Kimkim Trip Reviews for Galapagos Islands

Hello Alavaro

First of all, many thanks for the recommendations on the itinerary to Quito/Galapagos.
I would like to share my feedback with you.

What went well
1. Good planning prior to the event with Alvaro via chat online and WhatsApp,
2. Good choices of hotel throughout my stay. The room in Isabela has defective AC and the hotel changed my room immediately,
3. Mr Julio on Isla Bella provided his contact details share some local recommendations on my free time,

Not so well
1. The hiking to Sierra Negra supposed to be a small group but it has more than 20pax on the hiking group,
2. A lot of the activities was marked as small group, but it seems the local guides in Galapagos tends to consolidate their trips into larger groups to share resources,
3. I paid for my own lunch on the Quito Local Street Food Adventure. The guide is helpful, but I don’t think he has the experience for a food tour. He does not have a fixed itinerary and seems to be planning “on the go”. My last foodie tour in Peru was great, where the guide has a fixed itinerary of the various food for us to try.

Even better if
1. I took a later flight to GPS and missed the tree planting activity. It would be better to remind the next traveler, so they book an earlier flight to GPS,

All in all, it was a good trip but it was not as exclusive as my previous Peru trip with KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Las Plazas

Quito

Good location but the room is small with no window

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mainao

Puerto Ayora

good location and nice room

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Laguna Galapagos

Puerto Villamil

I did not stay in this hotel. It was changed from my original itinerary

Activity Reviews

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Good to see Candy again

Transport

The boat was clean and spacious for a large group

Local Street Food Adventure in Quito

Quito

I paid for my own lunch on the Quito Local Street Food Adventure. The guide is helpful, but I don’t think he has the experience for a food tour. He does not have a fixed itinerary and seems to be planning “on the go”.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Highlands (Plant a Tree) & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

I took a later flight to GPS and missed the tree planting activity. It would be better to remind the next traveler, so they book an earlier flight to GPS,

Quality of Experience

Food

good introduction to the local Galapagos food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Candy was great guide

Transport

Exploring the Underwater World: Diving Day in Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Seems there were some miscommunication between Kim2 and the local dive company but Alvaro and Veronica sorted it out. It would be better to provide a local contact number for me so I can sort things out locally.

Quality of Experience

Poor water visibilty and did not see much

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dive Master should pay more attention on the dive group and make sure everyone is around him. Rather than swimming ahead and leaving everyone behind

Transport

Wildlife Encounter at Los Tuneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking the Sierra Negra Volcano

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I assumed small group means less than 5 pax, but it was a large hiking group

Transport

Discover the Wonders of Tintoreras Islet: A Journey into Breathtaking Biodiversity

Puerto Villamil

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome Back to Quito

Galapagos Islands

would do again, Paola was very informative and made the trip easy

Hotel Reviews

Ibis Styles El Malecón

Guayaquil

excellent service and room perfect great restaurants near by and boardwalk

Authenticity & Character

Location

location was perfect

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa de Nelly

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

not the best

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cally Galapagos

Puerto Villamil

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lava House Galapagos

Puerto Ayora

this was a beautiful place clean great breakfast and staff were amazing

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Galapaguera Tortoise Reserve

Galapagos Islands

The service that we received from Mathias, our local specialist was nothing short of spectacular. We had to abort a previous trip due to illness. Mathias worked with us for 2 years, assisting us in getting our travel insurance money and rebooking our trip. He stayed in contact with us over the course of the booking process and also once we were in country. He even made a special trip to take us for dinner at the airport during a long layover. I would strongly recommend him for any travel you are considering!

Very well-planned trip. KimKim allows you to easily tailor your holidays to your tastes. We have done three trips with KimKim, and we have been very satisfied with each of them. Also, they seem to have a knack for finding very good guides.

