Quito Active and outdoor Trips

This tour was a fabulous introduction to this beautiful country with friendly people show casing their lifestyle. The landscape is very dramatic and changes quite quickly. I had never trekked at these altitudes and found the gradual introduction very helpful. Can't quite believe I made it to over 5000m on Chimborazo. The carefully chosen indigenous communities we visited showed the variety of cultures and lifestyles but essential showed people have the same problems the world over it's all about how they choose to deal with those issues. In the main the accomodation was good but I would have preferred to stay another night in Quito rather than return to our first hotel the San Jose, which was a little isolated. I wasn't very keen on the hotel in Rio Bamba + rocky toilet not great- and feel sure more appropriate accomodation could be found closer to Chimborazo. All the Guides were excellent - all the ladies showed a wicked sense of humour. Special shout out to Jason at le Jardin Aleman - his knowledge and field craft were remarkable. Dario and his trusty driver Wilson played such a key role in make Ng this such a memorable trip. Their passion for their country shines through and this together withe their kindness, humour and patience made them the dream team. We also fell lucky with the mix of our fellow explorers as we all seemed to have a similar focus (we weren't a shopping focused group It was a fairly full itinerary but aprming coffee break would have been appreciated and if it was possible to extend by a few days to include a vodysl dot it would be perfect.

A well organised and varied tour. There was plenty of opportunity to mix with local people and get a taste of their lifestyle. Wildlife was abundant and especially in Galapagos was surprisingly visible.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves wildlife and the outdoors. Definitely off the beaten track, living within the local community gives a chance to understand a little of their history & culture. Wildlife viewing was exceptional.

Ecuador is a small country with surprisingly good infrastructure, especially roads. Restaurants are inexpensive compared to the UK. Our leader Fabian is experienced and made the whole trip run smoothly and did the bureaucracy on our behalf when possible. He left us alone most evenings but provided suggested restaurants that previous groups had used and this worked well in practice. On the Galapagos a local guide is required and most of these added to the experience. The itinerary lies within the area considered safe by the FCDO and so there is no problem travelling. Nevertheless one lady had her mobile phone snatched and so a high degree of caution is required. This trip is very good for a person who wishes to visit Ecuador and get a taste of the Galapagos in a single trip and at a reasonable cost.

Alrhough with a wildlife focus, there was plenty else to enjoy to get a feel for Ecuador's history and culture. The wildlife in the Galapagos was amazing with sorkling with turtles the highlight. Fabian was a great tour leader. Informative and helpful whilst leaving the group with time and space to do their own thing. And for chocoholics, the chocolate factory experience was someting to indulge in!

My first experience with Explore and I could not have asked for anything more. Fantastic itinerary jammed packed with so many different experiences. The local guides just made the whole holiday with their knowledge and passion and enthusiasm just shone through. Fabian, the tour leader was such a lovely person whose organisation skills were impeccable. How difficult it must be get 13 people on buses, ferries, zodiacs and planes must be near impossible but he managed to get to every destination with ease. His explanations of each activity and accommodation was so informative we didn’t have to worry about anything. Throughly excellent. I will be booking again.