Ecuador Tours - Adventure Life Testimonials and Reviews

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Manatee

Alason Connell (, Dec 2011)
Our guide on the Manatee had an incredible ability to spot bugs, lizards,frogs, birds and etc. He was caring and his English was excellent. The beauty was incredible. I went to Sacha Lodge 4 years ago. We saw far more wildlife on the trip. Our guide far surpassed my Sacha Lodge guide. There were only five of us on the boat (sometimes 3 more but they had a separate guide) so we received a lot of individual attention.

Patricia Lucke (Easter Island + Panoramic Peru + Cruise on Manatee + Cruise on Eric, Letty & Flamingo, Jan 2011)
tour guides were super--Daniel in Quito area, Carlos in Lima to Puno, Vidal in Cusco area, Daniella on Easter Island; plus guide-naturalists on the Letty and guide on the Manatee were super; in Sacha Lodge guide was very knowledgeable.

to me food is not very important on a trip ; however the food at Sacha lodge was excellent and the food elsewhere was fine; in the high altitudes of Peru my appetite was reduced.

Couple of suggestions: in Quito area I read in the Lonely Planet I was carrying that Cotopaxi and the Quilotoa loop were highly rated. so the last two days in Quito area I modified our itinerary and went there with a night stay at La Ceinga Country Home-- fantastic ending to the 3 weeks I had in Ecuador. I think AdventureLife should recommend those places to people,. I went to BellaVista earlier which I enjoyed, but if I had not later read and then gone to Cotopaxi and Quilotoa loop, I would have missed out. That is more important and exciting to see than BellaVista, in my opinion. Second, when I got into Lima at night I called the representative to find out when our guide and the bus left the next day. Millagros said Adventure Life should have known and been able to state in the itinerary the time which was at 12:30 pm. Ecuador had excellent diversity--8 days Gallapagos, 7 days Quito and surrounding area, and 7 days the Amazon Basin, Rio Napo ... Read All

Sacha Lodge Extension

Linda Kelley (Wildlife Odyssey + Sacha Lodge + Galapagos Cruise (Evolution), May 2011)
This was my first time to use Adventure Life and my first trip to travel solo in S. America. Adventure Life put together a fabulous trip to see all sorts of "critters". I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip and I never once felt uncomfortable regarding my surroundings. Daniel, my guide, was spectacular and extremely helpful especially considering my lack of spanish language skills. I loved Ecuador and I wasn't ready to come home. The trip was perfect. I'm already thinking about my next trip - too bad work gets in the way of travel. Thank you Adventure Life!

Otavalo Market

Marie Saul (Otavalo Market + Cruise on Millennium, Oct 2010)
Everyone that Adventure Life hooked us up with was very knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. No complaints! The Otavalo market was incredible! I wish my husband and I hadn't been returning home at o-dark-thirty the next morning, so we could have bought some of the luscious-looking fruit. We got a couple really nice alpaca blankets, and some weavings that we'll treasure for a long time. Daniel and Carlos, who took us to the Otavalo market, were wonderful! Daniel imparted tons of information and provided local color, and Carlos did an awesome job getting us where we were going. The Galapagos islands were magnificent - each one a different ecosystem. Walking among the wild tortoises, watching as a frigate bird stole an entire fish from a baby booby, snorkeling with the playful sea lions - it was all amazing! We saw a sea lion pup so young the umbilical cord was still attached! One of our more memorable vacations. We'll keep Adventure Life in mind when planning our next exotic trip!

Otavalo Market

Alma Baray (Otavalo Market + Sacha Lodge, Dec 2010)
I will definitely travel with your agency again and refer you to all my friends. You guys do a great,great job. I will go back to Ecuador again, I just loved the country and the people. The food at the lodge was so delicious, i will never forget those meals.

Ecuador Adventure

Lori Butterfield (Ecuador Adventure, Feb 2011)
I dragged 3 adventurous friends on this trip to celebrate my 50th birthday...It rained almost everyday yet we managed to have a fantastic time...kudos to you. All of the accommodations were not 5 star but Fantastic for where we were. La Rabida very nice ...great location Bellavista- beautiful, rustic El Provenier...Wonderful...quiet ...what a treat to crawl into bed already warmed with a hot water bottle!

Lauri Vigue (Ecuador Adventure, Nov 2010)
The accommodations at Bellavista were good. The accommodations at the Hacienda El Porvenir were excellent for the most part, especially the food and the staff were very attentive. We enjoyed the special touches.. chocolate and hot water bottles in our beds at night!

