Ecuador 15-Day Tours and Trips

Galapagos entirely lived up to expectations and more. Giant tortoises, blue footed boobies, iguanas, sea lions, turtles, amazingly colourful bird life, all breathtaking. Main land Ecuador was an unexpected delight though. Stunning scenery, smiling people, good quality hotels and food within a varied and interesting itinerary. Fabian, our guide was spot on, very knowledgeable and caring. A great trip.

Galapagos is truly where the wild things are! The animals are not really afraid of you, everything you see is unique in some way, perfectly evolved for its environment. The different islands vary from moon to mars like landscapes, with cactuses, giant tree daisies, clear (cold) seas and wonderful creatures including giant tortoises (like small armoured cars gracefully moving through the undergrowth), marine and land iguanas, turtles, Galapagos penguins, sea lions and so many birds including blue footed boobies - their feet fantastic shades of turquoise blue. Words fail to describe what Machu Picchu is like, its more a feeling! Go and see it for yourself (for the full emotional experience please do the one day Inca Trail) then you will know what I mean. Epic, wonderful, ethereal do not do it justice. Cusco in Peru and Quito in Ecuador are wonderful old cities, people were friendly, happy to help and we had wonderful guides in all locations. Our ship experience was wonderful, we were well looked after on board, good food, excellent guide (Juan) - getting to the heart of Galapagos experience.

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.

Ecuador is definitely worth to discover, it's natural beauty is absolutely fantastic! Unique geographical location is giving a chance to experience different climate zones, eco systems and even to reach the highest point on the planet (Chimborazo mountain). The journey over all was even better than we expected: very knowledgeable and professional guide, great accommodations, delicious food, wonderful hiking routes and other activities. It is very adventurous and full of excitement trip, where you can enjoy wildlife, visit historical sites, meet local indigenous people and learn about their customs and traditions. It deserves every single penny we paid, we enjoyed this tour a lot and looking forward for opportunity to come again!

This trip has it all, mountains and vulcanoes, hot springs, water falls, walks in the jungle and cloud forest, seeing indigenous markets and craft, experiencing life in the Amazon jungle, exploring the mangroves and shores of the Pacific, very good food (particularly fish and seafood, and freshly squeezed tropical fruit juices as much as you like), and meeting a colourful variety of animals and people.

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!