of Andes mountain. The ride had a beautiful view. I would highly recommend it.

We had a wonderful trip from Cuenca to Guayaquil with Cuenca Bestours. The guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The trip was safe and on time and the stops were appropriate, fun and interesting. We would have liked more time and info at the Cacao farm but not sure what else there was to do there.

The trip was great for our family of 5 (parents and three near-adult children). Manuel (the driver) was terrific, navigating the challenges presented by the road and other drivers with calm. The stop in Cajas was perfect- we got the flavor of the park without being totally overwhelmed and Juan was very knowledgeable about the park and its flora. The stop at the cacao plantation was really interesting, offering us an insight into daily life in this region. Juan answered all of our many questions in his excellent English. The trip made us feel like we didn’t lose a day in traveling from Cuenca back to Guayaquil for our flight back to the USA.

Sebastian was awesome. We had so much fun and learned a lot. The stop at the Cacao farm was quite an interesting and tasty experience. The hike at Cajas was beautiful. We are normally fast hikes, but the altitude slowed us down. Sebastian was very patient. He picked us up at our hotel in Guayaquil and dropped us off at our Airbnb in Cuenca. Just fabulous.

We needed to get to Cuenca and decided that a private driver was the way to go. In addition to having a comfortable vehicle for the three + hour ride, we got to make two stops along the way to see a bit more of the country. We visited a cacao farm and got to see how chocolate starts out in life and the second visit was a stop in the Cajas National Park. What a beautiful place and we also got to have a traditional lunch in one of the nearby restaurants. The day was a complete success. Javier was our guide and not only was he on time in Guayaquil and a safe and courteous driver, but he was extremely knowledgeable about all things Ecuadorian and his English was excellent. We had a wonderful time and it was by far the best trip I've had between these two cities (I'm a resident of Ecuador and have made this trip several times). You won't be disappointed if you hire Cuenca Bestours for this journey!

Excellent tour to see the Ecuadorian countryside in a comfortable vehicle with personalized service. Javier was excellent describing the changes in topography and ecosystems as we left Guayaquil. The brief stop at the small cacao farm was interesting as we were introduced to a small farmer who was very pleasant. We had already been to one cacao farm so we knew the process, but this farm was more “informal” than the other. Our trip through Cajas National Park was beautiful with an unexpected experience around the hidden treasures under the grasses. Javier went at our pace which was appreciated. The restaurant where we had lunch was in a beautiful setting and the food was quite good. Overall, it was an excellent experience.

My wife and I wanted to get a real local experience as we made our way to Cuenca from the coast and Herman Guambaña Flores with Best Tours totally met our expectations! Plus, Javier was able to get us this booking last minute! I love when traveling things just naturally fall into place. After arriving by bus in Guayaquil, Herman promptly met us at the bus station and we were off. While cruising through the lowlands, Herman filled us with the wonderful and complex indigenous history of Ecuador (he really knew his stuff). We had a great visit to the finca de cacao then we headed up into the Andes. For a bit it seemed like we were going to be in the clouds the whole way but just before the grand Tres Cruces pass in Cajas NP the clouds broke. We hiked to the top of the mirador only to take in the breath taking sites (both literally and figuratively... we were at 4000+ meters from sea level!). Furthermore the lunch was tasty and the driving was safe. This was certainly worth the time and money. Thanks Herman and Javier!

This trip from Guayaquil to Cuenca through Cajas National Park was the first of a number of tours that four of us, all adults, took with Cuencabestours over a two-week period. In addition to a lot of fun, we learned a great amount about Ecuador from our very knowledgeable and thoughtful guide, Javier. Highlights were the home visit and cooking class, the archeological trip to Ingapirca, the trips to craft villages, and the super relaxing trip to Vilcabamba and it's peaceful yoga retreat. Making plans well in advance with Cuencabestours was easy and efficient. The company is highly recommended by all of us.

I emailed Javier at 9.45 pm asking on the off chance for a driver to take us from Guayaquil to Cuenca the next morning with a visit to a Cacao farm on the way. I wasn’t really expecting a reply it was such short notice but by 10.30 pm he had sorted it all; now that’s what I call service! We don’t often take guided tours or services, as we prefer to travel independently but the company of our driver/guide Sebastian was really great. As well as being a good, safe driver, he was very informative, friendly and flexible to our needs and gave us a lot of tips for our onwards journey by ourselves. The trip to the Cacao farm was also really interesting and well worth it. If you are thinking about using Cuenca Bestours don’t hesitate, just do it, you won’t regret it. Thank you Javier and Sebastian for a great day.

