Things to do in  Ecuador

Great 2 day experience in the Cotocachi area. It included everything in addition to a fabulous guide, Diego, who taught us so much about all things Ecuadorean - flora & fauna, geology, indigenous cultures, customs, foods, economy, government & much more. There was no topic Diego couldn’t discuss proficiently in English! We learned SO much!

Driver was very helpful and safe. We spoke a simple English and Spanish conversation and he told us more about Quito and Ecuador

A great trip. First we visit the hummingbirds (a private garden with lots of birds to watch). Drove to the cloud forrest and took the open cable car to the other side of the wally and walked down to the water fall and then up to the car park again. Amazing nature and at one point a tree had fallen down blocking the part but we got through it. Then lunch and a visit to a chocolate factory (they guide there was very funny). Drove back to Quinto. All in all it was a fun day and we got some great experiences and a very good talk with the guide about many other things related to Ecuador.

I can’t tell you enough about this amazing experience!!!We were picked up by our driver Maurice/Mauricio from Hotel Colon Quito as this was the closest pickup location for us since we were staying at a hotel In Tababela. What made this experience so amazing was our guide Irene. You can tell that she is very passionate about her job and about her country Ecuador. She is also extremely hardworking and very much accommodating. If you are concerned about an English Speaking guide, she is great or even better. Her energy level is superb. She allows for the tour to align with your interests. We started off with a stopover to view the active and inactive volcanoes from a distance. Then it was off to a breakfast at a unique Ecuadorian restaurant with a small convenience store attached to it where you can shop for clothing, snacks and much more. After that we headed to Banos de Agua santos. On the way we stopped to grab salcedo ice cream. Irene gave our tour group a breakdown of the native fruits and foods of Ecuador with the regions specific to those foods. We even stopped for sanducha ( sugar cane juice with) and to purchase fruits from a roadside stall. Irene did this just for us so as my brother and I both work in healthcare and are curious about the medicinal plants and food of each country. As she guided us through each of the stations, she even took great pictures of us that she WhatsApped to me. The driver Mauricio even came on the high swing that’s a little bit of a drive from Casa de Arbol! Irene and Mauricio were both so wonderful. We definitely recommend this tour, especially for Irene. Also, the restaurant we had for lunch was such a whimsical place with great food. I wish I could have stayed in Ecuador! Such a beautiful country and people! Also, side note I was speaking with Grace who arranges the tour and she was awesome!

We had four bookings with these folks and they delivered on all four. We spent some time in Quito and were traveling to the Amazon so we used them for two round trips between the airport and Quito. They were on time (or early) for all the transfers including our 4 AM pickup. They met us inside the terminal, made sure there was an English-speaking person on each leg, and got us to the hotel quickly and safely. They were polite and personable and I would highly recommend their service If you need transportation in Quito, Ecuador.

The tour operators met us at the airport at the time we requested. We scheduled the pickup thirty minutes after the flight landed so we could get through customs. The timing was perfect! The car was clean and in good condition. I guess they didn't have a driver who could speak English so another staff member came along. This simple act illustrated their commitment to service and their determination to provide the service we contracted. We have three more transfers with them and I am looking forward to the more of the same great service! I will update once we leave Ecuador.

Since we didn't know what to expect with the pandemic going on, we were pleasantly surprised about the precautions Ecuador/Quito has taken to help prevent the spread of COVID. The places we went followed COVID precautions – including disinfection when entering the Museo, mask wearing, social distancing, and sanitizer everywhere. While we understand it is possible to still get COVID, we felt very comfortable with the steps that were taken to try and prevent it. Some of the places were not very crowded making the experiences even better. I totally recommend Quito/Ecuador as a good place to travel right now. Our tour guide was Wilson, and he was an awesome birder and a great tour guide! It was a small, shared tour we signed up for, but we wound up being the only participants. He asked if we wanted to go see an area where people were living in a crater – Reserva Geobotánica Pululuha. I think it is the only place in the world where people live inside a volcanic caldera. It was so cool to see the location and how folks were farming the fertile land inside the crater. Then we went to the Alambi Reserve – to see the hummingbirds. There were so many birds and Wilson was able to identify 14 different species while we were there! We were the only ones there so viewing was amazing. There were also bananas to attract other beautiful birds. I was even able to feed a hummingbird! They also let us set up my GoPro to capture footage. Wilson was great a pointing out all the different birds. He has an excellent eye! I will have to review the footage captured to see all the different hummingbirds – they are very fast  Then we took a little detour to review the mountain coffee being processed at the reserve as well. We were able to taste and buy some. Mountain coffee was on the list of must things to bring home with you from Ecuador. We brought it home and have been enjoying it since we got back. It is really smooth coffee. Next it was time to go to the middle of the world. Wilson asked us which place we wanted to visit, the Mitad del Mundo or the Museo de Sitio Intiñan. We chose the Museo and it turned out to be a great tour – providing details about the native tribes of Ecuador and then provided some science experiments specific to being on the ecuador. There were only 5 people in our tour group making it a great experience. My husband was even able to balance the egg on the nail and we came home with a certificate . We did go to Mitad del Mundo to pop a photo since it is so iconic, but truth be told neither site provided the 0.0.0 I was looking for on my phone GPS. Wilson took us up the road from the 2 places to get the 0.0.0 on the phone GPS that I very much desired. This tour also included a beer tasting experience at Santana tasting lounge. I asked Wilson who might have come up with a tour of middle of the world, hummingbirds, and beer? Wilson said in his many years of touring it was a first for him to add the beer stop but admittedly it was a great addition to the tour. The craft IPAs were great with generous pours. We wound up ordering some food that was not included in the tour but provided a tasting sample of the local cuisine – and we were certainly hungry by then. Restaurant was clean, friendly and a wonderful end to the day. We really enjoyed our day with Wilson. We loved the detours and unexpected surprises. We never felt rushed or lingered at any one spot. But the best thing was learning from and about Wilson and his culture and experiences and benefiting from his keen eye for the birds.

