How to vet a guide

Hi Thorn Tree,
I am hoping to visit Ecuador this summer and head down river into the jungle from near Puyo. I am wanting to determine my own itinerary and have found a tour group that said that their guides will do custom tours, and that their guides are all registered with the Ecuador Ministry of Tourism. I am curious what is this worth? Does a registration with tourism ministry really mean that they are legit, or is this the sort of thing that anyone can get? From looking online, it seems legit, and it seems incredibly rare for anyone to be intentionally injured or robbed while with a guide, unless I am missing something.

I did something similar several years ago with a friend, but am likely going solo this time, and I am married now so trying to address concerns of my wife as well.

Thanks

Guides must undergo intensive training and be registered with the ministry. No, it's not like anyone can just apply for it. You are not going to be robbed or murdered by your guide.

Agreed. The approved guides have been vetted by the government. When you get to Puyo, meet the guide that the agency assigns you. If you or your wife don't feel comfortable, they will get you another guide.

And don't bargain a price in advance. You will get a better price if you wait until you arrive in Puyo.

Hey thanks for that positive info! I assumed it was fairly safe, but that is good to know there is actually a real process to get registered with the ministry. That should make my wife happy.

By not bargaining a price in advance, are you saying that I shouldn't make any arrangements until I actually reach Puyo? Is it fairly easy to find a registered tourism group that allows custom trips with that little notice? Last time I went, we did this, but we also had no real set goals, so it was more of "oh, do you go here? sure, let's go there then."

Booking tours by email, you will pay top price. There is more than one tour agency operating in Puyo, so there is competition. But I haven't tried booking from Puyo, because I explored the jungle from Coca.

Do some research in advance, so you know which tour agencies to contact once you arrive Puyo. You can even contact them, but don't agree to a price in advance.

Guides must undergo intensive training and be registered with the ministry. No, it's not like anyone can just apply for it.

This absolutely does not mean that you won't get a really bad guide. And you could indeed get robbed by your guide.

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