From Quito To Baños

I contacted David in January 2020 with the intention of taking his tour in February 2020. I was full of questions for David and several emails and several dozen questions later, David patiently responded to every inquiry I had, sometimes twice, and got back to me quickly and efficiently. However, some things didn't seem right. First was that there were two prices listed on the website. According to David there was a promotion that was happening, though there was no indication of that on the website. Then David said that I had to pay a $200 premium as a single traveler. He also told me it required 3-5 days advance notice to book the trip, but when I said I would likely be booking, David asked me for payment to be wired in full within 48 hours, over two full weeks before the trip, and said there would be no chance to cancel as it was too close to the trip date. I told David that I was interested in the tour but was not comfortable paying up front in full before the commencement of the trip. I offered to pay a deposit to hold my spot and the reservation. From that point forward, I heard from David only twice more. One email said he would get back to me, and the other, two weeks later, saying "We have been having some complications to deliver this tour and it won't be possible for us to do it for operational reasons. I apologize for the inconvenience." This seemed shady given the timing of – “I want full payment wired to me” and then when I said I wasn’t comfortable with that, he suddenly couldn’t carry out the trip. So, I wanted to give other travelers a heads up to this. I recommend getting a personal driver. The smaller hotels will have drivers at more reasonable costs, whereas the big chain hotels will also have drivers but will gouge you in price. You can plan everything yourself and pay the drivers to take you most places without much hassle.

Ecuador has always been somewhere I’ve wanted to visit, and it certainly didn’t disappoint! David was absolutely the most amazing guide. I don’t understand how one man can know so much about so many things, but he certainly does. I learned so much about Ecuador: History, politics, economics, ecology, shopping...honestly...David taught us so much! He was so easy to work with and tailored the trip to meet our very specific requests. The accommodations he booked in Baños were beautiful and the restaurants he chose were always delicious. He was fun and personable and we enjoyed our time more than I ever expected. He went so far above and beyond what would ever be required of a guide. I can’t recommend David and Green Mountain tours highly enough!

I did the tour to Baños with Green Adventures and I am very impressed with the service provided. The tour was very well organised. It departed on time and not rushing through the tour like others did. I have David, the best guide ever. He is extremely knowledgable, friendly and big smile on his face at all times. It made you feel ease and comfortable. He patiently answered all the questions and doubts. You can see how genuine and passionate he is towards his job. It was a fun day, I visited so many nice places and learned so much about the country from him. It was like a trip with friend, I didn't feel like I was taking a tour. The service standard of this company and the guide David was way beyond my expectation. Highly recommended. Definitely I will go back to them again in future. Thanks again David for everything!