Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

Judy Calvert next to an iguana in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

“We were joking that a Hollywood producer was ahead of us cueing all the birds and animals into position.”

My husband and I did a one-week cruise on the Horizon trimaran, 8 cabins. It was 13-14 guests with equal number of crew. Allie and her company had suggested it, and we are very grateful as it was a great boat, superb crew, a fantastic Naturalist Maria, very good food and excellent itinerary. Snorkeling trips were well organized and fairly easy out/in of the zodiac, and all of the excursions were very good, we saw everything you could want to see—we were joking that a Hollywood producer was ahead of us cueing all the birds and animals into position:

*blue footed boobies, red footed boobies, Nazca boobies, babies of all the above, pelicans, male frigate birds with the red swollen neck on trees and flying and mating ritual, waved albatross and babies and juveniles , marine iquanas on land and under water snorkeling, 2 penquins on a rock, hammerhead sharks, white tipped sharks and galapagos sharks while snorkeling, a gazillion sea lions on shore, in water, while snorkeling, tons of mum and pups, huge parrot and king angel fish while snorkeling, large schools of fish, the 2 different types of land iquanas*

The water was cold, around 19C, but the boat had 2.5mm wetsuits which made it perfect. We did a couple of long crossings (7hrs) at night but relatively smooth.

We were supposed to have a full pre-day in Guayaquil with a WOW Moment but due to Hurricane Milton our flight from Miami to GYE was cancelled until the next day. Allie kept in touch with us throughout and ensured everyone knew that we weren’t coming :-(

My husband really wanted to dive, so with Allie’s help, we extended at Puerto Ayora for 3 nights and she hooked us up with a scuba operation and they made arrangements to pick Doug up right from Horizon! Unfortunately, visibility was not the greatest, so even though he got to dive with the Hammerheads, it wasn’t the experience he truly wanted. Weather, what can you do.

Allie was a pleasure to work with. We had an unrealistic expectation/thoughts on Galapagos at first. We were coming at it as a recommended diving/snorkelling destination, so realizing that we can’t do both on a boat— you choose a dive boat OR a tourist/snorkel boat—was an eye opener, but then the compromise of tourist boat and staying on so Doug could dive with the scuba operator. And I was unsure if we were going to enjoy the land excursions—just birds was my thought, try to get photos when they hide in trees and spook easily. We wanted to snorkel with penguins and sea lions (didn’t really happen, just one sea lion). BUT it was actually quite fun each excursion which species we were looking for and how none of them had any fear of humans and you could literally get right in their faces to take photos and watch them. She had great advice to get to GYE 2 days early, obviously helped when Hurricane Milton cancelled our Thursday flight (huge thank you to her for the heads up on what was happening) but Allie got us out on the Friday in time to make our cruise on Saturday.

Overall, great trip, quite a bit of time/work to get there and VERY expensive, but worth it for the overall experience. Horizon was an excellent boat choice and luckily they found Maria, plus we really really enjoyed our other guests! And staying longer in Puerto Ayora was cute.

A red-footed booby sitting on a person's head in El Barranco, the Galapagos, Ecuador.

A red-footed booby “utterly unafraid” of visitors to El Barranco in the Galapagos. Photo: Traveler Rebel Rice.

Allie Almario planned and coordinated a trip of a lifetime for my husband and I, as well as four to six other friends, depending on where we were when. The highlight destinations of the group trip are:

• Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley and Cusco (6 people)
• Galapagos Cruise aboard the catamaran The Elite (8 people)
• Ecuadorian Amazon at La Selva Lodge on Rio Napo (5 people)

I am an experienced trip planner and traveler, but I could have NEVER pulled off this trip with this many people, in this many different places, with such superb guides and outstanding lodging, as well as the many smooth transfers. Our group of travelers changed at every major destination, with one to three friends cycling in or out. What a challenge! Allie and her teams in Peru and Ecuador created and executed a fantastic trip.

We loved her recommendations for every single destination, the most important of which was the Galapagos catamaran, The Elite. She definitely had to talk our group into the smaller boat, as well as the 7-day itinerary, on a zoom call because it was more expensive. However, the benefits of the catamaran Elite, a small boat (16 passengers), were well worth it.

