Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco
Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco
4.5
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Fundación Pro-Bosque is a private organization with extensive experience in the management of protected areas, with an emphasis on reforestation, agroforestry, research, environmental education and ecotourism programs, in order to support the conservation of biodiversity in the tropical dry forest of the Ecuadorian coast through the gestation capacity of its members and inter-institutional cooperation.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
30 reviews
Excellent
18
Very good
7
Average
2
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Joe M R
Tacoma, WA105 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
This place is a hidden gem located within the Guayaquil metropolitan sprawl. Nature abounds in this place with forests, streams, tropical birds and small wildlife. You can even camp here in some of the cabins they have available. You must reserve access to this park beforehand, otherwise you may not be allowed in. They limit the amount of visitors daily. If you love hiking in the woods and seeing lots of tropical birds then this place is not to be missed.
Written June 3, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cos
Cambridge, Massachusetts53 contributions
Nov 2015 • Couples
In just a few hours on an easy hike, we saw a multitude of species of fascinating and colorful insects, plants, butterflies, and birds. Several hikes are available, ranging in length and difficulty. Big signs at the main parking and camping area show a lot of the species, with beautiful drawings, and information (in Spanish) about their behavior or adaptations or endangered status, etc. On the shorter trail we took, there was a new and excellent bird viewing station atop a bluff, where we saw several kinds of hummingbirds, tanagers, treecreepers, and other families of birds. The green-trunked ceibo trees are magnificent and alien if you're unfamiliar with this area's forests (as we were), and very beautiful. Also pay attention to the small things around you as you walk, and you will see termite trails along the trees, unusual colorful beetles, and other interesting life.
It was a pretty short drive out of the city, easily accessible for a half day outing, or a whole day, depending on how much you want to hike and how much free time you have.
Based on some of the negative reviews on TripAdvisor, we called ahead. All of the negative experiences described here have this in common: they showed up unannounced, or they called and didn't get an answer. Some people apparently have had good experiences showing up without arranging anything, but it's a matter of luck.
What we did was arranged the outing through our hotel, who got a Guayaquil city guide for us. The guide hired and paid for both the taxi there and back, and the Cerro Blanco park guide. Both our guide and another guide we met at the park also gave us contact information should we want to go back there, and hire them again (which we would - our guide was excellent!). Many of the park guides speak little or no English, so if you show up unannounced even if there is a guide there for you, they may not speak much English; our city guide went on the hike as a translator, though in our case that ended up not to be very necessary because our park guide spoke reasonable English (though the city guide spoke much better English which sometimes came in handy). Anyway, it seems like there are multiple options for getting into the park with a guide, but one way or another, that's what you ought to do - arrange to have a guide before you go.
It was a pretty short drive out of the city, easily accessible for a half day outing, or a whole day, depending on how much you want to hike and how much free time you have.
Based on some of the negative reviews on TripAdvisor, we called ahead. All of the negative experiences described here have this in common: they showed up unannounced, or they called and didn't get an answer. Some people apparently have had good experiences showing up without arranging anything, but it's a matter of luck.
What we did was arranged the outing through our hotel, who got a Guayaquil city guide for us. The guide hired and paid for both the taxi there and back, and the Cerro Blanco park guide. Both our guide and another guide we met at the park also gave us contact information should we want to go back there, and hire them again (which we would - our guide was excellent!). Many of the park guides speak little or no English, so if you show up unannounced even if there is a guide there for you, they may not speak much English; our city guide went on the hike as a translator, though in our case that ended up not to be very necessary because our park guide spoke reasonable English (though the city guide spoke much better English which sometimes came in handy). Anyway, it seems like there are multiple options for getting into the park with a guide, but one way or another, that's what you ought to do - arrange to have a guide before you go.
Written December 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jaclyn B
Kingsport, TN327 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
Let me start by bragging on our guide: Daniel. His English was fantastic and he was exceptionally knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the protected tropical dry forest of Ecuador. There were tons of tropical butterflies and small lizards about. We happened to be there during the tarantula mating season (good thing we aren't arachnophobes), and we saw many colorful and interesting large spiders along the hike. He carried an ornithological field guide with him so that when he heard a bird call he could show us which bird made the sound even if we weren't able to see/locate it in the vegetation. He tried to wake up the howler monkeys with calls but unfortunately they were napping too hard since we came through in the middle of the day. The hike itself was very strenuous but it was my favorite part of my time spent in Guayaquil. We had to leave a bit rushed though because a storm was threatening in the distance, I would have loved to have spent even more time there.
Written August 30, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Colin C
London, UK155 contributions
Dec 2014 • Couples
We went to the Bosque on a Monday. Forget it. The guides only work on weekends, and it is impossible to make a reservation here. The official phone number always goes unanswered, the contact form on the website also is never replied to. We emailed, several times, over a period of a week, no response.
