Local Tour Operator in Ecuador & Galapagos

  We had a great day trip from Quito to Cotopaxi with our guide Daniel. He picked us up from our hotel on time at 8am and drove expertly to Cotopaxi... read more taking a scenery road which allowed us to appreciate the geography of the inter-valley region. The drive took about 1.5 hours. His approach takes you around the volcanoes from all angles. Daniel was truly passionate about Ecuador and very knowledgeable about wildlife and vegetation of the region. He stopped plenty of times for awesome picture opportunities. We hiked from the parking lot (15K ft) to the refuge (16K ft) doing the zig-zag approach and experienced no issues with altitude sickness whatsoever (he stopped by a kiosko where we could buy coca candy and leaves if needed before entering the park). The weather was awful as we ascended, with small hail and dust from the strong winds, but he was patient and set the pace perfectly for us to successfully reach the refuge. We grabbed hot chocolate up in the refuge (2.5 per cup, bring change) and warmed up before going back down. On our way back to Quito, we stopped by an authentic local restaurant around 3pm where we had a soup, a pork dish, and an ice cream. Back to the hotel by 5pm promptly. This is a great experience for a Quito escapade which you should consider if you're looking to do something based off the city.

  The tour was great, many wonderful sites, and a great tour guide. Enjoyed the restaurants and the stroll in the colonial area.

  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 loved everything about this tour. This was a great way to see many highlights in the city in one day. We have been to Quito several times before and... read more been to all of the sites visited but it was a great way to learn new and interesting tidbits about the city that we didn't know. We have 5 kids from ages 18 to 6 and they all loved it too. Diego was a fantastic and friendly guide.

  We enjoyed the whole experience. Oscar was a great guide and made learning about Cotopaxi fun. The hike up was difficult, but possible if you take it slow. It felt... read more great to make it to the top. Make sure you dress warm— almost the same as if you were going skiing— gloves, hat, and layers. Rain coat is advised.

  Our guide, Daniel, from Latin America Adventures, was wonderful! He took us to the most important sites in Quito. He was very knowledgeable and patient as we... read more asked many questions! Overall, a perfect first day to get to know Quito. Highly recommend!

  The tour is great for seeing most of the must-sees in Quito. Our guide Oscar provided a lot of information on Quito. In Mitad del Mundo we had a local... read more guide in the museum which was awesome. She was really great and listening to her was so good. Very funny as well. Taking the Teleferico up the hill to see Quito was also a highlight, even if the clouds kept coming in. The mountain is cloudy most of the day, but they keep coming and going, so if you are lucky you will catch some really nice views of Quito. I can also recommend the Café on the top, have a coffee and enjoy the views.
Later the day we visited the historic part of Quito including then interiors of three churches. Stunning. If you want to get a good overview of the most important parts of the city and area, this is the tour to take.

  Excellent tour! Our party of 10 arranged to have a private tour and our guide Miriam and driver Dante were fantastic hosts! I coordinated the trip directly with Dante, and... read more they took such great care of us. The Middle of the World Museum is an absolute must -- a highlight we all really enjoyed. We even made a side stop at a local empanadas restaurant, which was fun and delicious. I highly recommend Latin Adventures. They were extremely professional and communicative before we arrived, were punctual and very knowledgeable while we were there. We had two days in Quito and took tours with them on both days. Our first day we took their Old Town Walking Tour, which was a great way to start our trip. They made our visit to Quito very memorable! Thank you Dante and Miriam!

  Amazing day with our guide Diego, very knowledgeable and very pleasant, the sights we went to were brilliant, highly recommended

  Our family of six included kids aged 9-19. Alex and Dante managed to find a full day of activities to appealed to everyone. Much of Quito remains closed, but we... read more did not notice as we had plenty to do. The guides were very knowledgeable, friendly and spoke English well. Highly recommend this trip for seeing the Quito highlights. …

  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

  This was a really great experience, in one hand you will discover all the wonders of Quito in an unique way, in the other hand, having someone like Angel... read more guiding and enriching the experience with traditions, knowledge. You can read about the places as much as you can, but there are stories that are going to be unravel by someone like Angel, a true local, so proud of his legacy.. it makes you feel the land in a different way. Thanks a lot this was an awesome memory.