The Elite has large, comfortable staterooms, smooth motoring (except for one rough night), and superbly prepared and presented meals. Plus, they happily accommodated my dietary restrictions, as well as surprising one couple with a wedding anniversary cake, and two of us with birthday cakes.

The guide, Morris, was superb and the crew was wonderful—professional, friendly and helpful. We booked a year in advance, so the pain of the price was long gone by the time we arrived on San Cristobal Island. When we started the booking process, some of us had some specific islands to visit, but most of us were not that well informed. We were all delighted with the itinerary of the eastern islands.

The Amazon portion of the trip started as almost a lark when we asked Allie if we could throw in the Amazon while we were in Ecuador/Peru. She came back with La Selva Lodge on the Rio Napo, a tributary of the Amazon. Fantastic.

The entire trip was seamless. My husband and I were gone the longest (escaping the Phoenix heat), adding 3 days in Lima before and a week afterward in Otavalo, Ecuador and Mindo, Ecuador for a total of 30 days. SEAMLESS!! I am still agog.

Machu Picchu reminds us of the Grand Canyon, in that the photos do NOT do the site justice. The scope of the ruin, as well as the greater insights one gains by being there, are incomparable. We wondered if Machu Picchu combined with Galapagos would be too much, but we loved them both.

If you ever had dreams of going to the Amazon, then visit La Selva, an eco-lodge on the Rio Napo, part of the Amazon basin. The rain forest experience is authentic and remarkable. The food is the highest quality, and they were fantastic at accommodating my dietary restrictions. We spent 4 days/3 nights, which seemed like the right amount of time.

Our favorite activity was the Macaw clay lick, where we saw a large flock of Scarlet Macaws, that were then followed by 2-3 flocks of Cobalt-winged parakeets. The Parrot clay lick is seen from the river (on a boat), but is quite a distance (maybe ½ kilometer). The Macaw clay lick is situated about a 10–15-minute walk from the river. The local indigenous tribe has built a bird blind with benches, and even a restroom, where you can wait for the birds to arrive and then watch them from about 100 ft. Truly astounding to be that close to these magnificent, endangered birds.

One of many wonderful things about La Selva, and the blackwater lagoon on which it sits—no mosquitoes. Really!

We started our trip in Lima, Peru. We found it an interesting, enormous city, whose historical buildings put much of colonial Latin American history into tighter perspective. The food and the restaurant scene are as amazing as reported. The Museo Larco is a must-see for the wider perspective on Peruvian indigenous people. As it was winter there, the city was foggy and chilly. Glad we went, but not sure we will return.

We went to Otavalo, an important market town in the Andes. It was an interesting and fun chance to see the local Andean people. We stayed in an old Hacienda outside of the town. Due to a Covid infection, the other 5 friends of our group did not join us, heading home instead. That left just 3 of us at the Hacienda, which was otherwise empty. We wondered if it were haunted…

My husband and I ended our trip with a few days in Mindo, about 2 hours west of Quito in the cloud forest. We stayed at one of the best lodges we encountered, Las Terrazas de Dana. The staff, especially Marco, extended the warmest welcome. The value for money is remarkable. It’s walking distance from town, but set out in the forest. The birding was excellent, as were the other attractions in town, such as the 3 artisanal chocolate producers, the bird feeding stations, and the butterfly garden. The food in the many restaurants was delicious, as it was at the resort. We found this true throughout our time in Ecuador.

Our most unusual experience is the very reason one goes to the Galapagos: the animals. They are utterly unafraid of humans. Wow. The nesting Blue-Footed Booby or Waved Albatross just sat there as we walked within 2 feet. The bird might calmly gaze at us, but mostly didn’t care. The sea lions don’t even look up.

Allie Almario is THE BOMB! This amazing trip would have never happened without Allie Almario. She is so organized, fun to talk to about the trip, and knowledgeable. Allie prepared us well for this trip. There are so many details—the “visa” to visit the Galapagos islands, what to pack, insurance to buy, the visit to Machu Picchu. Her emails are remarkable.