Taking advantage of my trip to the airport to return to New York, I decided to buy this service which was fantastic, incredible and the best enjoy the landscape of the national park "Cajas" and also had the opportunity to know several things about the production of chocolate in a farm of the coast .. I sincerely recommend all travelers of this adventurous trip and learn more about our beautiful Azuay - Ecuador.

<p>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. The bus is only 8 per person its comfortable and safe and easy to take we returned by bus! but totally uninteresting.</p>

My son and I were traveling to Cuenca from Guayaquil. This is an excellent way to learn about the history and culture of the area while sightseeing. Our guide was very knowledgeable and went out of his way to tailor the trip to our needs. We stopped at Cajas National Park to walk along the trails. Luckily, it was not too cold and rainy (bring your jacket because it is chilly on a good day). The scenery is fantastic! We also went to a small Cocoa farm, talked to the farmer and stopped for lunch at a very nice, and affordable restaurant. I highly recommend this trip!

We had a great trip with Javier. He explained us many things about Ecuador, people, nature and culture, he has a wide range of knowledge. It was a really enjoyable and impressive day, we felt comfortable from the beginning on. It was like a friend accompanies you. Thanks a lot and hope to see you again. Very recommendable.

<p>This was a better way for us to go from Guayaquil to Cuenca. Our guide Javier, the founder of Cuenca Bestours, is steeped not only in historical details but also in the flora and fauna of his country. He was helpful in correcting our Spanish and when asked could explain something in English as well. Although the cocoa farm wasn't quite what we initially expected and the owner was nowhere in sight, Javier was able to explain the cocoa growing process as well as give us the opportunity to taste the coating on the cocoa beans after the pod was opened. Since we would not have time in Cuenca to visit Cajas National Park, we really appreciated the time we had in the park en route to Cuenca. We were able to hike for about an hour plus along the Inca trail that goes through the park, going from point A to point B, where Javier met us. The scenery is incredibly beautiful and mysterious and while the altitude is similar to many areas of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, the situation of Ecuador on the equator allows plants that wouldn't exist at that altitude to grow. It is often maybe always windy in the park, so dress accordingly to enjoy it fully. By coincidence, we ended up having two more tours with Cuenca Bestours, mainly because their tours seemed the most interesting, fit our budget and our time. Although it is a new tour business, Javier seems to have had many years experience working as a guide for other outfits, before striking out on his own. He, as well as our other CBT guide, both have had three years education and training in a university hospitality program, with what seems to be intensive training in the knowledge needed to help tourists learn and understand the people, history, flora and fauna of Ecuador.</p>

My guide Wilson. Excellent. But what he offered me and expected from the tour. Very pleasant. I knew what I wanted to know and very good service

Spectacular! Luis was great, he is a guide with a lot of knowledge of his country. Visiting the cocoa farm and making chocolate was an unforgettable experience and our visit to Cajas was the highlight of our trip from Guayaquil to Cuenca.

We had booked the one way tour from Guayaquil to Cuenca. Service and guide (Javier) we liked and so we decided to book the city tour in Cuenca and a trip to Cajas Nationlpark the following days. Careful driving, comprehensive explanations, very good English

Excellent Service by Sebastian our guide. And javier for making the reservation from guayaquil to cacao farm and cajas national park. Sebastian a trained professional person. From the beginning of the tour we explained step by step the history of each city we were crossing. My girlfriend who only speaks English felt very comfortable with the guide because she spoke excellent English. And I delighted with the accommodation that he provided us either with the food or the photos by the mountains. Really a 5-Star Service. I recommend that you take the tour in this Service for all tourists. And above all, especially the very incredible security. We felt at peace throughout the trip. Thank you all so much and God bless you.

Unique experience, totally friendly helpful guide, perfect English language, great stops, e.g. At a small cocoa farm, tasting fruits included, delicious restaurant, always happy with Cuenca Bestours.