La Pinta: UnCruise

Accommodations Review

The hotels in Quito and Cuenca were very nice - particularly the one in Cuenca, which like many hotels there is a converted home of some wealthy resident. The accommodations on La Pinta were roomier than I had expected, with a large bed, big window and a bathroom with excellent water pressure and plentiful hot water. The boat, with 41 tourists on board, was just the right size.

Meals Review

The meals we had on our own on the mainland were good, particularly the breakfasts in Quito. On the boat, we enjoyed the meals very much, though breakfast and lunch buffets were clearly the highlight and the sit-down dinners were less impressive. We also had salmon our first night on the boat that could have been fresher. However, the lunches more than made up for the minor glitches.

Crew & Guides Review

All of our guides/naturalists on La Pinta were good. They were very knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic. In Quito, we had a good guide, notwithstanding she had a limited palette of locations to work with. Our guide in Cuenca was excellent too. All guides and naturalists were very proficient in English, though when we were off the boat, we tried speaking Spanish as often as we could.

The arrangements were perfect. Not a glitch in the entire nearly two weeks. I was so pleased that drivers and guides were always there when they were supposed to be there and made us feel like we were in good hands.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Andrew was great. That's why I'm planning a trip to Peru through him. Information was provided in a very clear and relatively concise manner. We kept the trip instructions close at hand, particularly when on the mainland. The only thing I did on my own without instructions to prepare for the trip was to visit the Mayo Clinic's travel clinic, where they made sure certain vaccinations were up to date and prescribed Diamox for altitude sickness in case I had an issue, as well as something for stomach upset (which was really not an issue).

I am just very happy to have found AdventureSmith. The agency and agent, Andrew, were recommended by friends of ours who were on the same boat as we were some years ago. I am looking forward to working with Andrew and AdventureSmith again when my younger daughter and I travel to Machu Picchu. I have already mentioned AdventureSmith to several people.

Traveler Advice

Just that they should do their homework to get the most out of the trip, bring the proper clothes (we traveled very light but were just fine), and check in with a doctor to make sure you don't spend days dealing with altitude sickness or have some other issue (after visiting the doctor, we bought DEET mosquito repellent which was not necessary all that often, but we are glad we did). I took Diamox and my wife (who did not take any meds) had just one day on arrival in Quito when she had a splitting headache, but then we both hiked for a couple hours at nearly 13,000 feet and we were both fine. I will definitely make sure my daughter and I have Diamox before we land in Cusco.

Accommodations Review

La Pinta was the perfect size and very comfortable. We chose La Pinta because of the size of the ship (not too big or too small), the itinerary (north islands), planned activities for kids, and the availability of a glass-bottom boat. Not a big fan of Quito, but that was a necessary stop. The recommended hotel in the old town area was wonderful.

Meals Review

Lots of options, all of them excellent. Staff worked very hard to accommodate my picky son's whims and were extremely respectful of my choice to be vegetarian.

Crew & Guides Review

The naturalists aboard La Pinta could not have been more professional or knowledgeable. We appreciated Paul sitting with us at lunch and getting to know us personally, and Dennis's enthusiasm about Charles Darwin was contagious. We enjoyed having several guides with different perspectives, but they were all phenomenal.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Nick M. was friendly, attentive, communicative, and very helpful. I handled much of it myself (transportation), but the portion handled by AdventureSmith all ran very smoothly, which was much appreciated.

Traveler Advice

Don't put it off - everyone tells me it's on their bucket list. My son wanted to see penguins, and I was not willing to travel to Antarctica so the Galapagos was the next best option. 

Accommodations Review

The service on board was amazing. My cabin on La Pinta exceeded my expectations, it was the first time that I felt so comfortable staying on a ship.

Meals Review

The choices and the flexibility from the kitchen with our group’s requests were excellent.  Our server, Luis, was absolutely amazing, always very gracious and patient with our requests. I personally did not like any of the desserts, I suppose I was comparing them with the excellent meals that I had in Quito the week before the cruise.

Crew & Guides Review

Our group had a wonderful guide, Dennis, he was extremely knowledgeable and helpful with everything that we needed. Dennis was fantastic, our group felt very fortunate to have him guiding us for the entire week, very professional, knowledgeable, helpful, and a fantastic photographer too.  The other guides, even though we did not spend much time with them, were all very attentive and professional.

Transporation Review

I did find it extremely stressful to receive the email from Metropolitan Touring two days before my departure to Baltra asking me to fill in the forms electronically and to receive the email from Leslie concerning the Salvoconducto shortly before my departure when we realized that there was a mistake with my passport number. I feel that Metropolitan Touring could have sent this important document out much earlier rather than waiting for the same week of departure. The hotel that I stayed at in Santa Cruz after my cruise managed to send me a similar document the day after I made the booking.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Leslie was excellent to work with, she was always there and very helpful with my queries and concerns. All my flight details were very clear. I would definitely recommend AdventureSmith Explorations to the others, my experience with the whole process of booking my trip with Leslie was easy and professional. I would be more than happy to work with her again on other trips.

COVID Logistics Review

I filled out [the health declaration form] on the plane and someone took it upon arrival to UIO airport. Nobody asked for travel insurance at either the Quito or Galapagos airport.

For COVID testing, the owner of my hotel translated between the nurse and I. After taking the sample, the nurse asked for my email address and gave me contact information for the lab. I expected the results that evening but instead received them the next morning after following up.

We travelers were not assisted with our Transit Control Card; instead we were expected to fill it out in advance. Some of us got an email the morning of our Galapagos flight informing us to complete it online.

In Quito everything is very compliant. Grocery stores and restaurants take temperatures & provide hand sanitizer. In the Galapagos I felt like they didn’t take it that seriously—nobody asked for additional documentation for my extended stay in the Galapagos. They only asked for my Salvoconducto from the cruise operator but did not ask for my Salvoconducto from the Galapagos hotel operator.

On board La Pinta and during excursions, masks remained on most of the time. The only time we took it off was when we spent time on the beach by ourselves, or when we had pictures taken or during dinner. during lectures and social hours everyone kept masks on. When getting back on La Pinta after excursions, we were sprayed through a chamber.

Traveler Advice

Make the most of what the Galapagos have to offer, it is best to go there when one is still in good health and in good shape. There was quite a bit of walking and even hiking to do, the days were pretty active, and I feel that some of my older friends would not have been able to take part in some of the activities on the cruise if they had come along.  In other words, go soon and don’t wait for too long.

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!

Accommodations Review

La Pinta has large and comfortable cabins. The crew keeps the cabins clean and attractive. The service was like having a personal valet. Sometimes I would leave a mess of cloth and Pedro would fold them neatly and place them on the bed. Pedro also delivered the clean towels in the shape of animals, which added a lot of fun to the experience.

Meals Review

The meals were excellent, and the waiter (Sergio) learned very quickly about our allergies and preferences and did everything possible to comply. In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner they provided a morning snack (after returning from an activity) and an afternoon snack.

Crew & Guides Review

Cathy and David were superb in every respect and so were the small boat drivers who kept an eye on everyone that was snorkeling.

Itinerary Review

I enjoyed every activity on land and sea. I love snorkeling so this was the highlight of the trip but I also enjoyed walking the various islands and seeing all the fauna. No complaints.

Traveler Advice

The activities require some skills in snorkeling although La Pinta also offers a glass bottom boat for those who don't. The land activities require often walking on uneven volcanic rocks and La Pinta will provide a walking stick to those who want it.