Daniel Larrea

Thank you to Daniel and Jacky for helping us plan an amazing trip to mainland Ecuador and to Galapagos. They helped make travel as easy as possible during these uncertain times! They were so accessible and even met us a few times in Quito which was awesome. Dario was our guide for the majority of the time and he was so knowledgeable and fun to be around! We started off with a city tour of Quito, made it to Cotopaxi, Quilotoa Crater, had an adeventure filled couple of days in Banos, checked... read more

Thank you to Daniel and Jacky for helping us plan an amazing trip to mainland Ecuador and to Galapagos. They helped make travel as easy as possible during these uncertain times! They were so accessible and even met us a few times in Quito which was awesome. Dario was our guide for the majority of the time and he was so knowledgeable and fun to be around! We started off with a city tour of Quito, made it to Cotopaxi, Quilotoa Crater, had an adeventure filled couple of days in Banos, checked out the main market two hours outside of Quito and then spent several days exploring some islands of Galapagos! All tours were on time and all covid tests were negative which made for a fantastic trip! Thanks again for a memorable trip!

Planning a visit to a “bucket list” location like the Galapagos can be daunting…especially if you are a working parent on a budget. Whereas many people will tell you that you need to go via a “got you covered, take you everywhere and serve your every need” cruise, that just wasn’t in our budget…and quite frankly, isn’t our style either. We’ve traveled to 5 continents and doing it on our own – getting local flavor – that’s the way we’ve planned all of our trips…But to do the Galapagos right,... read more

Planning a visit to a “bucket list” location like the Galapagos can be daunting…especially if you are a working parent on a budget. Whereas many people will tell you that you need to go via a “got you covered, take you everywhere and serve your every need” cruise, that just wasn’t in our budget…and quite frankly, isn’t our style either. We’ve traveled to 5 continents and doing it on our own – getting local flavor – that’s the way we’ve planned all of our trips…But to do the Galapagos right, (in a pandemic!)..well, we were beyond thankful to have KimKim (and Daniel specifically) on our team.

Originally planned to go in December 2020, we needed to postpone during the pre-vaccination Covid days. So, we punted a year – and rejiggered our thoughts. We shared what our interests were…hiking, horseback riding, snorkeling...and a little down time. We shared our budget. We shared our needs and wants. And KimKim came up with several options for us to look through and decide between. Once we were a go, we felt great about our itinerary – and even got hotel confirmations to help us feel like we for sure had a place to go (something we worried about a little since we’d never done business with KimKim before.).

At the last minute – weeks before our trip – we asked to add a new option to our plan. Again, KimKim came through. In the end, we were able to explore four islands and had a really wonderful understanding of the geography, endemic animals, and saw every bird, reptile, amphibian, and mammal on our list more than once. We’re an active family – we were genuinely very happy with how busy our days were but that we also had evenings and sometimes afternoons to do a little swimming in the ocean and enjoy local flavors.

We had guides meet us at every point, helping us navigate tricky things like the boats between Santa Cruz and Isabela…if we needed dinner ideas or reservations, they were there. And if a guide was running behind, we had Daniel on WhatsApp always willing to check things out and ensure we had what we needed in real time. As we were there over the holidays, we also appreciated Daniel explaining local traditions to us so we weren’t operating as ugly tourists (and also knew to buy some grapes to bring in the new year!)

In short, we cannot recommend KimKim / Daniel highly enough.

This was Eileen’s dream trip. In March of 2020 we came one question away from booking our trip with another company when COVID-19 stopped the world.

At the beginning of June 2021 we started talking to KimKim and they connected us with Daniel Larrea, their Ecuadoran expert. They could not have found anyone better. Three different itineraries came to us in a couple of days. They were all good, but one was really on target for us. We asked, and Daniel answered a lot of questions over the... read more

This was Eileen’s dream trip. In March of 2020 we came one question away from booking our trip with another company when COVID-19 stopped the world.

At the beginning of June 2021 we started talking to KimKim and they connected us with Daniel Larrea, their Ecuadoran expert. They could not have found anyone better. Three different itineraries came to us in a couple of days. They were all good, but one was really on target for us. We asked, and Daniel answered a lot of questions over the next few months. A number of tweaks to the schedule were not a problem. We booked and waited for October.

At every step, Daniel was superb and a pleasure to speak with from the “middle of the world” as he likes to say. Responses to our questions came within hours.
They always contained an amazing level of detail, whether on hotels, guides, pickups, or transfers. Everything was well planned.

He even came to meet us at the hotel the day we landed!

