Erika Bermeo

Erika planned an amazing trip for us. Every little detail was thought of. From the Birthday cake waiting in my room to the welcome I received at each and every place we stayed and activity that we took part in.

The guides were incredible. Very knowledgeable and able to answer all of our questions and take care of us really well. Christian is a walking encyclopedia of plants, birds, geography, you name it! He knows it! We also adored Francisco!

The highlights, are too many to name, but in Ecuador: Hamadryade Lodge in Tena was magical and their food was five star!! River rafting on the Jatunyaku River was incredible. I wish I had stayed 2-3 nights in the Hamadryade Lodge. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But alas, we did not have the time.

Highlights in the Galapagos: The snorkeling at Kicker Rock was outstanding!! This is not something you can do with any cruise ship. Only if you stay on land. I highly recommend it. We went to a private beach later where we were the only ones with turquoise waters, sea lions, and Boobies!! My husband won't stop talking about the Hammerhead shark he saw on that trip as well as the 30 to 40 sea turtles.

There is just so much we did and I can't thank Erika enough for all of the work she did in planning this trip.
All of the places that were booked were incredible except one. Avoid Hotel Blue Marlin in San Cristobal. The Acacia Hotel in Santa Cruz was Really great and we had a balcony overlooking the town and sea. Just perfect. Our guide, Sophia, took us to see the Tortoises in the highlands and she was pure joy. We absolutely adored her. She also took us on a lot of side trips that were extra special and not on the itinerary.

Things to avoid or beware of: Always bring plenty of water and 100 sunscreen. No matter where you go. A couple of times we were caught off guard and not quite prepared as we should have been. Even a short walk can be difficult in the heat. And we had a few long ones. Pack extremely light! only a carryon. It really helped to get us from place to place and all the travel on taxis, boat taxies, etc. Beware of altitude sickness in Ecuador. HIGH elevation even in Quito.

Again, Erika's knowledge of Ecuador and the Galapogos is beyond anything we could have hoped for. She and Andrea planned the best trip. Made us feel welcome, and cared for. I hope to plan another trip with her soon.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Blue Marlin

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Galapagos

Moldy room, lacking in basic necessities. Just terrible. Staff didn't provide breakfast for us which was paid for. Noisy. Run down. Everything about it is bad.

Authenticity & Character

everything

Location

four blocks from the main street and no views of the island

Staff

Didn't make us feel welcome or provide breakfast we were promised

Cleanliness & Comfort

Moldy room, to get the lamp to work you have to find a decent outlet and then screw the lightbulb in to turn it on. OMG. Janky. Beds were hard as rock. Bathrooms were modly. Awful.

Acacia Galápagos Boutique Hotel

Puerto Ayora

We got in at 9:00 am and they had already finished serving breakfast, but they reopened the kitchen just for us and quickly made our rooms available. The staff were warm and friendly and did everything possible to make us feel taken care of. Caroline was fantastic as well as the night manager. Our room was clean, fabulous, and in perfect working order. The view from the balcony overlooking the sea was exceptional. I can't recommend this place highly enough.

Authenticity & Character

It was a villa apparently that they turned into a hotel. Quite fantastic!

Location

It is nice that it is two blocks off the hustle and bustle of Main st. Quiet and fantastic.

Staff

Caroline was amazing. Sweet, patient, joyful, and took care of us so greatly. The night desk clerk was also fantastic.

Cleanliness & Comfort

perfect.

Hotel Sangay

Baños de Agua Santa

Pleasant enough.

Authenticity & Character

The chandlier in the bedroom is hysterical. Very pleasant. Nothing outstanding.

Location

Right next to a beautiful waterfall. Just on outskirts of very noisy town. So perfect.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

JW Marriott Hotel Quito

Quito

Pretty nice!!! Great spa, great restaurants. Outstanding customer service everywhere.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hamadryade Lodge

Tena

This is one of those Once-in-a-lifetime places that is not to believed. The pictures don't do it justice. Because it is even more amazing in person. The staff are incredible. The owners wonderful. Clean, exotic, fabulous. Plan for at least three days. No less. You won't want to leave. The food should be Michelin rated it was so outstanding! Incredible dining that is not to be believed. All locally grown and fresh ingredients. What a magical place.

Authenticity & Character

Something out of a magazine. Just incredible.