I was very impressed with this trip.. all of the details were worked out prior and even during the trip. I felt safe on this tour. The guides were very personable. I will definitely take another Adventure Life trip in the future. My only comment is that there were only two of us on the this guided trip, I wish there could have been others that joined us.

Svjetlana Miocinovic (Ecuador Adventure, Oct 2010)
Lodge at Bellavista was so-so in terms of the room itself. We were staying in a bamboo house suite which was really small with a cramped bathroom, and the walls were thin. The food was simple but tasty. I liked the communal dining room - everybody got to hang out together and we met some fun people. The big surprise was that they somehow knew about my husbands birthday and made him a cake! That was very special. The location and surrounding hikes/scenery was wonderful (especially the waterfall hike). So overall I liked Bellavista very much, but wish the room itself was more comfortable. Hacienda La Porvenir was amazing. We had a very comfortable suite in the annex building - room was big enough, bathroom was very modern and large enough and bed had nice soft comforter (the bed itself was a double which was little small but we are used to california king at home so it is unfair to compare). The room had electrical heater which kept it warm. The food was amazing, wonderful soups, meats, desserts. The hacienda was very nicely decorated. They also have a great common area where most travelers would hang out so again we met a lot of nice people. The staff was amazing, they were so nice and caring. They were filling us up with large quantities of sunfo tea when we got little sick and would check up on us, and bring warm waterbottles to the room. There were couple ... Read All

Lynn Flinton (Ecuador Adventure, Sep 2010)
I really cant praise it enough. I was a little worried about the standard of accommodation etc but it was fantastic. I think we had the best room everywhere we stayed so that helped. Everywhere we stayed was gorgeous. When we arrived at Hacienda El Porvenir they had had a power cut so it was all candlelit. So romantic, and our room was just lovely with the fireplace etc. The guides and staff everywhere were great. We had such a good time and I think the activities are well thought out as we had time to chill out every afternoon virtually. We had an absolutely fabulous time. Thank you to all involved. Really good fun and looking forward to our next holiday with Adventure Life.

Richard Rubens (Ecuador Adventure, Mar 2010)
All the guides were on time and organized all the time, usually more than us. We can't say enough about the guides, especially Santiago, who did everything he could to make sure that we had a good time and were happy. He was our guide, translator and friend. We didn't do the zipline but chose horseback riding instead. We enjoyed riding both at the Hacienda and Santa Rita Ecological Reserve very much. I also hiked up to the Glacier on Cotopaxi Volcano, definitely a highlight of my trip. The biking at Pichincha Volcano was a very good opening adventure. Caesar was a good leader. The only event I wasn't especially fond of was the hike from Hacienda Santa Rita Ecological Reserve to El Porvenir across the grasslands. It was too long and monotonous. We found the staff & cooks at the La Rabida, Bellavista and Hacienda El Porvenir very helpful and personable.

Wildlife Odyssey

Cody Manuel (Wildlife Odyssey + Sacha Lodge + Galapagos Cruise (Daphne), Aug 2011)
The Sacha Lodge was more than one would expect for being in a remote area. Except for the really rough weather while aboard the Daphne, which no one has control over, everything on our trip was as we expected and more. Our favorite was Sacha Lodge and the experiences/knowledge gained there.

Eileen Schuler (Wildlife Odyssey, Jun 2011)
This was an excellent tour. Sacha lodge was a beautiful lodge and the hikes and canoe adventures were spectacular. there was enough "downtime' to enjoy the surroundings and relax. The coordination between lodges, tour guides and transportation was exceptional. Every transition went smoothly. The Otovalo portion was great. Our guide really showed us as much of the area as was possible in a one day trip. And the Galapagos portion of the trip was absolutely extraordinary. The staff of the Letty did a suberb job. I was so impressed with the entire tour. From initial planning til our sad return home. I will highly recommend this tour.

Sacha Lodge - Ecuadorian Amazon

Amazon Adventure

Robert Becker (Amazon Adventure, Dec 2011)
The most unique trip we have ever been on. And we've been on many. Total solitude. Never saw a vehicle nor an airplane for days. I didn't know there were so many shades of green in existence. The Shirpuna Lodge was scenic in a wonderful setting. Camping in the rainforest was special; that first night with the tribal folks- beyond compare/nothing like it. Ever. And La Rabida in Quito was perfect. (Good call, Laura.)

