Things to do in  Quito

We absolutely loved learning and exploring with mr. effy (efraim). He brought us to so many places that made us fall in love with the quaint-ness that is Quito. And a bonus is that he recommended delicious places to eat!

Effy (Efrain) provided a thorough and enjoyable tour of Quito. His English is perfect and his intelligence and comprehensive knowledge of the area was very much appreciated. We feel that we were fortunate to I have the pleasure of his guidance on our full day tour of Quito.

Fabulous tour! Our driver Marlon and guide Diana were friendly and knowledgeable and we had a lot of fun! Highly recommend this tour, especially to see something other than Quito!

Driver was very helpful and safe. We spoke a simple English and Spanish conversation and he told us more about Quito and Ecuador

Daniel is an amazing person and knows a lot about the history and culture of Quito. The hot springs is a MUST. They are gorgeous! Next time I will stay there!

I can’t tell you enough about this amazing experience!!!We were picked up by our driver Maurice/Mauricio from Hotel Colon Quito as this was the closest pickup location for us since we were staying at a hotel In Tababela. What made this experience so amazing was our guide Irene. You can tell that she is very passionate about her job and about her country Ecuador. She is also extremely hardworking and very much accommodating. If you are concerned about an English Speaking guide, she is great or even better. Her energy level is superb. She allows for the tour to align with your interests. We started off with a stopover to view the active and inactive volcanoes from a distance. Then it was off to a breakfast at a unique Ecuadorian restaurant with a small convenience store attached to it where you can shop for clothing, snacks and much more. After that we headed to Banos de Agua santos. On the way we stopped to grab salcedo ice cream. Irene gave our tour group a breakdown of the native fruits and foods of Ecuador with the regions specific to those foods. We even stopped for sanducha ( sugar cane juice with) and to purchase fruits from a roadside stall. Irene did this just for us so as my brother and I both work in healthcare and are curious about the medicinal plants and food of each country. As she guided us through each of the stations, she even took great pictures of us that she WhatsApped to me. The driver Mauricio even came on the high swing that’s a little bit of a drive from Casa de Arbol! Irene and Mauricio were both so wonderful. We definitely recommend this tour, especially for Irene. Also, the restaurant we had for lunch was such a whimsical place with great food. I wish I could have stayed in Ecuador! Such a beautiful country and people! Also, side note I was speaking with Grace who arranges the tour and she was awesome!

We had four bookings with these folks and they delivered on all four. We spent some time in Quito and were traveling to the Amazon so we used them for two round trips between the airport and Quito. They were on time (or early) for all the transfers including our 4 AM pickup. They met us inside the terminal, made sure there was an English-speaking person on each leg, and got us to the hotel quickly and safely. They were polite and personable and I would highly recommend their service If you need transportation in Quito, Ecuador.

I took another Grayline tour, and Daniel was my guide again. I felt so bad, since I was the only one on the bus (which was in the form of a trolly car). We went through the city of Quito, especially the old town. We got off several times and purchased snacks from some of the street vendors. The tour stopped at the Panecillo, which was the second time for me, but it was still nice and I had different information given to me about the area. The Mitad del Mundo was so cool to visit! From the views to the egg experiment, Daniel was terrific! I would definitely ask for Daniel as your tour guide!

This was the first tour I did when I arrived. Daniel was my guide. The shuttle picked everyone up and we headed out, over one of the many volcanoes that surrounds Quito. Seeing all the pretty trees and greenery on the way was a sight for sore eyes for this city dweller! Cotopaxi was such an amazing place to visit. We had a walk around the lake and saw native plants and birds. We also stopped for several photo ops of the volcano and explanations of the lava and the after effects of the eruptions. We then headed to Quilotoa, where there were more photo ops of the amazing crater lake. There was time to walk around some of the local shops while our lunch was being prepared at one of the restaurants. Very good food and as a bonus, I didn't get altitude sickness! Daniel was great, as was our driver!

