Ecuador Trekking tour 8 days

Every day was a new adventure. My husband and I are in our 60s and live at sea level, so even with three days in and around Quito to acclimate I was worried about the high altitudes. I credit our very experienced guide, Daniel, for the fact that we had little difficulty and really enjoyed every day.

I contacted Christian to organize a trip to the Quilotoa loop. He connected us to Victor from Sigchos who guided us on a 3 day trip from Sigchos to Isinlivi to Chugchilian and finally reaching Quiltoa with its beautiful emerald crater. Some people suggest that you can do the Quilotoa loop on your own without a guide. But, we would recommend a local guide. Victor, as a local to the area, took us on the most beautiful path through the valleys and countryside - a path we would not known how to do on our own. Victor was incredibly kind and explained many things along the way, such as the local herbs and vegetation we passed by. He was also always on time and his family helped to transport our luggage from hostel to hostel. We had an amazing time.

This trip was an amazing way to experience Ecuador! The landscapes and views in all of the treks were breathtaking and each place had its own unique charm. Our driver Jose was great; he navigated the roads like an expert and also prepared delicious lunches for us everyday that met the dietary needs of everyone in our group, while also making sure we tried all the different local fruits and foods that we don’t have in the United States. Our guide Daniel also did an excellent job. He was very personable and fun to talk to and also extremely knowledgeable about the different animals, plants and places we were seeing along the way everywhere we went. He did a very good job at making sure everyone was enjoying themselves and that we all got to do everything we wanted to. He made sure we saw all the highlights and also had local suggestions in towns like Baños that we wouldn’t have known to check out on our own during our free time. He always ensured that everyone was handling the altitude well on the hikes that got to higher altitudes like Chimborazo and Cotopaxi. He managed the different hiking skills and speeds of all the people in the group well. Our trip would not have been the same without him! All of the hotels we stayed at were nice and charming and all had great food. We had vegans and vegetarians in our group and they were always accommodated. The hotel in Baños is nice but it is far away from the town which took away from some of the time we could have spent there. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see the mountains in Ecuador and has a sense of adventure! The hiking could be challenging at times but was always worth it and there were other activities offered as well such as zip lining, visiting waterfalls, adventure parks, bridge jumping, etc. I will absolutely recommend this tour to my friends and family and would book with them again next time I’m in Ecuador. Thank you for the unforgettable trip!