Luxury Galapagos Cruises

Our trip was beyond awesome. We made memories for a lifetime in Peru and the Galápagos Islands. Standing on the equator in Quito and the different experiments on the equator were a hit with kids and adults alike. There was excellent planning and execution by our Zicasso travel specialists. All the guides and excursions were great and we made good friends with them. They went above and beyond to recover our (lost/forgotten) items in a hotel and plane. Two thumbs up.

Ecuador is an amazing country. We had a well-put-together plan and highly recommend adding the Galápagos cruise, in addition to the mainland tour, as both are very different. There is so much to see and do!

We absolutely loved our trip to Quito, Mindo, and the Galápagos Islands with Zicasso's travel agency! The travel agent and her team put together the perfect itinerary for us, with lots of fun surprises along the way. This was one of the best trips of our lives, all thanks to this travel agency. They covered every detail and remained in communication throughout, so we felt comfortable navigating a new country. I can't recommend them enough!

Zicasso's trip planner is excellent! She planned a personalized itinerary for me and my family, with activities for all different ages in our travel group. We truly enjoyed our experience in Quito and the Galápagos Islands. 

Our tour guide did a wonderful job taking us around Quito and ensuring we got to fully experience the city (including historical landmarks and local spots). In addition, one of our family members had altitude sickness and he put a lot of effort into helping her get assistance and even medical care in the airport. 

Five stars for our agent and our guide.

Overall, the trip was amazing, and we had a great time.

The Positives: 

The Galapagos cruise selection was the highlight—truly spectacular.

Every single hotel and lodge was outstanding.

The local guides and service were consistently great.

We loved the treehouse lodge experience experience (a conservation must-see for nature lovers) and the hotel in Cusco was perfect.

The premium domestic flights and Quito lounge access were nice touches.

What could be improved :

These are minor issues, but fixing them would make a massive difference to client experience.

Post-Booking Communication: After final payment, email responses for details like tipping and permits got really slow. It felt like the expectation was to use the provided app, but that wasn't clear. Also, we expected a quick check-in from the travel company a few days into the trip.

Quito Hotel and Sleep: The hotel in Quito was super far from the airport. Given our late arrival and early departure, prioritizing sleep with an airport hotel would've been much better than seeing the historic area.

Cusco Acclimatization: Arriving late afternoon in Cusco and starting the hike the next day is not enough time for altitude acclimatization. We think the original plan for three nights in Cusco got lost when the itinerary changed.

Lares Hike Mix-Up: There was a misunderstanding about the two extra hikes for the Lares Trail—only one was booked. We couldn't get the second permit last-minute, even though it was in the trip description.

Mountain Lodge Experience: This part was different than expected. Since our group was small, we only had one guide and felt that not all available activities were properly shown to us. Also, there was a lot more driving between locations than we expected.

Overall, fabulous. It was a trip of a lifetime. Zicasso's tour agency planned the perfect combination of the Galápagos and Machu Picchu, with time in Ecuador and Peru as well. They made great suggestions on the number of days and boat for the Galápagos, as well as which hike to plan. The guides the travel specialist set us up with were top-notch.