Skip to content
All experiencesESTalk to us

23 experiences · all of Ecuador

Pick the pieces. We’ll make it one journey.

From two hours in Guayaquil before your Galápagos flight to a week of volcanoes. Every experience is bespoke and can be combined: add the ones you love to your trip and send the list to Allyson.

Time
For
Love

Guayaquil, your way

Allyson’s home city: cacao, markets, the river, art and the people who make it. From two hours to a full day.

3.5 to 4 hours, or 6 with the chocolate tasting
Guayaquil, your wayGuayaquil Top Places, with a local friendIguanas under the cathedral, the river at the Malecón and the 444 steps of Las Peñas: the city’s story in one easy morning, with a private car waiting at the bottom of the hill. Stay longer and end with a private chocolate tasting.culturehistorycacao
4 to 5 hours
Guayaquil, your wayGuayaquil by the mouthful: Sauces 9 market and city flavoursBreakfast the way Guayaquil eats it, in a neighbourhood market: fruit, bolón de verde, ceviche or encebollado and a stall of Andean healing herbs. Then coffee with the iguanas, chocolate on Calle Panamá and lunch by the river.foodculturecacao
6 to 7 hours (farm only: 5 to 6.5)
Guayaquil, your wayThe cacao journey: a family farm and the cityWalk a family cacao farm near Milagro, open a pod, make your own chocolate bar and eat lunch at the farm while it sets. Then Guayaquil’s landmarks on the way back, or the whole day in the countryside.cacaofoodculture
5 to 7 hours
Guayaquil, your wayDry forest and the city: Cerro Blanco to Las PeñasAn early walk among giant ceibo trees in the Cerro Blanco dry forest, 35 minutes from downtown, with a local forest guide and an ear out for howler monkeys. Then the riverfront and the old hill of Guayaquil in the afternoon.naturewildlifeculture
15 minutes to 4 hours, in modules
Guayaquil, your wayArt at Casa Marín, Las PeñasStep inside a historic house in Las Peñas with the artist who lives and paints there: a short house visit, a watercolour lesson, an afternoon of paint and sip, or a photography walk through the old hill. Pick one, or mix them.artculture
About 6.5 hours
Guayaquil, your wayA day in an equatorial vineyardWine from the middle of the world: walk the rows of a 38-hectare vineyard in the countryside outside Guayaquil, try your hand at pruning, taste grapes from the vine and four wines at the main house. On request.winefoodnature

Coast & sea

Allyson’s home coast: toquilla hat weavers and potters in Manabí, mangroves and dolphins, humpback whales in season, the ‘mini Galápagos’ and surf towns.

1 to 3 days
Coast & seaManabí, where Allyson is from: hats, clay and mudTwo days on Allyson’s home coast with the people who make it: toquilla hat weavers in Montecristi and Pile, potters in La Pila, tagua carvers, and a sulphur-mud bath with the Agua Blanca community.cultureartshopping
About 7 hours
Coast & seaMangroves, dolphins and city talesA community boat slips into the mangroves of Puerto El Morro to look for bottlenose dolphins, and the afternoon brings you back to Guayaquil for the stories behind its river, its stairs and its iguanas.wildlifenaturehistory
About 7.5 hours
Coast & seaChurute: howler monkeys, mangroves and cacaoWalk a dry-forest trail listening for howler monkeys, ride the estuary when the tide allows, and finish on a cacao farm with lunch and chocolate you make yourself. A day Allyson ran for years, offered again on request.wildlifenaturecacao
About 7 hours
Coast & seaHumpback whales at AyangueFrom May to September, humpback whales come up from Antarctic waters to court and give birth off Ecuador. A full day from Guayaquil takes you out of the calm bay of Ayangue to watch them, with seafood and sand to follow.wildlifeseanature
One long day or 2 to 3 days
Coast & seaIsla de la Plata and coral plantingA day on the island known as the ‘mini Galápagos’, and a morning underwater fixing coral fragments to a reef with the Conmar Foundation. Machalilla National Park, shaped around you.wildlifeseanature
A full day or a few days
Coast & seaOlón and the Santa Elena surf coastLong beaches under green headlands, surf towns and ceviche with your feet in the sand: the Santa Elena coast, planned as a day out from Guayaquil or a few slow days.seanaturefood

Andes & volcanoes

Quito’s old town, the Avenue of the Volcanoes, crater lakes, the Devil’s Nose train and Cuenca.

