Ecuador Cultural, religious and historic sites Trips

We spent 2 weeks exploring Ecuador’s incredible scenery and diversity from the Andes to the Amazon. We were in great hands with our guide, Fabian, and our driver, Walter. Fabian shared a lot about his country, always watchful for birds and wildlife, as we toured each day. Hotels were good and drinking water was provided along the way. Despite missing the Otavalo region, we had many highlights including the clouds clearing as we arrived at Cotopaxi showcasing its beauty, the thermal baths in Papallacta, our visit to the community of Palacio Real, and our Amazon stay. We greatly appreciated Explore's flexibility in allowing us to add a few extra days in Cuenca to explore this pretty city before continuing our journey back to Quito. Also, a special shout out and thank you to the group working in the local office who helped me sort out an issue with my airline ticket. Their willingness to help and quick responses via WhatsApp were greatly appreciated!

An outstanding trip. A really well-paced and we’ll-balanced itinerary giving a great insight into so many aspects of Ecuador from culture, history and great scenery on the mainland to amazing wildlife on the Galápagos Islands. Fabian was a terrific tour leader who ensured everything ran perfectly. Highly recommended.

It was unfortunate we couldn't visit Otavalo due to riots but we had more than acceptable alternatives Also unfortunate we got stuck for 6 hours due to an RTA on the approach to Banos as Banos seemed a lovely little town which we didn't have time to explore Neither incident could be helped - just the joys of travel Everything else was great and Fabian was a fantastic tour leader

We saw amazing sites and wildlife on our tour! Our guides, Nilton in Peru and Myriam in Ecuador, were friendly, organized and knowledgeable. It was fun hanging out and chatting in with Myriam, and Nilton helped me recover from a day of food/altitude illness. There were a lot of early morning starts and transfers between various transports- plane to bus to train to bus to boat to bus to boat to bus, etc. Glad they arranged it all!

Myriam in Galapagos was the most amazing tour leader. Really helpful and supportive when I ended up with food poisoning - practical but not fussing. She told us so much about the places and was so proud of her country Ecuador. It was a joy to hear her. Nilton in Peru was equally helpful when our bags went missing for the first 5 days! The trip was really full on and had so much moving but it was needed to fit everything in. Make sure you pack light! Prepare for lots of early starts and quick turn arounds. Even though it says moderate it’s as full on as some full on tours! The scenery was incredible. From the mountains in Peru and Machu Picchu to volcanoes in Ecuador. The Galapagos were stunning. Isabela is so very beautiful. Wildlife everywhere you look through the whole trip. Every day is just wow. Some hotels were a little basic. The one in Quito had no lift and arriving in the middle of the night had no one to help with bags. The stair carpet was loose and stair rail wobbly so a bit dodgy. A couple we had no hot water and one the breakfast was very basic, though they were all clean and had comfortable beds.

This really was a trip of a lifetime. Go with an open heart and mind. Manage your expectations of wildlife. It's in the name. It's amazing to see living creatures in their natural habitat with no fear of humans.