We got home on November 4th and it could not have gone better. Everything Daniel arranged worked out like clockwork. The guide, David, in Quito was a true professional. He has an amazing level of knowledge on everything from history to the flora and fauna we saw along the way. After we expressed interest he rearranged the whole 5 day schedule so that we could participate in the Sunday Quito bike ride. The bonus to that was being able to hike at Cotopaxi on Monday with almost no one else there.

Once we transferred to the Galapagos, the ship the Integrity, was luxurious and beyond our expectations. The staff was outstanding. Having a stateroom with a kingsize bed, a private balcony, and only 16 other guests certainly helped add to the level of luxury and attention provided. 8 days flew by in a blur of hikes, snorkeling, kayaking led by the expert naturalists on board. All of the meals were delicious and varied and they accommodated a dietary restriction perfectly .

Another terrific choice by Daniel was our guide in Guayaquil. Francisco provided us with a wonderful city tour in the morning and early afternoon. He then came back to get us at the hotel at 11 PM to drive us to the airport and walk us through every aspect of airport check-in up until we said our goodbyes at the entrance to security.

We are happy to give top marks in every category for Daniel and all the folks he lined up to take care of us. The KimKim model of using local experts certainly worked for us and we wholeheartedly recommend the company and its chosen experts!

We had a really lovely trip to Ecuador planned by Daniel and his team!
Our trip included days in Quito, the Galapagos islands and Cuenca
In Quito our guide Danny worked really hard to make sure we got to see the Mitad del Mundo/Intinan museum site, downtown Quito, the Cotopaxi National Park and the Quilotoa lagoon in a packed schedule.
Our RTPCR tests for travel to Galapagos was arranged by Danny right at the hotel.
In Puerto Ayora/Galapagos, we were booked into a lovely hotel - Ikala -... read more

We had a really lovely trip to Ecuador planned by Daniel and his team!
Our trip included days in Quito, the Galapagos islands and Cuenca
In Quito our guide Danny worked really hard to make sure we got to see the Mitad del Mundo/Intinan museum site, downtown Quito, the Cotopaxi National Park and the Quilotoa lagoon in a packed schedule.
Our RTPCR tests for travel to Galapagos was arranged by Danny right at the hotel.
In Puerto Ayora/Galapagos, we were booked into a lovely hotel - Ikala - right by the wharf and it was great to see the nightlife as well as have lunch on a ranch with giant tortoises nearby.
Cuenca is where Daniel really hit it out of the park with his hotel and room selection at the Cruz Del Vado. Amazing hotel, superb views. Also a special shout out to our guide Genaro who was really knowledgeable both of the flora and fauna in Cajas National park as well as the history of the region when we toured Ingapirca ruins.
the RTPCR test for our return was also arranged by Daniel and it was great to just enjoy the country without having to worry about a lot of the logistics. Daniel or Lucia were always available via Whatsapp for any questions or for minor delays due to traffic for airport pickups etc.
I wouldn't hesitate to wholeheartedly recommend Daniel and Responsible Travels SA for a trip to Ecuador!

We had a blast Daniel planned our first trip to Ecuador and did such a great job we planned another with him. And our guide christen I can say enough good things about him . He was so informative and made our trip even more enjoyable. thank you for all you did for us . We are very grateful 🙏 😀 we had such a wonderful time

We had the best time Daniel prepared the most wonderful trip for us.. our guides Dario and Diego were awesome .we enjoyed Ecuador so much . We loved are whole trip 😍

We had a wonderful tour of Ecuador.
It all occurred without a single glitch.
Daniel met us as soon as we arrived at our hotel to go over details.
He did his best to make us happy in every regard.
Our guide and driver, Christian, was knowledgeable and engaging as well as being a most excellent driver.
We most enjoyed the zipline and our hike to the lagoons. We loved the charming towns of Banos and Cuenca. I had the best Chinese food ever in Banos. The trucha (trout) was exceptional at the... read more

We had a wonderful tour of Ecuador.
It all occurred without a single glitch.
Daniel met us as soon as we arrived at our hotel to go over details.
He did his best to make us happy in every regard.
Our guide and driver, Christian, was knowledgeable and engaging as well as being a most excellent driver.
We most enjoyed the zipline and our hike to the lagoons. We loved the charming towns of Banos and Cuenca. I had the best Chinese food ever in Banos. The trucha (trout) was exceptional at the lagoons. Had the best roast pork ever at the market in Cuenca. My mouth is watering recalling all the fabulous meals we had.
Thank you for your excellent service.

