The Chocolate Road tour was fabulous--the highlight of my 3-week trip! We learned about cacao production, finkas, etc. We got to eat fresh coconuts and cacao fruit (yummy!), and, at the factory, hot chocolate, chocolates, and cocoa liqueur. Our guide, Nelson, was very knowledgeable and friendly, and provided a very local, personal tour of the region. There was some confusion in the terminal about the start time and which guide we were with, but everyone from Narwell had a list of who was doing what, and we just had to get to the right person.

Fun, interesting and well led tour, with Franklin adapting the tour to ensure we all had the best experience. Thank you!

Our group of twelve all seemed to enjoy this tour. Our guide, Franklin was very good, providing translation as needed at the various stops. The Casa Rosada is a lovely place with a beautiful dining area. Some of the participants found the ceviche way too acidic though. Besides the fish market, we also had an add on stop for a demo of the making of Panama hats which was quite interesting and some took the opportunity to purchase. And the last stop for the beer tasting turned out to be more tastings than was originally stated! All the beers are from Ecuador and quite interesting. All in all a fun day in Manta for those looking for a shorter tour or have been there before.

A really fun day with a good tour company. Loved the walk through the jungle and the amazing lunch - cooked and served in a banana leaf. The drive is beautiful, not long, and on nice smooth roads!

Our group very much enjoyed our Manta Diversity Route tour. The "Monkey Trail" through the Pacoche National Wildlife Refuge was very interesting! The local guide for the refuge showed us many plants and explained their many uses and qualities. We didn't get to see any monkeys, but we heard the howler monkeys calling in the distance which gave us the feeling of being in a true jungle! We did opt for a trail back up from the river bed that we were told would be "longer but not as steep"... but it turned out to be quite steep with only footholds dug in the dirt to climb up the steeper parts. Most of our group managed okay, but some had more difficulty with that and would have preferred sticking to the gravel trail with the steps! Our lunch was at a local restaurant in the Pacoche Forest area that served traditional local dishes. We all had our choice of rice with either fish, shrimp, pork or chicken (or a vegetarian option) wrapped in a banana leaf. It also came with fried plantains topped with a sort of crushed "peanut" topping and it was all very tasty! Later, we visited a man who is a premier expert at making the very highest quality Panama hats at his home. This was quite interesting. Then we drove to Monte Christi and visited a larger place that also make Panama hats and sells them. This was all very enjoyable. The only disppointment was that we really had no extra time to stay in town and shop a bit. Some of us did buy hats, but there wasn't time to shop elsewhere for other things! Our tour guide was very nice and did an excellent job, and the driver as well.