Kimkim Trip Reviews for Galapagos Islands

I was not involved in the planning of the trip but felt that things could not have gone better. I am just beginning the travel portion of my life so I don’t have much to compare this trip to but I thoroughly enjoyed each and every hotel, meal and excursion we did. David set the standard for guides and it will be hard for any other guide to equal his efforts with our group. His communication and coordination of things with such a large group was fabulous. His love and knowledge of Ecuador shone through in everything we did.

Paul provided the best travel customer experience we’ve ever had!

From the start of travel planning he engaged. He provided a travel recommendations and responded to inquiries and suggestions immediately. Throughout the process he responded within minutes of questions being sent. This included multiple times of what we considered off hours on weekends and later than most of us work. He also called a couple of times to ensure we were on the same page. During the trip he asked how things were going and volunteered to travel (inconveniently across Quito to meet us). Kim Kim and Paul allowed us to create a photo album. Here we are nearly three months after the trip and he’s still been responsive to our questions and thank yous. We cannot recommend him enough!

The trip was amazing. My wife and I put it at the top of our list and we’ve traveled significantly. When we first looked at the itinerary we thought there might be too much snorkeling. I’m a scuba instructor and admittedly think snorkeling leaves something to be desired. To my amazement the snorkeling was better than many dives that I’ve done. Thank you for the humbling experience. We saw sharks, sea lions, sea horses, turtles, iguanas. Wonderful stuff. The birds, tortoises and SEALIONS were something else.

I loved that we asked for changes and Paul found options. Within the process we added a friend traveler and he was able to align our plans completely.

TOP NOTCH.

Paul - you truly are the best. Thank you!

Trip of a lifetime!
This was truly one of the best trips we’ve ever taken. Every part of the experience was thoughtfully planned and incredibly memorable. The itinerary was perfectly balanced and gave us the opportunity to experience all the key highlights of the islands while still feeling relaxed and enjoyable.

Paul made the entire trip completely stress-free. Every transfer, activity, and pickup was seamlessly coordinated, so we could simply enjoy the experience without worrying about logistics. His organization and attention to detail made a huge difference.

The wildlife experiences were absolutely unforgettable. Seeing so many animals in their natural habitat was incredible — especially the sea lions, which were amazing to watch up close. Each snorkeling excursion offered something unique, and we saw an incredible variety of marine life, including turtles, reef sharks, seahorses, penguins, and sea lions.

I honestly can’t say enough good things about this trip. It exceeded our expectations in every way, and Paul made the entire experience easy, smooth, and unforgettable. I would highly recommend working with Paul to plan your trip — you will be in excellent hands.

My guide was really Anthony. He planned a wonderful trip for me. I asked him a million questions, and he not only answered them, he even asked if I had any more questions. He was amazing. I never communicated with Maria Belen. Stalin was my guide in Ecuador, and he was great. There was one snag that you should address. No guide showed up to meet me at 6:15 in San Cristobal to take me to the pier. I needed help with my suitcases because of the steps in the hotel and down to the pier. I had no idea which pier to go to, but someone helped me. I also did not know which ferry was mine. I saw a woman sitting at the front of the correct pier. She looked official with a list of names. I checked with her and my name was there. She directed me where to go next. I don't know if who was supposed to be there, Lenin or a young man. I suggest that in the future you provide more details about the ferry rides and the company that is doing them.

I started planning my trip to Ecuador and Galapagos about 18 months before our travel date. I organized the trip for myself and 15 other people ended up coming too. I started with 4-5 different companies and ended up picking Alvaro at KimKim because he worked quickly, efficiently, and listened to what I wanted. I was extremely happy with the final itinerary and price.

There were a few tweaks that needed to be made, and once initial down payments were made, he didn’t respond as quickly as before. I was very worried, and others who had signed up were getting worried as well, but the trip was amazing.

Our guide throughout Ecuador was David. He was the best guide we could have asked for. He explained so much about his country, history, and culture. He was enthusiastic, passionate, and helpful. He made sure all activities were organized and enjoyable for all.

When we went to Mindo, two parts of the itinerary were left out, a coffee experience and ziplining. Alvaro made sure to add those items later in the itinerary.

Saul was an amazing guide in the Amazon rainforest. He was so knowledgeable about natural remedies and the forest. We all enjoyed the hiking, cave exploration, and indigenous experience.