We even asked the guard at the gate to make a reservation for us, no dice. So the only option is to turn up when the guides are supposed to be there (the weekend), but I wouldn't hold your breath.
When the guides are not there, half of this private reserve is inexplicably closed to visitors. A small animal rescue center is out of bounds, as are the two main walks up the mountain to the forest itself. The lower walk is open, but fairly dull. We saw a few caciques, and maybe a monkey, but it disappeared pretty quick. The brush is dense, and so do not expect to see many animals at all. The site is open from 8am, which is too late, and too hot, even so early, to see birds. If you want to gamble on their being any guides and do decide to go, make sure you get the bus there and back, as it costs a quarter, compared to the $15US for a taxi.
We even asked the guard at the gate to make a reservation for us, no dice. So the only option is to turn up when the guides are supposed to be there (the weekend), but I wouldn't hold your breath.
When the guides are not there, half of this private reserve is inexplicably closed to visitors. A small animal rescue center is out of bounds, as are the two main walks up the mountain to the forest itself. The lower walk is open, but fairly dull. We saw a few caciques, and maybe a monkey, but it disappeared pretty quick. The brush is dense, and so do not expect to see many animals at all. The site is open from 8am, which is too late, and too hot, even so early, to see birds. If you want to gamble on their being any guides and do decide to go, make sure you get the bus there and back, as it costs a quarter, compared to the $15US for a taxi.
Written December 30, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mce99
Yakima, WA57 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
Our visit was in November so no wildlife apart from some birds to be seen. No guide was available that day so we were sent off on the trails with a map which we may have misread as we were rounded up some time later on one of the paths by two scary armed guards in a truck who thought these two elderly gringos were poachers. After some lengthy telephone calls to their commander and rapid Spanish questions fired at us, upon showing passports and id we were driven back in disgrace to where our taxi was waiting at the park's office. I'm sure at a different time of year and under different circumstances this would be a whole different experience.
Written December 3, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Megalomaniac74
Preston53 contributions
Jan 2019 • Couples
We had one day in Guayaquil following a Galapagos cruise and decided to take a tour with one of the expert guides. Unfortunately due to the heat we didn’t see too many birds/animals. (Perhaps we should have gone earlier or later in the date when the temperatures might have been slightly cooler). However thanks to the expert knowledge of our guide we were lucky enough to see some endemic birds and had an enjoyable tour. If anyone is thinking of visiting the area be sure to take some insect repellent as large areas have mosquitoes and flies.
Written January 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are proud of having you! Usually we get to watch more birds earlier in the day, thanks for coming and you are always welcomed back. (:
Written April 5, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
andrsch17
Guayaquil, Ecuador5 contributions
Feb 2017 • Couples
Last Saturday I had the opportunity to visit the best place to practice extreme sports in the city of Guayaquil. It is located approximately 40 minutes from the city center. The place is called adventure forest. I visited that place because a colleague recommended it to me. First I arrived with my girlfriend, she was nervous due to the danger of this kind of sport. When we arrived, we were assigned an instructor, and he took us to tour around the place to know the different kinds of sports that can be practiced in that place. In the place you can practice five extreme sports and all are air type, and the price is $ 5 per sport. But if people prefer to practice the five sports chain the cost is $ 20. I practiced "zip-line" consists of a pulley suspended on a cable and descending from a tall structure. My girlfriend also practiced the same sport after to me. At the end of the day we ended up very tired and we came back home at the 3 o'clock. I recommend you to visit that beautiful place if you want to practice the extreme sports and don´t travel to another city
Written June 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luis V
Guayaquil, Ecuador1 contribution
Cerro blanco has it all! I love the healthy tropical dry forest and the trails system. It is a well organized and managed private ecological reserve and a great place to take visitors to enjoy nature and wildlife. Depending on the time of the year, the wildlife sightings are limited but the enjoyment of walking on such greenery and good looking forest is always a great bonus! Have fun in a great place!
Written January 8, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lucho_natgeo
Villanua, Spain68 contributions
Dec 2013 • Friends
Arriving early in the morning and being able to observe the large flocks of birds crossing the sky, is one of the benefits to visit Cerro Blanco. I love to commute with nature and I have been lucky to find a place so close to the city that contains abundant wildlife and a healthy forest. The hikes are great, so don't miss this place when you visit Ecuador!
Written January 6, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohninNewburyport
Newburyport, MA46 contributions
Aug 2013 • Friends
We were allowed into this environmentally sensitive area by the guard at the gate even though we didn't have a formal permission. He called someone first and they gave the OK. The purpose of the visit was birdwatching, but it turned out to be a very nice place for walking and even had a small food kiosk open while we we there. We did several of the trails, and a guide was not necessary because the paths were well kept and marked. Recommended for anyone who would like a walk in a natural area without a lot of people,.
Written January 2, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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