Holiday review by Neil Ritchie
Name: Neil RitchieDate of trip: 19/10/2013
Number of people: 2
Country: EcuadorOverall level of Satisfaction
Tribes Overall: "Ecuador offers an amazing diversity of habitats without having to travel far."
Tribes Service: "Paul has the knack of listening to what we want and proposing a holiday that delivers just what we want."
Guides: "The guides were very knowledgeable and drove sensibly. Some of the cars were a little well worn but that was not a significant problem, although air conditioning would have been nice on some occasions."
Social & Environmental Responsibility: "Napo is very well set up to support both local communities and wildlife. Bella vista is obviously supporting local wildlife and Zuleta are doing their bit for both local communities & wildlife."
Accommodation
Perfect for exploring the old town, but not much character in the restaurant - but that just encouraged us to eat in town, so no bad thing.
What an experience - despite the building works
Beautiful and relaxing location but they were struggling with the heating and very cold at night. They gave hot water bottles after dinner so we were fine in Bed!
The altitude took a bit of getting used to especially coming straight from Napo.
Very nice, superbly comfortable and with great character. Excellent place to walk around on our own and we were lucky enough to see both Spectacled Bears & condor!
With a fire set in our room each night, the hot water bottle here was just too hot!
A great place to see the cloud forest and the huge number of humming birds, plus a maze of paths to explore.
Less luxurious that the other lodges, and a little lacking in customer service.
The bar / library was in theory the obvious place to go for a pre-dinner drink, but with no heaters on and none of the guides in evidence we didn't stop long and no one else did either.
Our Memories
"Climbing the tower to the canopy viewing point in Napo and watching Macaws fly past.
Walking from Hacienda Zuleta towards the Condor rescue centre in the company of their dogs, they shot off barking into the bushes, and a Spectacled bear cub appeared above the bushes under the cliffs, closely followed by its mother. They sat and watched us while we took their pictures before we carried on down the valley, where 3 condors were soaring overhead."
"Drinking a Hot Chocolate in Refugio Jose Rivas at 4864m on Cotapaxi."
customer rating
5/5 from 77 reviews
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facts and information
Time: GMT -5 hours
Flight time: There is an international airport at Quito and at Guayaquil. KLM and Iberia have routes via Europe to both cities. The flying time is about 14 hours. It is also possible to fly via America.
Language: Spanish is Ecuador's official language.
Visas: Not required for British travellers. Other nationalities should obtain advice from their embassy.
Health: There are no compulsory vaccinations, except yellow fever if visiting the rainforest. Malaria prophylactics are also recommended in the rainforest.