2 to 4 days
Andes & volcanoesQuito’s old town and the Avenue of the VolcanoesTwo to four days from Quito’s colonial heart to the foot of Cotopaxi: a UNESCO old town on foot, wild horses on the páramo at Limpiopungo, and nights by the fire in a historic hacienda.historyculturenature
1 or 2 days
Andes & volcanoesCuicocha crater lake and OtavaloNorth of Quito, a lake fills a volcano’s crater in Cotacachi Cayapas National Park, and Otavalo’s market spreads its weavings across the Plaza de los Ponchos. A day or two in the Kichwa heartland of Imbabura.naturecultureshopping
2 to 4 days
Andes & volcanoesThe Devil’s Nose train, Chimborazo and CuencaVicuñas below Ecuador’s highest volcano, a train that zigzags down a mountain wall at Alausí, and the blue domes of Cuenca at the end of the road. Two to four days through the central and southern Andes.historyculturenature

Forest & Amazon

Cloud-forest waterfalls, Shuar and Kichwa communities, caves and rivers.

About 7 hours
Forest & AmazonBucay waterfalls, sugar cane and a Shuar familyTwo hours from Guayaquil the Andes begin in cloud forest: a local ranger leads you to the waterfalls over hanging bridges and wet rocks, you press sugar cane juice by hand, and a Shuar family welcomes you to their home.natureadventureculture
2 to 4 days
Forest & AmazonPuyo, Pastaza and the Indichuris viewpointDrop from the Andes to the rainforest on a single road, then stand at the Indichuris viewpoint with the Pastaza river winding through the green below. A few days at the Amazon’s front door.naturecultureadventure
Several days, set by the expedition
Forest & AmazonCueva de los Tayos, a partner expeditionA multi-day expedition on Shuar land in the Amazon, down a vertical shaft into the cave of the oilbirds. Allyson joined one as tour leader with another operator; on request, she can arrange a place on a partner’s expedition for people ready for something hard.adventurenatureculture

Galápagos

The islands, planned around you, with certified Galápagos naturalist guides inside the national park.

Several days, your choice
GalápagosThe Galápagos, with a friend from the mainlandAllyson plans your islands and travels with you as tour leader and interpreter; inside the national park, certified Galápagos naturalist guides lead. You get the islands’ experts and a friend who handles everything in between.wildlifeseanature

Easy days & services

A local friend for the in-between moments: layovers, bags, last-minute shopping, airports and cruise days.

From 2 hours to a full day
Easy days & servicesGuayaquil between flightsA connection in Guayaquil? A local friend meets you at the airport, sees your bags stored and gives you the city: two hours of river and painted stairs, or a whole day with market breakfast, a local lunch and the craft market, back in time for boarding.culturefoodhistory
As long as your island days
Easy days & servicesYour bags, safe while you’re in the GalápagosIsland flights and boats ask you to pack small, and your city clothes will never leave the suitcase there. Leave the big bag with a local friend in Guayaquil, fly light, and find it waiting when you land back on the mainland.peace of mind
1 to 3 hours
Easy days & servicesA local friend for last-minute shoppingThe suitcase didn’t arrive, the islands are tomorrow, and you need a swimsuit, sunscreen and the right charger. A friend who knows Guayaquil takes you to the shops that have them, translates at the counter and gets you back on track fast.peace of mindshopping
About 5 hours, timed to your ship
Easy days & servicesGuayaquil from the ship: a private shore dayYour ship docks in Guayaquil; a local friend meets you at the port, shows you the iguanas, the river and the painted stairs of Las Peñas, adds an art stop at Casa Marín if you like, and has you back long before all aboard.culturehistoryart

Nothing matches all of that. Try fewer filters, or just ask Allyson: she has more up her sleeve.

Specialised journeys

When the trip has a bigger reason: a proposal, a wedding, a conference, a move, a film. Each has its own page.

SpecialisedProposalsA secret, planned to the minute, in the place that fits you.
SpecialisedDestination weddingsHaciendas, colonial churches, beaches and islands.
SpecialisedConferences & delegationsHosting committees and delegations in Guayaquil and beyond.
SpecialisedFamiliesPaced for kids, grandparents and everyone between.
SpecialisedReal estate scoutingNeighbourhoods and coast, seen with local eyes.
SpecialisedFilm locationsLocations, logistics and contacts for productions.
SpecialisedLGBTQ+ journeysCome as you are, with a friend who checks the welcome.

Combinations we love

Experiences that flow into each other. Each one is a starting point: Allyson adjusts the order, the pace and the days.