CarpeDm tours was a great company, and I enjoyed the day, even though I was the only one on the tour ! I enjoyed the stops at the market, the hike at Peguche Waterfalls, the music shop, the lunch, etc. It was a nice day out of Quito, and my guide and driver were terrific! The hotel pickup was included, too. Definitely take this tour for a day outside of the city!

We were picked up in a red trolley car bus. They were on time for the pick up at Holiday Inn Express Quito, note they will be across the street by the Burger King. The tour was great. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We got our picture with the monument and yellow line. Went inside monument to learn history. Did the egg balance on a nail trick, weighing ourselves to see that we weigh less, and watch water flow forward and backward. English guide spoke really well. Driver was safe. Would definitely use this company again for other tours.

We used this company several times during our time in Quito and they were awesome! They went above and beyond. When they dropped us off at the airport they walked us inside and showed us where to go!!! We told them we needed a covid test and they showed us where that was too! Great English speaking. Good safe driving. They gave us recommendations on what to do and where to eat while in town. Will definitely use them when I come back to town. Highly recommend!

This is for adventure seekers. The entire trip was 14-15hours. I thought the description was lacking so here is what we did. -pick up from hotel at 6:15am -stop at volcano view point for a few pictures (5min) -we stopped at a convenient store/restaurant for breakfast 7:30am (cost not included), breakfast was excellent -3 hr drive to end of world swing, fun, you can also climb into tree house -Then on to a giant extreme swing (optional, not included, $10 per person, no single riders) -stopped briefly at a waterfall view point for pictures - next stop at adventure park- 3 options (not included, price is per person): zip line $10, glass bridge $7.5, adventure bridge $15 -next drive to cable car and ride across a river below (included), hang on, the stops and starts are sudden -then visit Devils cauldron, walked a trail with stairs and suspension bridges to get close to bottom. -lastly on your own eat and explore the town of banos for 1.5hr (leave 4:30pm) -drive back to Quito (arrive 9pm) FYI bring toilet paper or change to buy some at public restrooms Guide and driver were great. Fun. Guide was bilingual English and Spanish. English was good. Safe driving. Would recommend if you want to do these activities. Not for the faint of heart or those who have difficulty walking hills or stairs.

Taken in a private car all the way from Quito to Quilotoa was great. Dario (the guide) was very attentive to us and let us stop wherever we wanted to take pictures for example. His english was great and his knowledge of the area, culture and cuisine was very impressive! You get enough time to walk all the way down to Quilotoa lake and kayak there, which we loved. Great tour!

Since we didn't know what to expect with the pandemic going on, we were pleasantly surprised about the precautions Ecuador/Quito has taken to help prevent the spread of COVID. The places we went followed COVID precautions – including disinfection when entering the Museo, mask wearing, social distancing, and sanitizer everywhere. While we understand it is possible to still get COVID, we felt very comfortable with the steps that were taken to try and prevent it. Some of the places were not very crowded making the experiences even better. I totally recommend Quito/Ecuador as a good place to travel right now. Our tour guide was Wilson, and he was an awesome birder and a great tour guide! It was a small, shared tour we signed up for, but we wound up being the only participants. He asked if we wanted to go see an area where people were living in a crater – Reserva Geobotánica Pululuha. I think it is the only place in the world where people live inside a volcanic caldera. It was so cool to see the location and how folks were farming the fertile land inside the crater. Then we went to the Alambi Reserve – to see the hummingbirds. There were so many birds and Wilson was able to identify 14 different species while we were there! We were the only ones there so viewing was amazing. There were also bananas to attract other beautiful birds. I was even able to feed a hummingbird! They also let us set up my GoPro to capture footage. Wilson was great a pointing out all the different birds. He has an excellent eye! I will have to review the footage captured to see all the different hummingbirds – they are very fast  Then we took a little detour to review the mountain coffee being processed at the reserve as well. We were able to taste and buy some. Mountain coffee was on the list of must things to bring home with you from Ecuador. We brought it home and have been enjoying it since we got back. It is really smooth coffee. Next it was time to go to the middle of the world. Wilson asked us which place we wanted to visit, the Mitad del Mundo or the Museo de Sitio Intiñan. We chose the Museo and it turned out to be a great tour – providing details about the native tribes of Ecuador and then provided some science experiments specific to being on the ecuador. There were only 5 people in our tour group making it a great experience. My husband was even able to balance the egg on the nail and we came home with a certificate . We did go to Mitad del Mundo to pop a photo since it is so iconic, but truth be told neither site provided the 0.0.0 I was looking for on my phone GPS. Wilson took us up the road from the 2 places to get the 0.0.0 on the phone GPS that I very much desired. This tour also included a beer tasting experience at Santana tasting lounge. I asked Wilson who might have come up with a tour of middle of the world, hummingbirds, and beer? Wilson said in his many years of touring it was a first for him to add the beer stop but admittedly it was a great addition to the tour. The craft IPAs were great with generous pours. We wound up ordering some food that was not included in the tour but provided a tasting sample of the local cuisine – and we were certainly hungry by then. Restaurant was clean, friendly and a wonderful end to the day. We really enjoyed our day with Wilson. We loved the detours and unexpected surprises. We never felt rushed or lingered at any one spot. But the best thing was learning from and about Wilson and his culture and experiences and benefiting from his keen eye for the birds.

