TreasureAK

This is a review about my trip to Ecuador (December 2015) using a travel adventure company called Quivertree Family Expeditions. The trip took us through Quito, the Amazon, the Andes and the Galapagos. This is my first time on Fodor's but I really want to help other families by sharing my review.

Here is some background information about me. I had been thinking about taking my family of 3 on a more adventurous trip than just to your usual touristy resort destinations. We wanted to experience another culture and language. My husband and I both work a lot of hours but I really enjoy planning trips so I thought I could plan our trip out of the country. However once we decided on Ecuador I tried to make contact several times with some lodgings that I looked up online and received no responses. I could tell that this was going to be a quite the process not to mention my worries about safe lodgings and reliable vendors who would follow through. So instead I began researching travel agencies. I spent hours and weeks poring through reviews and looking at websites and itineraries. I finally picked Quivertree Family Expeditions. Our child is 7 and I was so relieved to find a company to help us plan a vacation that would include his interests. The other positive thing was we didn't have to travel as a herd in a large tour group. We really didn't want to do that!

I could write a book about everything we got to see and do in Ecuador but I will try and keep it short. Feel free to ask me questions. We had private English speaking guides and private drivers meaning if you wanted to stop anywhere (like the bathroom or to take a picture or go shopping) you could do that! My husband was relieved to not have to worry about driving and could actually relax and enjoy his vacation. My son got to snorkel, climb a ropes course, ride a donkey, ride a horse, hike in the Andes, Amazon, Galapagos, and Quito , kayak, bike, swim, ride in boats, planes, ferries, busses, try new foods like sugar cane, see volcanoes, visit an animal rescue center, go whitewater rafting, see a shaman performing a ritual in the Amazon, and so much more. This was all in 16 days and such an educational life changing experience for him.

Quivertree planned an awesome adventure vacation for us and to tell you the truth when compared to some of the other tours I looked at, it was actually less expensive and we got to do more! I enjoyed being land-based in the Galapagos because number 1 you get to visit with the people who live there! I didn't want to be stuck on a boat with other tourists and also I am prone to sea-sickness. So we rented a bike for my son and just enjoyed the sea lions and shops and locals on the islands.

Philip at Quivertree was always quick to respond to my emails and took care of every detail of planning. It was so nice to just focus on our jobs and home life and let Quivertree do the planning for us and know that we would have our meals, rides, reservations and tours all taken care of. We stayed in some really beautiful and exquisite accommodations. The most important thing was the safety of our family and I am happy to say that we had the best trip ever and felt safe the entire time. We had expert guides throughout the whole trip. I highly recommend using Quivertree if you are like me and want to take the stress out of travel planning for your family. I will definitely be using them again.

mlgb

Funny, I never had any trouble communicating with lodgings in Ecuador. Nor in making reservations for outings, lodges, hiring guides and going to the Galapagos.

Since so many American/Canadian expats retire to Ecuador, as well as travel to the Galapagos, it is not difficult to find English-language tourist assistance.

Good luck to you and Philip in promoting your company. Just bear in mind that Fodor's is a "no advertising zone" so don't post any direct links.

TreasureAK

Wow, I am so sorry for your quick assumption that Quivertree is my company because I guarantee you that it is not. I work as a teacher in Alaska and my husband works in the natural gas industry. I live 2200 miles away from their office--a place I haven't visited because they did all my planning via email and phone call. I didn't even know Philip until the day that I contacted him through his website. Anytime I receive great service from a company, especially a small family run company, I go on to Facebook, Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc. to recommend them to others. I can assure you that this is an honest review and I can offer proof to anyone who thinks otherwise. (I'm on tripadvisor as treasureAK if you want to look me up there). But thank you "mlgb" for bringing up the subject of a fake review because obviously they are out there. I assure you that this one is not one of them.

mlgb

I appreciate your response, TreasureAK. We get so many fake reviews especially from South America I may have jumped the gun. As you are a new poster you may not be aware that many "regulars" include more specifics, details of hotels used (even if just linking to TA review) and things in particular that they saw.

I think posting generic information and praising a company (and individual) tends to raise the red flag.

Hopefully if anyone needs more info they will post.

TreasureAK

No problem, I can see why you may have thought that about my post. I am new to Fodor's and I plan on joining in on more of the reviews and discussions here soon.

Thanks for the advice, I certainly can add more details. My son's absolute favorite activity (and the one I was most nervous about) turned out to be the whitewater rafting trip in Tena, Ecuador. It was fantastic and we had a blast. I posted a review on that particular rafting company here..http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio..._Province.html

My personal favorite was the visit to the Amazoonico Rescue Center and afterwards the nature hike into the Amazon rainforest. It was very beautiful and unlike anywhere I had ever been. We learned about medicinal plants and saw some of the most amazing giant trees, the Kapok trees. You can read more about them here. http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/k...les/kapok-tree

My husband hasn't announced his favorite place from the trip but secretly I think he may have liked his stay near the Cotopaxi Volcano the best. This is where we got to ride horses and enjoy breathtaking views. And he took some wonderful photographs as well. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Province.html

But again, I was glad I had Quivertree make all the arrangements through a network of local guides and especially all the transfers that were necessary. The day we were leaving the Galapagos (Baltra Island) we had to go by taxi, ferry, bus, and then plane just to get back to Quito. I'm not sure I could have planned that one out myself. I planned the 4 flights back into the US and that was enough for me.

yestravel

Glad you had a nice experience with your travel company. I understand that for some people it's more comfortable to use an agency to plan. Where exactly did you go in the Andes? That's where we are now. how long were you in the Andes? Hikes you took?

I'm with mlgb....no problems making plans in advance for our Ecuador trip or while we're here. Transportation has been arranged thru where we stay and its all been good. And yes, a fair amount of English spoken here so making it super easy while on the ground to get info and make plans.

TreasureAK

HI yestravel, we went to Quilotoa Volcano Crater and hiking up by Cotopaxi Volcano in El Porvenir. We loved the cooler weather there and being from Alaska and had to ask the lodge staff to please stop lighting the fires in our room because we were roasting! It was so wonderfully relaxing. Maybe we were in that area about 4-5 days. I hope you are having a wonderful time in Ecuador!