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.

  My thanks to Latin Adventures who made the experience very smooth. We had to postpone the tour date and find a laboratory to test for covid on the same day... read more of the tour. They were helpful and attended us promptly in both situations.
Oscar guide was wonderful. Knowing a lot of Quito and Ecuador, gave us very interesting historical information. He took us to the Pululahua volcano, which was off the itinerary, until the Intiñan museum opened. Very cordial, hospitable, calm and helpful. He was interested in knowing what we wanted to eat and know, in order to make our experience in Quito as pleasant as possible. I strongly recommend the tour.

  We loved the trip. Diego was our guide and he provided a lot of insight on local culture and customs. There were four of us on the trip.... read more My wife and I are both 70 and our son and his wife are in their mid-30s. The four of us were the only group on the trip, which made us much more comfortable about COVID issues. We were in a 14 person van so there was plenty of room. Latin Adventures did a great job of picking hotels. In Quito we stayed at the Hotel Vista del Angel. Great hotel with views of the City. Great rooms, great food and a very accommodating staff.

Day 1 we traveled to Cotopaxi. The trip took us from 9,000 feet in Quito to 15,000 feet at Cotopaxi. I took altitude sickness medication, my wife did not. Neither of us had altitude sickness. Along the way we stopped inside the park and did short walks to see some lagoons and see how we did at altitude. Diego explained the terraced farming and how it was used by the Incas. The parking lot at Cotopaxi is at 15,500 feet. The trail up to the refuge has a vertical gain of 1,000 feet. It's a hard hike. I only made it about 1/3 of the way. Our son and his wife made it easily to the refuge. It's worth going to Cotopaxi even if all you do is hike the area around the parking area. The views are spectacular.

Day 2 we went to Quilotoa. There is a lot of time on the bus between locations. But Diego did a good job educating us about the areas we were traveling through. Quilotoa is a stunning place. The hike down to the Laguna is not difficult. If you're in your 70s take the mule back to the top. We stayed at a locally owned hotel which is also a farm. Great rooms, very nice people and good food. It was nice to experience locally owned hotels.

Day 3 we substituted a trip to the rainforest because Devil's Nose is closed. Latin Adventures arranged the day trip which was a long 11 day. But we saw a beautiful waterfall, learned a lot about the native plans and their medicinal value. The transition from the Andes to the rainforest was well worth the trip. We stayed in a nice hotel in Banos. The lodging and food were OK.

At all the locations we stayed the food was carefully prepared with purified water.
The lunches we ate at local restaurants also were very careful with the water. No one wanted diarrhea and Latin Adventures did a good job of ensuring there weren't any problems.

Day 4 we hiked to some amazing water falls, took cable cars across river canyons and did some hiking. Some of the hiking at the waterfalls was somewhat hard. But even at age 70 it was not too difficult.

If you have 4 or 5 days in Quito I'd highly recommend the trip. I've attached some of our pictures. After the trip we went back to Quito and then onto Guayaquil to go to the Galapagos. Latin Adventures arranged our PCR tests (which we needed to get on the Lindblad Expeditions boat) and they also arranged our airport transfers. Latin Adventures was good to work with.

  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!

  Everything was so perfect and excellent donde the moment that they pick is until the moment they drop us no complaints thanks to the guy who was with us... read more in everything

  A really good and nice tour. The tourguide Diego was really nice, give us such good informations and looked so good after us. Thanks a lot

  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.

  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!

  After our tours were cancelled by another company we ended up jumping on a last minute city tour of Quito with Latin Adventures. I am so glad our other tours... read more were canceled because we loved our experience with Latin Adventures. It was amazing. My sister and I learned so much from our guide Oscar. He was very knowledgeable about the city and history. Oscar really went above and beyond and even helped us set up two other tours during our stay which were equally amazing. We had a different guide on the last day, Jose, who spent extra time stopping to let us take in the sites. I highly recommend them.

  This was a great way to experience Quito, Ecuador. Our tour guide was Ximena. Having a tour guide who is both a local and knowledgeable was great! She allowed our... read more trip and time to be flexible to our wants and needs. We skipped the chocolate tour (because we did something like on our own) and spent longer time elsewhere. We traveled with our son (14) and when we got hungry during lunch we mentioned “empanadas” and she took us to a popular local empanadas place! Delicious. Our favorite part was both the Teleferico (gondolas) and the Intenen Museum. Amazing day!!!

  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 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 wonderful day touring Quito. Our guide Oscar was great and he was so wonderful to answer all of our questions and adjust the trip to our... read more needs. We loved everything that we did and we highly recommend this as a way to see the city. We highly recommend Oscar as a guide.

  Fabian was our driver/guide and provided an excellent day excursion to the Lagoon. He picked us up on time at our hotel and provide a great narrative of the... read more country as we drove three hours from Quito. Upon arrival to Lagoon we were able to hike to lagoon. Hike down too, 35 minutes and hike back up took 55minutes. After hiking we were treated to a wonderful Ecuadorian lunch and then returned back to Quito. Once again Fabian was very informative about his country. Highly recommend this day trip from Quito and hope that you get Fabian as your guide, you wont be disappointed. All COVID safety protocols were in place, mask were worn when appropriate, hand sanitizer was readily available.

  Thanks for a great experience! As a solo traveler, I felt much safer traveling around the city in the comfort of the van with a small friendly group. Our group... read more leader organized our stops to adapt to the weather and maximize our experience. He was quite knowledgeable, and open to questions. I highly recommend this experience :-)

  We loved our guide for our full day Quito tour! Renan was great! Very personable and great at describing the history and the culture of every place that we visited.... read more We had a mixed tour including both English and Portuguese tourist, and he did a fabulous job of alternating the two languages and including everyone- a skill that some our prior tour guides have not managed to perfect!
We particularly liked the Mitad del Mundo; the exhibit demonstrating the Coriolis effect was amazing and so much fun! The exhibits were interactive and engaging as well as presenting information about the different regions of Ecuador.
This is billed as a Full Day Tour and indeed it was! We were picked up at our hotel early and delivered back there in time for a late dinner; a very full but enjoyable day!

  Rodrigo was an amazing tour guide for our group. We were able to do everything we wanted to do and he was very trustworthy and knowledgeable. He even gave us... read more great recommendations for the nightlife to explore later. Rodrigo was able to convey the history and culture of Quito perfectly to us.

  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.

  Alex and Dante were fantastic tour guides!! We learned the history of the city in a fun way! Alex was so knowledgeable and the tour was personalized making it an... read more amazing experience.

  We had an incredible day at Cotopaxi National Park with our guide Oscar. During the drive, he explained the geography of Quito, Cotopaxi and the surrounding areas to us, and... read more also helped answer any questions we had about Ecuadorian life and the country's history. The climb to the respite itself was a little tough given the altitude and steep ascent, however totally doable. Oscar let us take our time, enjoying the view and taking pictures along the way. We also enjoyed a beautiful walk around the lagoon and a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. Would definitely recommend this tour for anyone wanting to leave the hustle and bustle of the city for some time in nature.

  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. …