In October 2022, we traveled through Ecuador with two couples and concluded the tour with a five-day tour of the Galapagos Islands.
After arriving in Quito we drove to the cloud forest of Mindo. The guide there in the cloud forest, Alfredo, knew a lot about the birds, their habitat and also had a good knowledge of the medicinal effects of herbs and plants used by the local population. After Mindo we flew to the Amazon region.
We had a fantastic time at Nicky Amazone Lodge, we saw many birds, monkeys, snakes, spiders and other insects during the tours with guide Jefferson. During a visit to a small indigenous community, we made cassava cakes and had lunch together with the villagers. Because we flew back very early, we did a night trip with the motorized canoe of more than two hours. It is an incredible experience to sail through a completely dark jungle, the boatswain sailed through the pitch black night entirely on his experience.
Via Cotopaxi, Banos and Guamote, all in the Andes Mountains, we traveled south towards Cuenca. We have seen a lot of the life of the original Indian population in and around Guamote. We visited a kindergarten, had dinner at people's homes after a walk to the lakes of Ozogoche and visited a home weaving mill. We also visited an elderly lady in a mud house. In Guamote we slept in the Guesthouse of Inti Sisa, they work with the indigenous population and set up all kinds of projects to combat poverty in this region. Good initiatives in which the local population has a say and is clearly involved.
The last five days we have sailed to the Galapagos Islands with the Nemo III, a catamaran. Here we enjoyed the walks on the islands, sailing along the islands and especially the snorkelling. The underwater world is fantastic, huge numbers of fish of all colors, sizes and species swim through the clear waters of the ocean. You also swim alongside sea lions and with giant turtles, it is a magnificent experience. Due to the limited number of visitors, it is quiet everywhere and you have the feeling of being alone in this archipelago.

The entire trip was very well organized by Tom from Descubre-Ecuador, the preparations also went well. There was a lot of consultation in advance and Tom took our wishes for the trip into account. We were met by Tom himself after our arrival at Quito airport and we had daily contact during the trip. Tom has also been our guide for part of the trip, which is a great advantage of such a small organization.
The accommodations where we stayed were all very small and therefore very personal. In short, we had a very nice, well-arranged trip through a beautiful country.

Thank you Tom and keep it up.

Greetings,

Tineke and Jan & friends

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