Paul Cisneros

We had an amazing trip to Ecuador. Paul provided all the guidance we needed, listened to our requests, and tailored the itinerary to our preferences. Even better, he provided emergency assistance at the very beginning of our trip when our flight was grounded due to mechanical issues, requiring quick adjustments to our plans. He always answered promptly when we needed him. Janeanin and Mishell provided excellent help during our time in Cotopaxi, Baños, and Quito. We made amazing memories with a horseback ride (Cabalgata) in Cotopaxi, white-water rafting in Baños, a visit to the Mitad del Mundo museum, and trips to the Quito Teleférico and historic center.
We are so grateful to the entire team for making our vacation truly unforgettable.

Activity Reviews

Explore Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the "Middle of the World"

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Activities in Baños & Return to Quito

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quito City Tour

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ride the Cable Car to Pichincha Volcano

Quito

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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.

Firstly, a heartful thanks to Paul - the trip wouldn’t have been as amazing without Paul’s help especially with us being 15+6 hours of flights away. You made the trip so much easier and end-to-end smoothly, so everyone could relax and enjoy the vacation, knowing everything was taken care of.

Also, a special thank you to Jeannin, our guide in Quito and the Amazon Rainforest. She shared rich local insights and historical background with real passion and experience, helping us understand Ecuador and its culture in the best possible way, rather than just simply a tour in lecture style. We had a good time spending time together like sisters and this would be one of our unforgettable moments of the trip <3

For anyone planning a trip to Ecuador, highly recommend Authentic Ecuador. Just share the attractions you would like to see (if you already have a few in mind), they will take care of the rest and everything’s set up for you!!

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

Great Trip! Lots of fun and very interesting. We had a wonderful time in the Galapagos. Our guides Vivienne and Ricardo were very nice and informative. Our guide for the snorkeling trip was very good as well but I can't remember his name. We saw lots of wildlife both on land and sea. Our accommodations at Blu Galapagos were perfect. This is my 2nd trip through Kim Kim and it is really been a pleasure having the trips tailored to what you want. Paul was a great local specialist, very responsive and answered all of my questions in a timely fashion.

The guides in Amazon rain forest were amazing , very caring and helpful throughout.

Hotel Reviews

Wyndham Quito Airport

Quito

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Napo Cultural Center

Quito

The food was amazing . The items that were served were never repeated . Staff was very courteous

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The facility was very clean

M/C Treasure

San José de Conocoto Quito

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arrival in Quito - Transfer to Your Hotel

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival to Coca, transfer to rainforest lodge, rainforest hike

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a superb trip to Ecuador, organized by local specialist Paul. We began in Quito and traveled to Cuenca, seeing the Andes and rural areas in between. The hotel accomodation and food was varied and excellent, particularly the colonial style hotels in the larger towns. We were particularly interested in seeing traditional weaving, and our guide/driver David Galarza went "above and beyond" to track down weaving communities for us. We were able to try our hand at weaving and dyeing in a couple of places (Otavalo and Gualaceo) and we would absolutely recommend this to anyone interested in traditional crafts. The national park at Cotopaxi is also a wonder. We finished our trip with a few days in the Galapagos islands, which live up to expectations with wildlife and much else to see. Thank you David and Paul!

Hotel Reviews

Patio Andaluz

Quito

A wonderful Spanish colonial hotel in the heart of Quito, with excellent food, rooms and service. Recommended.

Authenticity & Character

Spanish colonial architecture and decoration

Location

In the center of the old town

Staff

Excellent service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hosteria La Andaluza

Riobamba

Quirky, over-the-top colonial style decor. Fascinating place and well worth an overnight stay. Good food and friendly staff

Authenticity & Character

The hotel houses the owner's large collection of memorabilia, from old gramophones to radios and beyond

Location

Staff

Great service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Inti Sisa

Guamote

A great hostel in Guamote, a place that is well worth a visit for its market. Basic rooms, good food and friendly service, interesting decor, activities for travelers. Recommended, especially for independent travelers.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Guamote does not have a lot of hotels, this is perhaps the only one catering to international visitors

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Boutique Santa Lucía

Cuenca

A wonderful Spanish colonial hotel in the central part of Cuenca, a charming city. Food, decor, location and service are all excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Spanish colonial decor, with great nearby bars and restaurants, near to the main square and cathedrals

