Upon arrival at Guayaquil, you will be met by your hotel representative who will assist you with luggage and will provide the transfer to your hotel. Your hotel representative will be waiting for you at the appropriate arrival hall, holding a sign with your name.
- Please keep in mind that your transfer from the airport to the city of Guayaquil will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes depending on arrival time and traffic.
- Guayaquil’s average temperatures range from 25 Celsius (82 Fahrenheit) at night to 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) on sunny days.
- Private services with Professional English - speaking guide
- Private transportation with Professional Spanish - speaking driver
- Bottle of water and welcome candies
Shared services with Spanish speaking driver
From Guayaquil to Hacienda La Danesa
Early morning departure from your hotel lobby to Hacienda La Danesa. The transfer will take approximately two hours.
Welcome to Hacienda La Danesa
Your bilingual host will greet you with a warm welcome to the farm and will inform you about La Danesa's rich history. You will have time at leisure to explore the gardens and property, enjoy refreshing cold-infused drinks, and a traditional snack courtesy of the hacienda before starting with the experiences planned for the day.
Bean to Bar Chocolate Making Experience: (included)
Ecuador is recognized for offering the finest quality cacao in the world. Guests may visit the cacao plantation where they will have the chance to taste raw cacao at different ripening stages and hands-on experience of making from bean to bar chocolate.
- Duration: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 1 min. | 5 min. | 15 min.
You will walk through a picturesque teak avenue for about 10 minutes before arriving at the cacao plantation where you will learn the history and process of the cacao in Ecuador and walk through the cacao trail. Guests will produce artisan chocolate at the cacao plantation and taste 100% pure raw chocolate.
The farm produces jams, 100% raw honey, chocolate, dulce de leche, and other delicious hand-made products made by the local community. You may taste them all, and you may shop your favorites at La Tienda with other hand-picked products from all over Ecuador.
From Farm to Table Three-Course Lunch: (included)
La Danesa offers a truly unique gastronomic experience inspired by a Farm-to-Table ethos. It grows and produces most of the ingredients at the farm while buying the rest from the neighboring communities. The chef will offer a three-course meal with a few options for the main course for you to choose from. Vegan/vegetarian options will be available, and upon request, we are happy to suit other diets.
Milking the Gardens: (included)
Hacienda La Danesa celebrates 30 years of recognition to be the best dairy farm in coastal Ecuador, producing 1,200 liters of high-quality milk per day. Guests may enjoy a firsthand experience by milking and tasting fresh milk straight from the utter to the cup.
- Duration: 15 min.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: Inside the property
From 15h00: an afternoon at leisure to doing tubbing, biking or horseback riding if requested:
At this time, you may explore the property by bike, float down the lazy rivers surrounded by trees and birds, or just sit back and relax. For those who would prefer to relax they may enjoy a glass of wine or two at the Teak terrace or gardens with jazz music.
- Biking: (included): Guests may enjoy the hacienda’s fat tires bicycles and explore the farm on their own anytime during their stay. A map and cycling route signs will guide visitors through different trails.
- Duration: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy | Moderate
- Distance: Inside the property
- Tubing: (included): Hacienda La Danesa has three rivers inside the property. With warm weather year-round, guests may float down the peaceful river surrounded by beautiful trees, tropical flowers, and luckily three toes sloths, birds, iguanas, and even deers.
- Duration: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 4 min. | 15 min. | 30 min.
- Horse Riding: (1 hour included, if more, it should be considered as an additional price) Enjoy nature through different trails around forests, paddocks, and rivers. Choose from a 15-minute beginner ride, a one-hour trail ride, or a tailored half-day journey around the 1200 acres property. Safety guidance, helmet, and half chaps are provided.
- Duration: 15 min. | 1 hour | Tailored
- Difficulty: Easy | Moderate | Expert
- Distance: Inside the property
Cooking Classes: (additional price): Guests may take one on one or group classes from the charismatic and passionate Chef Joan, who developed his expertise both in domestic and international cuisines. Participants may earn how to prepare La Danesa’s signature dishes using organic ingredients from the gardens and local markets.
Duration: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: Inside the property
- Please keep in mind that your transfer from your hotel in Guayaquil will take approximately 90 minutes to two hours depending on traffic.
- La Danesa is located in Naranjito, Guayaquil countryside, and the average temperatures range from 26 Celsius (78 Fahrenheit) at night to 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) on sunny days.
Exploring the Cloud Forest and Waterfalls Hike
La Esperanza Cloud Forest Reserve will astound visitors with its beauty, bounty, and high amount of biodiversity. Wind-sculpted elfin woodlands give way to rainforests were tall trees (Guayacán, Matapalos, Laurel, Balsa, Vegetable Ivory (Tagua), and others – festooned with orchids, bromeliads, ferns, vines, and mosses – rise high into the sky. The variable climate and large altitudinal gradient have helped to produce an amazingly heterogeneous set of creatures that live here. Some of these include the jaguar, ocelot, Baird’s tapir, three-wattled bellbird, bare-necked umbrellabird, and the famously elusive resplendent Cock of the Rock.
Guests will depart Hacienda La Danesa at 9:00 am (or early if bird-watching) and arrive at Bucay at 9:30 am. From here, you will start driving up the mountain for 40 minutes until you come at the starting point of the hike. In this one-hour hike, you will visit three different waterfalls of different heights where you may jump in for an uplifting experience and feel the power of water. For guests interested in canyoning down the waterfall, your instructor will provide all security equipment. After visiting the three waterfalls, guests will visit a local farmer to learn about the artisan sugar cane juice and liquor production where you will have a hands-on experience and make your own Sugar Cane and Lime juice. You will return to Hacienda La Danesa just on time for lunch.
Upon your arrival back to the hacienda house, you will be greeted with fresh lemonade and a beautiful lunch (fished by you, hopefully!) accompanied by the house's favorite wine next to the lake. When days are bright, you will see the beautiful highlands on the horizon.
Afternoon at Leisure
This time is an excellent opportunity for guests to relax or go for a walk, or perhaps have a relaxing in-room spa. At night, drinks at the Teak Terrace.
Overnight at Hacienda La Danesa in Restored Stables or Garden Cottage
Cloudforest & Waterfalls Hike
Afternoon at Leisure
Drinks at the Teak Terrace
Transfer from La Danesa to Guayaquil
Freshly ground coffee and brewed, natural organic juice and fruits will be delivered to your room at your desired time. When ready, breakfast will be waiting for you in our Teak Terrace. After breakfast in the gardens, the driver and English-speaking guide will be ready to take you back to Guayaquil.
t a proper time, meet your driver at your hotel lobby, the hotel staff will assist you with luggage and will provide the transfer to the airport.
Your shuttle services had already been requested and coordinated, please confirm your services at the hotel front desk.
- Please keep in mind that your transfer to the airport to the city of Guayaquil will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your hotel location.
- Our team has previously reserved your shuttle service. Please confirm your services and timing at your hotel front desk.
- We always suggest being at the airport 2 hours before your departure time for domestic flights.
Shared services with Spanish speaking driver.
