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Guayaquil's Hacienda La Danesa: Cacao Farm Visit and Artisan Chocolate Making Experience
Immerse yourself in the rich heritage and history of Hacienda La Danesa in Guayaquil. Experience a cacao farm visit, artisan chocolate making, horseback riding, and more. Indulge in traditional Ecuadorian cuisine with a modern twist.
Immerse yourself in the rich heritage and history of Hacienda La Danesa in Guayaquil. Experience a cacao farm visit, artisan chocolate making, horseback riding, and more. Indulge in traditional Ecuadorian cuisine with a modern twist.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Naranjito - A great day excursion for travelers visiting Guayaquil and the Galápagos Islands and looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This excursion is more than learning about cacao and a hands-on ‘from tree to bar’ chocolate making experience; this excursion is about immersing yourself in the Ecuadorean countryside. La…
- Naranjito - A great day excursion for travelers visiting Guayaquil and the Galápagos Islands and looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This excursion is more than learning about cacao and a hands-on ‘from tree to bar’ chocolate making experience; this excursion is about immersing yourself in the Ecuadorean countryside. La Danesa is a family-owned hacienda that produces cacao, teak, sugar cane, dairy and breeds beautiful quarter pinto horses. You will be greeted by an English speaking local hostess and will guide you to the cacao plantation and introduce you to our local chocolatier where you will have the opportunity to create your own chocolate bar. You will enjoy a gastronomic three course lunch and have the opportunity to go biking and to milk one of our beloved cows after lunch. If desired you may hire lazy river tubing for an additional fee (depending on availability).
What's Included
- Use of bicycle included
- Complimentary lunch
- Exclusive Private Tour
- Experienced local guide
- Helmet provided for safety
- Use of bicycle included
- Complimentary lunch
- Exclusive Private Tour
- Experienced local guide
- Helmet provided for safety
What's Not Included
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Horseback riding
- Massages
- Accommodatiom
- Other experiences not listed in the program
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Horseback riding
- Massages
- Accommodatiom
- Other experiences not listed in the program
Meal Options
- Madurito with Farm’s Cream Cheese
- Beef Medallion with Ecuadorean Risotto and Organic Salad
- Seabass with Sweet Plantain Puree and Organic Salad
- Passionfruit Cheescake
- Madurito with Farm’s Cream Cheese
- Beef Medallion with Ecuadorean Risotto and Organic Salad
- Seabass with Sweet Plantain Puree and Organic Salad
- Passionfruit Cheescake
Additional Information
Hacienda La Danesa, a producer of dairy products, cocoa, and teak, boasts a storied heritage and history spanning over 145 years. Situated just an hour’s drive from Guayaquil, Ecuador, this family-operated establishment is currently managed by the Olsen family’s third generation. The farm presents a diverse assortment of customized experiences for…
Hacienda La Danesa, a producer of dairy products, cocoa, and teak, boasts a storied heritage and history spanning over 145 years. Situated just an hour’s drive from Guayaquil, Ecuador, this family-operated establishment is currently managed by the Olsen family’s third generation. The farm presents a diverse assortment of customized experiences for its guests, inclusive of horse riding explorations, cocoa plantation tours, and participatory artisanal chocolate creation, as well as other farm-centric activities like Biking and Milking - all incorporated into your tariff. The cuisine on offer predominantly features traditional Ecuadorian fare, subtly infused with a hint of international zest, serving up an exceptional dining experience packed with extraordinary flavors.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Dress code is smart casual
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide for an additional price
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(13 Ratings)
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Raymond_f
Apr 3, 2024
A GREAT day trip 1 hour from Guayaquil! - My wife and I, seniors, thoroughly enjoyed our visit. A BEAUTIFUL hacienda. Learned about teak production and cacao. Even though we have been to several cacao farms in other countries, we learned MUCH more about cacao production and chocolate making on this visit. The lunch was wonderful.
