Well organised tour - small 12 seater vehicle. Knowledgeable guide - excellent English. Competent driver. Well planned day visiting fish market, boat builders, chocolate factory, hat makers, museum and mausoleum, rain forest and lighthouse. Lunch was included. All very good except we felt the visit to the rain forest was not appropriate for the ages and abilities of our group. Two very good guides but as the terrain was, to say the least, difficult, we were not able to enjoy our surroundings as we were watching our footing all the time. Had we been told of the level of difficulty we would not have undertaken the trek. Some of our group were less able bodied and, seeing the start of the rain forest path opted to miss out completely on the experience. Otherwise it was a good, varied day and value for money.

The cacao farm tour was wonderful! Experienced a local cacao farm and local snacks and fruit. And a stop at a small batch chocolate producer factory. Shown all about the creation of chocolate from the tree to hot cocoa and chocolate bars. There was a short walk over rough ground among the cacao trees at the farm to really experience the growing cacao pods and harvest (maybe a kilometer total) . Even saw an iguana. Great lunch stop too. Our time was limited as it was a cruise ship stop but Manta SOS made good use of our time and delivered us back to the port on time. Thank you Fernando!

Guide drove us around Montecristi hats, told us about history n independency 1830, I learned Panama hats not made Panama, made in Ecuador! Took us eat tonga, good local dish, wrapped up in banana leaf! Has rice chicken, sweet plantain n peanut sauce! Saw monkeys at Rain Forest, would Highly Recommend Manta dos service

We booked with SOS for our first visit to Manta. We scored a day with Christopher, who went out of his way to make certain we all saw as much of Manta and the surrounding countryside as possible. We started at the local fish market and Christopher was able to translate questions we had for local fishermen. Everyone was so friendly. We visited a lighthouse on a short hike up a mountain along the beach. We spent an hour or so in a local rainforest. We dined on local cuisine (Tonga). It was exceptional. We finished the day out in Montecristi visiting a hat maker of the REAL Panama Hat. We even purchased one. All in all the perfect day with a fantastic guide. Thank you, SOS!

This was an interesting tour. Fernando was an amazing tour guide, very knowledgeable. The background he provided to each site we visited made it come alive. We will always remember this experience. Wish the hauling monkeys came out to see them...next time

We booked a tour to Vinca Agroturistica El Perezoso and could not have been happier with the experience. Fernando was an incredible guide. We know a small amount of Spanish, but Fernando's english(which is on point) filled in all the blanks and made the excursion all the more better. He answered all of our questions on the 1.5 hour ride to and from the farm, handled all the translation while there, and even navigated the Dulche shop in Rocafuerte, and the Granzinado stop along the highway. Bonus: he asked if he could stop and grab a Tonga on the way back to Manta and we said "Of course, we need to get one as well!" Probably the best place we have eaten from so far. A little restaurant on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere is usually the best food, and this one did not disappoint. We have another 2 months here in Manta, and will definitly be booking another excursion through them. Seriously, this guide group is phenomenal.

This was an amazing chocolate farm tucked away about 1 1/2 hr from Manta. Many cocoa and fruit trees. Delicious coffee with fruit and chocolate samples. Worth the bumpy drive! Guide Fernando and our driver were very friendly. Very enjoyable!

We were staying in Manta and I used Manta SOS tours to arrange our tour to Isla de la Plata. Since I didn’t want to pay for a private shuttle we took the 615 am bus from Manta to Puerto Lopez. It took close to three hours since there were a lot of stops. From the bus station we took a tuk tuk to our meeting point at Hotel Ruta del Sol and made before our scheduled meet time of 930zMet the designated people there and then we waited for our guide Silvano who showed up with about a dozen people already in tow. While my correspondence and payment was to Manta SOS ( absolutely no complaints ) I think we then joined another group. From Puerto Lopez it was a little over an hour boat ride to Isla de la Plata. It was a smooth ride. The hike on the island started off level and then segued into 150 wooden uneven steps up. Add in the hot equatorial sun and it was a bit challenging for those of us not young and in athletic shape. I was glad I brought a hat but I wish I had brought more water. At the top of the steps there’s a nice covered shelter to catch your breath. From there you. An opt for one of two trails. A guide will accompany each group. We opted for the less strenuous path to the cliff and to see the Blue footed boobies. ( There was a pair hanging out in the shelter posing for us.) The scenery along the cliffs is stunning. We saw lots of blue footed boobies, some Nazca boobies and some frigates. Prior to docking on the island we got bananas and banana bread. Once back on board we got lunch which consisted of a cheese sandwich and a tuna sandwich and a soda drink. While the crew doesn’t actually provide water bottles they have water for refills so do bring your own. After lunch we went snorkeling for 45 minutes close to shore. Watermelon post snorkel. We also saw a small group of sea lions basking, a sea turtle when we anchored and two humpback whales ( very fortunate) on the way back. Silvano was very informative and attentive . We were back in Puerto Lopez by 4 pm. Although I have been to the Galapagos I thought this was an amazing day trip. I had a wonderful time.

We enjoyed our tour yesterday so much and learned a lot about the area and Ecuador in general. Great tour guide and yummie food.

Great tour of the rain forest. We saw howler monkey's, a tarantula spider, and many birds. Our tour guide was knowledgeable about all things related to the forest. The hike to the lighthouse was fun as well. Afterwards a great local lunch was provided that was delicious!

Rainforest was beautiful. Great guide. Guide informative. Good history of area was given. Highly recommend.

My wife and I participated in the whale watching tour. We were picked up at our residence in a nice bus with other people going on the tour. We stopped along the way at a chocolate factory, which was very unique and interesting. Once we arrived at Puerto Lopez, we boarded our boat to see the whales. It is impossible to find the words to describe what happened next, it was amazing. There were whales all around us, very close! We could not only see them, but hear them! It was an amazing adventure we will never forget. First class and would recommend this tour to any person, well worth the cost.

Fernando handled everything. He is very friendly and makes everyone comfortable. Very good English. Very professional.

Fernando was great at getting us a reservation for the Isla de la Plata trip. He was very professional and took very good care of us as we were going through the scheduling process. Our driver Luis that took us to Puerto Lopez to get on the tour was a wonderful driver and would highly recommend him for any travel you need around the area.

In late January (2021) I used a multitude of services offered by Manta SOS Guide Tours, from Guayaquil airport pickup and return to obtaining my residency visa. I was truly impressed with the attention to detail Monica and Fernando devoted to overcoming some of the unique challenges in facilitating my residency cedula. I would recommend Manta SOS Guia. Especially to all considering travel to Manta requiring airport transportation, touring support and visa processing.