Ecuador - Andes to Amazon

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.

Generally the itinerary was good. However, we visited Rio Bamba which was a waste of time. Historically the visit included a trip on a train. The tracks are no longer in use and Rio Bamba was certainly no place to take tourists. A complete waste of time - a long drive to a view point to show us what we were missing…the itinerary planner appeared to be taking the Micky out of us. We had difficulties finding a place to eat and were very uncomfortable in the town and did not feel safe at all. The hotel, The Monte-Carlo, where we stayed was awful. The rooms were too small, the decor was more than tired and the ensuite dirty. As we walked through the door, we both said ‘I will not be showering here’. The hotel advertised that it had a spa, but when we tried to access it, we were told that it was unavailable. Also there was no bar in the hotel and there were even street traders working at the hotel entrance. Breakfast was included in the price, but the ‘so called restaurant’ was vile and looked dirty. We (and others) preferred to pay for breakfast at another hotel. At the start of the holiday the bus was very uncomfortable indeed, a crazy choice for such a long break. After complaints it was changed thankfully On numerous occasions the guide took the place of local guides to show us around places. It made us feel that he wanted their tip, rather than having the usual more appropriate guide.

This was one of the best "Discovery" tours I have been on with Explore. It felt like a real adventure, with the excursions to the volcanoes Cotopaxi and Chimborazo and the boat trips on the Napo river, a tributary of the Amazon. Our tour leader, Fabian, and driver, William, were both excellent. The accommodation was generally very good, with the exception being the Riobamba hotel. I find the comments by a previous reviewer about the current power outages in Ecuador to be absurd. The outages were a mild inconvenience (to us - although I pity the Ecuadorian people) but there were absolutely no security or food safety issues as a result. When I travel in (e.g.) South America I don't expect everything to be just like it is in my cosy Western European home! My one criticism of this trip is that there were far too many shopping stops that were thinly disguised as "cultural visits" - I counted at least ten of these. The number should be at least halved. I mean, what on earth do painted balsa wood parrots have to do with the culture of Ecuador? Or carved nut kernels, for that matter?

Until Ecuador resolves its serious power outage issues accommodation properties must be selected that have back up power preferably solar but generator in the interim. This is a matter of safety, communication, safe food refrigeration not merely comfort. It is dangerous in be in the dark ,without communication, and risking contaminated food and drink from lack of proper refrigeration. Better arrangements for the open meals is required due to lack of safe or open restaurants given power outage. Explore is at risk of its own reputation and possible lawsuits if its participants come to harm regardless of the contract disclosures. Please give upfront more detailed and warnings about what extended power outages can mean for travelers in terms of safety not just inconvenience.

We had a wonderful trip! The itinerary is full of great places to visit, learn about the country and Ecuadorians life, beautiful breathtaking landscapes, amazing unique music,some great street food, peaceful and absorbing Amazonas, unique architecture and more....and a very knowledgeable lady guide who listens and makes things happen!