Ecuador has so much to offer- from the sights of Quito- with amazing walking tours and dining experiences, to hiking Cotopaxi volcano, trekking through Diablo waterfall and the beauty of the cloud and rainforests…..and then topped off with the Galápagos Islands. Paola at Authentic Ecuador executed our 2 weeks flawlessly choosing wonderful hotels (GO Hotel and Kuyana Lodge were particular highlights) and paired us with an exceptional guide (Danny was attentive, knowledgable, friendly and anticipated our every need). They ensured that we were well prepared for our upcoming activities and were intuitive about the cadence of our day, ensuring the itinerary fit our needs and preferences perfectly. We experienced great dining, stunning photo ops, and activities that spanned breathtaking hikes, soaks in hot mineral springs and heart stopping swinging out over rocky cliffs! Many thanks to Paola…… From the initial planning process to our last day (where she quickly adjusted to changes in our departure plans) we felt well informed and supported. I will cherish this Ecuadorian experience for years to come!

Majo was amazing! She helped us craft a number of experiences that met our budget, answered all of our question promptly and adjusted her recommendations to meet our needs.

The team they work with in Galápagos was so great! From our arrival at Baltra airport, they had everything covered and through mostly different guides and drivers each day, we were always well taken care of.

The experiences were mostly different so hard to pick the best. We spent most time on Santa Cruz and enjoyed the El Chato tortoise preserve and lava tunnel experience. Kayaking on Tortuga Bay was fun and the guide even stayed with us when we chose to snorkel after (bring your own mask/towel). Bay tour was great as well.

For our trip to Isabela, they took us to the pier for the ferry (with all passes ready for us) and met our guide upon arrival. The Tintoreras tour had a little bit of duplication but still great experience.

Majo and the Galapagos lead Rita communicated with us daily via WhatsApp (we had Airalo eSIM that worked great everywhere). We were well cared for and so nice to be able to relax and just enjoy the amazing experiences they curated.

Alvaro and Jacquie did an excellent job planning our Galapagos trip. On a video call we discussed what we wanted to see, and more importantly, they suggested a number of activities for our consideration. We added a number of these ideas. The itinerary they planned with transportation, guides and accommodations worked seamlessly. The guides were knowledgeable, personally engaging and gave an in depth understanding of the geology, plant, wildlife and human history of the islands. The were resourceful and allowed us to revise the plan for one outing so all of us could more comfortably complete the hike. Highlights were the giant turtles of Santa Cruz, penguins, Sierra Negro volcano hike, and Kicker Rock snorkeling. Jacquie kept in touch during the trip to ensure all was going well.

Tamer with KimKim planned an amazing trip to Quito, Mindo Rainforest, Amazon Basin and Galapagos !! It was a trip of a lifetime! He was so helpful planning the trip and answering all our questions. Everything went smoothly from beginning to end and he kept in touch the whole time we were there.
The guides for each part of our trip, Sebastion in Quito and Mindo, Pedro in at Napo Wildlife Center in Yasuni NP, and Carlos in the Galapagos were incredible and added so much to our experience. They had so much knowledge about the country, culture, and areas we visited.
The amount of wildlife and plants we saw were amazing! Caymans, giant river otters, monkeys, sloth, so many birds everywhere, bats, sea lions, penguins, sharks, rays, turtles, tortoises, frigate birds, iguanas and red and blue footed boobies...
The food, accommodations, and people on the Galapagos Endemic ship were awesome!
We highly recommend KimKim! Thank you for helping us create such beautiful memories!

KimKim did an incredible job planning our trip. Their communication was excellent. When we wanted to change something at the last minute, they got it done. Fast! I will absolutely use their services again and will tell others to use them too. Shout out to Jacquie and Alvaro! Thank you both so much for showing us the best parts of the Galapagos!! ❤️

The trip was absolutely amazing! The cooking class in Quito with Denis was delicious and fun. We enjoyed visiting the markets with Denis and he is so knowledgeable and fun.
Once aboard My Angel, the service was incredible ( as were all the smooth transfers). I loved the hot chocolate and towels when we got back from snorkeling.
The amount of wild life we saw was amazing! Sea lions, penguins, sharks, rays, turtles, tortoises, frigate birds, iguanas and blue footed boobies!!!!
Andre our guide was incredible. So funny, knowledge and just a pleasure to be around!
Paula did a fabulous job with dining room, bar etc. Housekeeping was fabulous. You take a nap, come back to room and beds been made again! So clean.
The food was very delicious! The entire staff was so responsive and helpful.
My only suggestion would be to organize the bar tab in a better way than writing down in paper and handing you the bill right before departing. Luckily I noticed that we were charged for 3 bottles of champagne instead of 2 and adjustments were made.