This trip was breathtaking and amazing, our guide Dario was great! He was super informative and funny, just great to be around. He was also great with time so that we could take in as much as possible, always helpful with everything from purchases to any questions about Ecuador and world travel. The banos and extreme activities were once and a life time experiences. The waterfalls were majestic! The trip was amazing!

Our guides Danny and Jorge were excellent. We were lucky enough to have a private tour even though we signed up for the small group tour. The hike through the Mindo forest was a really refreshing change from the busy city of Quito. We got to take a quick ride on a cable car across the forest and on our hike we got to see 6 waterfalls. The chocolate factory tour was great - we got to eat so much chocolate, eat raw cocoa beans, drink hot chocolate, have a fresh brownie baked with the factory's own cocoa powder, and learn how chocolate is made! Overall a great tour and our favorite in Ecuador. Everyone took COVID precautions - wearing masks all the time. Even the cable car was sprayed down with disinfectant after each group.

The best part of the tour was our amazing tour guide - Simon. He is incredibly knowledgeable, fun, and took time to teach us not only about the tour- but about Ecuador more broadly. We saw an incredible amount of birds, howler monkeys, and even crocodiles! Being with an experienced local guide truly made it magical. Simon speaks impeccable English and Spanish which would make the experience excellent for many. We were lucky enough to have him with just the two of us.

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and tour guide. We don't usually take guided tours, but this tour included two things we really wanted to visit: Ingapirca and the Casa de la Makana in Gualaceo. The tour far surpassed anything we were expecting. Our guide, Wilson, is one of the most intelligent persons we have ever met. He has a deep knowledge and love for his country and the indigenous people in Ecuador. We asked many questions, about various things, during the tour and Wilson answered them all with ease. It is the best tour we've taken and would recommend Wilson and the tour to anyone who is interested! Dwayne and Meadow

I can’t even begin. Amazon beauty is divine! We also did zip lining, waterfalls and zero G swing. The tour guide Andre was hospitable. We also had lunch at perhaps the best restaurant in Ecuador.

Pedro was an excellent guide for our private tour! We had a comfortable ride from our hotel in Quito to Banos with amazing stops of the waterfalls, Casa del arbol, and Pailon del Diablo. He was friendly and informative and it was definitely a great way to see Banos during our short stay in Ecuador. 100% recommend this tour!

Sebastian was amazing. He was super nice, very knowledgeable and communicated with us in English very well (we know very little Spanish). The entire trip was more than we expected. It was one of our best days in Ecuador!

Our tour guide Gabriel was great. He showed a deep knowledge and enthusiasm when talking about his home country of Ecuador and in particular the specific sites we visited. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone. Also he spoke great English.

The Cloud Forest is beautiful from the hummingbirds to tasting organic rainforest coffee and street food - on the way there to a hike to a waterfall and gondola ride over the rainforest to an Ecuadorian lunch and tour of the cacao farm. Brownies so yummy! The guide was informative and fun!

Fantastic experience. I highly recommend Daniel and this tour. Very personal experience just my wife and me. Learned a lot about Ecuador life that you'd never get in a larger group. Daniel took us to Cotopaxi via back roads so we go to see local view. Like traveling with a friend.

The trip was well organized, the tour guide came to the hotel as stated in itenerary, on time, Diego our guide was awesome!! He was intelligent well informed and spoke great English. I learned alot about the history and culture of Quito and Ecuador.He took the time to show us around and gave us an experience like a local.

Excellent tour...William our English guide was very informed of the people's, cultures and area...we learned a lot about Ecuador..well worth the price..unbelievable sized market with foods and handcrafted items..a must see..

Wonderful trip..our guide Natalia spoke perfect English..she was very knowledgeable about the Equator and Ecuador..having a personal tour allowed us to be educated on this country...well worth the money....