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A small boat in the mangrove channels of Puerto El Morro, a dolphin surfacing nearby

Coast & sea

Mangroves, dolphins and city tales

A community boat slips into the mangroves of Puerto El Morro to look for bottlenose dolphins, and the afternoon brings you back to Guayaquil for the stories behind its river, its stairs and its iguanas.

The story

Dolphins before lunch, the city by golden hour

About two hours from Guayaquil, the Gulf’s estuary breaks into a maze of mangrove channels where bottlenose dolphins fish with the tide. Very few visitors ever hear of it. This day pairs that quiet water with the best stories of the city, told by people who grew up in it.

  1. 08:00

    A wooden church on the way out

    Pickup at your hotel, the airport or the cruise port, a short briefing in the car, and the city thins into dry scrub and shrimp ponds. Then a stop at one of Ecuador’s last wooden churches: weathered boards, a bell tower against a white sky, and the kind of hush that makes you lower your voice. Stretch your legs. The water is close now.

    A weathered wooden church with a bell tower on the Ecuadorian coast, travellers and a guide outside
  2. 10:00

    Out with the mangrove guardians

    At Puerto El Morro you step into a community boat with the local guardians who look after these channels. The engine drops to a murmur, roots arch out of the brown water like knuckles, and everyone goes quiet, scanning the surface. Then a fin, a breath you can actually hear, a second fin beside it. The captain knows their habits. You just watch.

    A local boat captain steering through mangrove channels while travellers watch for dolphins
  3. 12:30

    Lunch, your way

    Fish from the gulf in El Morro, or save your appetite for the city: you choose, and you order at the table. Your guide knows where the ceviche is honest and the patacones arrive crisp. It is the moment to ask everything the morning raised: why the mangroves matter, who protects them, and how the tide decides when the boats go out.

    A coastal Ecuadorian lunch of ceviche and patacones shared at a table
  4. 14:30

    The city, told as stories

    Back in Guayaquil the walk starts at the cathedral and Seminario Park, where land iguanas doze on the paths. Then Plaza de la Administración, La Fragua de Vulcano, the Malecón 2000 to La Rotonda, and the numbered stairs of Cerro Santa Ana through Las Peñas. Each stop has a tale: great fires, independence, a port that fed a country. Your car waits at Puerto Santa Ana.

    Colourful houses on the numbered stairs of Las Peñas

Your day

Where the bird takes you

  1. Pickup in GuayaquilHotel, Airbnb, airport or cruise port, with a briefing
  2. A wooden churchOne of Ecuador’s last
  3. Puerto El MorroCommunity boat through the mangroves to look for dolphins
  4. LunchIn El Morro or the city, your choice
  5. Cathedral and Seminario (Iguana) Park
  6. Plaza de la Administración and La Fragua de Vulcano
  7. Malecón 2000 to La Rotonda
  8. Cerro Santa Ana and Las PeñasThe numbered stairs
  9. Puerto Santa AnaPrivate car back
wildlifenaturehistorycultureFull day

Also listed on ToursByLocals ↗

What’s taken care of

  • Private guide in English or Spanish
  • Private transport with pickup and drop-off
  • Mangrove boat outing at Puerto El Morro
  • Downtown Guayaquil story walk

Good to know

  • Gentle pace and kid friendly: little walking apart from the optional stairs of Las Peñas
  • Lunch is not included: you pay locally for what you choose
  • Hat, sunscreen and a light layer for the boat
  • Dolphins are wild: we go with people who know their habits, but no sighting can be guaranteed
  • Part of the tour supports a social or environmental project

About prices

Every experience is shaped around your group, so we talk first and then send you a proposal made for you. No fixed packages.

Real reviews

Travellers on this experience

21 reviews mention this experience; all are quoted as written, from the platform where they were left.

We had a very short time in Guayaquil but Allyson did a great job of showing us her city. We visited the cathedral, which rivaled many I've seen in Europe, iguanas in the city park, a stroll through the city, a stop for some local juice drinks, a visit to a chocolate factory, a stroll along theMalacon 2000, and finally a visit to the Musuem of ancient artifacts. Our time in the city could not have been better spent. Allyson was a wonderful guide, knowledgeable and informative about the history of Ecuador and Guayaquil. Highly recommend!