Otherwise, it was an incredible trip of life time. Thanks so much

Our Galapagos Islands trip was an absolute dream come true! From the moment we first talked with Alvaro and later Jacquie from Kimkim Travel/Responsible Travel, we knew this was going to be a truly special experience. They handled everything with utmost professionalism, even when we had delay upon our arrival in Quito.

Our guides were nothing short of fantastic—friendly, knowledgeable, and incredibly passionate about the islands. It was challenging to single them out, as each one was exceptional in their own way. They took us to breathtaking locations on land, in the water, and introduced us to a diverse array of wildlife and marine life ecosystems. Their stories were simply incredible and left us in awe.
The accommodations were cozy, clean, and the staff was incredibly welcoming, especially at Ilatoa Lodge, Ninfa Lodge, and Loja Hostel.
I am so grateful for this unforgettable experience. If you’re planning a visit to the Galapagos Islands, I highly recommend Kimkim and their incredible team.
Thank you so much, Jacquie and Alvaro!

Hotel Reviews

Ilatoa Lodge

Quito

Absolutely gorgeous! Staff extremely helpful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Las Ninfas

Puerto Ayora

Exceptional staff. Accommodations perfect. Close to everything!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Loja Galapagos

Puerto Villamil

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa de Nelly

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kicker Rock: A Snorkeling Adventure

Isla San Cristóbal

I was unable to go on this trip.

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

Loved this trip. Saw iguanas and red bellied frigates.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Ecuador: Let Your Adventure Begin!

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wildlife Encounter at Los Tuneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

First time I snorkeled. Incredibly supportive staff. I saw sharks, sea turtles, and a sea horse!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Highlands (Plant a Tree) & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

We got to the highlands and spent the afternoon with the tortoises. Never got to the Charles Darwin Center.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking the Sierra Negra Volcano

Galapagos Islands

Very rigorous hike. I’m 75 and opted to do the last 3 miles. I finished it but not in time for the rest of the group. They had to catch another tour, so they sent a private escort for me and my friend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Bay Tour in Santa Cruz

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome Back to Quito

Galapagos Islands

Great evening in downtown Quito with Jacqui, our tour administrator. Yummy food and great company. Celebrated Jarkas birthday!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Michelle was great. Helped make the cotipaxi trip fun even though we were not aclimented to the altitude. Andreas was excellent. Had great knowledge and was always enthusiastic.

The planning was good although there were some things that my husband and I thought could have been improved. Regarding the tour, our time in Quito was great and we had a fabulous bike tour with Jonathon. However, some of our group went to Cotapaxi, and to go to that altitude the first day of the trip seemed risky for a group of seniors. The hotel in Quito was great, transfers were seamless, and the trip itself was excellent. Mathias was very responsive but several times did not answer all of our questions and we had to ask them multiple times. A packing list could have been sent out early in our planning to allow us to purchase any items we might have been lacking. Payments should have included the items we were paying for and our names on them without us having to request it. Information on baggage restrictions could have been given to us as part of the information package. Overall, we were pleased with our trip and would recommend booking a trip through kimkim to others.

Overall the trip was a bit challenging in that spending only 2 nites in each of the 3 islands was tiring after a couple of hours riding speed ferries followed by water activities like snorkeling requiring more speed boat rides. I relied on motion sickness pills after a terrible motion sickness episode initially.
My recommendation for other tourists is spend at least 3 nights on each island.