Spectacular day outside of Quito. We started off going to the hummingbirds which are so fun to watch as there are a ton of them. We did the zip-lining which is always a favorite of our kids. There is definitely some walking with the zip lines. We also hiked the waterfall which is a fun little hike. Last we stopped for lunch and the food was excellent. The guide and drive were excellent and knowledgeable about the area.

Freddy was there on time waiting with a little placard. Super nice and helpful - walked us over to find an ATM in the airport and frequently pointed to safe and "less safe" things to do on the drive to Quito. Ultra clean car - masked properly and just a gem of a guy!!! We were in an SUV for the ride into Quito and our hotel. Super highly recommend for ease and peace of mind!!

Our guides Danny and Jorge were excellent. We were lucky enough to have a private tour even though we signed up for the small group tour. The hike through the Mindo forest was a really refreshing change from the busy city of Quito. We got to take a quick ride on a cable car across the forest and on our hike we got to see 6 waterfalls. The chocolate factory tour was great - we got to eat so much chocolate, eat raw cocoa beans, drink hot chocolate, have a fresh brownie baked with the factory's own cocoa powder, and learn how chocolate is made! Overall a great tour and our favorite in Ecuador. Everyone took COVID precautions - wearing masks all the time. Even the cable car was sprayed down with disinfectant after each group.

My husband, 8-year-old daughter and I had a private tour, and all had a wonderful time. Our tour guide Fabián was extremely knowledgeable and engaging. On the ride to Mindo he shared lots of interesting history, and the views were beautiful, so the time passed quickly. The hummingbird sanctuary was a nice stop - my daughter was entranced by the hummingbirds and tanagers. Next we stopped at the Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve, where we had a beautiful hike down to the Nambillo waterfall, and back up to the canopy on the other side of the Nambillo River, where we took a cable car back across the canopy. Fabián spotted a toucan during the hike, and we were able to observe it for several minutes. Next we stopped at a butterfly farm for a brief tour and lunch. My daughter loved the butterflies, and the setting for our meal was lovely, but I probably would have preferred to skip this and have lunch in Mindo town. Next we went into town to tour Yumbos, an artisanal chocolatier. We tasted some absolutely delicious chocolate made from the beans of the relatively rare “arriba” cacao tree, and learned about the chocolate making process. On the ride back to Quito, the clouds rolled in and it started raining, which made for a peaceful trip back to the hotel. I highly recommend this tour, and especially our guide Fabián.

Fantastic tour by guide Fabian and driver Cesar! They worked at our pace and made the experience very enjoyable. We (4 of us) had traveled to Quito before starting a Galapagos excursion. Having arrived a few days early, we booked this private tour to see the city on our own and not with a group. Covid protocols were followed. Safety was never in question. The van was comfortable and well air conditioned. Cesar did a great job driving on some very challenging roadways. Fabian is knowledgeable, approachable, friendly and a pleasure to tour with. Food and drinks were not provided. Entrance fees were included. Highly recommend.