Location

In the heart of old Cuenca

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cucuve

Puerto Ayora

A fine little hotel in an excellent location near to the main street, within easy reach of shops and restaurants. Friendly, informal service and spacious, clean rooms

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Quito City Tour

Ecuador

The old town is beautiful and full of historic churches. A must-see for visitors to Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

A spectacular, high-altitude park, underneath the snow-capped peak of Cotopaxi. If the weather is on your side, take the walk around the lake (1-1.5 hours)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Villages Around Cuenca

Cuenca

We visited the shawl weaving workshop at Gualaceo (about 40 mins drive from Cuenca), where they make traditional shawls (macanas), with ikat designs and macrame fringes. You can see the whole process, and the visit is fascinating. Recommended. We also visited a weaver (Mama Rosa) in Saraguro district. She is about 3 hours drive from Cuenca, and absolutely charming and welcoming. If you are interested in weaving you should also definitely visit her for demonstrations of natural dyeing and weaving on a backstrap loom. Your guide should contact her and her family in advance to arrange.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring Cuenca

Ecuador

Cuenca is a wonderful city with a Spanish colonial heart, great bars and restaurants as well. Lots to enjoy, but the Negroni rooftop bar with spectacular views of the old cathedral is a highlight.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Going to the Galápagos Islands was the trip of a lifetime! We would have been lost without our travel agent, Paul Cisneros from Kim Kim. Paul arranged excellent accommodations for us. He arranged for drivers to pick us up and take us to where we needed to go every step of the way. Paul arranged all of our tours and tour guides. We felt safe and reassured by his planning and expertise. Paul even helped to troubleshoot when we experienced translation problems and website glitches with the TCT cards. Everything ran so smoothly because of the planning and arrangements that Paul made.

As for the trip itself, we were in awe of the wildlife experiences that we had. Both land and sea adventures were unique, informative and amazing. Land animals that we saw in the Galápagos Islands included sea lions (not seals as we learned!), Galapagos and Saddleback tortoises (many sightings!), blue footed boobies, frigate birds, many other birds, Sally Lightfoot crabs, lava lizards, land iguanas (lots of them!). Marine animals included sea turtles (my personal favourite!), a sea horse, different kinds of rays (eagle rays, sting rays, maybe a marble ray), sharks, puffer fish, and so, so many colourful fish (like in Finding Nemo). On the mainland, our cultural tour of Quito felt like we were stepping back in time to an older world from days gone by. The Middle of the Earth tour was fun and interesting. We love our pictures from standing on the line of the equator.

We loved each and every hotel that we stayed at. The Ikala Quito Hotel had well appointed rooms and the staff were lovely. Hotel Fiesta in Puerto Ayora was spectacular! The pool area with bar was so nice to relax at and the gardens were gorgeous! We were travelling as an adult family and our room had a main room with a king size bed and a side room with two single beds. It was quite spacious. The Albemarle in Puerto Villamil was right on the beach and had a roof top terrace looking east, south and west. You could catch both the sunrise and the sunset. It even had a communal clothesline on the roof where you could dry your swimsuits (a small thing but something I really appreciated!). Lastly, we stayed at the Wyndham Airport Hotel in Quito on our last night. It is in the shape of a condor, which makes it an interesting piece of architecture. It is quite a posh hotel and the restaurant there is excellent. The shuttle service is under 5 minutes to the airport.

In summary, this was the trip of a lifetime for us and was everything we had hoped for. We are so grateful for the experience!

P.S. The following people were excellent as tour guides/coordinators (in no particular order): Robert, Ricardo, Michael, Alexis, Diego, Salome, Julio. There were others along the way who played a more minor role in our trip but each one was competent, friendly and helpful. In fact, my husband and I commented that Ecuadorians cultivate a culture of excellence not always seen in other parts of the world.