Excursions or activities on San Cristobal and Isabela were well organized and carried out well by the local guides, etc.
Activities on Santa Cruz were, imo, waste of time and money. They did not meet my expectations and I could have skipped them.

The Galápagos Islands were amazing in that I saw how the marine and sea animals can coexist harmoniously.

Nicholas did a good job except one miscalculation of the dates on his part costed me extra several hundred dollars. Ouch!

Activity Reviews

Colonial Quito City Tour & the Middle of the World

Quito

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover the Wonders of Tintoreras Islet: A Journey into Breathtaking Biodiversity

Puerto Villamil

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kicker Rock: A Snorkeling Adventure

Isla San Cristóbal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Bay Tour of Santa Cruz Island

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wildlife Encounter at Los Tuneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to the airport for your flight back home (Departure)

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

No English. But the driver was very sweet.

Transport

Free Morning Until Departure

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands was a celebration of Beth and my 50th wedding anniversary and has been on our bucket list for sometime. We were not disappointed! It was exceptionally well designed by Nickolas at Kimkim and we were pleased with all aspects (except for our contact not picking us up upon our arrival, noting that Nickolas remedy the situation in the early hours of the morning). Our accommodations at the Patio Andaluz in Quito were very good and exceptionally situated for touring the old part of the city. We have to give a shout out the staff at the hotel for their exceptional level of service, support and friendliness.
Our guide for city, Sebastian Carrera, was outstanding, providing us with great recommendations for dinning, visiting and strolling. His knowledge of Quito and Ecuador was deeply appreciated, as well as his friendly demeanor. Beth and I thought that the highlight of the day was the cooking class we experienced with Sebastian at the La Casona de la Ronda. The chef, Carlos, guided us through the preparation of several Ecuadorian dishes, which turned out to be one of the best meals that we experienced. We highly recommend this opportunity to visitor, getting to know the people, food and culture! It was additionally special to visit the Middle of the World exhibit and straddle the equator!
Our tour of the Mindo, with Diego, was exceptional in all aspects. His knowledge of the ecosystems, wildlife and birds of the Mind Cloud forest was informative and fascinating. He took us to the resort Bella Visit, where we saw so many tropical birds, and he provided his time to help Beth with the use of her professional camera for which she was deeply grateful. The photos and memories from this part of the trip will be cherished.
The center piece and absolute highlight of our trip was visiting several islands in the Galapagos on the Archipel 1 and with our guide, Christian. We want to thank Nicholas of Kimkim for arranging our trip on the ship, Archipel 1. This vessel is owned and operated by the people of the Galápagos Islands, which had profound meaning to Beth and I, knowing were supporting the local economy. The ship, its amenities, and especially the crew were top flight in all aspects (excluding running out of hot water on a few occasions). The 10-person crew members did everything they could to provide you with the best experiences on the ship and make your life comfortable. They deserve a 5-star rating. Our guide, Christian, is also from the Galápagos Islands. His exceptional knowledge of the people, culture, natural history, and ecosystems of the islands provided us with incredible insights and opportunities. The agenda and information that Christian provided us everyday on the trip encompassed all we could have imagined, blending field excursions and evening briefings with opportunities to snorkel and swim with the sea life. Christian is a star and anyone who gets the opportunity to be with him should be very pleased.
Overall, the trip that Kimkim provided for us was truly five star and we would recommend them to anyone and everyone.

Hotel Reviews

Archipel I

Guayaquil - Ecuador

The crew on the Archipel I were phenomenal, extremely supportive, and friendly. The food was outstanding, and the catamaran itself was ideal for relaxation. However, the hot water availability was limited, which was a minor inconvenience. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, especially with the guidance of Sebastian on board.

Wyndham Quito Airport

Quito

The Wyndham Quito Airport was a great place to stay for relaxing and decompression before the flight back home. It was a good place to decompress after the trip to the Galapagos before flying home, and was conveniently located for airport access.