We were sad to leave David, as he was not going with us to Galapagos, and we got a new guide. As wonderful as David was, our new guide was the opposite. Although she was very nice, this was her first tour ever, and it showed. She didn’t give us any information about the places we visited. Anytime I asked a question, she either didn’t know the answer or gave an incorrect answer. The group felt that she was just on vacation herself as she let the local guides do all of the work and just participated in the activities. We didn’t really need her on the trip at all since we had local guides. In addition, she was sick, and a few people on the trip also started to show symptoms of the cold that she had.

We went to Santa Cruz, Isabela, and San Cristobal and loved the islands. Our guide in San Cristobal even gave the group an autographed copy of his book! Thanks, Ian! I can’t wait to read it!

Overall, the trip was wonderful and everything went very smoothly. We did so many different activities and I appreciate the work Alvaro and David and the rest of the guides put in to make this a fabulous experience.

Overall our trip to the Galapagos was wonderful and we enjoyed ourselves very much.

Nature and highlights:
Amazing wildlife and we really appreciated the local knowledge and enthusiasm of the guides we had across the 4 islands we visited. This knowledge helped us see so much more than if we were on our own.

Hotels:
We enjoyed all of the hotels we stayed in and the responsiveness of the hosts. The Albemarle (Isabella island) was lovely but the very loud music next door until very late on a Friday night was unhelpful. I noticed this has been remarked upon in other reviews. Overall we enjoyed the hotels very much.

Guides:
We had superb guides in Alex, Ronnie, Daniella, and others whose names I have forgotten. All of the guides were absolutely excellent and were a major positive impact on our trip, except one - Gabriel on Isabella. Gabriel was a very nice guy and was trying to be helpful, however we had a communication problem in that neither of us could understand him very well. I appreciate that he has learned English but it wasn't good enough to be very useful. This was made worse by the fact that he was speaking very quickly and I suspect was a little stressed at the situation which became confusing.

As a result of our mis-communication we missed out part of our schedule and he changed it to a snorkel event at our extra cost without us knowing what was happening. We realised afterwards that we had missed the opportunity to see giant tortoises in the wild, which was very important to us (one of our highlights), so we separately hired bikes and completed the part that had been missed. The snorkel event that he took us on turned out to be very good, but we felt very confused as to what was happening. I reiterate that he was a very nice guy and was trying hard, but it was a language problem.

The snorkelling guide we had on our trip to Kicker Rock was really excellent.

Itinerary:
Overall, it was a really good and interesting itinerary. The one suggestion I would make would be to offer an alternative to the Sierra Negra volcano hike. For many tourists the heat, humidity and distance would be too much. We realised that we were not acclimatised enough for it and had to cancel it. We also heard of other tourists who turned back as it was too much.

There was some good variety in the itinerary and we felt like we had achieved a lot in our time there.

KimKim:
Maria Jose and the team at KimKim were very responsive and we were impressed with their support. It made a big difference to the trip to have everything so well organised. We were able to focus on the adventure rather than the administration, which was very much appreciated. We would happily recommend KimKim to other travellers.

I am incredibly impressed with the customer service provided by the team at KimKim! It was wonderful to not worry about ANYTHING - even all the taxis and boat trips were scheduled and paid for. We felt so taken care of and respected by everyone.

Veronica was our favorite guide. She was so knowledgeable and eager to answer our questions. One of my favorite moments was day one at Rancho Primicias - having lunch and watching the tortoises roam. I also loved our snorkeling and kayak experience at Concha Perla - we saw so much wildlife and had such a serene experience. The only struggle was that this guide did not speak any English on this tour - we of course understand that it is not something to expect, but all of our other guides did speak some English. The up side was I know a little Spanish so I was able to translate a bit for my mom and practice my own Spanish!!! :)

Fabricio was wonderful too - we loved our trip to North Seymour to see the frigates!!!

Overall, 100/10 experience and it was worth every penny. So happy and pleased with it all!!! Thank you!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Laguna

Puerto Villamil

Our room overlooking the bay was incredible! We loved hearing the flamingoes from the balcony. The downside to this hotel was hearing street noise - there was a dog barking through the night on both nights we stayed there. I know this is not something that can be helped, though!

Authenticity & Character

Water on each floor, the open air concept, the breakfast on the third floor

Location

Right next to the bay with the flamingos and around the corner from wonderful shopping and food.

Staff

I cannot remember names, but all the staff at the front desk were wonderful! Two younger men.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was great and we loved the room!

Hotel Fiesta

Puerto Ayora

Incredible location and beautiful pool! We loved Gabriel - he was so kind and helpful!

Authenticity & Character

The pool was very lagoon-like. So beautiful and relaxing!