Hotel Reviews

Ikala Quito Hotel

Quito

This was an excellent hotel to stay at. The rooms were unique and spacious. Breakfast was delicious and staff were excellent!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Fiesta

Puerto Ayora

We loved this hotel! We felt like we were staying in a tropical paradise. We booked a family room and had a spacious room with a king bed with a smaller room off to the side with two single beds. Outdoors, there are beautiful gardens, a lovely pool and hot tub area and even a bar attended by a staff member. The availability of cervases were much appreciated! They even had ping pong tables. Breakfast was delicious. Staff were friendly. Overall, we loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Location

The hotel is close to the main street.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

We loved this hotel. It's right on the beach in Puerta Villamil. There is a courtyard inside with a small pool and lovely garden. The walkways to the room overlook the courtyard. Besides being on the beach, what we loved most was the roof top terrace. We spent lovely evenings up there watching the gorgeous sunsets. There are tables and chairs there to relax and have a beer. One small thing that I really liked was that there was a communal clothes line on the rooftop terrace so you could hang your wet swimsuits there to dry. A small thing but I really appreciated it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very attentive to our needs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wyndham Quito Airport

Quito

This hotel is quite interesting architecturally because it is in the shape of a condor. It is only minutes from the airport by shuttle and you have a beautiful view of the mountains. The restaurant is excellent and there is a nice gym/hottub/sauna area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Quito City Tour

Galapagos Islands

Our guide Robert was very knowledgeable. He gave us an excellent tour of the city, and in particular, the historical parts of the town and churches. We also stopped in at an Ecuadorian candy maker with "surprising" candies and a chocolate maker where we had a chocolate tasting experience. Quite delicious! Continuing on to the Middle of the World was exciting and fun. We thoroughly enjoyed our experiences there. Robert speaks excellent English and by the time we were done, we considered him to be a friend.

Quality of Experience

Very unique!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Robert was an excellent guide and we felt safe with our driver Guillermo.

Transport

Visit the "Middle of the World"

Galapagos Islands

This was so much fun and very interesting. We learned a lot about the unique features of being on the equator.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Galapagos Islands

Everything ran very smoothly. We really enjoyed seeing the tortoises at the "ranch." We even saw one put the moves on his girlfriend but she was playing coy. Quite hilarious at tortoise speed, lol. The lava tunnel was cool, as was the sinkhole.

Quality of Experience

It's just awesome to see animals that live nowhere else on earth!

Food

We enjoyed our meal at the "ranch."

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Salome was knowledgeable and helpful.

Transport

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

This was really interesting. Glad we visited. Quite amazing how they continue to ensure the existence of the tortoises through their breeding program. Salome was an excellent guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to an uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

The land tour of the island was very interesting. We saw land iguanas, frigate birds (and many other birds), sea lions, sally lightfoot crabs, lava lizards. The terrain was very rocky and the vegetation was desert like. For 3 of the 5 of us, snorkelling was a new experience. Ricardo, our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. We saw so many beautiful fish! Sea turtles swam by us and we even saw reef sharks (which we were glad to hear are not interested in humans because they have plenty of fish to keep them happy). In were in awe of our experience.

Quality of Experience

The flora and fauna were amazing!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ricardo was engaging and very knowledgeable.

Thank you Paul, Milton and your entire staff for treating us to a very special and memorable time that will last the rest of our lives. Your effort had been truly the best ❣️

Hotel Reviews

Ikala Quito Hotel

Quito

Loves our time here

Authenticity & Character

Super location

Location

Great accommodations

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Hotel Fiesta

Puerto Ayora

So nice, beautiful and comfortable

Authenticity & Character

Felt like a resort in paradise

Location

another awesome place to stay

Staff

So very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super comfortable

Hacienda El Porvenir

Machachi

Perfect experience of true Ecuador

Authenticity & Character

They gave us their best support

Location

The best experience, top quality

Staff

Kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

We would love to go back for another stay

Hotel Cally Galapagos

Puerto Villamil

Great place to stay and close to things to enjoy

Authenticity & Character

Spacious and open

Location

Perfect view and access to the ocean beach

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pristine

Wyndham Quito Airport

Quito

We must go back to stay here, it has everything we enjoy especially the stream room with eucalyptus

Authenticity & Character

Top rated accommodations

Location

Very convenient access to the city and airport

Staff

So kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Specious and comfortable

Activity Review

Quito City Tour - Middle of the World

Quito

Must do

Quality of Experience

Fun and interesting

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Best guide ever

Transport

Easy access