The COOLEST thing I’ve done in Ecuador! - Wow! Wow! Wow! This was one of the Wow! Wow! Wow! This was one of the coolest experiences of my life! My 13 year old son and I first met our guide Patricio (Pato) when he picked us up at our hotel. Immediately we could tell he was going to be a fun person to be around. My son especially appreciated Patricio’s English skills. We arrived at the Cotopaxi National Park gate that is much less common. We hardly saw any other people. There we met Johnny, our horse-riding expert. Johnny’s horses were tame and well mannered. We dressed in warm ponchos and chaps and then went on the coolest horseback ride! You just can’t imagine what it’s like to look at Cotopaxi from 12,500ft and see it rise up in front of you another 7,000 feet! It was breath taking! Johnny is the real deal when it comes to an expert horseman. I loved hearing about the work and skills of the horsemen that live and work in that area. After about an hour or so of riding (which is the perfect amount of time in the saddle for folks that don’t do it all the time), we loaded back into Patricio’s car and drove another 30 minutes up to the parking area for the hike to the Jose Rivas Refuge. We then started hiking. Pato led us at the perfect pace given we were starting out at 14,500 feet. He knows how to lead people and help them given the altitude. It was the natural high of natural highs! Such a cool experience to share this with my son. It’s the kind of thing I hope he remembers about me long after I’m gone!! This is the kind of experience that you will never forget. It’s unlike any thing you have ever done! You will not regret this. When finished, I honestly felt that I got way more value than I paid! experiences of my life! My 13 year old son and I first met our guide Patricio (Pato) when he picked us up at our hotel. Immediately we could tell he was going to be a fun person to be around. My son especially appreciated Patricio’s English skills. We arrived at the Cotopaxi National Park gate that is much less common. We hardly saw any other people. There we met Johnny, our horse-riding expert. Johnny’s horses were tame and well mannered. We dressed in warm ponchos and chaps and then went on the coolest horseback ride! You just can’t imagine what it’s like to look at Cotopaxi from 12,500ft and see it rise up in front of you another 7,000 feet! It was breath taking! Johnny is the real deal when it comes to an expert horseman. I loved hearing about the work and skills of the horsemen that live and work in that area. After about an hour or so of riding (which is the perfect amount of time in the saddle for folks that don’t do it all the time), we loaded back into Patricio’s car and drove another 30 minutes up to the parking area for the hike to the Jose Rivas Refuge. We then started hiking. Pato led us at the perfect pace given we were starting out at 14,500 feet. He knows how to lead people and help them given the altitude. It was the natural high of natural highs! Such a cool experience to share this with my son. It’s the kind of thing I hope he remembers about me long after I’m gone!! This is the kind of experience that you will never forget. It’s unlike any thing you have ever done! You will not regret this. When finished, I honestly felt that I got way more value than I paid! Oh and one more thing . . . We weren’t prepared with coats. Pato brought two extras for us! Such a good guide!

Amazing day in the Andean Highlands - The horseback ride and the stunning scenery of the Cotopaxi national Park was a highlight and our guide, Johnny and our two trusty steeds made for the perfect day. The Lagoon hike and our driver and day guide Galindo Made for an educational and custom private tour that we would highly recommend.

Amazing guide, terrific scenery, and magnificent activities - Kathy was likely the best tour guide we have ever encountered. She was a wealth of knowledge of Ecuador and was incredibly kind. She had us laughing and smiling nearly the entire trip. She happily answered countless questions about the culture and history of Ecuador and provided interesting additional information as well. But where she really shined in my opinion was on the hike to base camp at Cotopaxi. She handled my labored breathing in an excellent manor and was very patient. Especially for someone that has summited many of the volcanoes in Ecuador and could do it at ease. She gave the encouragement for me to continue on in a perfect manner giving time for rests. It is my belief she truly does whatever she can to make sure the folks on her tour are genuinely happy. She will go to any length in order to do so. Kathy was such a kind and wonderful person. My favorite activity of the day was the horseback riding led by Johnny at Cotopaxi National Park (arranged by Kathy). He was an amazing guide, good communicator, very friendly, and let us do some fun things with the horses. He seemed to be a true Cowboy and we very much enjoyed his guiding. The scenery on the horseback ride is absolutely breathtaking. I felt so relaxed and at peace during our ride. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I loved every minute of it. We loved our tour with Kathy so much (largely due to her great personality and knowledge, but also due to the activities she had planned) that we intend to return to Ecuador someday and will definitely seek her services again. Kathy, and this tour get our highest recommendation. The sights are top notch and you couldn’t ask for a better guide!

