The Papallacta Springs is a must go place for a mix of relaxation and being in the mountains. There are multiple pools with varying degrees of warm to hot temperatures. The back one is a hot tub and the best one for my family. Kathy, our guide, did a good job of managing my mum and I who had diverging interests for the day. You want to GO EARLY in the day to book for the spa if you want to get a massage (which I recommend because it’s like $53/1hr massage which is unbeatable price comparable to the states). The spa was wonderful and a great way to unwind from the entire trip we did. Don’t miss this gem in Ecuador. The tour company gives you a private ride and can even give you a ride to the airport at no extra charge! Highly recommend going through this tour!

This is a wonderful private tour for all bird lovers and our guide, Kathy, is a patient and encouraging person for photographers who want time to sit still in silence to capture pictures of the ever elusive hummingbirds. She was also so helpful in identifying the different hummingbird, tananger, and toucan species we were lucky enough to spot. We got so many wonderful pictures and were given plenty of time to do this. This is the best part about this tour is it is fully customizable for what you want to do whether you want to spend the whole day doing photography, taking a hike, or doing zip lining. We wanted to do the zip lining in addition to doing the bird watching. Kathy was a great sport since my curse of zip lining in other countries seems to come with a deluge of rain every time I seem to go. She said it’s always been sunny when she goes (whelp). We had a great lunch and then went to a chocolate factory to learn how chocolate is farmed and made. The drive is also beautiful since you learn so much about the land and can see other things than the city. I highly recommend this very personalized trip.

This is a MUST GO trip! We went with Pato, a very kindly gentleman who owns the company, who shared so much information about the land, mountains, and wildlife. The trip is private so you can adjust timing and activities based on your needs. We drove to Cotopaxi National Park. I’m just gonna say it frankly: if you plan to hike to 16,000 ft. eat or drink the coca leaves. Just do it. If you don’t, bring it with you on the hike. I was the foolish one who hates tea and tea leaves and didn’t touch it and found myself at 15,500 ft and chewing on the tea leaves while wondering about my life decisions. Made a world of difference. Pato was patient, encouraging, and a caring host for my family and I since we were both struggle bussing up the mountain. We felt so accomplished though! Beforehand, we did horseback riding at 13,000 ft. and got to take pictures of wild horses. There are so many herds; absolutely don’t sleep in the car so you don’t miss them! After the mountain, we went for dinner and got to feed the llamas, dogs, and ducks. The elevation was very hard for me but I look back on this trip very fondly and with a lot of excitement because Pato made it such a great experience (and that’s part of climbing to 16,000 ft for the first time). I highly recommend booking through this company because of how this company built out experience.

We had a once in a lifetime day with Pato. The tour exceeded our expectations especially as we saw a Toucan and an incredible number of iridescent hummingbird species and butterflies. Our friends had the same excellent experience a week earlier. Pato was so helpful and knowledgeable.

This was such an utterly perfect experience. Ismael, my guide, was at the hotel early to pick me up and he was so knowledgeable about the fauna and the animals andthe history of Ecuador. The trip was absolutely fascinating from the moment we left Quito to drive to the national park. I wanted to go solo so I could run with the horses and that’s exactly what I got to do! It was glorious just being able to run through the fields toward the snow-capped mountain. After that, we climbed up to the base camp at Cotopaxi and it was absolutely exquisite. Ismael also introduced me to, the local potato soup and corn, which was delicious! I learned so much and it was a perfectly wonderful day. I could not recommend this trip more!

My boyfriend and I had an amazing day with professional, knowledgeable and gracious private tour guide, Kathy Rea. Kathy was a safe driver, athletic and it was a lot of fun getting to know and share with her during the drive and during a delicious lunch in a quiet, serene setting. Kathy was very accommodating, giving us many options on what and how we’d like to experience during our 10+ hour private tour. I loved seeing the plentitude of native birds, butterflies and learning how to make coffee and chocolate. Unfortunately my boyfriend had injured his knee, so we didn’t hike to see the many beautiful waterfalls. Regardless, we had a great day and plan to come back again to hike with our new friend and guide Kathy.