Sheila Clark (Amazon Adventure, Jan 2010)
I'm not the sit on the beach drinking Mai Tai kind of traveler and the Amazon Adventure certainly kept me hopping... I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who likes active vacations surrounded by exotic nature and led by amazing guides.

Patrick Lengler (Amazon Adventure, May 2009)
The team that organized the Kayak-trip on the Shiripuno river was the best I ever had. I can only express my greatest appreciation to Sebastian, Arturo and our local guide.

Marti de Metropolis (Amazon Adventure, Sep 2008)
Marissa was outstanding. she suggested that I bring educational items and info about my home for the Huaorani community. Fabricio, our guide handed them out. It was a touching experience!

The guides, Febricio, Arturo and Name were beyond excellent. Strong, capable, talented, intelligent, friendly only begins to describe them. I felt safe in very difficult times. Arturo is an outstanding cook. He wanted us to experience the foods of his country. Way more food than I could eat!

It was an adventure trip turned high adventure. Mother Nature and the unpredictable made for a trip that could have been a disaster had it not been for the capable guides and porters! Safe at home, I'll always remember this as my most exciting true adventure.

For true adventure treks, Adventure Life offered very capable guides to keep us as comfortable and as safe as possible. The best of the Amazon rainforest came from those unforeseen times. I've traveled the world and intend to keep going. I'm impressed with Adventure Life and those who you contract with!

Haciendas of Ecuador - Otavalo and Cotopaxi

Eric Ferguson (Haciendas of Ecuador, Jan 2012)
This was an outstanding itinerary. The on the fly flexibility regarding physical demands was appreciated (selecting hiking and walking destinations to fit our stamina). It was a nice mix of culture, outdoor physical activity, and luxury. The accommodations were incredible. Unique and luxurious. Luxury alone does not do much for me. But, the combination of unique/culturally intriguing lodging that happen to be luxurious is unbeatable.

Mark Rodehaver (Haciendas of Ecuador, Sep 2011)
We've done several trips with Adventure Life and found the arrangements (and rearrangements) to be excellent. The small size of the groups (ours have ranged from just us to 6 total) has always been a plus. This trip was a last minute decision so we started with low expectations but ended up feeling that it was in the category of best trips for us.

Celena Coburn (Haciendas of Ecuador, Sep 2011)
What an amazing trip. Everywhere we stayed was beautiful! Saw a little bit of everything, interaction with different types of people, opportunity to have a great range of food. The food in the places we stayed was wonderful. The schedule was kept wonderfully, even so that we got more fit in that we thought. Daniel was very flexible with him time and the schedule.

Cotopaxi Trekking

Melissa Sackal (Cotopaxi Trekking, Apr 2011)
A truly amazing experience that will be in our hearts and memories forever!

The haciendas were amazing. The comfort, surrounding atmosphere and views, and the people running the haciendas were wonderful. We particularly loved being at the El Tambo because of it's rustic nature and location. The staff at El Porvenir were amazing too. The cook we had for the camp grounds was great as well. We truly enjoyed all the meals, packed lunches and drinks (welcome teas, etc)

The food was great. The food was plentiful. We never even finished any of our packed lunches because they gave us plenty to keep us fueled the entire day. All the soups and meals were hearty and comforting and plentiful. Could not have asked for better!

Andes and Amazon

Eve Fox (Andes & Amazon + Machu Picchu by Train + Galapagos Cruise aboard the Corals, Nov 2011)
What an experience. Your guide(s) and local adventure life reps were excellent. Nothing was too much trouble. Mario and Daniel were particularly outstanding and adapted programmes to suit our desires needs.Mixed and varied itinerary. Great, busy if a little tiring at times (our fault as we wanted to do so much!)

Jane Green (Machu Picchu by Train + Andes & Amazon + Galapagos Cruise, Nov 2011)
We had the most fabulous trip. Adventure Life enabled us to make the most of our time and we had so much variety. Guides were without exception excellent. Mario in Peru and daniel in Ecuador worked exceptionally hard to ensure we made the very best of our time and fulfilled our dreams of the holiday. Have already recommended to 2 people. Thank you and will use you again for sure.

Islands and Incas - Galapagos & Machu Picchu

Donald Wolkerstorfer (Islands and Incas, Apr 2011)
Overall we were very happy with our trip. We were totally impressed with our two guides and with all the drivers and escorts at every step of the way. When I thought I had left my camera at a restaurant, Alex went out of his way to try to find it (luckily, I had simply misplaced it in one of my bags). Enrique was very, very patient with Paula as she learned how to snorkel, and when she hurt her back the last day on ship, Javier of Journey 1 (M/C Anahi) and Luis were most helpful. We were impressed with the care shown to an elderly couple on Journey 1. Everything worked like clockwork. The time spent in the Galapagos seemed more inclusive than what we have read about other tours. It was a great adventure!

