Explore Ecuador &
Galapagos

Travel Ecuador

“You swim past sea lions and with giant turtles, it’s a magnificent experience.”

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

PHOTOS

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WHY TRAVEL WITH EXPLORE ECUADOR?

Tom, guide in EcuadorI’m Tom from Belgium and I’ll make sure your trip to Ecuador or cruise in Galapagos goes as smoothly and pleasantly as possible. I have been living in Ecuador for a decade and have been working in tourism for 8 years now. Before that, I obtained my guides diploma in Ecuador. Traveling and discovering new places is my passion.
Together with the local travel agency Descubre-Ecuador, we offer tailor-made tours in Galapagos and on the Ecuadorian mainland. Over the years, Descubre-Ecuador has built a reliable partnership with the best hotels and the best nature guides in Ecuador. Our small-scale way of working ensures easy accessibility and a lot of flexibility when traveling.
Customer satisfaction is the essence for us. And even in those rare moments of unforeseen difficult circumstances, we make sure that we are there to make sure your trip runs smoothly.
Explore Ecuador and Galapagos!

WHY TRAVEL TO ECUADOR?

Indian woman from SalasacasIn South America, Ecuador is one of the smaller countries, but the country is hugely diverse in terms of geography, climate and population. You can visit the Andes, the Amazon rainforest as well as the tropical coast without taking extremely long domestic flights or transfers. And then you have the Galapagos Islands, a once in a lifetime experience. The diversity of flora and fauna per square mile is enormous. Ecuador is South America in a nutshell. Moreover, the country is relatively safe and little visited. The national currency is the USD and you have a wide choice of direct flights to Quito and Guayaquil from Europe and the United States.

WAAROM REIZEN MET ONTDEK-ECUADOR?

Tom - guide in EcuadorIk ben Tom uit België en zorg ervoor dat jullie reis naar Ecuador of cruise in Galapagos zo vlot en aangenaam mogelijk kan verlopen. Ik woon al een tiental jaren in Ecuador en werk nu 8 jaren in toerisme. Daarvoor heb ik in Ecuador mijn gidsen-diploma behaald. Reizen en nieuwe plaatsen ontdekken is mijn passie. Samen met het lokale reiskantoor Descubre-Ecuador, bieden we reizen op maat in Galapagos en op het Ecuadoriaanse vasteland aan. Descubre-Ecuador heeft door de jaren heen een betrouwbare samenwerking opgebouwd met de beste hotels en de beste natuurgidsen van Ecuador. Onze kleinschalige manier van werken zorgt voor een vlotte bereikbaarheid en veel flexibiliteit bij het reizen. De tevredenheid van de klant is voor ons de essentie. En ook op die zeldzame momenten van onvoorziene moeilijke omstandigheden zorgen we dat we er zijn om jullie reis toch perfect te laten verlopen. Ontdek Ecuador en Galapagos!