custom tour for a group of four with personal driver | Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands - Lonely Planet Forum

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Sun, 02 Feb 2014 20:31:35 +0000

We are a group of 4 "50 somethings" and have enjoyed touring Asia by hiring a driver to take us around. We usually get a 4WD car and driver for ~$50 a day (who speaks English) and that includes gas and his accommodation. What is realistic for Ecuador? After we leave Quito we will spend several days in Cotopaxi/Quilatoa area - one of us plans to hire a guide to take him up Cotopaxi - the rest of us will hike or horseback ride. Then we will go down to Banos for a few days, then to Cuenca for a few and from there will fly back to Quito and fly to Lago Agrio for the Cuybeno Reserve for 4 day 3 night. Fly back for 2 or 3 nights near Otovalo.

We prefer to arrange our own accommodation and route - rather than to "take tours". Prefer not to be on someone else's tour schedule. A few set day tours will be okay.

Question: where to find private english speaking drivers? Is it possible to arrange a day driver the day before from our hotel to take us to the next place? What is reasonable cost?

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Mon, 03 Feb 2014 15:40:28 +0000

Our experience was that in the Quilotoa area any hotel can arrange transportation to anywhere else. Like from Chugchilan to Sigchos, or to Quilotoa, usually for $25 one way. But these are not English speaking drivers,and you are sometimes in the back of a truck, sometimes inside the truck. We rented a car and did it that way. The roads are rough and not always paved, so a 4x4 would be a good idea. After Chugchilan we went to Cotopaxi. We did not do the climb, but only the walk from the parking lot to the refuge. With your own car you would not have to pay a driver to wait until your friend does the ascent or you do the hiking or horse riding. But at Cotopaxi, if you stay in any of the haciendas, they can arrange for a driver, if you don't want to drive.

In Asia, Vietnam especially, it was quite different; we had a driver and guide (sometimes two people, sometimes the same person), and he stayed in the hotels, as was your experience.

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