Authentic Ecuador

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

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 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

Galapagos Sunset Hotel

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Centrally located and close to many attractions

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

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

Activity Reviews

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

Excursion to an uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

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.

Scuba Diving - Another day to dive in Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Hammerheads!!

Scuba Diving - Another day to dive in Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Discover Isla Pinzón & Playa La Fé

Puerto Ayora

Swimming with sea turtles! Watching hundreds of parrots coming to eat in the early morning hours. Biking in Quito. Sharing a boardwalk with a sea lion. Tasting different chocolates. Balancing an egg on the top of a nail at the equator. These were just some of our adventures.

Initially we planned to do a trip to the Galápagos Islands, then we decided to add a trip to the Amazon as well. Ariel did a great job of finding local accomodations and arranging transportation. We even got to meet him while we were in Quito.

Thank you Ariel. Thanks to all the staff at KimKim, the Napo Wildlife Center, Joseline at Galapagos Suites, the team at Casa Playa Mann, the guides and all the others that helped to make this an awesome adventure.

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

Wyndham Quito Airport

Quito

Great staff. Great rooms. Top notch

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

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

Great location and staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

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

Bay tour

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking & Snorkeling at Las Tintoreras

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

Shared Trip to Flamingo Lagoon & Tortoise Breeding Center

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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