Manta and Montecristi tour: Boat yards & Panama hats

Walk through a working wooden boat shipyard, then learn hat-weaving from artisans in Montecristi.

This half-day tour of Manta and Montecristi takes you through two neighboring coastal towns with a bilingual local guide, covering the fish market and wooden boat yards of Manta, then the Panama hat workshops and colonial streets of Montecristi. Hotel or port pickup is included, along with coffee, tea, juice or a soft drink. The tour involves a light amount of walking and runs four to five hours.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Manta and Montecristi landmarks

• Visit wooden fishing boat shipyard
• Explore bustling fish market
• Walk through Manta city center
• Enjoy coffee or fresh juice break
• Drive to Montecristi
• Stroll Montecristi colorful streets
• Visit Panama hat workshop
• Return to Manta and end tour

The experience

The tour starts at the meeting point of Tarqui and Los Esteros beaches, where skilled carpenters still build wooden fishing boats by hand: one of the last remaining shipyards of its kind. From there you move into Manta's fish market, the economic engine of the city, before heading into the downtown streets for a walk through the city center. You'll pass colonial-style buildings, narrow pedestrian alleys, and local life as it happens: businessmen and women heading to work, street vendors, old-timers playing dominoes in the park, and shoe shiners calling out their services. The walk ends at a traditional Patrimonial House, now a coffee shop, where you sit down with a freshly ground regional coffee or squeezed fruit juice.

After the break, you travel by air-conditioned vehicle to Montecristi, a smaller town with its own rhythm. The walking tour there centers on the Panama hat workshops, where artisans preserve a UNESCO-recognized craft passed down through generations. You'll speak with the weavers, try on a hand-woven hat made using century-old techniques, and have the chance to take one home. The tour also takes you past the first school for women and through the main plaza, anchored by the town's church, where locals sit on their front porches and share stories of a slower pace of life.

Your guide is a bilingual local who knows both towns and their histories. The vehicle returns you to your hotel or port at the end of the tour, and the whole experience runs between four and five hours.

What’s included

• Hotel or port pickup and drop-off.
• a bilingual local guide in English and Spanish.
• an air-conditioned vehicle for the transfers between Manta and Montecristi.
• coffee, tea, juice or a soft drink.
• all taxes, fees and handling charges.

Options for this experience

2 options

Shared TourGuide in English or Spanish · 08:30 and 10:00Shared tour for up to 14 passengers. Pickup is included.

Private TourGuide in English or Spanish · 08:30Private tour for up to 4 passengers. Includes pickup.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:30 and 10:00

AgesAdult (14 and older) · Child (5 to 13 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupUp to 14

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 4 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Narwell Tours

Is this one for you?Choose the private tour if you want the guide's attention and the flexibility to linger at stops that interest you most. The shared tour works well if you're comfortable with a small group and prefer a lower price point. Either way, the four to five hour timeframe fits a morning or afternoon without consuming your whole day.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 13 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is the wooden boat shipyard in Manta, and is it still active?

The shipyard at the meeting point of Tarqui and Los Esteros beaches is one of the last remaining places where skilled carpenters build wooden fishing boats entirely by hand, continuing a treasured tradition. Yes, it is still an active working yard.

Can I actually buy a Panama hat during the Montecristi part of the tour?

Yes. The tour includes a visit to a traditional Panama hat workshop where you can try on hand-woven hats made using the same techniques perfected over a century ago, and you have the option to purchase one as a souvenir of the day.

How much walking is involved in this tour?

A light amount of walking is involved. You'll walk through the streets of Manta's city center and the main areas of Montecristi, but the pace is leisurely and you'll have a break at a coffee shop in Manta partway through.

Does the tour include hotel pickup, or do I need to get to a meeting point?

Hotel or port pickup is included in the tour. You'll be picked up at your accommodation and returned there at the end of the four to five hour experience.

What's included to drink during the tour?

Coffee, tea, juice, or a soft drink of your choice is included. You'll have time to enjoy it at a traditional Patrimonial House coffee shop in Manta's city center.