Kathleen G. · United States

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
Allyson seems to be a jack of all trades, and is very well connected in the city. When the Iguana Park was closed due to the pandemic, she was able to make a call and got us exclusive admission! We thoroughly enjoyed our time with her. Excellent English.

Pamela W.

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
On time pick up from our hotel. Tour around the highlights of the city. Guide was very knowledgeable and personable but the city itself is just not that scenic.

Trevor R. · United States

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
Wir hatten einen sehr schönen Tag mit Allyson. Bereits im Vorfeld war Allyson sehr kommunikativ und der Ausflug selbst war bestens organisiert. Vielen Dank Allyson gerne wieder.

Klaus W. · Germany

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
In making these arrangements, Allyson wrote me to treat her as my friend in Guayaquil. In fact, she was like a best friend. The tour was amazing. She made everything run smoothly and led our family on a terrific tour of the Cocoa farm. We made our own chocolate and had a delicious farm to table lunch while the chocolate was cooling. We loved the city tour which she adjusted per our request as it was a long day - our first in the country. She is a lovely woman and has perfect English. She is extremely knowledgeable about her city and country. She went above and beyond by helping us arrange airport transfers both leaving Guayaquil and on our return. I do feel as if I have a friend in Guayaquil and would recommend her to anyone looking for the perfect guide while visiting.

Vivien M. · United States

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
Alyson is an excellent guide. Her English is top notch & knowledge of the city & the country’s history is masterful. In addition she is a very nice person that we enjoyed interacting with.

Stephen E. · United States

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
Great experience. Covered everything we set out to do and ended our day with a lovely dinner at Casa Julian. Highly recommend Allyson as a guide. She is very knowledgeable and friendly.

Ana P. · United States

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
Allyson was an amazing guide. She was very knowledgeable and spoke English clearly. She tailored the tour to our activity level and the weather conditions, opting for a cable car ride in the heat of the day, and walking when it was cooler. She seemed to know everyone in town, and even made a phone call that allowed us to see an area of the church which had just closed. Our cruise ship was having an issue with the port and our arrival back to the ship was delayed by port authorities. She even made phone calls to help us with that!! She then followed up with us to make sure we made it onto the ship. She certainly went beyond any other tour guide we’ve ever had.

Tammy B. · United States

ToursByLocalsVerified on toursbylocals.com ↗
61 reviews across ToursByLocals, Tripadvisor, Google Maps, Viator and GetYourGuide.Open the five passports →

Mix and match

Pairs beautifully with

6 to 7 hours (farm only: 5 to 6.5)
Guayaquil, your wayThe cacao journey: a family farm and the cityWalk a family cacao farm near Milagro, open a pod, make your own chocolate bar and eat lunch at the farm while it sets. Then Guayaquil’s landmarks on the way back, or the whole day in the countryside.
4 to 5 hours
Guayaquil, your wayGuayaquil by the mouthful: Sauces 9 market and city flavoursBreakfast the way Guayaquil eats it, in a neighbourhood market: fruit, bolón de verde, ceviche or encebollado and a stall of Andean healing herbs. Then coffee with the iguanas, chocolate on Calle Panamá and lunch by the river.
About 5 hours, timed to your ship
Easy days & servicesGuayaquil from the ship: a private shore dayYour ship docks in Guayaquil; a local friend meets you at the port, shows you the iguanas, the river and the painted stairs of Las Peñas, adds an art stop at Casa Marín if you like, and has you back long before all aboard.

A combination

The coast in three days

Dolphins in the mangroves, humpbacks off Ayangue in season, and the 'mini Galápagos' of Isla de la Plata, with nights by the sea.

  1. Mangroves, dolphins and city tales
  2. Humpback whales at Ayangue
  3. Isla de la Plata and coral planting
  4. Olón and the Santa Elena surf coast

Shall we plan it?

Tell Allyson your dates and who’s coming. She replies personally, usually the same day, with ideas and questions; the proposal comes after.

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