Barbara Morrison (Islands and Incas + Machu Picchu by Train + Machu Picchu by Train with Luxury Hotels + Cruise on Isabela II, Apr 2011)
It was an adventure of a lifetime and we're so glad we took this trip. Local crew from Adventure Life were terrific. When we wanted something, they did their best to take care of it. On the whole, all went well and we had a great time. The guide in Cusco taught us so much about the Incas and we loved learning about them. Two things I didn't expect (that weren't really talked about): 1. the high altitude in Quito - had no idea. 2. Galapagos was more difficult walking than expected due to uneven volcanic rock. Probably could have used walking sticks there.

All but the Casa Andina had very nice food and the restaurants we went to were excellent and recommended by our various guides. Kapawi had very good food even when the supplies got limited our last day+. They certainly were creative. Isabela !! had excellent food and good variety.

Galapagos Multisport

Renae Jacobs (Galapagos Multisport, Dec 2011)
Loved the trip. We will with our children and somehow we were paired up with 2 other families with great children. We all got along very well. It was amazing how easy we all were to be with and how very simular the families were. Our guide, Juan, was teriffic. So up beat and positive. He was very educated but did not bore us with countless details. He was easy to be with and saw to our every needs.

Gwenn Schamberger (Gagalapgos Multisport, Oct 2011)
I tried not to have too many expectations because I didn't know exactly what to expect, but I was not disappointed. It was an adventure of a lifetime. Our guide/naturalist for the week, Richard Vokes, was excellent. He was enthusiastic, fun, and knowledgable. When my boyfriend got sick- he was genuinely concerned and proactive to get him well. He was really into conservation and passionate about the Galapagos. He was adept at finding wildlife/sealife and at making sea lion calls! He took us on extra hikes and made sure we always had something to do. I would highly recommend him as a guide for other adventurous travelers.

Paul McManamon (Galapagos Multisport, Jan 2011)
Thomas was really great. 5 stars for him. Godo Alfredo, on San Christobal, did not speak English, but was really impressive. Nelli on Isabela did well. We did not interact as much with the last local guide.

Renee Kraft (Galapagos Multisport, Dec 2010)
We were very impressed with how smoothly the trip was run. From the minute we landed in Quito until the time we left, we were very well taken care of and didn't need to worry about any details. The service from Jen and Mary before the trip was also great. We will definitely be making trips with AL again in the future.

We had a great trip - learned and saw a lot. The guides were excellent and we enjoyed the activity level. The 6-hour hike up a volcano was a bit much for us - especially in the heat. Our feet have yet to recover. There were some horses that made a large part of the trip (a 6-mile horseback ride and 3-mile hike instead of a 9-mile hike). It would have been great for that to have been an option. The snorkeling was excellent.

We loved Andres and would highly recommend him to others traveling in Ecuador. He was very friendly and informative. He also had a great sense of humor. Our trip would have been much less enjoyable without him there. We feel like we've made a friend for life. The local guides were also good. Javier was particularly helpful with the snorkeling and kayaking. Most did not speak English and speak very little Spanish, so that made it a little difficult to communicate, but we managed to figure it out.

Hiking Galapagos

Eileen Murray (Hiking Galapagos + Cachiccata Trek, Mar 2011)
Adventure Life really knows how to organize and orchestrate the trip of a lifetime! We also have to praise our guides and support crews on every leg of the trip. Everywhere we went, I had gourmet vegan meals prepared for me. I couldn't believe how the guides on the hike went above and beyond to ensure my food was free of anything "foreign". When dinner was served at the hotels (Galapagos), I was served wonderful, healthy fare. I was completely surprised and very satisfied. We learned so much about Incan history and culture from Williams' vast knowledge of all things Peruvian. Every day was a new adventure and he took great pleasure to ensure we were in awe...and we were! Equally as awesome, Andres shared his incredible knowledge of all the flora and fauna of the islands, and every day he ensured our experiences were over the top amazing. They are so good at their jobs! You guys have done an outstanding job of ensuring that every single detail was handled efficiently and professionally. All your local contacts were behind the scenes for us but you have to know that they were pulling all the right strings to ensure our trip was the "trip of a lifetime".