Location

Staff

Gabriel - so kind and went out of his way to help us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

This was the last stop of the day for us on day 1 and we had already had a full day (plus waking up at 5am for a flight), so we were a little too tired to enjoy it fully. We wished it would have been scheduled for a different day so we could have gone to the hotel to rest. But otherwise, we loved seeing the baby tortoises and Lonesome George!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We booked a one-week trip to Ecuador for 2 people through Kimkim, including Quito, a guided city tour, and 3 days in the Galápagos — and the entire experience was fantastic from start to finish.

Our trip planner was Alvaro, and honestly, working with him was probably one of the best parts of the whole planning process. At the beginning, we only had a very rough idea of what we wanted to do. We were still unsure about the itinerary, duration, budget, and how to combine mainland Ecuador with the Galápagos. Based on that very vague starting point, Alvaro created an excellent first proposal with a concrete itinerary and transparent pricing, which immediately helped us visualize the trip.

What impressed us most was how easy and pleasant communication was. Every question and every requested change was answered incredibly quickly and always very professionally. For example, our first proposal was above our budget, and almost immediately Alvaro sent us an adapted version together with clear explanations of what had been changed and why. It never felt pushy — instead, it felt collaborative and genuinely personalized.

The payment process was also very straightforward and reassuring (30% deposit first, remaining balance later before the trip).

Another thing we really appreciated was that Alvaro kept checking in with us before the trip started, asking whether we still had questions and making sure we felt prepared. He also introduced us in advance to the local Ecuadorian partner responsible for the on-the-ground coordination (Sebastian from Responsible Travel South America).

This was honestly what made the whole experience feel so special: everything was incredibly easy and digital, but still deeply personal at the same time. Even though everything was organized online, we always felt like we had real people taking care of us.

I can 100% recommend Kimkim, and especially Alvaro, for anyone planning a trip to Ecuador.

Everything from start to finish was wonderful. Ariel helped us plan our trip and he was very responsive to our questions and requests! His communication with us throughout our trip was excellent. We began our trip in Quito. Our driver, Cristobal, was very helpful. He gave us suggestions for things to do in the city, and types of Ecuadorian foods to eat. More significantly, he walked us through the airport to get us to the Galapagos - customs, check in, and location of the security gate for our flight. Once in the Galapagos we had outstanding guides and Kimkim boots on the ground help. In San Cristobal, Ian made sure we were at the right places and on time. In Santa Cruz, Viviana gave us an outstanding Highland Tour. We’d highly recommend this tour as you can get up close to the giant tortoises in their natural environment. Scuba Iguana was an outstanding dive outfit. Our dive guides, Gabby and Kike, were awesome. We’ve dove in multiple places around the world and we’d say that Scuba Iguana was the best thus far - and we thought the others were good too! Staff is friendly and fun. They make a point of knowing your name, comfort level, and help every step of the way. We felt spoiled. While in Santa Cruz, my husband came down with a bad bacterial and viral infection that left him very dehydrated. We couldn’t have navigated this issue without the help of Kimkim boots on the ground. Many thanks to Diego, Veronica, and Tatiana for helping with Spanish translation, rearranging our stay, and ensuring we were well taken care of throughout a stressful situation. I will definitely work with Kimkim again on future trips.

Hotel Reviews

La Isla Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Clean and comfortable. Breakfast each morning was very good. Centrally located with many attractions within walking distance. Staff was very helpful and friendly. Loved the shower - it’s huge!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Galapagos Sunset Hotel

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Centrally located and close to many attractions

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casona de La Ronda

Quito

Small boutique hotel with outstanding service. Clean and comfortable, friendly staff. We had a great breakfast at the hotel and dinners were wonderful too!

Authenticity & Character

Loved the architecture

Location

In the heart of the historic district and walking distance to many sights.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover Isla Pinzón & Playa La Fé

Puerto Ayora

Scuba Diving - Another day to dive in Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Scuba Diving - Another day to dive in Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Hammerheads!!

Scuba Diving - Day Trip from Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Scuba Iguana is a top notch dive outfit. Highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gabby and Kike were super! The captain of the boat, Enrique, was very good. Jose helped out with dive gear, snacks and lunch- outstanding.

Excursion to an uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

Highlands of Santa Cruz Island

Galapagos Islands

Fun to see the giant tortoises in their natural environment.

Quality of Experience

Food

Outstanding!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Viviana was very knowledgeable.

Transport

Snorkel at Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido)

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Certainly not the fault of the guides - visibility was not great. Make sure you don’t go when there’s a full moon. Apparently it impacts what you can see.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The entire vacation was very planned, ensuring that we covered all the sights at a decent pace. The local guides on each island were superb, helping us get the most of our trip. and giving us great insights That we had local support 24X7 was an added bonus! All in all, a great vacation and we look forward to our next vacation with Kimkim.

