3 Days in Guayaquil Itinerary: Malecón 2000, Las Peñas, Parque Histórico & Cacao

Three full days in Guayaquil let you experience the city's historic riverfront transformation, its rescued 1900 cocoa-boom timber architecture, its urban mangrove reserves, and a day trip into the countryside where the world's finest floral Arriba Nacional chocolate originates.

Day 1: Parque Seminario Iguanas, Malecón 2000, Barrio Las Peñas & Cerro Santa Ana

• 09:00, Parque Seminario (Iguana Park) & Metropolitan Cathedral: Begin in the morning shade at Parque Seminario to photograph dozens of green land iguanas and step inside the twin-spired 1937 Catedral Metropolitana de San Pedro Apóstol, then walk four blocks down pedestrianised Bulevar 9 de Octubre to the river.
• 11:00, Malecón 2000, La Rotonda, Clock Tower & MAAC Museum: Walk south along Malecón 2000 to see the 1931 Torre Morisca, the 1929 Palacio Municipal, and the 1908 Palacio de Cristal, then head north past the 1938 Hemiciclo de la Rotonda (honouring Bolívar and San Martín) to the cool galleries of the Museo Antropológico y de Arte Contemporáneo (MAAC).
• 16:30, Barrio Las Peñas, the 444 Steps of Cerro Santa Ana & Sunset at El Faro: As the afternoon cools, stroll the cobbled lane of Calle Numa Pompilio Llona through Barrio Las Peñas and climb the 444 numbered steps of Cerro Santa Ana to the 18-metre lighthouse for a 360-degree sunset view over the Río Guayas before dining at Puerto Santa Ana.

Day 2: Parque Histórico Guayaquil, Downtown Museums, Malecón del Salado & Crab Dinner

• 09:30, Parque Histórico Guayaquil (Samborondón): Take a fifteen-minute taxi across the Río Daule bridge to spend the morning exploring the three zones of Parque Histórico Guayaquil: the mangrove wildlife boardwalks (sloths, tapirs, harpy eagles, and caimans), the reconstructed 1900 urban avenue (Casa Julián Coronel and Banco Territorial), and the traditional cocoa-drying hacienda.
• 15:00, Museo Nahím Isaías, Aerovía & Malecón del Salado: Return downtown to view Quito School colonial paintings at the Museo Nahím Isaías or Museo Municipal, ride the Aerovía cable car over the Río Guayas, and stroll across the Zigzag Bridge at Malecón del Salado before heading to Urdesa for an evening feast of spiced Guayas mangrove crabs.

Day 3 Option A: Arriba Nacional Cacao Hacienda & Manglares Churute

Spend your third day on a guided excursion south-east of the city combining a boat safari through the estuaries of Reserva Ecológica Manglares Churute with a tree-to-bar chocolate tour at a historic Arriba Nacional cacao hacienda.

Day 3 Option B: Isla Santay Eco-Village & Cerro Blanco Dry Forest

Alternatively, stay close to town by walking or cycling the 840-metre footbridge to Isla Santay in the morning and hiking the howler-monkey trails of Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco in the afternoon.