Most Inspirational Moment
The visit to the rain forest was the most exciting part of the trip for my wife and I, although she did go to bed fully clothed and with a hat on in the sweltering heat due to all the insects (they were mostly outside the hut and not inside but that did not make any difference). The boat ride through the mangrove swamps was excellent as we saw more birds on that day than all the previous days put together, it was amazing. It was also very interesting and moving seeing all the old people in their traditional clothes and in the bustling markets. Every day brought a new experience, including the visit to the nature reserve at over 14,000 feet in the Andes and the four hour road decent down from the summit (yes 4 hours, I've never seen such a long hill) was someting I'll never forget. Interestingly a water bottle I drank empty and sealed up at the top was squashed flat by the increased air pressure by the time we arrived at the bottom!
Thoughts on Group Leader
The group leader (Fabian) was excellent, very laid back and unflappable, knowledgable and helpful. A good leader. Mention must also be made of the driver (Roberto) who drove us for the full two weeks, he was excellent and we all felt very safe and comfortable in his hands.
Advice for Potential Travellers
I took lots of shorts to wear and hardly wore them at all, it was either too cold (in the high Andes) or the sun was too scorching. Long, cool pants are the best. A wide brimmed hat is a must. As the walks were only billed as short we made the mistake of not taking the right footwear, make sure you take good strong walking trainers or lightweight walking boots.
Suggestions
The people of Ecuador are very friendly and accomodating. some even shouted "Welcome to Ecuador, thank you for visiting our country"Although not a complaint, one slightly disappointing aspect was the food. We expected exotic and spicy dishes and they turned out to be rather plain. Don't let that put you off though, everything was good and enjoyable, it's a matter of opinion I suppose!The accomodation was of a very high standard throughout, especially the Hacienda for the first three nights. The exception being the rain forest lodge which was more basic than expected. Although it did not bother us, the lack of electricity in the rooms should be mentioned in the brochure. However that was all part of the experience and we enjoyed the stay there immensly.The (expected) tips did add rather a lot of cost to the trip, be prepared to budget for them!