Quito Explorer Trips

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.

Our accommodation in Rio Bamba was terrible, I felt I could not use the shower as it was so dilapidated. We only had one towel that had already been ripped in half. We felt it would have been hygenically unsafe to use the 'restaurant' and went out for breakfast. We were unsure why we went to Rio Bamba as it was not a nice place and it felt unsafe at night. Apart from 4 nights the accommodation was quite good. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and spoke to us for most of the time during the coach journeys. Nothing was too much trouble for him to do for us. The itinerary was very good apart from Rio Bamba (which should have been avoided) and a wasted last day in Quito. We could have caught an earlier flight to Quito, from Cuenca, the next day and not spent another day in a hotel that is a long way from Quito city which we had already explored.. Also it would have been better to have flown from Cuenca on the early morning flight to Quito then straight to Bogota and the to LHR.

Wonderful trip! A really nice mix of activities & site seeing. Enjoyed exploring Ecuador……Otavalo was charming, the opportunity to see the Condors up close, some hiking & snorkelling, cultural experiences with locals, hummingbirds feeding from your hand, and the amazing Galápagos Islands! What more could one ask for?

Two great trips combined into one, as Ecuador mainland and the Galapagos offer such different sceneries and climates (each with its own endemic fauna and flora). The itinerary was well planned, and the pace of the trip good, with a lot of visits and activities packed in, and a fair amount of traveling, but it never felt too hectic, as we also had some time off. Our guide Diego was extremely knowledgable and passionate about his country, and very attentive to our well-being at all times. I would strongly recommend this trip.