Location

It is in the middle of the Amazon, yet no mosiquitos were encountered. Just amazing.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Morning at Teleferico

Quito

The most difficult part was doing this the first day. You need aclimating to the climate first. But that said, I was still able to do the short hike at the top and REALLY< REALLY enjoyed the swings at the top! So fun and incredible view. Best swings in the world.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Francisco was so great!! Loved him so much. He was very helpful, friendly and entertaining. Helped with the altitude as well.

Transport

Jatunyaku River Rafting - Misahualli

Ecuador

We really enjoyed seeing the Amazon from the perspective of the river. Outstanding. Ronnie, our guide, was fantastic! So much fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

In the middle of the rafting trip they served a delicious meal! Just yummy!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ronnie knows this river inside and out! Felt safe and he made sure to have surprises for us at every turn. Tricks up his sleeve that were quite entertaining. We had a blast!

Transport

Kicker Rock: A Snorkeling Adventure

Isla San Cristóbal

The rock formation itself is stunning! Hammerhead sharks, white fin sharks, sooooo many sea turtles and So Much More! Amazing. I believe this is only available on land tours, not cruises, so I would opt for the land stay. It really is something spectacular. And they took us to a private beach with turquoise waters and sea lions afterwards. We had the place all to ourselves. So wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Food

Food was pretty good for a sea tour on a small boat. :)

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quito - Cotopaxi National Park - Baños

Ecuador

Couldn't summit as it was too windy. We are talking REALLY windy. But it was fun to get up there.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christian was full of knowledge about the place.

Transport

Kayaking Adventure in Tortuga Bay & Afternoon Bay Tour of Santa Cruz Island

Puerto Ayora

This was not one of our better trips. The guide got double booked. So we had to walk to the trail head from our hotel. Really hot day, trail is about 3 or 4 km to the bay. HOWEVER, it was a really lovely walk and the beach is unbelievable. Sand like flour. SOOO many igunas. Eventually , we got to the bay for kayaking and had to wait two hours for the kayak person to show up. The bay is perfect for swimming and the water was warm. It is difficult to see much in the water. We had to then walk back and it was very hot. And find our way back to hotel as guide left us. Also no guide with kayak either. Not my favorite trip, but still worth going out there.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Airport on Baltra Island - Flight back to Mainland

Galapagos Islands

It is quite tricky getting from town to the airport. Car taxi, to boat taxi, to bus. It really helped to have a guide take us. Especially as it was at 6;45 for a 9 am flight. It went really well. In great hands.

Quality of Experience

everyone was very nice and helpful in handling our three carry on suitcases.

Food

Food was provided by our hotel. They got up extra early to help us out. so nice. Hotel Acacia.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Visit to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World)

Quito

We really liked this strange little museum. It was quite fun and extremely interesting. We didn't get to the acutal monument as we just loved the museum so much and after our long day decided to head back and relax.

Quality of Experience

Food

Francisco took us to a very authentic dining experience which we really enjoyed.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Francisco was so wonderful!

Transport

Reconnecting with Nature at Baños de Agua Santa

Baños

Visit Highlands Tortoise Reserve & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

So many giant tortoises! Beautiful place. Even the lunch was fantastic. Not to be missed!! our guide Sophia was fantastic. Took us to many places that were off the beaten track and felt very exclusive. Lucky us! Delicious lunch on the preserve as well. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sophia was fantastic. Really lucked out with her. She was so great!!

Transport

Welcome to San Cristóbal Island! Visit the Interpretation Center, Tijeretas Hill, or La Lobería

Galapagos Islands

Interesting museum. Tijeretas Hill was just ok. The swim at the beach with all of the Sea lions everywhere was fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What a fabulous trip!!! Erika was wonderful to work with and designed the perfect trip for us. Everything went as planned. The customer service and responsiveness of Erika and our guides and drivers was flawless. We had the perfect balance of individual time and planned excursions. Some highlights of our trip were canoe rides in the Amazon, biking the waterfall route in Banos, and hiking to base camp at Cotpaxi. The accommodations and food were fabulous. Thank you, Erika for planning an unforgettable family vacation for us.

