Accommodations Review
La Selva is a beautiful accommodation in the middle of the jungle. Everyone on staff was friendly and always willing to answer questions and be helpful. La Pinta was extremely comfortable. We liked the size of the ship- I think there were 40 guests on board. We spent a lot of time on the sun deck when we weren't doing excursions. All the public spaces were comfortable and spacious. Our room was also very comfortable.
Meals Review
All of the meals were good.
Crew & Guides Review
La Selva: We had Omar as our principal leader and Darwin as our Local Guides. I can't imagine having better guides. They were both incredibly knowledgable as well as kind and enthusiastic. We only had 3-4 people in our group, so it felt like a very personalized experience. Omar was a walking encyclopedia of the plants and their practical uses in the jungle. We could tell that this is his passion. He loves everything about the Amazon. We learned about animal behaviors- including the caiman's tears being a source of salt for butterflies, then actually saw butterflies fluttering around a caiman's eyes. Darwin was always walking ahead and making sure the trail was safe for passage and he also knew a lot about the plants and animals. He was incredibly good at spotting wildlife that we never would have seen without him.
La Pinta: There were 10 guests per guide and 2 excursions everyday. We usually ended up on an excursion with either Daniel or Fatima. They both live in the Galapagos so are very knowledgeable which they shared freely. I loved that even though they probably see these animals every day and know their behaviors very well, they still got excited when guiding us. Daniel was very good at demonstrating the Blue Footed Boobie mating dance- which we got to see later.
Itinerary Review
In the Amazon we stayed at La Selva lodge and loved being in such a remote location and seeing the diversity of wildlife. We especially loved seeing the monkeys in the trees all around us, the trip to the Clay Salt Lick and the indigenous community tour. The heat and humidity in the amazon was somewhat intense. But, that said, we chose a lodge without A/C to have a more authentic experience and would choose it again.
In the Galapagos we especially loved seeing the mating dance of the Blue Footed Boobies, snorkeling with baby sea lions swimming all around us and watching sea turtles hatch and head into the sea. Those were all awe inspiring.
Transportation Review
We had a lot of transfers because our trip included 3 different locations. Every single time, a guide was there making sure everything went smoothly. It was our first time in South America and I was nervous about those logistics. Going to the Galapagos from Quito was quite complicated because of the extra restrictions. I'm not sure we would have figured it out on our own, with our limited Spanish.
AdventureSmith Explorations Review
Arielle Lightcap was our Adventure Specialist and from the beginning of the planning process she was exceptional. She gave us lots of information to help make choices, was very prompt in communicating with us, explained what would happen and when so that there were no surprises. Our original plan was to go to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos, but because of pandemic restrictions and possible border changes we were uncomfortable with going to 2 countries. Arielle was very flexible and helped us come up with a different itinerary involving only Ecuador- the Amazon and Galapagos. It was really a very stress-free trip on our part. We loved using AdventureSmith and will definitely use them again in the future. We've recommended the agency to several people.
Traveler Advice
Be ready for an adventure more than a relaxing vacation. Since the locations we chose were all about the wildlife, our schedule had to follow theirs. In the Amazon we got up at 5:30 am, had breakfast at 6 and started our daily excursion at 6:30 am when the jungle was waking up. It was similar in the Galapagos, except those excursions started at 8:30 am. We came home tired but with memories that we never would have dreamed of!
