Explore Ecuador trip & tour ideas

“The local agency and Rough Guides were awesome. Maria Jose - the best planner. And drivers, guides, hotels and regular contact. On our 38 day tour sde this the best tour for our 8 person custom tour. We recently completed a 5 week tour of Equador, Peru and Chile. As there were 6 of us in our group (and 2 other friends who joined us for the last leg) the logistics were complicated but handled superbly by Maria (Majo) from the Quito office. Nothing was ever too much trouble for Majo and she honestly seemed to work around the clock! Our local guides were amazing ( thank you Danny and Luis) and when my husband needed medical care in Santiago Solly went above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you everyone involved for making this trip memorable and enjoyable.”

“We recently completed a wonderful trip through Ecuador, including Quito, Cotopaxi, the Amazon, and the Galápagos Islands, and I cannot say enough good things about Jose and his team. From the very beginning, Jose was a pleasure to work with. Planning a trip like this can be challenging when you have never been to the destination before. There are countless emails, phone calls, questions, and decisions that need to be made before you finally commit to an itinerary. Throughout the entire process, Jose was knowledgeable, responsive, and incredibly patient. His communication was outstanding. Once we arrived in Ecuador, the service exceeded our expectations. Jose checked in with us regularly, often sending text messages to make sure everything was going smoothly and to see if we needed anything. He was always available to answer questions and provide assistance. It was reassuring to know that someone was looking out for us every step of the way. Everything was exactly as promised. The accommodations were excellent and in great locations. Every transfer was seamless and professionally handled. The guides we worked with throughout the trip were knowledgeable, friendly, accommodating, and clearly passionate about their country. The overall flow of the itinerary was very well thought out, allowing us to experience a tremendous amount without ever feeling rushed. A special mention goes to Napo Wildlife Center, which was absolutely terrific and one of the highlights of the trip. We also loved our time in Cotopaxi, Quito, and throughout the rest of Ecuador. Every destination offered something unique and memorable. If I were to suggest one thing to future travelers, it would be this: if your schedule allows, try to spend two or three days on Isabela Island in the Galápagos. While all of the excursions we took were excellent, well-organized, and offered incredible wildlife encounters, Isabela provides a more relaxed atmosphere and some truly outstanding wildlife experiences. The rest of the Galápagos is amazing, but if you can fit Isabela into your itinerary, I believe it is well worth the extra time. Overall, Jose is a true professional, and I highly recommend both him and his company. We had an amazing experience from start to finish. Great trip, great company, great guides, and an outstanding experience working with Jose.”

“15 Day Peru & Galapagos Discovery – Culture and Wildlife This was the first trip I booked through Insight Guides and it couldn’t have turned out any better! The process began with an inquiry to IG about the type of trip and dates I was looking for to book a “dream trip” to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. I reached out about 7 months prior to the actual date of the trip and was connected with Jeferson, who put together an amazing itinerary, based on our needs and wants. Everything was taken into consideration in planning this trip for us – our price point, destinations, dates, type of hotel, special dietary needs, the preferred ship we wanted in the Galapagos, just to name a few. What I found out later is that IG sources local travel experts (Jeferson is with Responsible Travel) and this is really a nice feature. We were also introduced to Benjamin, who became our main contact for the duration of the trip. Once the original itinerary was sent, we reviewed it and made a few “tweaks” to it – sending our requests/changes to Jeferson and Benjamin. They included everything we asked for, as well as adding some very good suggestions for other things for us to do. Our trip was for a group of four and we traveled from May 21 – June 5, 2026. We began in Peru and ended in Ecuador. Everything went without a hitch – and there were many moving parts (planes, trains, automobiles/ferry and yacht). Every assigned guide and driver was excellent – courteous, punctual and all passionate about their job, making for the absolute best experiences in all the places we toured/visited. As the start of the trip became closer, we were in contact with Benjamin via WhatsApp and Zoom calls – it was so very nice to put a face to our incredible planner. Imagine our surprise when Benjamin came to the Quito airport to meet our group of four before we began the flight to the Galapagos Islands! He genuinely loves his job and his customers. Upon our return to Quito after the GP portion, we had the pleasure of meeting again with Benjamin and also Jeferson. We were so happy to meet them and talk about the wonderful trip they planned for us. They were both so incredibly caring and passionate about making sure the trip they planned for us met our expectations. I can’t say enough about the daily check-ins and following up to make sure every part of our trip went smoothly. When working with IG in your trip planning, if there are certain things you absolutely want to see or do, let them know and they will make sure to include these items. They are great in suggesting things for you to do if you want to give them free rein (they are the experts after all!) I highly recommend IG and would definitely use them again when planning my next trip.”

“Rough Guides did a terrific job planning and coordinating our tour of the Galapagos Islands. We were assisted every step of the way by our local tour coordinators who ensured that we got from our hotel to every excursion meeting point on time and without a hassle. The local Galapagos Park guides were excellent, incredibly knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. It is hard to believe how close you can be to the fantastic giant tortoises, blue footed boobies, sea lions, iguanas, finches, mockingbirds and other wildlife too numerous to mention. Highly recommend Rough Guides.”

“The initial work by Rough Guides to select and suggest local companies for our trip was excellent. We were more and more convinced that our chosen partner, Authentic Travel, was a perfect choice — knowledge, experience, communication, professionalism, clarity, and on top of these, a strong dedication to ensuring every element of both our pre-trip planning and the trip itself was the best it could be. When potential issues arose (as they always will), the team was ahead of the problem, solving it often before we even knew about it. We travel a lot, and this is the best it can be! We do not say this lightly, having given some very critical reviews to those who cannot meet at least the minimum expected. We would unconditionally recommend both companies to everyone.”

“We booked our Galápagos trip with Rough Guides and were in the very safe hands of Jef initially and then Benjamin in Quito nothing was too much trouble and our itinerary ticked all the boxes, from land based to sea based experiences, everything was first class. From airports, taxis, to boats and horses everything ran like clockwork. Benjamin’s service went above and beyond, always checking in with us on a daily basis and post trip as well. I would have no hesitation in using and or recommending Rough Guides for future travel plans”