Ariel was amazing from the start and through out the trip. He was very responsive and helpful throughout every step of the trip. We were welcomed in the Galapagos by an amazing guide Vivianna. She was so knowledgable and helpful through out our whole stay. We had so many wonderful guides throughout the entire trip. Thank you to everyone who made this trip easy and exciting and unforgettable for our family of 5. Our hotels, drivers, boats, etc were all top notch. I cannot reccommend the entire team enough!

Hotel Reviews

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

Great location and staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ikala Galapagos Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Amazing location. Comfortable rooms. Great ambiance. GREAT breakfast. WONDERFUL staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wyndham Quito Airport

Quito

Great staff. Great rooms. Top notch

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit to Garrapatero Beach

Galapagos Islands

Great way to end the trip, playing in some beautiful water

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Trip to Flamingo Lagoon & Tortoise Breeding Center

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkel at Los Túneles

Galapagos Islands

Absolutely the highlight of our trip. Great guide. Great experience. Unique landscape and wildlife.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking & Snorkeling at Las Tintoreras

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bay tour

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to an uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

What a great experience for our family. We learned so much about the wildlife, as well as had a blast snorkling with some amazing creatures

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

Transfer to Quito Airport, Arrival to Galapagos & Highlands of Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Vivianna our guide was absolutely amazing. She was knowledgable, kind, helpful. We learned so much and saw some incredible things.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to the Galapagos was very well planned. We enjoyed our few days on land ,interacting with the local culture.
Our cruise on the Treasure was fabulous. The Staff and Captain were excellent ,educational including a delicious variety of snacks,drinks and meals.

Thank you Paul

All was planned very well. We had a wonderful time in the Galapagos. They even planned a nice 50th Birthday dinner at a fancy restaurant including the cake in Santa Cruz, Galapagos. They accommodated when I had to cancel at the last minute an excursion due to my wife getting sick, and they were able to reschedule for the following day without to much hassle for me. Hotels were very nice as well as the private driver. They had somebody with us from the time we landed in Quito to the time we left Baltra back to Quito. I appreciate this attention to customer service. I would definitely travel with them again.

It was a relief having Anthony from KimKim helping us plan the trip. I became very overwhelmed with the planning aspect once we had decided against a cruise. From arranging transport from island to island, to strategically planning hotels, etc, it was so helpful having them take the reins and plan the trip. It was a huge weight off my shoulders.

We really appreciated the dedication of our guides to nature and the animals of the Galapagos. They were all very knowledgeable and you could feel the respect they had for the natural world. Julio, Darwin, Charlie and Enrique were fantastic. Darwin was perhaps the most animated and just as excited as we were about the animals we saw. The planned meals were very good. The transportation went off without a hitch. We loved both hotels and the service at both (La Isla and Iguana crossing). Joseph at La Isla went above and beyond also. Overall everything was great.

Our trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands was amazing and all thinks to Karla! She was able to tailor a custom experience for our family of 5. We have a 5 year-old and up and people with varying levels of interests and abilities and Karla was able to craft the perfect blend of adventure, animals and culture. She was also extremely responsive along the way. Anything we needed to know or figure out and she was able to get it answered immediately. I highly recommend working with her and wouldn't hesitate to do so again.

The planning and service provided by Paola was excellent. She got us a fantastic trip and assisted during the trip with additional information and suggestions. She did a great job with the tours, pick ups, transportation, etc.
All of our guides on the trip were very good but Milton in Quito was excellent; he provided history , stories and insights to our tour.

Hotel Reviews

Holiday Inn Quito Airport, an IHG Hotel

Tababela

Nice rooms, pool, ping pong, fitness center, restaurant and bar.

Authenticity & Character

Location

near the airport and has a shuttle to the airport.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Volcano

Puerto Villamil

Of all the hotels on our trip this was the least favorite. It was clean and had a good breakfast. The windows in the room would rattle or open when the door to the room was opened or closed. We had to be careful to keep the wasps out of the room when we entered and existed the room. Compared to the other hotels on the trip we did not have a balcony but we did have a view of the beach and ocean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acacia Galápagos Boutique Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Very nice little hotel with a pool just off of the main road. Room was large. Staff was very nice. There is construction going on all around this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Plaza Luna Suites

Puerto Ayora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the heart of things

Staff

Wonderful staff, very accomadating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Go Quito Hotel

Quito

Very nice. Could have been a little closer to old town area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Quito City Tour - Middle of the World

Quito

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maria José with Kim Kim deserves an 11 out of 10. Logistics for our trip where we went to four islands in four days were extensive and it went off without a hitch. Any question we had she was on what’s app replying immediately. Our flights, boats, tours and transfers were always great and always on time.