Thank you Erika Bormeo for setting up our trip through the Andes mountains of Ecuador. What an amazing and special place to have had the privilege to experience! We visited Cuenca, Saraguro, Loja, and Vilcabamba. Each place had its own unique vibe Big cities to small towns. The Ecuadorian Andes were amazing. The boutique hotels in Cuenca and Loja were very nice. Vilcabamba was more our pace. Small, friendly, and just a beautiful town. Erika was always available for questions leading up to and while we were in Ecuador to make sure everything was what we wanted. The tours were great and informative and fun. Very professional! One of the best parts of our entire trip was our guide for 6 days - Genaro Palacios-! He was absolutely phenomenal!! His stories and historical/nature knowledge were exactly what we were looking for. He was our translator too as our Spanish is definitely not where it needed to be. He is very friendly and filled us full of information the entire trip ( exactly what we needed and wanted). He is also a very good driver, which you want driving through the Andes. We can’t say enough great things of our new friend!! So extremely blessed to have been paired up with Genaro as our guide! We came with some challenges as my wife is celiac. And knowing what she could and couldn’t eat in a foreign country and not that versed in the language was a necessity for us. We stayed on our own for a week after a week with Genaro. He made sure before he left us. that we were comfortable at the markets and grocery stores! Our trip was perfect! Absolutely perfect!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Boutique Carvallo

Cuenca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sonesta Hotel Loja

Loja

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arrival to Cuenca - City Tour

Cuenca

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cajas National Park

Cuenca

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cuenca - Loja - City Tour

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Podocarpus National Park - Vilcabamba

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are so lucky we found Kimkim!
We had booked our flight and airfare already and were looking at pre-booking excursions for our Galapagos trip on our own, piecemeal trying to choose companies based on websites and pricing. Then Kimkim came to the rescue! Our specialist from Ecuador responded right away and asked what our trip goals were. She fashioned an individual itinerary that was perfect with local guides - Julio and David - that were terrific. The packaged price was very reasonable and we just got back from our trip of a lifetime very satisfied! Only reason I didn't give 5 stars was there was a gap of a day to two hearing back from Erika when I was trying to firm up some details, but it was quickly rectified with a call to Kimkim customer service.

Activity Reviews

Breeding Center & Wetlands of Isabela Island

Galapagos Islands

A nice walk through the Wetlands and informative Breeding Center tour - lots of marine iguanas and tortoises.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Tintoreras Islet (Private)

Puerto Villamil

Saw penguins, blue-footed boobies, sharks, sea lions - combo land walking and snorkeling tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking Adventure in Isabela Island

Galapagos Islands

Similar sights you see as the TIntoreras tour but you stay on the kayak - no walking - so good exercise and can get a bit closer to some of the wildlife - sea turtles, penguins. At the end we walked to Playa Concha to snorkel and that was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to Los Tuneles (Private)

Galapagos Islands

About a 45 min bumpy boat ride that was a little bit freaky in rough waters, but the end result was worth it - walking and pictures with the Blue Footed boobies and then to a 2nd site where w snorkeled with sea turtles!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was delightful with the guides extremely wonderful, esp Julio and David

Activity Review

Explore Tintoreras Islet (Private)

Puerto Villamil

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What an amazing adventure Erika planned for us!!

We planned our holiday with very short notice. Erika was fast, responsive and available at any time right from the start. She took all of our demands into account and quickly planned a beautiful route with carefully chosen safe and exquisite hotels along the way.

Once in Ecuador she came to meet us with some small gifts which was extremely kind on her behalf and most importantly throughout our stay in Ecuador she was just a message or a phone call away whenever we needed her or had any doubts about the journey.

Her choice of accommodation was impecable, at all our stays we were greeted by extremely educated and welcoming staff, and all the facilities were extremely clean.

Thank you for an amazing trip Erika!

Hotel Review

Huasquila Amazon Lodge

Cotundo

We were lucky enough to spend 3 days at this lodge. The attention was completely personalised, we were taken care of at every minute. Doña Cecilia made sure everything worked according to plan, and overlooked everything so it was perfect for us. Her husband was also extremely kind to us, and always had a smile and a "¿Cómo les fue, disfrutaron hoy?". Saúl was our guide for most of our stay there, he was so welcoming and did a great job at taking us on two different hikes, as well as on our full day trip. Finally, we can't forget the food! Best food ever!! We enjoyed every single dish they served us. We'd recommend this lodge with our eyes closed, it was incredible!! Gracias chicos por su excelente trabajo, les esperamos por Mallorca!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Misahualli River Excursion (Huasquila Lodge)

Archidona

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport