Ecuador's local specialist Tamer
Galapagos Islands | Feb 6 - Feb 26, 2024

E
Evelyn M.
Foster City, CA | Reviewed on Mar 05, 2024

Tamer was an excellent local specialist. The itinerary he put together was action packed. It's included hiking, volcanoes, waterfalls, culture, local cooking class, and ultimately a 10 days Galápagos Islands cruise. We enjoyed everything.
The cruise experience was unforgettable. So much wildlife and beautiful landscapes.
Tamer followed up with us on a daily basis to ensure that we were having a great time, and if we needed anything, he assisted on a timely manner.
Sebastian Alejandro, our local guide was kind, knowledgeable, attentive to our needs. Without him, I would not make it to the Cotopaxi National Park Refugio. It was a tough and challenging hike, but Sebastian guided me every step of the way.
He was patient and funny at the same time.
I highly recommend the local specialist Tamer and the local guide Sebastian, for Ecuador's travel experience.

Hotel Reviews
Ikala Quito Hotel
Quito

Clean, friendly staff, especially the hotel manager Eulalia, who gave us tips on local sightseeing in Quito. Safe and good location, walking distance from El Mariscal Artesanias Mercado (marketplace).

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The overall hotel lobby, surroundings and rooms
Hacienda Pinsaqui
Otavalo

Old historical hacienda, beautiful gardens and surroundings

Authenticity & Character
Old history behind.
Location
Remote and quiet
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Cuello de Luna Mountain Lodge
El Chasqui - Pastocalle

Rustic and remote location, quiet.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Too much dog's poops on the area, easy to step on by accident
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Spa Miramelindo
Baños

Location needs ceiling fans or AC, the room was pretty warm. Surroundings gardens and general atmosphere nice and beautiful. Good food at the restaurant.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Ceiling fans or AC installation for better room temperature
M/Y Monserrat
Quito

We recommend replacement of blue and yellow life jackets. Some of them look pretty worn out and some yellow ones, not working properly at all. Also for the amount of people, having extra kayaks available would be a good asset as well, less waiting time for usage. We recommend hand sanitizers station near all stairways, to avoid transmitting germs between passengers.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Fernando the bartender and waiter, portrays excellent customer service. Always smiling and attentive. Javier, the guide was very knowledgeable about wildlife in general and landscaping. Very encouraging when I was scared to do snorkeling, since I don't know how to swim.
Cleanliness & Comfort
We enjoyed the cabin maid towel special decorations.
Wyndham Quito Airport
Quito

We were happy that hotel staff allowed us to come back to our room after checkout because our flight got delayed. We were able to take a nap, breakfast and later shuttle to the airport. We truly appreciated it.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Colonial City Tour, Cooking Class & the Middle of the World Monument
Colonial City Tour, Cooking Class & the Middle of the World Monument
Quito

We really enjoyed the cooking class, although it took longer than we expected, so we got a bit late for the Mitad del Mundo monument tour. We saw the new one, but the original monument site was closed, so we saw it from the distance.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Cuicocha Lagoon - Cotacachi - Otavalo Hacienda
Cuicocha Lagoon - Cotacachi - Otavalo Hacienda
Galapagos Islands
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Trek to Laguna de la Mica: Exploring Antisana Ecological Reserve
Trek to Laguna de la Mica: Exploring Antisana Ecological Reserve
Galapagos Islands

I was affected by the altitude so I was not able to complete the whole hike, but I was able to enjoy the beautiful landscape. We saw numerous birds, white-tip deer and condors.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Quito - Cotopaxi National Park
Quito - Cotopaxi National Park
Galapagos Islands

Tough hike to the Refugio with heavy winds, rain and hail. Sebastian encouraged me to complete it all to the way to the top. Without his assistance, I don't think I would been able to do it. The Cotopaxi Volcano view was spectacular. Here we saw the Andean wolf, deer and more birds.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Cotopaxi National Park - Quilotoa Lagoon - Baños
Cotopaxi National Park - Quilotoa Lagoon - Baños
Galapagos Islands

Tough hike to the bottom to the Lagoon, but totally worthy. The experience of riding a horse up to the beginning of the trail was unforgettable. Beautiful Lagoon.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Reconnecting with Nature: Embrace Serenity and Adventure in Baños de Agua Santa
Reconnecting with Nature: Embrace Serenity and Adventure in Baños de Agua Santa
Baños

Another moderately strenuous hike, but totally worthy to experience the beautiful waterfall.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Arrival to Baltra Airport - Transfer to Cruise Ship & Santa Cruz Highlands
Arrival to Baltra Airport - Transfer to Cruise Ship & Santa Cruz Highlands
Galapagos Islands
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The airport transfer to the cruise ship was disorganized.
Transport
Rabida Island - Bartolomé Island
Rabida Island - Bartolomé Island
Cruise Ship
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
South Plaza - Santa Fe Island
South Plaza - Santa Fe Island
Cruise Ship
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Punta Pitt - Witch Hill (San Cristobal Island)
Punta Pitt - Witch Hill (San Cristobal Island)
Galapagos Islands
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Española: Gardner Bay - Suarez Point
Española: Gardner Bay - Suarez Point
Galapagos Islands
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Charles Darwin Station - Eden Islet/Ballena Bay
Charles Darwin Station - Eden Islet/Ballena Bay
Cruise Ship
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Dragon Hill (Santa Cruz Island) - Chinese Hat
Dragon Hill (Santa Cruz Island) - Chinese Hat
Cruise Ship
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Lobos Island - Tijeretas Hill & Interpretation Center (San Cristobal Island)
Lobos Island - Tijeretas Hill & Interpretation Center (San Cristobal Island)
Galapagos Islands

Watching wildlife was amazing. Hiking would been a better choice, but we understand the changes in the itinerary due to the Avian flu situation.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Cormorant Point - Post Office Bay (Floreana Island)
Cormorant Point - Post Office Bay (Floreana Island)
Galapagos Islands
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Black Turtle Cove (Santa Cruz Island) – Baltra Island Airport
Black Turtle Cove (Santa Cruz Island) – Baltra Island Airport
Cruise Ship
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Transfer to the airport for your flight back home (Departure)
Transfer to the airport for your flight back home (Departure)
Galapagos Islands
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Tamer Obeid
Tamer
Tamer Obeid
Local specialist in Quito, Ecuador | Replied on Mar 06, 2024
My dear Evelyn and Griselda,
It's meeting wonderful people like you and being part of their travel experiences and memories that make our job so special! I can't tell you how happy I am knowing that you have enjoyed the beautiful highlands of Ecuador and had an incredible adventure in the Galapagos Islands; as you said, Evelyn, you need a vacation after this vacation hahaha
I will make sure to convey your positive feedback to all our providers, including our wonderful guide Sebastian, as well...
Read more

My dear Evelyn and Griselda,
It's meeting wonderful people like you and being part of their travel experiences and memories that make our job so special! I can't tell you how happy I am knowing that you have enjoyed the beautiful highlands of Ecuador and had an incredible adventure in the Galapagos Islands; as you said, Evelyn, you need a vacation after this vacation hahaha
I will make sure to convey your positive feedback to all our providers, including our wonderful guide Sebastian, as well as the comments that can help some providers improve their services.
Evelyn, you know you have a forever friend in Quito, you can always count on us here at Kimkim to plan gorgeous experiences for you :)
Hope to see you again!
Yours,
Tamer