Activity Review

Colonial City Tour, Cooking Class & the Middle of the World Monument

Quito

The cooking class was fantastic! We made a traditional potato soup that turned out to be phenomenal and also prepared a fish dish with sautéed vegetables, followed by a fruit dessert. It was an enriching experience, and we're even planning to recreate the soup for friends at home.

We had a fabulous trip to the Galapagos Islands! Everything went smoothly (including transfers thanks to Alejandro) and it was an incredible adventure. We loved the Palma Polo Club where we stayed for two nights upon arrival in Ecuador and one the night before going back to the US. It was relaxing, the rooms were huge and lovely, the bed was the biggest I have ever slept in. My husband said the gym was the best he ever experienced in a hotel (it was open air and overlooked the heated pool) and they even managed to arrange a massage therapist to come to the hotel and treat us to in-room AMAZING massages. The restaurant was also very nice with delicious food.

Upon arrival in Baltra on December 30th we were greeted by our guide for the 8 day cruise, Andres. He was fantastic...passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated. He was so full of interesting information about every place we visited on the cruise I wish I could remember it all. The cruise on the Natural Paradise was awesome. All the other passengers on the tour were wonderful and we became fast friends while experiencing the trip of a lifetime. There were several excursions a day, and I loved the level of activity. We snorkeled, hiked and toured interesting and spectacularly beautiful places. The natural world is thriving in the Galapagos and this was such an inspiration. The wildlife is abundant and appears to be doing really well....they certainly manage the tourism to these islands which helps ensure a healthy ecosystem for the many animals that live there.
The entire crew of the Natural Paradise was skilled, kind and helpful. Their attention to detail including food preparation and presentation, safety concerns, condition of the boat and equipment was top notch. Shoutout to Jorge, Camilo,, Maria, Jose and all the crew . I had prepared for motion sickness (bring your Bonine just in case!) so I never had any issues. I enjoyed a cappuccino each morning as I watched the sunrise from the sundeck. One morning I was treated to a Bryde's whale sighting which was amazing. Our room was huge, the bed was comfortable, even the bathroom was large! Maria was magical...so efficient and fast...we never once saw her go into the room but it was always spotless. Using the hot tub after snorkel trips was so lovely and the afternoon we saw the big pod of dolphins before sunset was unforgettable. Every meal was delicious, with something for everyone. Omelettes made to order in the morning, fish dishes for lunch and dinner in addition to meat options, and lots of fresh fruit, veggies and salads.
We truly had an amazing journey to the Galapagos and wish we could have explored Ecuador for longer. So many more places to visit, including the Cloud Forest, the Amazon and the Andes. I hope we are able to return to this amazing and interesting country again soon. A country with beautiful sights, lovely people, fabulous food and spectacular wildlife and nature! Thanks to everyone who made this journey so special, including Alvaro who planned it for us!

We loved our visit to Santa Cruz Island, including all of the guided tours and the hotel stay. The outings were informative, interesting, well-planned, and enjoyable. Thanks for all the help planning our trip! We'll always remember the fun we had.

The sites chosen were very good, though we chose not to go to the last one because we preferred to take it easy and go to a local beach. Hotels also were very good. The boat to Isabella was a bit rough, but I understand this cannot be avoided unless you use a slower service.

While Alvaro was good in the initial stages in scheduling and designing our plan, he was quite absent and not very responsive while we were in the tour. Here is a list of issues:

1. The person handling our baggage sent it to the wrong hotel. I contacted Alvaro and he took long time to respond.
2. On the way to Isabella, I asked Alvaro several questions including suggestions for dinner at Isabella. He saw my message around noon but responded at 11pm, when it was obviously too late to follow any suggestions.
3. Initially when designing the tour, I told Alvaro that one of us -myself- would like to do scuba one day. When I asked later in the tour, he never responded to that. Also when we decided to cancel our last tour, we asked one of the local people that came to pick is up the previous day whether it was possible to get a refund or schedule an alternative. He told us that he had contacted Alvaro and that he would let us know. He never responded to this request.

