Well here we go again! For the third year in a row we opted to enjoy part of our winter down in South America. Like last year, we opted to take a land based tour with Exoticca Tours. That worked out very well and we decided to try them again. This time we chose a 10 night visit to Ecuador. The draw for this adventure was an opportunity to visit the Galapagos Islands without taking a $10 to $20k cruise. About a year ago, we found this tour during one of Exoticca’s many sales. A round trip excursion including airfare, hotels, some meals and some excursions was advertised from $1,499 per person. By the time we were done with adding taxes and adjusting the dates to match our cruise schedule, the total cost was $1,649 or $3,298 for two. This did not include the Galapagos entry fee ($440 for two…ouch!) but almost everything else except meals (breakfast was included daily and 1 lunch, 2 dinners in the Amazon) was included. (FYI, drinks were not included. Unfortunately, the wine in Ecuador is really bad and way to expensive. So this was a good trip for my liver. The local beers Club and Pilsner were decent.)

Our trip began with an uneventful international flight on Delta from Orlando to Quito. Entry to Ecuador was extremely easy and quick. Ecuador adopted the US Dollar as their official currency years ago, so no need to worry about exchanging money. Exoticca provided easy to follow instructions on where to meet our guide/driver at the airport and us along with six others were quickly assembled and shuttled the 45 minutes to our in-city hotel. Exoticca only uses hotels that are rated 4 out of 5 or higher by Trip Advisor even for the budget or “Charm” level hotels. So we didn’t feel a need to upgrade. We were satisfied last year in Peru …this year….we were impressed!

The called for us to stay our first night in the Dann Carlton Hotel in Quito. This would also be this hotel for the 4 and 5^th night of our trip as well. Everything was well arranged by Exoticca, at the front desk, we showed our passports and were provided our room keys. Nothing to sign, no credit card needed for incidentals. The 5 star hotel was modern and the room was spacious. Very nice start!

The next day began with an excellent breakfast buffet, with both local and international selections. At 8:00 there was a briefing with the local Exoticca contractors. Here we met our Local driver and guide for this portion of the journey, reviewed tour logistics and made sure contact information was correct. We also met the 16 other tour members. They were from all over the United States along with three from Canada. It was a pleasant group, no drama….which is always welcome on a tour. Whatsapp has become indispensable for international travel and I highly recommend you set up an account if you haven’t already. By 9:30 all formalities were complete, were were checked out and ready to begin the first full day of our adventure.

We started the day with a tour of the old city of Quito. It appeared to be a nice City and since it was Sunday, lots of families were out enjoying the day. Quito is at 9,000 feet elevation. So although it is on the Equator, temperatures are rarely higher that 70 degrees. However, the sun is brutal and locals recommend using sunscreen multiple times a day along with keeping you skin covered when possible. We did have a stop at a local chocolate manufacturer. The chocolate was good ….. every country claims they make the best chocolate …. personally I think it all tastes the same. There was no high pressure to purchase anything, but at $6 a bar, the price wasn’t ridiculous. After the tour, we began our 5+ hour drive over the Andes to the Amazon rain forest. The destination was “a Jungle Lodge” , Hakuna Matata, outside the town of Tena, Ecuador.

On the way, our guide, Marcelo, recommended that we stop for lunch and a visit at a hummingbird sanctuary in the cloud forest. The lunch and visit was just $10 each. Everyone was in agreement and off we went. It took about 3 hours to get to the “hummingbird” sanctuary at El Quetzal. What a delightful surprise! This was a start-up by a local family. We were ushered into a large room with tables set up for us and provided amazing meals. I had chosen the Chicken Ceviche (with cooked chicken …thank you), a traditional Ecuadorian dish served with , yucca, plantains, rice. Popcorn and corn nuts were provided to put into the soup-like Ceviche……brilliant….why have I never considered replacing crackers with popcorn! Next, we went behind their restaurant and home, where they had set up a hummingbird viewing area. The three sided hut, had chairs where you could sit and view the 10 or so, hummingbird feeders set-up to draw in the birds. One of the family, a young man around 20, gave us a play by play description of each bird as it fluttered between the various feeders. A chart was located on the wall to identify each of the various hummingbirds.

With lunch and touring the hummingbird sanctuary, we spent two very pleasant hours. But time to more on, and get back on the bus. After another two hours along the main highway….a rough two lane cement road…and our guide announced that we were close to our lodge. Unfortunately, the bus couldn’t go any further and it was parked in a small community where a group of pick-ups were waiting to transport us the remaining 5 or so miles to the lodge. We were quickly loaded into the pick-ups and off we went down a gravel road into the jungle. At one point, we came to a bridge over the local river. No bus was going to cross that bridge and even the pick-up appeared to barely fit. I few minutes later and we arrived at the Lodge. I was pretty amused by the ride to the Lodge (it was a nice change from the bus and I envied those who opted to ride in the bed of the pick-up…better views). I understood why meals were included for the next day and a half. We were in the freaking middle of no where! F’…ing awesome. We were given a quick overview of where we would find our rooms scattered around the complex, where we would eat and where the bar was. We were given about 30 minutes to decompress and get ready for the evening activities.

