12-daagse The Best Of Ecuador & Galapagos

Great tour with AJ. Our guide Jeanine on the mainland was superb. Her knowledge & professionalism exceeded all expectations. Our tour was well put together, enabling us to see a lot of Ecuador & the Galapogos.

Fantastic trip Leo our guide was amazing and our driver. Knowledgeable and always felt safe. Full on and I felt I saw everything I had wanted to see and more.

Ecuador is a wonderful place. It is a land of breathtaking contrasts. I discovered its charms thanks to David, who is the best guide I have ever encountered in my many travels. He has expert knowledge, which he shares in a way that is both interesting and engaging. Additionally, he takes excellent care of the entire group, ensuring no one is overlooked. You can really tell he loves what he does

Ecuador is a stunning place with amazing people and breathtaking sights. The local office provided top-notch service. David A. Gainza was perfect at organizing everything; he’s so joyful, kind, and always ready to go the extra mile to make the impossible happen. Everything was flawless. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!

The guide Sol was excellent. Brilliant knowledge and very passionate about Ecuador. Everything worked perfect and all accommodation and tours were to a very high standard. It was all amazing.

I don't ever write reviews, but our guide was so good on this holiday I am breaking my own rules and giving him a shout out here. Take a bow, Alfonso Freire of Adventure Journeys. Alfonso was always available and always helpful ..... even when he had finished his official duties with us, and nothing was ever too much trouble. And he seemed to know everything, and certainly knew everyone! The holiday itself was wonderful, with a great mix of city, mountains, jungle and sea. Great wildlife, and unforgettable moments. Do not miss the hummingbirds!

My husband and I travelled to Ecuador at the end of January. It was rainy season, which we hadn’t expected, but there were lots of dry spells too. We travelled a day earlier than the tour date, just in case of any problems., but pleased to say all went smoothly. This meant we had a day to relax and recover before our tour started. We used this to visit the botanical gardens, which were fabulous and just to chill. On our first official day we visited Quito. Alfonso Freire was our excellent guide whilst in Equador. He was very professional, friendly, had excellent English, and extremely knowledgable on the area, together with great information on birds and animals. We would definitely request Alfonso to be your guide if you get the chance. We visited the equator museum, which we thoroughly and enjoyed and would highly recommended as a must. We then went up the volcano in a cable car - great views of the city. Next we went to visit a chocolate maker and were given a tour of the chocolate making process, whilst wearing a chocolate face mask and trying many samples - delicious. Afterwards we took a tour of the city, taking in a couple of very impressive churches and the cities most important buildings. Next day we travelled to the rainforest (a five hour drive, plus 20 minute motorised canoe ride) to our lodge. Although we had booked a group tour, we were the only two in the group, which was a little disappointing as at the lodge in the evening there was a lovely fire pit to sit round and it would have been nice to chat to other guests. However, despite it just being the two of us we still really enjoyed it. There was no electricity in the communal areas or lodges so meals were eaten by candle light and our lodge was lit by candle light. Very romantic! However there was an electric point in the office for charging ‘phones. The food was excellent and plentiful - we were able to try local foods. Whilst at the lodge we visited Amazonica, which is a rescue centre for animals. Next we visited a local community where we were shown how they make alcohol from yucca. We also had a go at blow darting, but if it had been for real we would have gone hungry! In the afternoon we went river tubing and in the evening we went on a night walk to see some of the nocturnal animals and insects. In between activities we had a hammock on our verandah so could relax and read - fabulous. At night it was quite noisy with the sounds of insects but we slept like a baby! Next day we travelled back to Quito, and made an impromtu stop at the thermal baths, which were fantastic and another thing ticked off my bucket list. The following day we travelled to San Cristobal which is one of the Galapagos Islands. Alfonso informed us of the two forms we needed to complete before travelling and filled them in for us, which was extremely helpful. We did not expect to see so many sealions whilst there. They were all over the town, in the sea, on the beach, on the promenade, under benches and on benches! They were completely unphased by humans! On our second day we visited the giant tortoises, which was great and then we were taken to a beautiful local beach to swim. The beach was deserted and had beautiful golden sand. However there were also loads of sand flies so spray before you go! Here our guide spotted a blue footed booby, which was a great thrill for us. We later saw quite a few back in the town. In the afternoon we went snorkelling - we saw lots of fish and was very surprised when a sealion swam close by. All in all a great trip. We then went back to Quito for our final day. We organised a trip ourselves to the cloud forest - this was a fantastic end to our holiday as we went to see humming birds and were able to feed them from our hands. Finally we went on a zip wire through the forest. We both had a thoroughly wonderful holiday, which was booked through Lumle travel at a fantastic price, and we would highly recommend it, Adventure Journeys and Ecuador to everyone.

Dawid is absolutely great tour guide. Is helpful in every moments. Thanks to him we felt all the time safe. We never meet better pilot and due to that trip was fantastic.

The trip was incredibly interesting. The organization was excellent. The guide, David Gainza, was as energetic and creative as the Ecuadorian volcanoes. He was very knowledgeable and kind. We had some wonderful days with him. Thank you, David!

Ecuador captivates with its immense natural diversity, it is an exotic paradise for connoisseurs. This is a trip to a country where every day is a different adventure. Ecuador offers the opportunity to admire majestic volcanoes, encounter tropical jungles, dive into the waters of the Pacific, and admire wildlife. Throughout the entire trip, you'll have the opportunity to feel like you're in an exotic paradise! You can: • stand on the equator—with your right foot in the Northern Hemisphere, your left in the Southern Hemisphere; • test your endurance climbing Cotopaxi; • spend the night in an Amazonian loggia with the nightly sounds of wild animals in the background; • float on tires in the Amazon basin; • feel like a big kid swinging over a precipice at the end of the world; • relax in thermal waters; • get your adrenaline pumping on ziplines and rafting in Baños. • Cruise between the magical islands of the Galapagos Archipelago; • Admire a beautiful sunset on Isabela Island; • Come face-to-face with a giant tortoise on Santa Cruze Island. All you need is the will and good physical condition, because everything is included in this trip's program. Those who manage to take advantage of everything are guaranteed to have their batteries recharged for a long time. And it's all thanks to the amaizing guide, David, who spreads his love for Ecuador, encourages you to explore the country and to take part in many activities. It was a pleasure to travel with such a guide. The best of the best. Thanks, David!