Local Tour Operator in Ecuador & Galapagos

  We are glad we rounded out a visit to Quito by including this day trip. The views are breathtaking. The people are friendly and gentle. The experience is a good... read more contrast to the large city of Quito. Our guide was Diego and he was extremely knowledgeable about the geography, plant and animal life, economy, agriculture, language, lifestyle, culture, religion, etc of the region and the various communities we visited. He made good recommendations for meals and purchases. Since we were on a private tour, Diego was very accommodating about our specific interests. We relaxed and let him do all the driving and arranging. Quilotoa is amazing and definitely worth seeing and walking around. It makes amazing pictures. Note of caution: don’t underestimate the effects of altitude. Even if you hike frequently you’ll be out of breath in short time. We chose not to go all the way down. On week days there may not be Mules available to help you get back out. A walk along the top of the crater is just as nice.

  Diego was a marvelous guide. Due to COVID, not many tourists are about and you'll often find you're the only ones booked on a tour on most days. ... read more In my case I was solo but wanted to visit Quilotoa, but unfortunately the tour will only run with a minimum of two people. Thankfully Diego's company worked with me and we reached a compromise where the tour would still go with just me and I wouldn't have to pay the full price for two.

Diego picked me up at my hotel early in the morning and off we went. First stop was with an indigenous family who seemed quite happy to show me around their traditional houses. Fascinating to see how they live with their animals, literally inside the same room in some cases. Very friendly encounter.

Then it was off to the main highlight of the day, a visit to the spectacular Quilotoa Lake deep inside a volcano center. It's possible to hike down to the lake itself and kayak for a bit but given the extremely high altitude and thin oxygen, it would be quite difficult physically to hike back out unless you're used to the altitude (I saw even native Ecuadorians experiencing severe nausea and dizziness, so this is not something to be taken lightly). Mules can be rented for $10 for the ride back up, which probably would be a more wise choice if you do want to hike down.

As a great alternative, instead of using up your time going down to the crater floor and back up, Diego can take you on a short hike around the crater rim to the left, which offers more spectacular views and gets you completely away from the crowds of people near the major viewing overlook point next to the parking lot. In just a few minutes you've got this incredible view all to yourself, and as an added bonus Diego is an excellent photographer and will happily shoot all the pictures you could ever dream of, with much better results than trying to do the same thing awkwardly with a selfie stick.

Lunch is at one of the restaurants near the crater, then it's time for the long drive back to Quito.

Loved this tour for the amazing mountain scenery, glimpses of indigenous life, and Diego's excellent customer service.

And just when I thought things couldn't get better, I asked Diego if it would be OK to make an impromptu stop on the way back to my hotel that wasn't on the tour. He didn't hesitate to grant my request and did quite a bit of driving down confusing narrow one way streets to make it happen.

Thank you again for a very excellent day!

  We had a 17 day private tour arranged through Latin Adevtnures and can highly recommend. Dante was very helpful in coordinating things before and reassured us greatly with his... read more relaxed approach when the strikes temporarily put the trip up in the air. Our team, Diego (guide) and Celfides (driver), took great care of us and showed a real passion and joy for making the trip a great success. We toured all over the country and the detailed itinerary made the most of the trip with well chosen hotels and extras we ll. Ecuador is a stunning country that is still so under the radar, no Galapagos required to enjoy!

  My husband and I had a delightful experience touring Quito with Ángel on 5.24.22. Ángel is incredibly knowledgeable about the history of his country and was a wealth of information... read more about the history and culture of this gorgeous place. We had the privilege of touring Quito on an important historic day, el día de la batalla de Pichincha, which lent an powerful lens with which to view the history of Quito and Ecuador. Additionally, I was also very happy to be able to practice Spanish with Ángel as he was such a kind and gentle teacher. Those of you who speak multiple languages know it can be a vulnerable experience speaking a language in which you are not an expert and it is a privilege to be able to practice in a safe space. All in all it was a perfect day. ¡Gracias a Ángel!

  I hired Daniel Maldonand for this tour and he provided an excellent experience. He was friendly, nice and tailored the day to my interests. (Bonus for me... read more is he speaks excellent English). His knowledge of his country is outstanding and he patiently explained everything to me. It was a great day and I left feeling like I had a new friend. Furthermore, after I moved on to Banos, he consistently helped me with recommendations for restaurants, clubs and even another tours while i was there. His amazing service greatly increased the quality of my overall trip to Ecuador. Please don't hesitate to book anything with him. I've traveled quite a bit and have never received this level of outstanding service. Thank you so much! AMAZING! …

  We had a fullday tour picked up at our Hotel at 7am driving with Leonardo and our guide Miriam to Cotopaxi. The weather was cloudy but Leonardo knew where to... read more drive to for a clear spot and so we changed our plans spontaneously and hiked up to the Cotopaxi refugium where we had the best views and photos! Afterwards we drove to the Little Lagoon where meanwhile the good wheather arrived as well. From here we drove all the way to Quilotoa with the best views and explanations from Miriam- we really learned a lot. In Quilotoa we had a delicious ecuadorian lunch with both Leonardo and Miriam and learned more about people and culture- Thank you! Afterwards we had a wonderful view over Quilotoa and again best photos arranged by Miriam. We had a really exciting day and would recommend everyone to come to Ecuador and book a Tour with this Agency! We felt very safe all the time and had a real benefit from what we saw and learned! …

  We had a private vehicle with an awesome knowledgeable guide, Oscar. We enjoyed all the sites that were included in this tour. We highly recommend this trip for... read more anyone anyone. Request Oscar fir a memorable trip.

