Authentic Ecuador

When I started planning my husband and I ‘s trip to South America, I was looking at various destinations and was getting very overwhelmed. As a result,I decided to use a travel company and randomly found KimKim. I was connected to Paul. From the first conversation with Paul, he made me feel like he was there to plan a dream trip with my ideas, his input and he really worked to get to know what my husband and I wanted to do in Ecuador. Paul and I exchanged emails and even spoke on the phone planning the trip to Quito and the Galápagos Islands for about 4 weeks. From the day before we left for our trip, Paul was in daily contact with us and even when we flew home. Paul came personally to our hotel when American Airlines left our luggage in the USA and we worked with his contacts and American Airlines to get the luggage to our hotel quickly. Paul’s actions demonstrate first class service. The printout of our itinerary was very detailed with locations of places we would visit, hotels and the phone number of his team that would be part our trip. Using Paul as our travel planner was THE best money ever spent, because his involvement in our vacation journey made it the best trip for us and we have been to Asia, Africa and Europe. We are from the USA. Along with Paul, our guide in Quito was Cristobal. Cristobal is a very educated, kind person who took the extra time to teach us about the beauty of Ecuador and share his love for his country with us. We even feel like he is more than our guide but now we can call him our friend.. Some of experiences with Cristóbal involved learning about wildlife, flowers, plants and visiting the countryside and old town of Quito. Cristóbal went the extra mile by taking us to unique places like a small ice cream business where ice cream is made fresh with fruit as we were watching and taking us to the MegaMax to buy a suitcase. Cristóbal deserves the credit in making our trip in Quito so special and unique. The Galapagos Islands were beautiful and we loved the sea lions, other wildlife and our boutique hotels, but the trip would have been better if we had Cristóbal with us. Paul, and Cristóbal are definitely amazing gentlemen who care 💯 about giving first class service and we highly recommend them to other.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exceptional Service from Paul at KimKim Travel — A Truly First-Class Experience

As seasoned and discerning travelers, our expectations are high, and Paul at KimKim Travel exceeded them in every way. From the beginning, his communication was outstanding—prompt, consistent, and incredibly thorough. He anticipated needs before we even had to ask, including arranging a flight upgrade and providing detailed information to help us pack and prepare for three very different microclimates: Quito, Mashpi Lodge, and the Galápagos Islands.

Upon arrival to the Quito Airport, everything was seamless. Tony Sotomayor met us at the airport and orchestrated a flawless transition with luggage, customs, security, and access to the VIP Sala Lounge before our adventure began. Traveling with children can be challenging, but Paul thoughtfully arranged a private naturalist guide who met us at the Baltra airport and made the experience both effortless and enriching for our family.

The Galápagos portion aboard the Elite was nothing short of extraordinary. The crew was exceptionally accommodating to families with children and operated on our pace. Special recognition goes to Captain Marcelo for getting us safely to every destination, Roberto for delivering a true luxury experience as cruise director, Chef Angel and Bartender Romulo for keeping us wonderfully fed and refreshed, David for capturing incredible GoPro memories, Andreas for kayaking with our daughter Brynn, and of course our naturalist guide, Matthias the Magnificent, whose passion and expertise ensured we experienced every wildlife encounter the islands had to offer.

This journey was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience—not only because of the incredible destinations and wildlife, but because of the remarkable people who made us feel at home every step of the way. We are forever grateful to Paul and the entire KimKim team for crafting such a seamless and unforgettable adventure.

Warmest regards,
Dr. Timothy, Joy & Brynn Davis

Every part of the trip was amazing and well organized, from our trip planner Paola, to our local guide Danny. The entire experience was A+!

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!

My most memorable experiences were the wildlife at Tucan Lodge, the river excursion up the Serpentes river birdwatching and Las Tuneles on Isabela Island. All the guides were excellent, but a special Thankyou goes to Stalin at Tucan Lodge who saved us from enduring some very unsavoury tourists.

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!!