Thorn Tree travel forum

1

I JUST RETURNED FROM ECUADOR AND THE GALAPAGOS. I WAS ON THE SPONDYLUS FOR 8 DAYS. THE BOAT WAS VERY GOOD WITH A GREAT CREW AND A VERY GOOD GUIDE FERNANDO. THE FOOD WAS GOOD AND OVERALL A VERY NICE EXPERIENCE. A FEW QUICK COMMENTS. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH TRAVELORS CHECKS IN ECUADOR VERY DIFFICULT TO CASH. DONT BOTHER. QUILTOA LOOP VERY BEAUTIFUL. BANOS OVERRATED. ECUADOR VERY BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY BUT VERY NOISY AND FULL OF HASSLES. PREFERED PERU AND ARGENTINA MUCH MORE. ENJOY ALL! BACKROADRAMBLER

2

I was in Ecuador some months ago, I booked through Zenith Travel the Yolita Yacht and I had a very bad experience. First at all the man from Zenith was not able to help us after the problem with the boat and second Zenith never picked us up from the airport. They just offer the free transfers to sell the package after that they do not care about you and the money you have expended. The Yolita Yacht was bad.

Be carefull!!!

I love to travel but with good services. Let``s help to recongnize the bad ones.

3

Its hard to say who to book with as many companies just want your money and are no bothered about any sort of service, in fact service in Ecuador is a rare thing!

For an interesting Blog check out this link Blog John Ellis . He is my friends step father and had a great time while he was in Ecuador, maybe you will be able to gain some info?

Good luck!

4

I thought I would give a trip report on Zenith Travel & the Spondylus. Zenith Travel did pick me up at the airport and provided great service to me. They were very prompt in returning all of my email inquiries prior to the trip too. I think there were a few other people that I talked to that had problems with their airport pick-up as CARMENINGO said. However, from my experience with them, the man from Zenith was searching all over the airport for them to see if they needed anything. As far as the Spondylus, it was a really nice boat and a great trip. The food was plentiful, the crew was fantastic. We did have a few problems though - 1) We did have some engine problems which caused us to miss one of the islands and some additional problems one evening. We still went out on excursions that day so it was fine, but there was not a lot of communication about what was going on. 2) They changed guides halfway through the trip. That was unfortunate and we sat in the harbor for an entire day waiting for the new guide to show up. They did drop us off at a nice beach while we waited though. Overall, even though there were a few problems, it was a great trip. One piece of advice for people considering the Galapagos, I went in August and the water was pretty choppy and cold. I brought a full length wetsuit and was very happy I did. You could only rent the short sleeve and shorts type. Also, I think the water is supposed to be calmer and warmer in December, so if you are prone to sea sickness it might be worth looking at the opposite time of year.

Shani