Review provided by Viator
Angeline13
Feb 22, 2024
Great day making chocolate! - We had a fantastic day at Hacienda la Danesa. The hacienda is beautiful and the people who worked there were great. We enjoyed learning about how the cacao is grown. Tasting the warm cacao beans was a treat and grinding them up was fun. We then went to the kitchen to make chocolate bars. We finished our bars with some sea salt and peanuts and they packaged them up for us to take home. We also purchased a few of their own bars.
We had a terrific lunch in their open air lounge. We were able to walk around the property a bit. All of the landscaping is lush and well manicured. We were only here for a day but I would love to stay a few days in one of their rooms. It would be a relaxing treat for anyone who loves the outdoors and animals.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gustavo
Jan 1, 2020
Best one day tour I ever had - Totally worth it, the hacienda is beautiful and the activities are perfect to expend all your day not just visiting but you also learn new things as how cacao is processed to make chocolate. The 3 course lunch is not a regular lunch, is a very good high cuisine food. The service is VIP and Even though is a luxurious tour don’t forget extra pair of shoes and other clothes.
Review provided by Viator
532jons
Sep 22, 2019
Beautiful place to spend the dag - I took my husband here for his birthday as a surprise. It was a lovely way to spend a day outside of Guayaquil (without driving a super far distance). The staff was very friendly, attentive, and thoughtful— they had our names written on a welcome board and surprised my husband with a candle in his dessert. We had a great time tubing, bike riding, making our own chocolate bars, and exploring the property. The food was excellent and so was the sangria! Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Billya1966
Apr 27, 2019
Amazing Day - The day starts with a refreshing drink and then then a bike ride to a river where you float through the rain forest. We then found out how chocolate is harvested and even made our own chocolate. We milked a cow and then had a delicious lunch. We went horse riding in the afternoon, which was lovely. The whole place runs so well and every one was so helpful, especially Anna! Our horse riding guide was great along with the waitress and the river guide. Go there, you will have agree at day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathy_b
Sep 26, 2017
Mario made our day very special. He... - <p>Mario made our day very special. He was a great guide. We ate fresh roasted cocoa beans and ground it with some sugar. Yummy!! We rode fat tire bikes and John took us down the small river where we saw iguanas. I'm sure they had a few laughs about the granny's getting on the inner tubes. <br/>
We can't say enough about the food .....it was awesome!<br/>
It's a dairy farm and the cream cheese was made here for the passion fruit cheesecake </p>
<p>Thank you for the special day...:</p>
Review provided by Viator
Marc_n
Feb 17, 2017
We had a wonderful day at the... - <p>We had a wonderful day at the Hacienda. Nils and his staff were so welcoming and warm. The setting is beautiful and the place is so interesting. Enjoyed learning about cacao production and the hot chocolate made with milk directly, and I mean directly, from the cow. Food was excellent, too!</p>
Review provided by Viator
Victoria_b
Aug 29, 2016
The absolute best day of our stay in... - <p>The absolute best day of our stay in the Guayaquil area. The grounds were delightful, the staff very accommodating and the nature amazing. We rode bikes, wet tubing and even milked a cow! Highly recommend.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Datotheiane
May 21, 2019
A nice day at the farm but a couple disclaimers - The farm is wonderful and gorgeous and it’s so nice to see so many animals and plants. The lunch was very nice. The tubing was one of the most fun things I have ever done. The chocolate making was great too. We loved Diana, the chocolate maker, and Alfredo, our life saver in the river.
A couple of disclaimers-
- You definitely need a guide if you do not speak Spanish. We hired Mario from “my trip to Ecuador” and he interpreted the entire cocoa farming experience as well as the tubing. There was an interpreter at the chocolate making portion only, but you would miss a lot of the earlier portion of the day if you only spoke English like us.
- alcohol is not included with lunch and this is not advertised at all. Considering that the day trip is pretty expensive (although worth it!), I find it strange that they charge $6 per bottle of Club, which you can get even on the Malecon for $3.
- horseback riding was not included/offered and I was completely under the impression we had that option.
Overall it was great and I would recommend it. However there were a couple of things listed above that made me give 4 stars instead of 5.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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