  For my first day in Ecuador, I booked the day tour to Otavalo and Cuicocha Lagoon. As Ecuador was the first country in South America that I visited, I was... read more a little apprehensive as to what to expect. However, my guide Daniel did an amazing job and completely put me at ease. Despite the weather not being great and tiredness on my part from traveling the day before, Daniel managed to keep my interest and remained fully engaged for the entire day. He did an awesome job giving me an introduction to Ecuador, and specifically Otavalo and Cuicocha Lagoon. I spent over two weeks in Ecuador with various guides on different tours and Daniel was by far the best. He was passionate, extremely knowledgeable, and made the day very enjoyable. He is a credit to the company and when I return to Ecuador, he will be the guide that I will request. …

  I had an incredible time on this visit! My guide Diego was incredibly helpful and accommodating. I visited during COVID and all health protocols were followed, I felt very safe.... read more I highly recommend this day trip, the drive is beautiful and the lagoon is a must see.

  This tour is a great way to start any visit to Quito. Our tour guide, Miriam, was wonderful! She shared a lot of interesting information and was very warm and... read more welcoming. We saw quite a bit, got to enjoy a specialty drink with a city view, and learned about how their chocolate is made -- which was a highlight. I highly recommend this tour! Miriam's terrific and Latin Adventures is a great company. On our second day, they took us on the Mitad Del Mundo Tour, which was outstanding.

  I had the best experience with my guide Rodrigo! I got picked up at my hotel and safely dropped back at time. The guide was very professional and patient. 10/10... read more is my score!!

  Fabian did an excellent job taking us on the full day tour from Quito!

He is so knowledgeable on all aspects with all things Quito, including history, the countryside,... read more local people, the Andes...in fact you name it and Fabian has the knowledge!
The tour itself was extremely informative and interesting, and my husband and I both agree that if you have the time, this tour should not be missed!

  We had a great day trip from Quito to Cotopaxi with our guide Daniel. He picked us up from our hotel on time at 8am and drove expertly to Cotopaxi... read more taking a scenery road which allowed us to appreciate the geography of the inter-valley region. The drive took about 1.5 hours. His approach takes you around the volcanoes from all angles. Daniel was truly passionate about Ecuador and very knowledgeable about wildlife and vegetation of the region. He stopped plenty of times for awesome picture opportunities. We hiked from the parking lot (15K ft) to the refuge (16K ft) doing the zig-zag approach and experienced no issues with altitude sickness whatsoever (he stopped by a kiosko where we could buy coca candy and leaves if needed before entering the park). The weather was awful as we ascended, with small hail and dust from the strong winds, but he was patient and set the pace perfectly for us to successfully reach the refuge. We grabbed hot chocolate up in the refuge (2.5 per cup, bring change) and warmed up before going back down. On our way back to Quito, we stopped by an authentic local restaurant around 3pm where we had a soup, a pork dish, and an ice cream. Back to the hotel by 5pm promptly. This is a great experience for a Quito escapade which you should consider if you're looking to do something based off the city. …

  Daniel was our tour guide going to Baños. He is an amazing tour guide. He was a conscientious driver and very knowledgeable of the areas we visited and drove... read more through. Since some of the mountains were visible during our travel to Baños, he would stop in good places so we could snap some photos. Daniel was well acquainted with the surrounding areas and knew short cuts when traffic was heavy. There was a landslide that delayed us for some time. Rather than sit while trying to get to Pailon del Diablo, he took us to a place to eat an early lunch. Then, with one lane open in the road, we went to the waterfall and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a highlight of our whole trip. The return was an even longer delay and Daniel drove us to an overlook that was very nice. Daniel gave us an amazing day. We highly recommend this day trip with him. …

  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!

  Vanessa was very accommodating; dishes were delicious, Market tour helped us value Ecuador’s wealth of tropical fruit. What a great way to get to know Ecuadorean