Fun on the Guayas River with a new option on board a catamaran

A month ago, a new idea by Cristina Tutivén and Carlos Rodríguez S. became a reality thanks to their determination to make the Guayas River more prominent. Both young Guayaquil entrepreneurs work in the tourism sector with a travel agency and tour operator, which went through serious interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We never saw each other in defeat; On the contrary, we believe that we can get ahead and even more so with the attractions that our beautiful city of Guayaquil has”, Christina says.

Riverdock has already crossed a large part of the waters of the gentle Guayas River for a month. “Since then, things have taken care of themselves. We had the opportunity to operate a catamaran and be able to offer experiences on the Guayas and Daule rivers,” says the entrepreneur.

In order to operate, all the guidelines were followed to start up this new service that fixes the gaze towards one of the most attractive parts of Guayaquil. “In the event of unforeseen events, the catamaran has life jackets for passengers and enough for the boat to operate at full capacity; we have fire extinguishers in case of eventualities, emergency kit. Our staff is trained in first aid techniques, and we have rescue operation procedures in case a passenger falls into the river,” emphasizes Rodríguez, who is convinced that promoting river tourism and creating more activities in the city they add more charm for both local and foreign visitors to enjoy.

With regard to security, they have the cooperation of municipal, river and port protection agencies to guarantee the well-being of passengers, both on the docks and on the way. “The catamaran has a radio system connected to the municipal authorities to keep us constantly updated on the security status of the landing points and to be able to correct a route properly if necessary,” Rodríguez emphasizes.

It is a catamaran that has all the adaptations such as bathroom, bar, five small rooms on board and one that the crew occupies, and a live singer.

The services provided by Riverdock are day and night tours. One of them is, for example, Full Day 3×1, which includes a walk through the Historic Park (Samborondón), Puerto Santa Ana, Malecón Simón Bolívar and Puente Santay, visiting the three bridges, among others. The departure can be from any hotel (in case of guests), whose departure is scheduled. In the Historical Park you will be able to learn about the process of making cocoa and a cup of chocolate will be served. From there, the boat will be boarded towards Guayaquil with views of the Malecón Simón Bolívar, the southern area of ​​the city to observe the old dry docks up to the river and cabotage dock known as Caraguay. Then there will be a visit to Santay Island, where there will be a walk to see the fauna and flora, and a typical dish will be tasted. End of the journey.

Also, the boat can be reserved for celebrations and social events, such as birthdays, corporate meetings, drink tastings, civil weddings, bachelor parties, among others. “The catamaran adapts to each client’s need. It has a classic decoration, a screen for exhibitions, waiters on board, a captain, a sailor, a chef who provides high-end food (tapas and appetizers)”, says Rodríguez.

• Riverdock’s catamaran has a capacity of 35 passengers, plus crew.
• Depending on the number of passengers, the costs per person vary according to the chosen tour. includes drinks soft unlimited drinks, coffee and tea station, bartendertwo hours of navigation, box lunchsound system, life jackets and marine binoculars.
• The tours available are the Gulf of Guayaquil (between $20 and $40), sailing and walking the Gulf of Guayaquil ($65 adults and $30 children), charter celebration ($55 to $40, additional hour $200), island adventure tour Puná ($88 to $99), romantic tour (2 people $400, additional hour $300, two additional people $140. Includes one hour of navigation, decoration or romantic menu), wine and sunset ($40 to $55, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) and also three fishing tour packages. Most prices are per person and include all listed services.
• For more information and reservations visit www.riverdock.com.ec. Or by phone 098-733-7939. Email: reservaciones@riverdock.com.ec. (I)