Dinner at the restaurant was a set menu and was exceptional. I had hoped to drop a few pounds on this trip, but that didn’t appear to be going to happen. After dinner, were were fitted with rubber boots and taken into the jungle for a night walk to look at insects and other things in the jungle at night. It was pleasant enough although I questioned stumbling around in the dark in the jungle with giant spiders ….and there were spiders:)

At night, the insects and frogs entertained us and eventually lulled us to sleep. No air conditioning or television in the jungle and the internet was very hit and miss. Nice way to disconnect! The next morning at the lodge, we had another excellent breakfast served to us and we took a “jungle walk” to learn more about the local plants and traditions. I learned that the lodge was actually owned by the some Germans but managed and run by locals. It was a source of employment and provided them an opportunity to show off their culture and community. This is one of about 4 lodges that Exoticca uses in the area on their almost daily tours to the region. We were advised that everything was completely safe at the lodge and there was no reason to worry about our belongings or even locking our doors, although keys were provided. In the afternoon we had an opportunity to take a tour further into the jungle by boat to see monkeys and other wildlife or we could stay and enjoy the lodge facilities….including the pool. We opted for the latter. There was a very nice pool and multiple trails around the area. We didn’t venture very far, just chilled…nice!

After an another enjoyable night at the lodge it was time to head back to Quito. The day began with a pick-up ride back to the village of Archidona and a visit to their central food court. This is where the local workers and families come to meet and eat local foods. There were numerous stands cooking local foods but Marcelo, our guide, wanted us to try some of the more unique local fare. In particular, the fried ants and the roasted beetle larva. I opted for an ant, which tasted like burnt popcorn, others when for the grilled beetle larva….that was not for me, but others said it tasted a bit like bacon. Maybe next time…..NO!

We settled in for the five hour drive back to Quito and the Middle of the World City, Mitad del Mundo. This little park/town is on the equator about 45 minutes northwest of Quito. This was a very pleasant stop with an opportunity to climb a small monument on the Equator and see numerous exhibits…plus taste local beers, and chocolates. This is where you can stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and one foot in the southern hemisphere. Definitely a tourist trap but not terribly overpriced, even for lunch. After a couple of hours, we headed back to the Donn Carlton and wondered around the area. Quito appeared fairly safe and modern. We visited a large grocery store, similar to Walmart and opted for some bacon cheeseburgers for dinner.

The next day was our opportunity to explore Quito. It is a large city, with lots of things to see. The elevation is difficult but in general it was an easy city to navigate and we never felt unsafe. Everyone was friendly and the Uber and Taxi’s were cheap. It was only $5 to take an Uber to the TeleferiQu Cable Car and another $6 to take a taxi to the Basilica. The cable car ride was enjoyable up to the top of a dormant volcano but there really wasn’t much to see or do at the top. It did offer good views of the city, but it was a little cold at 12,000 feet. The Basilica, which we saw on our tour of the old city, offered a climb of 364 stairs up to multiple towers, which was impressive. This was one of the best climbs through a Gothic church we had done…surprised to find it in Ecuador. This may be a good time to mention that if you are 65 or older, prices 50% off or more. You do need to show your passport or drivers license. So instead of paying $9 for the cable car its only $4.50. The entry to towers at the Basilica was $2 instead of $4. Unfortunately, that doesn’t apply to the Galapagos Islands.

The next day, we checked out of the hotel and made our way to the Galapagos Islands for the next step on our adventure. After paying the $440 entrance fee to get on San Cristobal Island….one of two islands with airports, we got a tour of the City, which is the Capital of the Islands. In general, I didn’t get what the big deal was? Other than the sea lions and the other wildlife, it was not impressive at all. Sea lions are cute…but they stink. The Galapagos Planet Hotel was just OK, small rooms, noisy, and expensively priced. Our room reminded me of a bad college dormitory room, barely furnished with one plastic chair and one water glass. We had a Ceviche preparation class which was hosted in what looked like a converted 4 car garage. (Exoticca gave this tour to us for free to entice us to purchase the trip.) It was advertised to be in a restaurant by the beach…..it was actually in a shack on the road to the beach. The Ceviche was good….but I certainly hoped that this part of the tour improved quickly.