Overall, we felt that after paying for this trip, we were left pretty much on our own, except for the pickups and dropoffs. We got very little value added from the local team, and in fact we were never greeted nor explained in detail what would happen in during our stay. Alvaro might have been the local specialist, but he doesn't reside in Galapagos so he wasn't there.

Hotel Reviews

La Casita de la Playa

Puerto Villamil

Great location beachfront

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casa de Judy Galapagos Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Excellent rooms, so and so breakfast.

Location

Its a couple of blocks from the main road

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Highlands (Plant a Tree) & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Amazing choice. The guide was good and gave us information, but not an expert guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wildlife Encounter at Los Tuneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

This was great, you should never miss it! Our guide was great at snorkeling, showed us sharks, turtles, rays. She definitely knew where to find things.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover the Wonders of Tintoreras Islet: A Journey into Breathtaking Biodiversity

Puerto Villamil

Its interesting but could be skipped. In retrospect, we would have preferred doing a bike ride on the Island or something else.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

Very good, nice trip and the volcanic island is quite amazing!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

History and Nature: Full Day to Floreana Island

Puerto Ayora

We skipped this one. Three days in a row of traveling in boats is not advisable, distances are long 2-3 hours each way. We decided to choose stay local that day.

I went with three others on an 8 day cruise on the ship Archipel 1 over Christmas with the naturalist Christian. The boat was well-appointed, the food was excellent and the others cruising with us were all very pleasant. Angel did an outstanding job of remembering everyone's food likes and dislikes and kept bringing us our favorite foods. Carlos kept the cabins immaculately clean and the beds made well.
We snorkeled and hiked with Christian, who was very well-informed about the geology of the islands as well as the biology. Besides this type of trip, Christian runs diving excursions too.
The trip covered Genovesa in the north, Batholome and Santiago in the central along with Santa Cruz, Floreana and Espanola and finally San Cristobal in the East. If I'm ever fortunate enough to return, I'd very much like to see the western islands too.
The birds were fascinating, but I would have liked to do even more snorkeling than I did, so my suggestion to others is that they emphasize the snorkeling and come equipped with the ability to take underwater pictures and movies.
Nick was always punctual with replies and was outstanding to deal with. There were no hitches with the plans.
We stayed at the Wyndham Quito Hotel near the airport, and it's a very nice hotel with modern comfortable rooms and an excellent and delicious free breakfast buffet and a similarly excellent dinner buffet.

Galapagos 2024 - Excellent Trip!
My husband and I just completed a 9 day trip to Quito and the Galapagos Islands. We want to recognize the highlights of our trip with a few special commendations.
Angie Maldonado - Did an excellent job booking all the drivers, local transportation, excursions, hotels, and even dining for Christmas eve, and Christmas Day! We wanted to feel entrenched in the local culture, and we did!
Quito - Outstanding guide: Cristobal! We thoroughly enjoyed his tireless attention from the time of our arrival at the airport to our departure. He was a wealth of knowledge, attentive, shared so much with us, including recommendations for local foods. Exceptional experience! We stayed in Casona de la Ronda and loved the accommodations and the staff as well!
Santa Cruz - We stayed at the Acacia Boutique Hotel. Perfect location, lovely people, spacious accommodations. Excellent choice for us! We loved our excursion to the highlands to see the Tortoises and our excursion to Bartolome island where we snorkeled, and saw sharks, penguins, and the famous blue footed boobies along the way as well. The scenery was exceptional! We also spent time visiting N. Seymour Island. Busy schedule, but wouldn't change any of it.
Isabela Island - A welcome quiet experience on this island. Less commercialized, at this time... hope it stays that way. Very much enjoyed all of our day excursions, but our favorite was Los Tunneles, and our hike on the Sierra Negra Volcano. We were here for 3 nights, and wish we had had another day or 2 to explore and relax more.
Some helpful tips or things new South American Travelers should know:
1. No toilet paper disposal (you can't flush it!) in the toilets anywhere. If you want to bring sanitary bags to dispose, that might feel better to you.
2. Bring small denominations (not just $20's) for tipping money. This will be a big part of your expenses while on the islands.
3. Be prepared for some minor inconveniences, and handle them with grace. We were totally embarassed by some of the tourists we witnessed misbehaving toward the dedicated, gracious natives we encountered.
4. Angie and guides did a great job helping us navigate the travel requirements including paying for Transit Control Card, and admission fee to Galapagos National Park upon arrival/departure.
5. You will be moving around a lot on this trip. Try NOT to overpack. (We did bring a wetsuit and our own snorkel and mask and we were glad we did).
6. Final recommendation: The trip back to Colorado was quite long to do without an overnight stay on the mainland on the way back. If you have enough time, I would recommend booking an overnight stay after leaving Baltra airport, on the mainland, rather than hanging out at the airport for several hours in Quito and having to travel for such an extended period of time.
We loved our trip to Ecuador! We appreciate all the drivers, guides, boat captains, restaurant and hotel workers who were so kind, and always helpful. The food was delicious everywhere!
We love the model for KimKim - with local agents planning the trip! They are also a great contact if you have any hiccups/issues/concerns during your trip, and Angie was very responsive, and did "check on us" to make sure all was going well.
Thank you for the surprise of covering our Christmas Dinner!
Happy New Year to all!

