Quito Explorer Trips

Diego was a fantastic tour leader. He managed the adversity of the itinerary when it had to be changed due to civil unrest, he kept us up to date with the situation and produced a great variety of alternative destinations. He was very interested in the wildlife and flora, he was able to take wonderful pictures of the things we saw - which he shared with us. He was passionate and very knowledgeable about his country and passed that enthusiasm to us. The itinerary was varied and the days were full. My only comment would be that it would be nicer to sometimes have meals at the end of the day instead of big meals at lunchtime.

Our Explore holiday was fantastic. Diego Torres was our local guide. He spent everyday with us and made sure we knew what we were doing and were safe. No words to explain how good he was. We were expertly guided every day. His enthusiasm for wildlife was fantastic and we all gained from his positive energy. And taking us for Great Experiences All our guides in The Galapagos were also excellent and we would highly recommend them all. They told us about the island as well as sharing their enthusiastic for wildlife. Diana of Isobela Miayari of Isobela Jamie of Santa Cruz

Excellent trip arranged by Explore! Fast moving, early starts exploring Quito and the Galapagos. We weren’t able to go to Otavalo but alternative activities were offered in the Quito area. We learned about the history of Ecuador and the wildlife and habitats of the Galapagos. Our guide Diego was outstanding and all connections were seamless. We felt safe at all times. We did so much in 14 days my head is still spinning. Food is local and plentiful. Would thoroughly recommend a trip with Explore!. Walked miles, snorkelled, swam, dined out, played quizzes, laughed, made new friends and saw countless birds, tortoises, fish, sea lions and iguanas.

Another good trip with Explore. There were only eight of us in the group, so some free space on the minibus. Our driver Wilson was very good and guide Dario was very positive about his country. Highlights were the hot springs, climbing (slowly) to 5,000m, Cuenca old town, waterfalls and boat rides in the Amazon, plus various local craft visits. I didn’t experience any power cuts, and every hotel had somewhere to fill a water bottle, as did the minibus.

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.

Could not recommend this trip more strongly—Oswaldo was a phenomenal guide, and we got to see so many different animals and island landscapes. While I would have loved to stay for a longer tour, 5 days and 4 nights on the boat allowed us to see all of the highlights of the Galapagos. The crew was excellent, my travel group was so much fun, and everything we saw and did was absolutely incredible. Absolute 10/10 trip!!