My first exotic vacation travel suddenly became affordable when I scored a 9 day/8 night trip to…read moreEcuador and Galapagos Islands with flight on Living Social from Classic Escapes! Their promotional price got me no less than any other trip I plan myself. It was absolutely wonderful and hassle free. I received a nice book of information from them in the mail before my trip. The itinerary was very well planned out with the perfect amount of activities leaving a little leisure time to myself. Many tour options were also provided at the time of my booking to fill 2 leisure days. Their representatives were very responsive and easy to get a hold of when I had any questions or concerns. Everything was executed very smoothly as I did not have to worry about booking my flight, airport transfers or hotel stays.
I was a bit confused at first not knowing where to go but the moment I passed through customs in Ecuador, a middle aged man greeted us with a big "Classic Escapes" sign. Each guide after him who did the airport pick ups were very prompt and quick to get everyone together. I stayed in Quito and Guayaquil in Ecuador for half my trip. The other half was spent on a small cruise boat in Galapagos.
Quito, Ecuador:
- Hotel stay was at the Hilton Colon Quito. It was very spacious, and I had a superior view of the El Ejido park. (I was told to not venture there at night but with my view - who cares? haha). Checking in and out took less than 5 minutes total since there was always a guide that did everything. Although wifi is not free - when I asked to purchase, they just handed me a login.
- A short 3 hour bus/walking tour was included. The guide was very knowledgable, and knew a lot about politics. This short tour basically gave an overview of what the city offers.
- Breakfast buffet included (all days).
Galapagos Islands:
- THE HIGHLIGHT! I had just as much leisure time as I did expedition time. I LOVED IT!!
- The expedition leader, Vanessa was splendid! She had a great sense of humor and all her overviews (of the next day's activities) were very detailed. She spoke German and English! Swimmers and non-swimmers alike, she planned great activities whither it was snorkeling, beach walks, or glass-bottom boat tours. Early morning hikes to avoid the sun, lunch/leisure time, snorkeling time, then dinner! Plenty of time to chill in the jacuzzi on the boat.
- Everyone was split into smaller groups of 5-10 people and had equal time to spend looking around. There was a sign-in, sign-out bulliten board to keep track of everyone. No one got lost or hurt, and each excursion was very orderly (by groups).
- There were 6 naturalists I believe (I didn't count)? Each naturalist had their own speciality but was equally as knowledgable about every animal and plant. One naturalist even offered camera advise to a lady in my group. They were such passionate people! They were also very friendly - almost everyday, a different naturalist joined my friend and I for breakfast and sometimes lunch because we had extra seats at our table.
- At one of the islands, the hike was on a volcano - which I'm not very fond of - but the naturalist helped me all the way. The hike was not long nor had any steepness - I just don't like volcanos! But he made sure the paths were easily to walk on.
- SNORKEL! I highly highly recommend it! They picked absolutely stunning locations to snorkel! There were different trips to shallow and deep water on different days. The naturalists will go in water with you and will help you if you are not comfortable in the water. They were very big on safety first. I swam with sea turtles, galapagos sharks (harmless they say), stingrays, galapagos penguins (they are so adorable, and swim so fast) and many other fishes I don't know the names of.
- Each island hike lasted 1-3 hours - plenty of time to take pictures. Sea lions and Iguanas are everywhere! Wear good walking shoes - I only had a pair of crocs which did ok except for the hike on the volcano because I was afraid my shoe would fall off.
- Every naturalist took pictures (they will dive down to take a great shot of a shark for you!) and in the end, the expedition team presented a slideshow for everyone at the end of the trip. They even gave the option to those who had USBs and SD cards to take a copy with them.
- Food: Delicious! With the exception of dinner, everything was buffet style. Try their yogurt and cheeses. Banana cake is excellent! For dinner options, I preferred the fish options. They cook their meats well to prevent food problems which is understandable but is not my taste.
Guayaquil, Ecuador:
- Hotel stay was at the Ore Verde. Beautiful hotel!! Right next to the US Embassy! This was more like a layover day to await for the flight at night.
- A female guide picked us up to and from the airport. She was very nice and gave us suggestions for our leisure day.
- Breakfast buffet included.
Excellent guides and all around service. Will definitely come back for more.