Cuenca to Guayaquil one-way tour with Cajas Park and a Cacao Farm visit
Overview
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Enjoy the fascinating views and contrast of the Ecuadorian Andes and lowlands in our one-way flexible, convenient tour departing from Cuenca to Guayaquil including a visit to Cajas National Park, a local fruit market, and a cacao farm. Allowed 2 suitcases per person.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking.
Passport name, number and nationality is required at time of booking for all participants.
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required.
Please notice: this is one-way trip Guayaquil to Cuenca or viceversa tour.
For 1 to 5 passengers, a bilingual guide will also be the driver. For more than 5 passengers, a driver and a bilingual guide will be provided.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Laguna La Toreadora
From Cuenca, we will drive through the famous Andes mountains to Toreadora refuge, located in Cajas National Park. This park is one of the most important protected areas in the south of Ecuador and the main supplier of water of Cuenca. You will marvel at the beautiful scenery found in this area. We will have the opportunity to do a hike (optional) to explore the Polylepis Forest and Moorland ecosystems with its lakes. Then we will cross the continental divide and continue our drive to the lowlands making stops to enjoy the beautiful scenery if weather permitting.
On the way, we will stop for lunch at this very local restaurant where the specialty is trout, however, there are several options including vegetarian and vegan. Our tour guide will advise you. You will also have the chance to enjoy the mysterious Andes mountains views from this point.
What‘s Included
Lunch (If option selected)
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Tour Guide/Driver (If option selected)
Transportation in private Van with AC
Gratuities
Cacao Loma
Options
Group tour WITHOUT lunch
NO LUNCH INCLUDED: You can bring your own meal or buy it yourself at the restaurant we stop for lunch.
Pickup included
Private Tour
This option is exclusively for your party, offers a personalized and flexible service.
Lunch included
SUV, Van or Minibus
Pickup included
Direct Shuttle Only (NO TOUR)
Duration: 3 hours
SUV, Van, Minibus
Private Shuttle one-way: Customized pick-up time, is a perfect option for those looking just for a transfer. NO GUIDE, NO MEALS, TRANSPORT ONLY
Pickup included
Group Tour with lunch
One-course lunch included
Group Tour: You will share the tour with other passengers (Max 15)
Hotel pick up included
Reviews
52 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Fun way to travel between the cities, but seems disorganised
williammI9088HN,Feb 19, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00So it was overall a fun way to travel from Cuenca to Guayaquil, and do some sightseeing along the way. I will preface this by saying that I did this solo, so the cost of $190 was just for me and actively choose not to do the cacao farm, so I admit that my activities were consciously limited. My first guide, Xavier, was fantastic, incredibly knowledgable, and interesting. The drive up into the National Park was incredible, Xavier's knowledge of the fauna and flora was great and it was absolutely stunning. My issue really was that we then had to drive back down the way we came for 20 minutes to go have lunch, rather than continuing in the same direction. Lunch was fine, but the portion side was quite small. We were then waiting around for another 30 minutes, for a new driver to come, the drivers switched, and then we drove the other 20 minutes back into the National Park to where we started off from. It was basically just an hour and a half of wasted time, which could have been solved if there was one driver, who took you to a restaurant which was en route, rather than doubling back on yourself. Also my second driver spoke so loudly he was effectively shouting in my ear which made the journey somewhat unpleaseant. Overall, it's a cool thing to do, Cajas is beautiful and it's a fun way to travel between the two cities, but is it worth $190? I'm not sure.
Comfortable ride with Ecuadorean experience
NinaC1376,Dec 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Wilson was a great guide for our trip. He pointed out lots of interesting information. The coffee farm visit was really fun with a delicious lunch and the short hike at cajas was beautiful. We really liked Wilson’s commentary about nature. Highly recommend.
Great tour!
MattJones72,Aug 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Wilson was a great guide. Very accommodating to both of us. Safe driver. I highly recommend this tour if you are traveling between Guayaquil and Cuenca.
Great for those who want to go from Cuenca to Guayaquil but not to miss the national park of Cajas
Ricardo S,Aug 6, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00I did this experiment with Guia Pedro. It was excellent, since the trekking in the national park of Cajas, the passage by the family cocoa grower, it went very well! Upon arrival in Guayaquil was super attentive staying with us until the check in to be complete and giving us guidance on the q was safe and what was not...
Reliable Service
photoamplifier,Jun 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Reliable professional Service. Easy to work with and good communication. The driver turned up early was helpful and polite.
Definitely recommended!
ohbluefish,Jun 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My husband and I had an amazing time traveling from Cuenca to Guayaquil, making unforgettable stops along the way at iconic places like Cajas National Park and a chocolate factory, where we learned all about how Ecuadorian chocolate is made. Our tour guide, Wilson, was fantastic! He speaks excellent English, has so much knowledge about the local animals and flowers, and was always making sure we were comfortable. He even helped capture special moments throughout the journey. Highly recommend this experience — it was a perfect mix of nature, culture, and fun!
Highly recommended
James L,Mar 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Great way to get to Guayaquil from Cuenca. Visited Cajas Park, stopped off for lunch and visited a cacao farm. Wilson was a great guide, very knowledgeable and really patient with my Spanish
Nice trip from Cuenca to Guayaquil
Anastasia L,Dec 27, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00A very good and convenient tour if you need to get from Cuenca to Guayaquil but find a simple 3-hour drive too boring. Our guide, Genero, was amazing! He shared many fascinating facts about the plants in the national park and showed us the most beautiful viewpoints. We decided to skip the lunch stop (plus everything was closed due to Christmas) and pass on the coffee tour since we’d already been on one in Mindo. So, I can’t say much about that part of the tour. But the trip itself was very comfortable and safe. Even when we entered an area with such thick fog that you could barely see a car half a meter away, Genero drove very calmly and confidently. We enjoyed everything 😊
We had a great time. Andres our guide was wonderful. The Cajas National park was beautiful. Cacao farm was interesting
steven w,Nov 30, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Andres was a great guide. Cajas park is beautiful. Food was great. Cacao farm was interesting. We had a great time. Now off to Galapagos
Excellent
Tonya S,Aug 1, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Pleasant drive from Cuenca to Guayaquil. The stops were nice, lunch was good and our driver, Luis, was excellent, friendly and informative.
From US$73.99
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Operated by Cuenca Bestours Tour Operator