Organic Coffee Farm Tour in Loja: Professional Tasting

International importers taste the same beans you will, graded by a South American expert.

A four-hour tour of an organic coffee farm in the Andean mountains near Loja, Ecuador, led by a South American coffee grading expert and English/Spanish interpreter. You walk through the coffee forest, visit a washed coffee and drying operation at a fair trade growers' collective, and finish with a professional tasting in a wholesale room. Transport from Loja to San Pedro de Vilcabamba and back is included, along with coffee and tea.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit coffee farm and lookout

• Go to Mandango Hill lookout
• See Vilcabamba valley
• Visit coffee farm
• Learn coffee production stages

The experience

Loja has earned global recognition for single-source Arabica coffee (the finest bean type in the world), and this tour puts you inside the production chain that made it happen. A coffee grading expert walks you through an organic coffee forest in the Andean mountains, showing you how the beans grow and are harvested. From there, you move to a local fair trade growers' collective to see the washed coffee and drying operation, the stages that determine the quality international buyers compete for. The tour ends where those buyers end: in a wholesale tasting room, where the grading expert leads a professional tasting so you experience the beans the way importers do when they visit Loja to source specialty coffee.

The route includes a stop at Mandango Hill, a lookout over Vilcabamba, the valley of longevity, before heading into the coffee operations. Travel time from Loja to San Pedro de Vilcabamba takes 40 minutes each way and is built into the four-hour total. An air-conditioned vehicle handles the transport, and coffee and tea are provided throughout the morning.

What’s included

• All fees and taxes.
• air-conditioned vehicle transport from Loja to San Pedro de Vilcabamba and back.
• coffee and tea throughout the tour.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (18 to 64 years) · Senior (65 to 95 years) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (6 to 12 years) · Under 6: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 13 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Life in Loja

Is this one for you?Small groups work well here since the grading expert can answer detailed questions about each stage of production and tasting. Children from age six are welcome, making it a family-friendly way to learn how award-winning coffee is made and evaluated.

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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: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (6 to 12 years). Children under 6 can't be included in the booking.

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 do I see at the coffee farm?

The organic coffee forest shows you how Arabica beans grow in the Andean mountains, and the fair trade collective demonstrates the washed coffee and drying operation: the stages that shape the final flavor and quality the international market pays for.

What does the professional tasting involve?

The grading expert hosts a tasting in the wholesale room where international importers sample and buy high-grade specialty beans, so you taste and evaluate the coffee the same way professional buyers do.

How much travel time is there between Loja and the coffee farm?

The drive from Loja to San Pedro de Vilcabamba takes 40 minutes each way, and this travel time is included in the four-hour tour duration, so you know the full time commitment upfront.

What's included in the tour price?

All fees and taxes, air-conditioned transport, and coffee and tea are included. Public transportation options are also available if you prefer to meet the group at the farm.