The guides—we cannot say enough about the extraordinarily high-quality guides that Allie arranged for us. This was our 8th trip booked through Wendy because we know that the guides will be great. Nick at Machu Picchu, Morris in the Galapagos, and Paul at La Selva exceeded great. They were the perfect match for our inquisitive, overeducated group.

And, it is important to add that Allie truly cares about her travelers and the experience that they have. She works hard to make sure that we enjoy the experience; that we are safe; that the transfers and tours run smoothly; and that no matter what happens, she has our back. Don’t even think about using anyone else!

From the beginning, when Allie pulled a summer trip out of nowhere to the end when she made sure everything went as planned on our trip, she was a superb travel planner! My family and I spent 2 days in Quito, 5 on the Coral II in the Galapagos, and my younger son and I had an additional 2 days in Cotopaxi. Everyone loved it!

We traveled in late June 2024 and our first stop was GO Quito Hotel, which we highly recommend. Allie procured us adjoining rooms, where we all slept soundly for both nights. The breakfast buffet at the rooftop restaurant could not have been a better introduction to the sights (the views were lovely) and flavours of Quito. After breakfast, we met our tour guide Henry who remained with us for 2 days in Quito and met my son and I for an additional 2 days in Cotopaxi after the cruise. Henry paced the sightseeing well for us, was patient with our kids and our questions, and he always had the best restaurant recommendations. After our days running around Quito, we all enjoyed relaxing at the hotel sauna, pool, and bar in the evenings.

Once our cruise began, we had to pinch ourselves because somehow we were the only family on a 20-passenger boat! The only other guest was a young digital marketing employee of the cruise company, and we all enjoyed getting to know him. It was a dream! The Galápagos Islands are as incredible as you have heard. We were on an ocean safari with the clearest water and the closest encounters with animal life that we had ever experienced. The crew on Coral II was friendly and accommodating (we have a son with many food allergies that can be a challenge), and I slept better on that trip than I have in years. My sons and husband agreed that every day was the right mix of relaxation and action, with a little education thrown in for good measure. We loved it!

After seeing off my older son and husband (after spending the night at a fantastic airport hotel—The Wyndham Quito Airport), Henry met my younger son and I to continue our adventure to Cotopaxi. We had some hiking adventures, horseback riding, cooking classes, and spent a fun afternoon testing our cool plunge tolerance in the spa. Highly recommend Hacienda Porvenir! Once again, Henry guided us to some fantastic experiences and told us great stories. Overall, we would recommend Allie—and Ecuador—without reservation.

My husband, several friends and I travelled to Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands, and the Amazon Basin. I cannot speak highly enough about our travel planner, Allie Almario. She arranged the perfect trip for us, building on her many personal excursions to the area and her in depth insights into the best tours, operators, naturalists, guides, and hotels. Allie’s dedication to customer service was evident in every interaction we had with her! She gracefully managed the competing interests and styles of our travel group to craft a trip with a range of activities to please us all. In addition, my husband became ill with Covid near the end of the trip and Allie contacted the local team to provide all the help we needed. What a relief to have her support!

Allie added experiences which were unique and tailored to our love of history, culture, and local flora and fauna. We would not have visited the fascinating Inca sites around Machu Picchu without her encouragement. She arranged a glamorous, delicious “picnic” in the ancient terraced hillsides in the Sacred Valley. We enjoyed a traditional meal with a charming local family. Nick, our lead guide, was superb and, with Allie’s approval, gave us the treat of watching the sunrise at Machu Picchu.

When we entered the Galapagos portion of the trip, Allie connected us with the boat, the Elite. What a terrific experience! Their naturalist, Morris, was first rate, showing us different animals, fish, and birds every day. The boat and crew provided luxury, along with gourmet meals and entertaining talks.

We ended our trip at La Selva resort which was on a tributary of the Amazon. How we loved the canoe rides, hikes, tree top observatory, diversity of birds, caimans, sloths, and primates! Thanks to Allie, this was a perfect way to wrap up our trip.
I would absolutely trust her with my next trip!

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