Also in the planning part of the trip we told her what we wanted and in two emails had the perfect trip where she really helped us cover all of the activities, all of the islands and all of the animals we wanted to see — and because of her we were able to fit it into four nights without sleeping on a cruise ship.

We’d never used Kim Kim before and didn’t know what to expect, but as extensive world travelers MaJo’s work was so impressive and it was at a very reasonable price. Don’t risk your once in a lifetime Galapagos trip - use MaJo!!!!

Hotel Reviews

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

The hotel we stayed at on Isabela Island was awesome, mainly due to its location right on the water. Although it's a bit weathered from being so exposed to the elements, it offers an amazing view which we really appreciated.

Plaza Luna Suites

Puerto Ayora

Clean, great service, and so well kept…best of the three hotels we stayed in during our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Owner lived on the grounds her entire life and treats it like she cares about the property and guests!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless and up to date!

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Santa Cruz – Highlands & Bay Tour Experience

Galapagos Islands

The Santa Cruz Highlands & Bay Tour Experience was not our favorite. It was a bilingual group, and we were the only English speakers, so we didn't get as much engagement. It paled compared to the other tours, especially being our fourth day there.

Welcome to Isabela Island – Wildlife Encounter at Los Túneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

Awesome. Got a selfie with a penguin, saw multiple rays, swam within a foot of 10 different giant turtles, and up close and personal with blue footed boobies! Great ceviche too!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to San Cristóbal – Kayak at the Port & Darwin Bay Snorkeling

Isla San Cristóbal

Amazing. Greatest sea lion experience ever! They are so fun and playful. Snorkeling was great too. The private guide with the kayaking and snorkeling was the best way to start the trip so we could get the focus and attention we needed given we were doing group snorkels the next three days. The pictures say it all

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kicker Rock: A Snorkeling Adventure

Isla San Cristóbal

Amazing snorkeling and great lunch on the boat. The guide was great. Hammerheads, turtles, blue footed boobies, Red Frigate birds (inflated!), rays and seals that came and played with us!

Quality of Experience

Food

Food was fine but that wasn’t what I was focused on

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Quito, Galápagos and the Ecuadorian jungle was largely amazing. We have used KimKim once before and will use again in future trip planning. Anthony did an excellent job in helping to plan our trip and was very patient as we worked out the details. Although nothing interfered with our trip experience overall-there were two occasions when Anthony was difficult to reach-one actually had to do with just a quick clarification on transportation. We figured out the time inconsistency ourselves going with the earlier time but Anthony did not respond for over 24 hours. The other issue was something that Anthony wanted to do for us because of an issue with a hotel room . Anthony wanted to treat us to dinner and arranged transportation. Unfortunately when we got to the restaurant they knew nothing about our arrival. After trying to reach Anthony and not hearing back, we tried two other phone numbers we were given by transportation guides on the island. The numbers were clearly not workable as those answering the calls had no idea what was going on and were not bilingual. We then called the operations center where they were very helpful. Apparently our reservation was for the following night but they worked it out with the restaurant. We ended up having a nice dinner and an enjoyable walk back to the hotel. With all this feedback, I don’t want to leave a negative impression. The Ecuadorian jungle was absolutely incredible and I would recommend it to anyone. Sasha itself was an excellent immersive experience and the way it is run is exceptional. The staff there love what they do and it clearly shows in their customer service. Galápagos of course is also exceptional and is clean, safe and beautiful. Our hotels in Quito, Sasha Lodge, Ikala and Iguana crossing were also great with really good food as well. Transportation was also great from place-to-place and always timely.

Hotel Reviews

Iguana Crossing Boutique Hotel

Galápagos

Iguana crossing is a beautiful beach side hotel. It embodies everything exceptional about the Galápagos island. Sun, sea and of course wildlife. The staff there was very friendly and courteous and our room was very clean and overlooked the ocean.

Authenticity & Character

Every thing about this hotel from its breezeways to our room overlooking the ocean and pool captured Galápagos feel. Believe it or not the iguanas even crossed the road at the iguana crossing sign.

Location

Beach side hotel at the end of the beach strip but still very close to town and restaurants.

Staff

All staff was courteous and pleasant and never balked at holding our bags before we checked in and after we checked out.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel was very clean and comfortable. The push button shower to conserve water was a challenge first time but we understood the necessity.