It was a great trip perfectly organized by Daniel. From the very beginning he listened to all my suggestions and put together an unforgettable itinerary. He was very attractive and quickly responded to my emails and messages. He was a pleasure to deal with!
Daniel also put me in touch with an excellent tour guide, Christian.
I spent four days with Christian taking daily trips and i can say that he was exceptionally good. Whether sightseeing and telling me about the history of Quito,... read more

It was a great trip perfectly organized by Daniel. From the very beginning he listened to all my suggestions and put together an unforgettable itinerary. He was very attractive and quickly responded to my emails and messages. He was a pleasure to deal with!
Daniel also put me in touch with an excellent tour guide, Christian.
I spent four days with Christian taking daily trips and i can say that he was exceptionally good. Whether sightseeing and telling me about the history of Quito, encouraging the hiking up the Cotopaxi volcano, or walking around Otavalo markets, Christian was very caring and attentive to my needs. He also had a great sense of humor!
I loved snorkeling and observing wildlife in Galapagos islands, it was a lot of fun!
I also had a truly unforgettable time in Amazon jungle! Got to eat ants, watch anacondas and pink dolphins, trek through the jungle at night, listen to the sounds of exotic birds, and cook a meal with indigenous people in their village. Breathtaking experience!!!
It was my second time using Kimkim to help me organize a trip and I am very impressed with them. Will definitely use them again in the near future. I also recommend their services to everyone!!!!
Thank you, again!!!

This was the second trip I took using KimKim and both times it's been great. Daniel planned everything I ask for and he did a great job given pandemic limitations. He added in nothing extra I didn't request and was able to make everything else work for us. Daniel was able to keep the trip in our budget, was extremely communicative the whole time during our trip, and continued to give us tips and advice throughout our time.

The only negative part of the trip was a transportation mishap... read more

This was the second trip I took using KimKim and both times it's been great. Daniel planned everything I ask for and he did a great job given pandemic limitations. He added in nothing extra I didn't request and was able to make everything else work for us. Daniel was able to keep the trip in our budget, was extremely communicative the whole time during our trip, and continued to give us tips and advice throughout our time.

The only negative part of the trip was a transportation mishap getting from one place to another. We ended up in a small car having to drive overnight hours in the opposite direction only to return the same way we came and go hours more. Even though this was frustrating for us, Daniel tried everything he could to find a different form of transportation but the pandemic restrictions and lack of tourism at the time were really to blame. Daniel went above and beyond to help during that time.

Our guides were all great. My sister and I basically had a private trip from place to place and had a local guide who knew the area in each national park we went to. This was a trip packed with outdoor adventure just like we requested. Thank you very much!

I was fortunate to be paired with Daniel at Responsible Travel Ecuador through KimKim. This was my third time booking a trip on KimKim and once again it does not disappoint! The 15 day tour I did started out in Galapagos Island which was efficient since you need PCR Test to go to the Island and I did everything from boat tours, snorkeling, walking tour, lava tunnel and a day of relaxation! The tour continued to Quito where I was given two insightful tours from Andrea who also is from... read more

I was fortunate to be paired with Daniel at Responsible Travel Ecuador through KimKim. This was my third time booking a trip on KimKim and once again it does not disappoint! The 15 day tour I did started out in Galapagos Island which was efficient since you need PCR Test to go to the Island and I did everything from boat tours, snorkeling, walking tour, lava tunnel and a day of relaxation! The tour continued to Quito where I was given two insightful tours from Andrea who also is from Responsible Travel which included walks around Old City as well as the churches in the area as well as seeing the middle of the Equator and Volcano that overlooks the city of Quito. Unfortunately Cotopaxi was closed for maintenance but driver Marco Herrara took me to Quilotoa which was a fantastic sight to see and he did an amazing job explaining Ecuador on the way there as well as Quilotoa and the story behind the volcanoes. I ended the tour in Cuyabeno which was a unique 3 day tour in Amazon area and the tour guides were amazing with the walking tours as well as boat tours. Javier was a great driver for the pick ups to and from the airport and I was lucky enough to stay in wonderful hotels such as Deja Vu in Santa Cruz, Hotel Vieja Cuba in Quito and Nicky's Amazon Lodge in Cuyabeno. I recommend you to have your trip in Ecuador planned with Responsible Travel!

Daniel was amazing!! He was always available if we needed him! It was very reassuring. We had a phenomenal time in the Galápagos AND Daniel was able to plan the trip within our budget after we discussed details. I would highly recommend Daniel and if we decide to go to the Galápagos again, I will reach out to him in the future!