We had an incredible trip to Ecuador, and we were extremely happy that we had Evaneos plan this trip for us. Marlies, who was the one who planned it, was amazing from the initial stages of planning all the way until the end of our trip. She was so patient, helpful and prompt with all of our questions and was very responsive to our requests about how we wanted to plan our trip. She created a customized trip for us, which included all of the elements we requested, and continued to make adjustments until we were satisfied. We felt so lucky to have her as our travel agent. We asked to stay in basic lodgings, but were continually treated to comfortable, beautiful places to stay that felt much more than basic. We wanted to be able to get to know the diverse cultures of Ecuador, and Marlies planned in several stays in traditional communities, which was a wonderful way to get to know people there. At our first homestay, our host invited us to a baptism party, and we were able to dance and celebrate together with everyone—truly a highlight! All of the places we stayed at had breakfast included, and some lunch and dinner as well. Even though this did not give us a lot of choice in what to eat, the food was delicious, fresh and generous. The only place we would not recommend for lodging for future trips is ***. It was a bit run down and disorganized, as well as being situated up a dark, muddy and slippery hill away from the beach. The room we stayed in was, however, nicely renovated, and our host did his best to make our stay as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.
We discovered that Ecuador is not very touristy (granted we did not go to the Galapagos), which made the experiences we had feel even more authentic—it is truly a hidden treasure. We were happy that we spoke a fair amount of Spanish, as it came in handy again and again, and allowed us to interact with people meaningfully. Ecuadorians are some of the friendliest and kindest people we have ever met.
Marlies was also available to us through whatsapp throughout our journey and responded very quickly to our questions or requests to be picked up at a different time. We were very happy with the drivers who picked us up at each of the locations. We were particularly blessed with Rene, who we were lucky enough to have as a driver and guide on more than one occasion. The excursions that were included in our trip did not disappoint either. We must say that Ecuador is not for the faint of heart. Rafting through rapids, traveling to and through the Amazon and climbing to 5000 meters on Chimborazo were truly exhilarating, but challenging.
While a lot of people say Ecuador (and particularly the cities) are unsafe, we did not have that experience. A little bit of common sense and research about which areas to visit seem like plenty to have a wonderful visit.