Ikala Galapagos Hotel

Puerto Ayora

We spent the most time at this hotel and it was a great experience. It was close to shops and the amazing pier on Santa Cruz and also had a beautiful rooftop restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

The pool looked nice although we didn’t use it and the courtyard was beautiful. We also enjoyed the outdoor restaurant by the pool as well as the rooftop restaurant during our stay.

Location

Close to shops, restaurants and pier. Really appreciated the walk ability here and safety.

Staff

The people working the desk were always willing to answer any questions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nothing stands out but do appreciate the cleanliness of the rooms.

Wyndham Quito Airport

Quito

Really didn’t spend a lot of time there. It was clean, restaurant was good and of course very convenient to airport.

Authenticity & Character

There was nothing that really stood out either way. It was like most other airport hotels so absolutely fine.

Location

The main reason for staying there was the convenience to airport. Not really close to anything else but not really expecting it to be.

Staff

Felt welcome but not a lot of time for staff interaction

Cleanliness & Comfort

Seemed clean and comfortable- no issues

Sacha Lodge

Coca

Sasha lodge is truly incredible and we do sincerely appreciate Anthony for recommending it. From the moment you land there after a “journey” which is an adventure itself, you appreciate what it takes for Sasha to run so extraordinarily well. From the Manager, to the guides, to the Chef there is a tremendous pride as there should be. Of course, It is not the place to go if you want to do your own hiking etc. for obvious reasons but if you find their daily agenda appealing as we did then you will have a once in a lifetime experience.

Authenticity & Character

It truly has a unique character to it with no outside locks, boardwalks over the river and a pool unlike any other. Meals were also extraordinary and meal settings were incredible.

Location

I literally retired the three days before we went to Sasha. After taking a plane, boat, hike, and awesome canoe trip, I couldn’t think of anywhere else that would have immersed me so quickly into a different world.

Staff

All provided great service and our guide was outstanding. The Manager was also very visible and friendly. He obviously was very proud of a first class operation.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean and comfortable. Rooms also had air conditioning which I didn’t learn until later that Sasha is the only out there with AC. It was hot and largely dry so worked out very well for us.

Go Quito Hotel

Quito

Although we didn’t have a long stay here, this hotel was in a great location. It was modern and the food and view from the top floor was terrific. Hotel staff also very accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Modern as appropriate to the middle of an urban area

Location

It was located in the middle of the city accessible to a lot. Commuting around Quito takes some time as traffic is an issue.

Staff

NA

Cleanliness & Comfort

NA

Activity Reviews

Transfer to the Galapagos Airport, flight back to Quito

Galapagos Islands

All transportation was efficient and organized. No issues at all.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovering Bartolome a full day yacht experience

Isla Santa Cruz

This snorkeling tour was an excellent last day activity for us. The snorkeling was great as we saw sea lions, turtles, sharks and other colorful fish and my wife was very confident in herself and our guide. There is a big stair climb but we did it with no issues.

Quality of Experience

Food

Actually had the same chef as on North Seymour yacht trip and he is extraordinary

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was extremely patient with the snorkeling so that everyone experienced to the fullest extent.

Transport

Breeding Center (Giant Tortoise) + Wetlands Isabela Island

Isla Isabela

We were excited to spend another day with the Tortoises and we were not disappointed. However, I think our guide could have shared more with us about the place and its inhabitants. It seemed like other tours were getting that experience.

Quality of Experience

Very interesting place doing good work for Tortoises and turtles.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was certainly friendly but I think he could have been a little more informative.

Transport

Hiking to the Sulfur Mines (Side of Sierra Negra Volcano)

Isla Isabela

This was an amazing hike and a truly fascinating place. Although the hike was labeled as easy to moderate the terrain was relatively easy with a major uphill climb at the end.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful and unusual landscape. Good paced hike.

Food

Loved the food at the end. I think people were confused when they received boxed food at the beginning.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tintoreras

Isla Isabela

This was one of only.two excursions that we thought could have been improved for all on board. While tintoreras is amazing we thought the snorkeling could have been improved for weaker snorkelers. While my wife and I were confident in the first snorkeling site there and saw some amazing things, there was more of an open water swim to the other site. Since the boat went over there anyway, we thought those (about a half dozen) that did not want to swim over there could have been transported over by boat there to continue their snorkeling.

Quality of Experience

Mentioned above about snorkeling opportunities for less advanced.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was good and engaging on the way out to Tintoreras. On the way back however, he totally focused on the half of our group that spoke fluent Spanish. It felt like we were now on two different trips. We did notice that the guide got of the bus at the same hotel in town as the Spanish speaking group so maybe he had been their tour guide all day. It just felt a little strange for those of us less fluent in Spanish.