We had a an amazing time in Cotapaxi with our guide Kathy. We started the day at 7.30 and drove there making a couple of stops for snacks and pics along the way. We were a family with two children (6, 11). Unfortunately altitude sickness got the better of the 11 year old and it was too much for the six year old to make it all the way to base camp. We made it half way up thanks to Kathy who even carried the 6 yr old for part of it. Make sure to come prepared with hats, gloves ect. As the wind can be extreme. After the climb we made our way to the afternoon activity horseback riding. This was an incredible experience with amazing scenery. We stopped for a late lunch on the way back home at a local restaurant which was great! We all really enjoyed the lunch. If you have the time it’s a trip worth taking just make sure you have adjusted to the altitude before setting off as apparently 60% don’t make it to base camp.

Kathy was absolutely awesome! Such a fun day! She was a great conversationalist and made sure I was comfortable throughout the whole day between the horseback riding and hiking up Cotopaxi, and was always very kind with going at my pace as we got to higher attitude. This tour was definitely the highlight of my eight days in Ecuador. Thanks Kathy!

We highly recommend this day tour - the gorgeous scenery and unique wildlife were made even more interesting by our wonderful guide Kathy. She was very pleasant and professional, and knowledgeable about the places we visited and about Ecuador in general. The variety of activities was perfect, from birding and butterflies to a waterfall hike complete with a cable car ride. All followed by a delicious lunch. Last stop was an entertaining chocolate tour and tasting! Many thanks for a great day!

A magical day - from the first sight of Cotopaxi to sitting at the top of the mountain and taking in the valley. The horse ride was really fun and I appreciated that they had a nice gentle horse for our 7 year old son. The hike up the mountain was incredible and we even got to feed some lamas at the end of the tour. Our guide Pato did an amazing job of going at our pace and was a fount of knowledge, answering a million questions on all aspects of Ecuadorean life. We had delicious food, opportunities for buying souvenirs, and plenty of restroom breaks. Thank you Pato!

The trip was all I had hoped for - lots of birds and butterflies, an enjoyable trip to a waterfall and an impressive guide, Misa. I was the sole participant for this tour with a main interest in hiking and bird watching. Misa took my interests into account when planning where we would tour. The drive was long, but Misa provided a lot of interesting information about the country and the area we would be visiting.

Patricio ( Pato) is an excellent guide and very knowledgeable on the Ecuadorean culture and the visiting places . He has all the time and patience to help you and make you feel that the tour is comfortable We visited all places as per tour itinerary Specially the travel through Mindo forest itself is very great . We enjoyed Hummingbird farm and butterfly farm . Cable car ride and hike to the Mindo water falls was very enjoyable

I have a great experience 👍 very well spoke and spent the time it was on my bucket list and I'm thinking of going back over there

Had an incredible time with Galindo on this tour! We drove from Quito to Cotopaxi, a very smooth ride. The National Park is spectacular. We went horse riding at the base of the volcano, which was surreal, and saw the lake as well. Lunch was really good! All in all, incredible tour and Galindo was an expert guide and a really wonderful person!

This was a wonderful fun packed day. Pato was our guide and he was excellent! He started off texting the night before with a recommended list of things to bring (which was very helpful) and confirmed the pickup time for the next morning. The vehicle for the day tour was very comfortable. The Pululahua Volcano has excellent views. We saw an Olinguito stealing bananas at the bird sanctuary. It was fun to feed the hummingbirds and some even landed on your hand. There were some types of hummingbirds we'd never seen before. The bird sanctuary also had excellent views. At the butterfly farm they showed you how to get a butterfly to stay on your finger which was interesting and they were flying all around you. There were also many beautiful tropical flowers. The teleferico had wonderful views of the cloud forest. There was a nice hike to a waterfall. Pato was very accomodating when we asked for changes in the itinerary. We asked to have Paila for lunch instead of a regular lunch and to see the Inca ruins near the equator line and Pato kindly accomodated both requests. We very much enjoyed this lunch :-) The Yumbos chocolate factory tour is probably the best one I've been on so far. Very comprehensive. We've been to a couple others before. It concluded with a chocolate tasting with fruit as palate cleansers, bitter hot chocolate (with syrup sweetners), cacoa tea, and a chocolate face mask. The cacao pulp syrup is a very unique product, yummy. The Inca ruins were very interesting especially shrouded in mist. So much history. Thanks to Pato we were able to see it! Thank you, Pato, for a wonderful day!!