Ecuador Tours and Trips

An outstanding trip. A really well-paced and we’ll-balanced itinerary giving a great insight into so many aspects of Ecuador from culture, history and great scenery on the mainland to amazing wildlife on the Galápagos Islands. Fabian was a terrific tour leader who ensured everything ran perfectly. Highly recommended.

It was unfortunate we couldn't visit Otavalo due to riots but we had more than acceptable alternatives Also unfortunate we got stuck for 6 hours due to an RTA on the approach to Banos as Banos seemed a lovely little town which we didn't have time to explore Neither incident could be helped - just the joys of travel Everything else was great and Fabian was a fantastic tour leader

Where do I start! What a trip 2 weeks of seeing incredible wildlife, amazing scenery and eating lots of great food! This trip is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and if you are thinking about it. Just do it! You will not regret it. The Galapagos has so much to offer with different types of scenery (beaches, rocky coves, green hills and volcanos. You will understand why Darwin was so fascinated by these islands!!

We saw amazing sites and wildlife on our tour! Our guides, Nilton in Peru and Myriam in Ecuador, were friendly, organized and knowledgeable. It was fun hanging out and chatting in with Myriam, and Nilton helped me recover from a day of food/altitude illness. There were a lot of early morning starts and transfers between various transports- plane to bus to train to bus to boat to bus to boat to bus, etc. Glad they arranged it all!

Myriam in Galapagos was the most amazing tour leader. Really helpful and supportive when I ended up with food poisoning - practical but not fussing. She told us so much about the places and was so proud of her country Ecuador. It was a joy to hear her. Nilton in Peru was equally helpful when our bags went missing for the first 5 days! The trip was really full on and had so much moving but it was needed to fit everything in. Make sure you pack light! Prepare for lots of early starts and quick turn arounds. Even though it says moderate it’s as full on as some full on tours! The scenery was incredible. From the mountains in Peru and Machu Picchu to volcanoes in Ecuador. The Galapagos were stunning. Isabela is so very beautiful. Wildlife everywhere you look through the whole trip. Every day is just wow. Some hotels were a little basic. The one in Quito had no lift and arriving in the middle of the night had no one to help with bags. The stair carpet was loose and stair rail wobbly so a bit dodgy. A couple we had no hot water and one the breakfast was very basic, though they were all clean and had comfortable beds.

An excellent trip on a comfortable boat with a good crew and good food. We saw all of the expected wildlife, and snorkelling with sea lions and turtles amongst the fish was a particular highlight. The boat is not operated by Explore, so on my trip there were other nationalities who had booked through other operators, but it was a good mix. On the afternoon of the first day at the hotel I received a WhatsApp from the cruise operator providing details of the airport transfer (handled by the hotel in my case) and of their representative who met me at the airport to provide my printed boarding pass and Transit Control Card. They also helped with the additional baggage check required before bag drop. The message also includes the flight details if you want to complete the bio-security form at https://declaracion.abgalapagos.gob.ec/ before arriving at the airport. After snorkelling the crew will rinse all your gear and then hang wetsuits to dry (I think it was 80 USD to rent a wetsuit on board for the six days, but masks, snorkels and fins were free). There are lines with clothes pegs on the top deck to dry your swimwear. Remember to take USD cash for tipping the crew and guide at the end of the trip. Two envelopes were left in my cabin for this, but the amount suggested at 15 USD per day for the guide and 25 USD per day for the crew of 11 was about double that in the trip notes.