The next day we had an opportunity to get a tour of the Giant Tortoise Breeding center on San Cristobal. Each island has different species of tortoise and several islands have their own breeding center. This one was located in the island highlands. Seeing these giant animals roaming around was interesting. After that we headed to a very nice beach near the center. There was about a half mile walk down to a beautiful sand beach, with lots of Sea lions. The water was pretty cold but tolerable. Definitely not the Caribbean but very nice. The animals are very tame here and have no fear of humans, so it is very easy to get up close and personal with them…especially the Sea lions. After about an hour, we headed back to town for lunch…on our own …that means ice cream for Reva and I. In the afternoon we headed back out to a different beach so some of the group could get use to snorkeling before they went on an optional tour the following day. Reva and I opted to just walk on the beach and admire all the sealions. The pups were hilarious, flopping around and playing on the rocks. They are everywhere…OK this place was starting to grow on me. After we got back and showered we headed out for dinner. We were very pleasantly surprised that once you got off the front street you could find local dinners for $6. Grilled shrimp or grilled fish with lemonade, rice, beans, small salad and potato (there was only one small piece, so potato not potatoes:). Everything was fresh and very good! Ecuadorians are big on fruits but don’t expect to see many vegetables at meals.

The next day we opted to stay and explore the Island…good choice. Before breakfast we went out to look for the “Blue Footed Boobie” birds which we were told were everywhere but not anywhere we had been. No luck again this morning, however there were two cruise ships docked off shore. I looked up which ships were here and what the prices were being charged for a Galapagos Cruise. The smaller yacht was the MS Isabela II only held forty people and did six night cruises around the Islands for $6k per person. The other larger ship, was a Silver Sea ship the Silver Origin. It was considerately more expensive with 9 day cruises listed for $50K per person …discounted to just $14K per person for cruises leaving next month…crazy! They departed from San Cristobal Island so the travelers also had to get here as well and pay the entry fees. It sure made the price we paid for the Exoticca Tour like a steal. I looked into some of the other cruises offered to the Islands. They all started in Quito, Guayaquil or Lima Peru and involved flying to the Islands to board the ships. There were all ridiculously priced and offered only an extra day or two in the Islands. They did visit some of the uninhabited islands and had naturalists to explain more about the various animals and birds. Frankly, I liked the idea of just hanging around with the Sea lions for a fraction of the cost.

After breakfast, we headed to the Interpretation center. Directly behind the center, there is a trail leading to an observation point and several beaches. We spent two hours hiking and enjoying “Love” beach. Here we saw sea turtles in the surf, surfboarders and plenty of the resident sea lions. We also found the elusive “Blue Footed Boobie” bird and dozens of marine iguanas lying around. This is a do not miss spot and in the afternoon we saw the Silver Sea ship anchored off of that beach. For me the highlight watching the young sea lions playing in the surf. They were hilarious and very intelligent. Like puppies, they loved to play with sticks. When I would toss one into the surf, one would go out and get it, chew on it a bit and eventually bring it back to the shore. It was like playing fetch with a puppy. Unbelievable…(OK maybe this place isn’t so overrated after all:)

The next day it was time to leave and head to Guayaquil. Guayaquil is the largest and most dangerous city in Ecuador.. I had visited before with the Air Force. That was 30 years ago and I had heard that there was some nice areas to visit and we were staying in a Hilton Doubletree Hotel…so it can’t be that bad…could it?

Our visit to Guayaquil started with Exotica meeting us at the Airport and providing us a quick transfer to the Hilton Doubletree. Afterwards, Exoticca had arranged a walking tour of the City. The tour guide was well experienced in the area and gave us a great two hour overview. The City maintained “safe” areas where tourists and residents were welcome. The police presence was intense and welcome. The hotel had a beautiful pool area on the 18^th floor. We opted to have Uber Eats deliver us some pizza for dinner and we settled in to watch the AFC Championship Game on TV. Yes, American Football was broadcast live in Ecuador. The front desk and the guide from the previous day, provided us information on “safe” areas to visit and best ways to travel. I was very concerned about returning to Guayaquil, but safety was never a concern….where we traveled.

The following day we hiked to the top of the Las Penas, visited an artisan market, toured the Cathedral, rode the cable car and walked the riverfront. We capped the tour off with a ride on the Ferris Wheel and ice cream. Nice way to end a great tour of Ecuador! (Guayaquil is a City in an interesting situation…it needs more discussion in a separate blog).

The following day we basically hung around the hotel waiting for our evening flight back to Florida. Checkout time at the hotel was 1200, unfortunately our flights didn’t leave until 8:40, but that gave us time to relax and review all we had seen over the last 10 days. We did take a tour of the Chocolate Museum one block from the hotel. It was a total waste of money! We also walked back to the downtown and rode the cable car one last time. We were transported by taxi to the airport. The return flight connected in Lima, Peru. We had a red-eye into Miami and a morning flight back to Orlando. Everything was uneventful.

Overall, Exoticca put together an excellent tour for us and I would highly recommend giving Ecuador a shot. For the price we paid, I couldn’t have arranged this any cheaper. Three of the four hotels were excellent, the included tours were good and the transportation was well planned. Communication during the tour was outstanding. Its obvious that Exoticca does this often and efficiently. I see more tours with Exoticca for us in the future!