Ecuador experience -- Amazon, Andes, and Galapagos
Ecuador
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Nov 13 - Nov 27, 2023
Fantastic trip to Ecuador. We hadn't heard of KimKim before, but the sample itineraries looked cool and so we inquired. Mathias of Authentic Ecuador responded right away and we evolved an itinerary that covered the major areas of Amazon, Andes, and Galapagos in 15 days. Going with 2 kids, there were a few long travel days, but the itinerary spaced those out with other more-relaxed days. Mathias was great, always responsive and tailoring everything to what we wanted. We preferred accommodation that had "character" and he got us a cool boutique hotel in Quito, a remote Amazon lodge, and a lodge with panoramic windows on a volcano. (Though he of course couldn't control the weather which was cloudy that day).
Local guides and drivers were great. Especially Mishell in Quito & mainland -- very organized and thorough. And Daniela in Galapagos -- very knowledgeable local naturalist with lots of energy. Only hiccup was a date-switch on which island we were doing on a day-trip boat excursion. But not their fault -- boat operator changed the dates with only one day notice and we didn't have cell phones that worked to be contacted. They did send a private driver to get us to the correct place, albeit late.
Overall, very pleased with our trip and experience. Prices were mostly in line with what I had researched, maybe a bit on the high side, but tradeoff is the customization and responsiveness which was top-notch.
Two thumbs up!
Activity Reviews
Visited Termas de Papallacta for a few hours. Beautiful location, variety of pools and temperatures. Not crowded when we went. Wish we could have stayed longer!
Our guide Daniela was great, told us a lot about the ecosystem and history of the island. Visited Tortoise Refuge and it was amazing to see these giant animals just wandering around. Darwin research center was interesting, especially the baby turtles.
I hope you and your family took home many wonderful memories to treasure,... Read more