Private Tour

Half-Day Dolphin and Bird Watching in the Mangrove Forest of Puerto del Morro

Overview

Available languages

English

Spanish

6 hours

Mobile ticket

A resident population of bottlenose dolphins inhabits the inner estuary of the Gulf of Guayaquil. This population has lived in isolation for thousands of years from other common bottlenose dolphin populations living along the coast of Ecuador. They have evolved in this dynamic environment characterized by a high tidal range, low salinity, strong currents, and high productivity.

Your guide is a marine biologist who has been studying this endangered dolphin population for 30 years. Tourist boats are used as research platforms to collect important information for population management.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

Enjoy these beautiful and playful animals at Puerto El Morro and Naranjal, small fishing villages located 60 miles (90 km) south of Guayaquil, with access to a beautiful mangrove area that you will explore on a boat tour. Surrounded by a dense mangrove forest, this stunning landscape is the perfect place for nature lovers. Besides dolphins, egrets, white ibis, frigates, pelicans, roseate spoonbills, kingfishers, sandpipers, and many other aquatic birds can be seen during the trip. At the site, you will also see traditional fishing activities which include mostly crabs and clams.

What‘s Included

Private transportation

Snacks, fruits, water and soda

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Options

Half-Day Dolphin and Bird Watching in the Mangrove Forest of Puerto del Morro

Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

4 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Fernando is Fantastic!
Pr1nc31,Mar 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Dr Fernando Félix is a prominent marine biologist based in Guayaquil, we booked on to the river dolphin spotting trip via our holiday with Exoticca and we are SO glad we did. His knowledge and passion for the dolphins, birds and river ecosystem as a whole is absolutely phenomenal! He picked us up from our hotel and drove us in his modern, comfortable car to the town where our boat would set off from, he had bought along some snacks and drinks as well which was incredibly thoughtful. As our boat went along the river Fernando pointed out the various bird species flying past and nestling in the trees, he was able to identify so many animals it was incredible, lending us his binoculars so we could get a better look. Slowly we arrived toward the mouth of the river by the shipping harbour, locals were pointing us in the direction of where some dolphins were last spotted and we then saw them! Gliding gracefully through the way, Fernando was taking pictures of them for his research whilst giving us information about the dolphins, their behaviour, migration patterns along the river etc. his passion is truly admirable and the work and research he conducts is so important, worthwhile and impactful. He does not receive funding from the Ecuadorean government and therefore relies on tourists booking these tours to fund his research, with less people going to Guayaquil and Ecuador as a whole due to safety concerns and travel warnings from governments his fund gets lower and lower, which is a real shame, we need people like Fernando trying to protect these dolphins and improve the marine environment not just for the dolphins, marine life and other animal, but the benefits will be felt by us as well.
We had a great half day trip to Puerto Morro.
Larry A,Dec 21, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Fernando gave us so much information about the mangrove forest and the birds that live there. His knowledge of the dolphins was impressive and we had a wonderful time.
An educational and very nice trip
Wanderer777306,Jun 25, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The trip was very educational, thanks to the expert biologist Felix, we were able to learn and appreciate the mangroves, see different species of birds and the beautiful dolphins, it was incredible, I recommend it.
An amazing experience
Wanderer777306,Dec 15, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The experience was amazing, we enjoy it, and learned a lot about nature, birds, and the fantastic dolphins. Fernando Félix is an expert biologist, who specializes in marine mammals. The trip is very educative because you learned a lot about the different species around We hardly recommend it.