Jacek Furdyna (Hiking Galapagos, Dec 2010)
You went our of your way to keep us informed of everything that we needed to know before the trip. Thanks!

Not only were the accommodations very good, but did provide their share of local color.

Pamela Irvine (Hiking Galapagos, Oct 2010)
We all really enjoyed our hiking trip to the Galapagos and mainland Ecuador with Adventure Life. I also want to personally thank the Adventure Life staff who worked with Betty Jaramillo in Quito to provide the excellent support and assistance to me in getting my replacement passport in time to make my flight home.

Darwin's Islands

Lynnell Thiel (Darwins Islands, Mar 2012)
The tour was a once in a lifetime adventure. I felt pampered by the good service and challenged by the level of activity. Where else can you snorkel with penguins and barracudas and hike with giant tortoises?

Deena Brenner (Darwins Islands, Mar 2012)
The Darwin's Island trip was a luxurious adventure! We had the most wonderful time and saw a tremendous amount of amazing wildlife on all of the islands we visited. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, personable and professional. The trip felt perfectly balanced with excursions and time for relaxation.

Sarah Mansell (, Jul 2011)
It was more than i was expecting, very comfortable and great staff support. Sullivan was fantastic, she addressed all of my needs. Our guide Solange was extremely knowledgeable and made our experience, there was not one question she could not answer. The food was amazing, especially at floreana island. The trip was more than i was expecting. I will recommend it to all my friends and family.

Jordan Loran (Darwin's Islands, May 2011)
The tour was great. It was everything we had hoped it would be! We saw everything we wanted to see and did everything we wanted to do. We loved it. The only suggestion would be to put in a little down time to shop or sit on the beach. We were kept so busy we didn't have time to shop until we were at the airport. The only thing we could add is that Adventure Life and Red Mangrove did an exceptional job. We would not hesitate to use AL again.

Finch Bay EcoHotel

Carl Thornton (Finch Bay, Sep 2009)
Adventure Life gave us everything we needed before we even knew we needed it.

The food may have been too good. Even though we were active every day I think I still gained a couple pounds.

Truly the trip of a lifetime, absolutely stunning and delightful. We are already thinking about when we can go again and do a cruise.

The trip exceeded our expectations, and we had high expectations prior to going.

An unexpected highlight of our trip was going to the local fish market in Puerto Ayora at the end of the day. The sea lions, pelicans, herons, and others hanging out begging for scraps as the fresh fish were cleaned was hilarious and also provided great photo opportunities.

Patricia Sasscer (Finch Bay EcoHotel, May 2009)
I cannot say enough about how well this trip was organized. Our group of 11 was able to stay together in a very relaxed manner, and our needs were always taken care of in a friendly and congenial way. My traveling companion, who shared a room with me commented that it was the best vacation she had ever taken. Many thanks to Adventure Life for making our trip such a pleasure!

Truman Kling (Finch Bay Eco, Nov 2008)
We had guides Valentino "Val" and Mario. Both were very experienced and knowledgeable and good with arrangements and interpretation of what we were seeing.

Suggestions re: clothing, money etc... were right on the mark.

Finch Bay hotel is a beautiful place.

I had visited the Galapagos once before in 1990. Tourism has grown considerably since then, so it lacked some of the sense of solitude that I had on my 1st trip.

Sean Yutzy (Finch Bay Eco-Hotel, May 2008)
I do not think that the snorkling was given enough print time in any of the books reviewed for the regular traveler.I was able to swim with seals, sea iguanas, sea turtles, penguins and several species of sharks. None were fed/baited or harrassed in any way. We saw manta rays jumping out of the ocean and a large school of dolphin swam with the boat for 20 minutes. We stood on cliffs and watched black tip sharks attack schools of mullet. The hotel was great, food-great, guides-great, tourists--well, just OK but for me the ocean was worth the price of admission. I think that for those who might not be interested in taking 300 more pictures of the "different" iguanas on the next island the ocean produced diversity and excitement without going to the hassle of scuba.

Hotel Silberstein

Audrey Conroy (Hotel Silberstein, Dec 2011)
The staff at Hotel Silberstein were amazing especially with the tour organization. We saw a lot of animals, vegetation and geology on the islands. The guides were excellent, especially young William who took us on walking tours of Santa Cruz. Also the combination of the hot sun and the latitude should be mentioned. Very difficult for sunscreen to protect. I wore SPF rated long sleeve shirt