Beautiful and Rewarding! - My favorite tour in Quito! Ismael was a great guide, and all around a great guy. The horseback ride, and scenery was absolutely breathtaking! The ride is easy enough for a beginner, but very nice if you're experienced as well! Now to the hike. Do yourself a few favors, 1. Acclimate to Ecuador's elevation for a few days, 2. Bring all the items on the suggested supply list. You may not need them all, but the weather can change quickly, and 3. Be honest with your physical ability. I am not an experienced hiker, but am in good shape, and I took the more challenging of the routes to basecamp and made it just over an hour. Ismael was patient when I needed to rest, patient when I wanted to take photos, and all around just made sure I had a safe, fun experience! Highly recommend!

Best way to see Cotopaxi - I chose this tour for my last day in Ecuador and it definitely did not disappoint! I love to stay active on vacation and this definitely fit the bill. My tour guide Ismael picked me up at the hotel and we began our drive to Cotopaxi National Park….he was kind to share lots of national and local history and stories on the way. We were able to stop and do a bit of shopping on the way also. The park is just stunning and I thoroughly enjoyed the horseback riding-I even got to wear chaps and a traditional poncho! We were also able to get some galloping in during the ride. After the ride we drove to the start point on the volcano….Ismael provided hiking poles which definitely helped…that altitude is no joke (just under 16K feet to the base camp lodge), but we went slowly with as many rest stops as I needed. It was also a great way to just stop and enjoy the beautiful views all around as it was such a clear day-40mph winds so be prepared! After we came back down we stopped for a delicious lunch and a chance to feed some very hungry llamas. The drive back was filled with pleasant conversation and more history. I would certainly recommend this outing -5 stars!

Private Tour and Wonderful Tour Guides - This is a MUST GO trip! We went with Pato, a very kindly gentleman who owns the company, who shared so much information about the land, mountains, and wildlife. The trip is private so you can adjust timing and activities based on your needs. We drove to Cotopaxi National Park. I’m just gonna say it frankly: if you plan to hike to 16,000 ft. eat or drink the coca leaves. Just do it. If you don’t, bring it with you on the hike. I was the foolish one who hates tea and tea leaves and didn’t touch it and found myself at 15,500 ft and chewing on the tea leaves while wondering about my life decisions. Made a world of difference. Pato was patient, encouraging, and a caring host for my family and I since we were both struggle bussing up the mountain. We felt so accomplished though! Beforehand, we did horseback riding at 13,000 ft. and got to take pictures of wild horses. There are so many herds; absolutely don’t sleep in the car so you don’t miss them! After the mountain, we went for dinner and got to feed the llamas, dogs, and ducks. The elevation was very hard for me but I look back on this trip very fondly and with a lot of excitement because Pato made it such a great experience (and that’s part of climbing to 16,000 ft for the first time). I highly recommend booking through this company because of how this company built out experience.

Fun day horseback riding and hiking - Amazing views! Horseback riding was relaxing and great for pictures, the hike up was amazing definitely pace yourself all around a great trip

Absolutely wonderful experience! - This was such an utterly perfect experience. Ismael, my guide, was at the hotel early to pick me up and he was so knowledgeable about the fauna and the animals andthe history of Ecuador. The trip was absolutely fascinating from the moment we left Quito to drive to the national park. I wanted to go solo so I could run with the horses and that’s exactly what I got to do! It was glorious just being able to run through the fields toward the snow-capped mountain. After that, we climbed up to the base camp at Cotopaxi and it was absolutely exquisite. Ismael also introduced me to, the local potato soup and corn, which was delicious! I learned so much and it was a perfectly wonderful day. I could not recommend this trip more!

A fab day exploring Cotopaxi - We had a an amazing time in Cotapaxi with our guide Kathy. We started the day at 7.30 and drove there making a couple of stops for snacks and pics along the way. We were a family with two children (6, 11). Unfortunately altitude sickness got the better of the 11 year old and it was too much for the six year old to make it all the way to base camp. We made it half way up thanks to Kathy who even carried the 6 yr old for part of it. Make sure to come prepared with hats, gloves ect. As the wind can be extreme. After the climb we made our way to the afternoon activity horseback riding. This was an incredible experience with amazing scenery. We stopped for a late lunch on the way back home at a local restaurant which was great! We all really enjoyed the lunch. If you have the time it’s a trip worth taking just make sure you have adjusted to the altitude before setting off as apparently 60% don’t make it to base camp.

My Highlight of Ecuador - Kathy was absolutely awesome! Such a fun day! She was a great conversationalist and made sure I was comfortable throughout the whole day between the horseback riding and hiking up Cotopaxi, and was always very kind with going at my pace as we got to higher attitude. This tour was definitely the highlight of my eight days in Ecuador. Thanks Kathy!