Top Quito Day Trips

It was a good experience with our tour guide Jorge. He was knowledgeable and very amicable as well. He supported you all of us along the way, which was especially helpful as someone coming from Florida where you're just not as accustomed to the altitude. Also, the pick up and drop off at the hotel was very convenient.

This Cotopaxi tour was easily one of the highlights of our trip to Ecuador. From the moment we left Quito, the drive through the “Avenue of the Volcanoes” was stunning, and entering Cotopaxi National Park via a less-traveled route made the whole experience feel much more authentic. The horseback ride across the Andean páramo was unforgettable, and Kevin, our horseback guide, was fantastic. He made us feel comfortable with the horses and went above and beyond by capturing incredible photos and videos of us galloping across the plains with Cotopaxi towering in the background. The hike up to the Cotopaxi refuge was challenging because of the altitude, but Jorge—the owner and our guide for the day—was amazing. He was incredibly supportive, knowledgeable, and most importantly let us go at our own pace, which made the climb enjoyable rather than stressful. Overall, this tour strikes the perfect balance of adventure and scenery—horseback riding, hiking, and some of the most spectacular landscapes in Ecuador. Highly recommend if you want a memorable and non-touristy way to experience Cotopaxi while supporting a great small local business!

We were looking for a tour that we could customize, and this one worked out perfectly. Our tour guide, Pato, listened to what we wanted, shared some of his ideas, and we came up with exactly the tour for the day that was perfect for us. In addition to visiting the old downtown, the gondola which included a light meal and swinging in the clouds at 13,000 feet, touring the Basilica and then the most spectacular bird sanctuary that we had ever seen, several personal favourites of his own were added. One unique thing was touring a local fruit and vegetable market, where our guide brought his own knife and cut open some of the unique fruit that we would never see in Canada. We were able to taste several delicious fruits that were from Ecuador farms. He also recommended a restaurant called La Vid which was absolutely outstanding, in the Market Square. We were thoroughly impressed overall and would highly recommend this tour to others and Pato as a guide in particular.