Transport

Speed boat from Santa Cruz to Isabela Island

Galapagos Islands

Not our favorite activity but necessary to get from one island to the next. Luggage coordination on this ride and every ride was very efficient and helpful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Embarking on the North Seymour Yacht Adventure

Isla Santa Cruz

This was a great experience. The hiking was a great overview to Galápagos wildlife and the snorkeling that day was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Great introduction and clear water snorkeling.

Food

Food was great on the boat. Chef took a lot of pride in meal preparation.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide that day was exceptional. While we have been snorkeling about a half dozen times, my wife had a more unpleasant experience in rough waters off the Florida Keys. She was a little hesitant but our guide was very patient basically towing her around until she got comfortable. This also put her at ease for our next two snorkeling days.

Transport

Santa Cruz Highlands, Lava Tunels and Charles Darwin Research Station (if times allows)

Isla Santa Cruz

We thought this was a great introduction to the Tortoises in a very relaxed environment. Lunch was also great. Cave experience was just Ok. Nothing special although we didn’t go all the way through as our guide thought it may have been wet.

Quality of Experience

Introduction to the Tortoises in this environment was a really great introduction.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was good this day but thought she could spend a little more time with us at Darwin. We basically self-toured there. Maybe that’s the way it is supposed to be.

Transport

Timely-no issues.

Transfer to the Airport for your domestic flight to the Galapagos Islands.

Quito

No issues. Easy and timely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Quito Airport to Nearby Hotel

Galapagos Islands

We had anticipated finding the hotel shuttle on our own but as an extra step, people were waiting in the terminal to take us to shuttle. This is an extra touch that KimKim does and one of the reasons why I will use them again.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacha Lodge - Return to Quito

Yasuni National Park

You need to go out the same way you came in which makes you appreciate the entire experience. No issues with transportation or flights.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All transportation worked hard to make sure you weren’t just dropped off but comforted getting to next destination.

Sacha Lodge Day 3

Yasuni National Park

On this day we visited an indigenous village which was very enjoyable. We sampled food and drink that they had made and learned more about their culture in a pretty isolated environment. Very positive experience for us and the group.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacha Lodge Day 2

Yasuni National Park

Day 2 was somewhat similar to day one in that there was a hike and a pretty major stair climb up a Kapok tree. There was also the Chocolate experience which was also interesting as we learned more about history and ingredients. Piranha fishing also added some fun for our group.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacha Lodge Day 1

Yasuni National Park

As I’ve already said the Sasha experience was excellent throughout. Day 1 was about a reasonable hike. Lots of stairs. Beautiful overlook bridges and bird watching. If cousins it was also about the beautiful jungle around you and the phenomenal meals waiting for you.

Quality of Experience

The bridges were phenomenal and the birds were beautiful although May want to bring binoculars if have them. Guide will provide scope as well.

Food

The quality and way food was served was excellent. Just thinking about how it all got there was mind-blowing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide for all three days at Sasha was the same and she was excellent.

Transport

No issues with transportation here. Mostly by canoe and it was incredible.

Discover Quito's Best-Kept Secrets: A Full-Day Tour of the Historic and the Middle of the World

Quito

Javier was a great guide for our day in Quito. The Middle of the World exhibition was a little touristy but clearly no trip to Quito Ecuador would be complete without out it. The rest of our walk was very pleasant and our guide was both friendly and knowledgeable. The Chocolate tasting is really just that. Not really much history(a few pictures) but the rest of it was really about buying something at the store. I am a chocolate lover so worked about for me.

Quality of Experience

Middle of the world is something that should be experienced as well as touring of square and churches with a very nice lunch in a pretty setting.

Food

Food was excellent throughout.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Javier was excellent…..

Transport

All transportation was timely, clean, friendly and bilingual.

