I recently had the pleasure of using Responsible Tours for a trip to the Galapagos, and I cannot recommend them enough. Our journey began in Quito on February 21, where Anthony arranged for drivers to pick up three separate groups of people at the airport. The hotel chosen, Ikala Boutique Hotel, was a beautiful 4-star establishment with breakfast included. The next day, we had an arranged tour of Quito, including the historic center and the equator, followed by a delicious lunch. The following day, we flew to the Galapagos Islands, where we were met at Baltra airport and shuttled to our hotel, with a stop at a highland farm where giant tortoises roamed freely. Lunch at the farm was incredibly delicious! We also visited the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Fausto Llerena Breeding Centre. Our adventure continued on Isabela Island, starting with an early speed boat ride organized by the company. We were met by a guide who helped us to the pier and ensured we got our tickets and boarded the boat. Upon arrival on Isabela, another guide was ready to receive us and take us to our hotel before we headed off for some snorkeling. The next day, we explored the Tuneles, where we snorkeled with a ton of sea life, including octopus, penguins, sea lions, sea turtles, sea horses, and lots of colorful fish. We also visited the sulfur mines of Sierra Negra and enjoyed more snorkeling. We were lucky enough to be escorted by a huge pod of dolphins who swam with us for almost 30 minutes! Back on Santa Cruz, we spent the day at Tortuga Bay, kayaking and watching sea turtles, hammerhead sharks, and other marine life swimming under the water. Our last day was spent visiting an uninhabited island. The organization and support from Responsible Tours, and specifically Anthony, were amazing. He was super attentive and responsible throughout the planning, taking all our input and adjusting the trip to our liking. He even went above and beyond to ensure two of our crew who got a bit of traveler's sickness were okay, having snacks and hydration delivered to them. I honestly cannot recommend this company and Anthony enough. If we get to go back to this area, we will definitely be reaching out to Anthony to help us coordinate our visit. They made the experience unforgettable. I should add that we were a group of eight adults, with the group arriving and departing at different times.

everything was great. the choice of the hotels, the accomodations, the transfers and all the people that attend us. I recommend this agency for the trip in Galapagos islands. We did various dive in Sant Cruz and San Cristobal Islands and the choice of the dive center was great. thanks for Joseph and Ronny that attend us during this fabulous trip. Nathalie and Arnaud

We booked a 3 week trip to Ecuador with KimKim. The local agency made the trip very easy for us, for the most part. The three weeks included time in the Andes for a Cotopaxi expedition, the Galapagos, and the Amazon. The booking and planning process was simple and convenient as well, and the local travel agent, Maria Jose, was very kind and accessible to us the entire time. As far as the trip itself goes, the Galapagos and the Amazon went seamlessly, and we were grateful to have gone with KimKim. Outside of that, our tour guide, Marco, was fantastic - taking us to Mindo, Otavalo/Cotacachi, Riobamba, Cuenca, Cajas, Guayaquil, and Antisana. Not to mention, multiple trips to the airport and back. He went above and beyond to keep us comfortable and happy. For the Andes portion of our trip, we realized it might have been better to go with a company specialized in mountaineering to ensure we got the experience we wanted—proper acclimatization and ultimately summiting Cotopaxi. We had to make last-minute itinerary changes in Ecuador, and we felt some of the acclimatization days at the start could have been used more effectively. Additionally, we had some confusing experiences with our mountain guide. The most stressful part for me was that the itinerary we were given and following had us staying an extra night at Chilcabamba lodge (the night we were to summit Cotopaxi), and I believed we could safely leave our luggage there while we summited Cotopaxi. However, when I asked about it, we were told we'd need to check out before the climb and that a driver would watch our luggage while we climbed—this was not the case. In the end, our mountain guide arranged for our luggage to be left at the ranger station at Cotopaxi National Park. This aspect of the plan felt poorly executed, and I was stressed about our luggage being left behind in such an uncertain manner. The other thing I would have liked is to have an idea of how many guides we would have to tip and how much cash would be required- we arrived in Ecuador with far less cash than we should have brought with us. Luckily, the agency was able to get more cash to us so we could appropriately tip. For the Galapagos and the Amazon, we had several domestic flights, which all went rather smoothly. The agency booked us a cruise for the Galapagos, which was fantastic, and a wonderful Amazon lodge where we had some great experiences. I would definitely recommend KimKim/responsible travel for vacationing in Ecuador, so long as the trip isn’t geared towards mountaineering.