Hotel Reviews

La Casita de la Playa

Puerto Villamil

Lovely, clean beachside accommodations within steps of amazing oceanview sunsets! Room size was adequate, bed was comfortable. WIFI was reliable and quite good! Staff was excellent! Food for breakfast was excellent! Only inconvenience - ran out of water around 6 p.m. (which did not affect us too much, but did for some other guests. I think this is an island problem, not an isolated problem to this accommodation). Would be nice to have a few hooks outside the rooms to hang up swimsuits, etc, to let them dry.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beachside! Easy to walk to center of town and restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acacia Galápagos Boutique Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Excellent location! Easy walk to restaurants, shops, pier, Charles Darwin center. Hotel clean, with pool and hot tub, comfortable mattress, TV; designed with safety and security in mind as a bonus. Quiet in our room and away for the busy town streets. Wifi available but somewhat unreliable. Spacious room and accommodations. Staff very attentive and always on top of our needs/schedules. Very good breakfast, and packed us box breakfasts when needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casona de La Ronda

Quito

We arrived in the early morning (2:00 a.m.?). There was a city wide power outage when we arrived, and the back up generator was working beautifully, and the staff was expecting us. Although the street we were on was busy at night, we did not hear a peep in our rooms! (YAY) The staff was diligent with walking us to/from our driver's car and making sure we were well attended to. Breakfast was good; Wifi was good. Mattresses were comfortable; room was spacious. Loved the atmosphere here! Felt very authentic!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Transfer Baltra Airport - Puerto Ayora with visit to the highlands of Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Our transfer did not go smoothly. There was no one there waiting for us with a sign and our name on it, as expected. We had the name of the person who was supposed to greet us but they did not show up. The manager of the tour company eventually showed up after I contacted the agent from KimKim and smoothed everything out. The visit to the highlands was a 5 star experience, along with the expertise and friendliness of our guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking & Snorkeling at Las Tintoreras

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Excursion to Tortuga Bay

Galapagos Islands

Wish we had been able to spend more quiet time here. It was beautiful. We were unable to snorkel here due to a laceration I had on my knee, and kayaking had not been planned here. Wish we could have done either. It is beautiful, and quiet. Our guide was Diego. He was friendly and accommodating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quito City Tour

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to an uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

Visit to another uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

Snorkel at Los Túneles

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking Sierra Negra Volcano

Galapagos Islands

It seemed we got off to a late start due to the size of the group. Although we loved the hike, I felt the guides were rushing us. This is not to be missed, but be prepared for a faster hiking pace. As we were near the back of the large group, we did not get any attention on this hike, nor did we get to hear much from the guides. We did, however, prefer to be away from the "crowd".

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport