A local friend for last-minute shopping

Allyson did a fabulous job of showing us the sites of Quayaquil over the span of two days when our cruise ship was diverted from Peru this past February. She put together the perfect trip of countryside and city on very short notice. Her English is excellent, her communications are excellent, her responsiveness to questions are excellent, and her sense of humor charming. Book with Allyson and you will not be disappointed. She is a credit to the Tours by Locals service.

Margaret P. · United States

Lilian was an awesome guide. She arrived on time, stayed long enough to cover everything we wanted to do and did not rush us. She walked with us to all the places on our list and had the cards for the Aerovia cable car to make it easy to purchase the tickets. She told us about which places were safe and kept us away from places that were not safe. She even took us to a great souvenir shop and helped us with the shopping. She went out of the way to recommend vegan restaurants we should try! She also told us of a safe walking route to go see the giant monkey statue (Estatua Del Mono Machín) within walking distance of the hotel but in the median of the Juan Javier Marcos y Aguirre road on the way to the airport. Every attraction on our list was a hit and worthy of the visit - the 444 steps through Las Penas neighborhood to El Faro, the lighthouse, the cable car ride from Malecon to Duran and back to Cathedral, the nearby Cathedral, the Iguana park on the way to the Municipal building and the plaza in front, the Art University all opposite the Malecon, the semicircle Rotonda monument and the 2 things we did on our own - the walk to the giant monkey statue (Estatua Del Mono Machín) and the evening walk along the Malecon near our Wyndham Santa Ana hotel. Remember to wear full sleeves and long pants to stay safe from the bugs near the river eager for human blood as you walk the Malecon in the evening or sit out to eat an eatery off Malecon.

Sightseer788980

Allyson is an awesome tour guide as was the tour she created for us. Our tour was for 10 people who all flew into Guayaquil on different days and times. She was very accommodating and patient as we tried to determine the best tour and time. The chocolate tasting was very special and I highly recommend that as part of your tour if it is available. Allyson is very passionate and knowledgeable about all things Guayaquil and chocolate. I highly recommend her as a guide.

Tom A. · United States

Allyson was a very informative and considerate guide! She explained every part of the tour in excellent English with a deep knowledge of the area and Cacao farm. Everyone at the farm was very welcoming and accommodating. We highly recommend this tour and consider it one of the highlights of the trip!

Charles W.

Great tour of the city, very accommodating. Picked us up at our B&B on time and dropped us off right at the door. We were somewhat hesitant about coming to Ecuador, especially Guayaquil, after the news stories in January. We decided to come and risk it, but I will just say that at No Time did we ever feel unsafe in the slightest. Security/police everywhere, and the people were so kind and welcoming. Tourism is really down because of it, and that’s just a shame.

Pete_B

We had Allyson as our guide while we were in Guayaquil. The people we met there, especially Allyson, were so nice. It was great to get an insider's look at the city. She got in contact with us well before hand to make sure our needs were met. I am a large person with mobility issues and I use an upright walker. My husband is tall. She made sure our transport was accommodating for our needs. She arranged our tours so we could see a lot without having to walk too much. We went on a river boat ride to see the city from the water. She brought us to an animal sanctuary so I could see a sloth. She got assistance at the Iguana park so we could be dropped off close to the gate so I didn't have to do additional walking. We were able to try Ecuadorian food and learned a lot of history about the city and even got ourselves a Panama hat. It was a wonderful time and Allyson went way out of her way to make it special.

Donna Kuhn

Allyson was a phenomenal guide for us. She made sure pick up went seamlessly at the airport and accommodated our requests along the ride for food stops! She's knowledgeable and personable and super easy to work with. I especially appreciate that she made sure we got a local feel for things.

Faith Hoenecke

I have been a travel professional for over 20 years and I've been on hundreds of tours on every continent. Allyson is among the very best tour guides I've known. She put together a tour at very short notice with an excellent variety of stops, and was incredibly knowledgeable. She made great decisions and left room for spontaneity, and she went above and beyond to show off the best of Ecuador in our sort time together. I can't recommend her highly enough: a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable trip.

John Paul O. · United Kingdom