  This tour was a lot of fun. The views of the mountains were GORGEOUS! The hummingbird garden was insane. We must have seen dozens of them. My favorite part was... read more the cable car that gave us the most breathtaking view of the cloud forest. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

  We didn’t do any extravagant hiking but was beautiful. The hummingbirds were beyond compare-unlike anything we’ve ever seen.

  We had a fantastic experience. Oscar was our guide and he was so friendly and shared lots of great information throughout the day. The drive was beautiful- it’s a bit... read more far but we really enjoyed it. We stopped for coffee on the way and attended a local market. We hiked down into the lagoon and kayaked the lake which we highly recommend. We then took a mule ride up for $10. On the way back, we visited an indigenous family and also stopped for ice cream. It was a great day!

  We did the Mindo Day Tour including Chocolate Tasting, Hummingbirds, and Cloud Forest Hike tour. Everything was better than expected. Dante at the front office helped resolve an issue with... read more the reservation made thru Viator. Miriam our tour guide and the driver were excellent. The Hummingbird visit was AMAZING, and a great surprise meeting an American that leases part of the property to grow coffee beans, which he lets you sample and also sells bags. We added the Ziplines to our tour and it was a blast. I’ve done several before, but the long, tall run was the fastest one I’ve ever done. They also let my teenage kids do the butterfly & Superman poses. Miriam also suggested the Caskaffesu restaurant in Mindo. The food had a little of everything, and the dishes were a culinary delight. The prices were spot on for the quality and quantity of food we received. …

  Diego was great! He was very knowledgeable and flexible. He gave us lots of options about how the day would flow. Great way to spend a first full day in... read more Quito! Highly recommend. 10 out of 10!

  The drive is very long but the sight of the lagoon is definitely worth it! The water is very blue and the whole landscape surrounding this lagoon and also on... read more the drive to the lagoon is so beautiful. Jennifer was our Guide and Carlos our driver. Both took really good care of us on the way down to the lagoon. Going down is not so easy because it is very steep and the ground is not always very firm but we made it. For the way up you have two options, you walk all the way up which will take you about one hour and is of course very hard because of the steep climb or you take a horse or mule that will take you up which costs $10. Either way the whole experience is lovely and definitely worth it. We had a great time in our group and got a lot of information about the area from Jennifer and Carlos. Even with some clouds that we had the views were spectacular! Thank you for the great day to Jennifer and Carlos!

  Diego is amazing, He is very knowledgable and engaging. The trip was very informative and fun. Would recommend this again

  This was an excellent day tour! I learned so much about Ecuador’s history and was fortunate enough to explore most of Quito! The museum was one of the most interesting... read more and fun tours I’ve experienced!

  Diego was great! He was very knowledgeable and flexible. He gave us lots of options about how the day would flow. Great way to spend a first full day in... read more Quito! Highly recommend. 10 out of 10!

  I had poked around Quito's old town on my own for a couple of days but wanted to learn more and to visit El Panecillo. The Mitad del Mundo was... read more not something high on my list of must-sees, but I figured why not. It ended up being a fantastic day. Raul was an excellent guide: friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and professional. It was just the two of us in town, and we had a really nice morning seeing the sights. We then met up with a couple for the Mitad del Mundo portion of the tour in the afternoon. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. The drive there was interesting, and the equator complex was fun -- and kitschy only in the best possible way. My heart went out to the owners of all the shops and restaurants, since tourists were fairly thin on the ground. I decided to go on a tour to Cotopaxi with this same tour company, and Diego showed me and the other guest a great time there. Quito and Ecuador are amazing places to visit.

  Would like to express my gratitude for your help in accommodating us in last minute request for a full day tour of Quito. Despite all the inconvenience that the protests... read more caused the city, Ximena did a phenomenal job, very knowledgeable, kind, patient and was quick to make necessary adjustments to avoid road blockages. Sure was a full, exciting and enjoyable day.

  Had a great experience going to Quilotoa crater. Our tour guide Juan Pablo was exceptional; he gave great recommendations, made sure everyone was comfortable, gave us interesting history of... read more Quito on our ride, and was very personable. Our lunch and ice cream spot he recommended was great!

  Excellent, excellent, excellent! I had a free day during a business trip to Quito, and Latin Adventures was able to accommodate me and a colleague on a last-minute day tour... read more of Quito and it's environs. Our guide, Diego, was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and speaks outstanding English. Honestly, it felt more like driving around the city with a friend, rather than an impersonal tour. Diego was also great about customizing our day based on our schedule and what attractions were open. I particularly enjoyed the mix of natural sites, cultural and historical sites, and the chocolate. Oh man, the chocolate... Latin Adventures management was super-helpful and responsive via text. 100% recommend and the great tour established a quick baseline to let me see that Ecuador has so much more to offer than I was able to fit into one day, and convinced me to bring my family here on a getaway in the very near future.

  We have been to 30 countries and this was our best tour ever. The guide was very knowledgeable and was able to answer every question we had. ... read more He taught us so much about this wonderful country. We plan to book two more tours with this company while we are here