Just returning from an incredible 10 day family trip to Ecuador and Galápagos Islands.
Our planning for this trip started with Alvaro, who worked tirelessly planning a trip that would appeal to all ages and abilities.
The communication with so many “moving parts” , was outstanding!
A short time before our trip was going to start, Alvaro introduced us to Ibeth, who was our contact person until we touched ground back in Canada. I’m not sure if she actually sleeps, because she responded instantly with all questions and requests! We met her on a video call before leaving which was very helpful for all.
Our guides in each and every stop were knowledgeable, kind and extremely flexible with our requests. True professionals!
Matteo, in Quito, communicated to Fabricio in San Cristobal that our youngest granddaughter was showing signs of altitude sickness, so that he was aware and offered a stop at a pharmacy if needed.
Fabricio was so passionate and knowledgeable at the breeding station.
Gabriel, on Isabella Island was the very same when it came to our snorkeling adventures as well. Gabriel was also able to obtain a missing suitcase for our 11 year old- so she didn’t miss out on our snorkel trip - he really came through for us!
As you can see, there is a theme here- kudos to James, Phillipe and Andreas as well!
Our accommodations were perfect for our family- small, family run hotels, with good breakfasts in the am and locations to restaurants, beaches, etc, were excellent.
Thanks to all that made this a once in a lifetime trip for our entire family!

Hotel Reviews

Plaza Luna Suites

Puerto Ayora

This is a gem!! Lovely, quaint accommodations, locally owned and with a history to go with it! Rooms were perfect with amenities well thought out. Breakfast on the terrace was a lovely way to start the day. Beach towels provided, unlimited filtered water and location couldn’t be better

Authenticity & Character

Authentic- but updated so well!

Location

Right on the Main Street, but you didn’t know it until you walked out of the high gate - all right there!

Staff

Delilah (owner) greeted us in a very personal way, learning about her family and their role in th Galápagos Islands. Us

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lovely- even a small communal kitchen area where we used the dishes for a take out dinner one night.

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

The picture…is exactly the way it looks outside our room - but I would recommend requesting an exterior room. That being said - all the rooms were spacious and clean.

Authenticity & Character

The small pool and gardens were lovely and the rooftop pool view was stunning!

Location

Perfect- on a quiet sandy road - steps away from town!

Staff

Excellent- because of the island holiday celebrations, she warned us of noise/music that would go on quite late and offered ear plugs proactively!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beach towels and robes provided

SeaSide Hotel

Galapagos

This was a quaint hotel - very quiet - perfect location to local beach and to town as well. It was perfect for a family stay with a small pool outside our door. Breakfast was home cooked and the “honour” fridge was really convenient with soft drinks and beer.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to local Beach and restaurants and stores, but secluded.

Staff

Provided towels and bag breakfasts for early morning trips.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The air conditioning worked well

EB Hotel by Eurobuilding Quito

Quito

Relaxing, accommodating hotel! We spent three nights total and we found that staff were very helpful and professional! We were able to store a bag for our return and they found an e-book that was left in the safe! Their complimentary breakfast was 5 Star! My only criticism would be the lack of a wine list - very little choice, considering the abundance of South American wines.

Authenticity & Character

I wouldn’t say it’s authentic decor- but the local roses in the lobby were unbelievable!

Location

Good location for airport - not great for exploring around unless with a taxi.

Staff

Covered in initial review

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Wildlife Encountering at Lobos Island - Family Activities

Isla San Cristóbal

This involves a boat ride and a stop at Lobos where we hiked about an 1 1/2 hours - we couldn’t believe our eyes being able to see the male frigate birds with their red expanded breasts hoping to be picked by a female. Also, blue footed boobies, iguanas, baby frigates.

Quality of Experience

The mating Frigates!

Food

Local restaurant - great food!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very helpful, but there was really no alternative to not have to walk on the unstable rocks.

Transport

Unforgettable Day Trip to Bartolome Island

Puerto Ayora

Our last full day in Galapagos and it couldn’t have been more enjoyable! Our family of 8 and 6 others gave us lots of space on a lovely cabin cruiser - with great staff and a delicious lunch!

Quality of Experience

Our skipper was skilled and the ride was smooth and relaxing

Food

A delicious full hot lunch! Very tasty- with a cash bar !

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Philippe was a wealth of information! And for those that did not want to walk up to the top, a zodiac ride around the island - pointing out a baby penguin, baby sea lions and many varieties of sea birds!

Transport

Safe and relaxing

Exclusive Experience at The Agave Route in the Middle of the World!

Quito

This was our second time to visit - bringing family this time…very cool experience for all ages - during the tasting, our 11 and13 yr old in the group was able to participate as well - with non alcoholic agave tastings.

Quality of Experience

The bartender was the same person as last year and he makes it all very fun during the cocktail making.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As stated

Transport

Safe and prompt

Visit Intiñan Museum

Quito

Great guides - super experience!

Quality of Experience

The guide!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide!

Transport

Good driver

Our guides (Sebastian & Edwin) were absolute ROCKSTARS! We are so grateful for the time that they spent with us. Tamer, once again, helped to create and organize another spectacular experience in Ecuador & The Galápagos Islands. Thank you!