Authentic Ecuador

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.

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!!

Muchisimas gracias to Paola & Ariel for orchestrating such an awesome trip to mainland Ecuador & Islas Galápagos!!
Every day was like living our own wildlife documentary!!
The Ecuadorian Amazon, Santa Cruz & Isabela all amazing
The transport & assistance was first class, as were the local guides. Absolutely recommended!!

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 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

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!

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