0190389316001.001.4000386
Ecuador Ministry of Tourism · Dual Travel Agency (tour operator + travel agency) · status Ratificado. Published in Ecuador's public tourism register — check it yourself.
Local experts since 2013 · Cuenca, Ecuador
Ecuador, the Galápagos and Peru — planned and run on the ground.
A travel agency registered with Ecuador's Ministry of Tourism, running its own trips since 2013. One team, one timezone, and answers the same day.
- 13years operating
- 9itineraries, day by day
- 4.9 ★ 71 reviews of AQT Ecuador, our parent company
- MINTUR registry 0190389316001.001.4000386 registered operator
Before the itinerary
The two questions worth settling before you book
Most travellers ask us these two before they ask about a tour, so we answer them properly: dated, sourced and updated every month. Our parent company has handled Ecuadorian immigration and consular documentation since 2013, which is why we can.
Updated monthly
Is Ecuador safe to travel to?
The honest version: which provinces the problems are actually in, what the US and UK advisories say today, why Galápagos is a different case entirely, and the eight rules our own guides follow.
Read the safety briefing → With official sourcesWhat do I need to enter Ecuador?
Passport validity, the 90-day rule, the customs form required since 2025, and the separate Galápagos transit card and park fee — with what each one costs and where it is paid.
Read the entry requirements →Galápagos wildlife, species by species Which month to go, and why How you actually get to the Galápagos The islands, one at a time Diving: hammerheads, and who it suits Snorkelling: which site suits you Darwin and the finches, corrected Thirty facts about Ecuador, checked Every guide we have written →
Where we operate
Four worlds, and they fit in one trip
Ecuador is the smallest country in the Andes and that is its whole advantage: Amazon rainforest, 4,000-metre volcanoes, the Pacific and the Galápagos all sit inside a country the size of Colorado. Add Peru — two hours away by air — and the two things most people fly to South America for fit into a single trip.
The reason most people come
Galápagos Islands
Island hopping across the three inhabited islands. 900 km offshore, 97 % national park.
Explore →
Wildlife
The Amazon
Community-owned lodges on the Napo: clay licks, canopy towers, giant otters.
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Culture & high country
The Andes
Quito, Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, Cuenca — the Avenue of the Volcanoes.
Explore →
The classic pairing
Peru
Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, the Nazca desert and the Salkantay pass.
Explore →Find your trip
Three questions, and we'll show you what fits
Nothing matches all three yet — but that does not mean it cannot be built. Tell us what you had in mind and we will put it together.
Why book direct
Booking the operator directly, not the layers above it
Most Ecuador trips sold in North America or Europe are run on the ground by a local company. Booking that operator directly means one team, one timezone for decisions, and answers that come back the same day rather than down a chain.
- A licensed, named company. Registry 0190389316001.001.4000386, verifiable in Ecuador’s public tourism register.
- Guides certified by the state. Every Galápagos excursion is led by a National Park–licensed naturalist; that is a legal requirement and we do not cut it.
- Child protection is not a slogan. Our founder holds Ecuador’s MINTUR ESNNA certification and UN/IOM training in human trafficking prevention.
- Someone answers at 2 a.m. Ecuador time. Because that is where we live.
The person responsible
Roberto Cabrera
Founder & Operations Director
Legal representative of Aequatorian Touring Cía. Ltda. since 2013, and the person who signs off every itinerary that leaves this office. Trained in tourism in Cuenca, and certified by the agencies that regulate the work — including the UN’s migration agency.
Qualifications on file
- BA in Tourism Management & Development Universidad del Azuay, Cuenca 2012
- Human Trafficking from a Human Rights Approach (24 h) International Organization for Migration (IOM/UN) with Ecuador’s Ministry of the Interior 2012
- Prevention of ESNNA in Tourism Travel Ecuador Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR), Zone 6 2013
- Instructor — Tourism Operations & Safety Guardia Ciudadana de Cuenca (municipal police) 2013
- TourCert International Certification (40 h) Ecuador Ministry of Tourism 2017
Straight answers
Questions we get every week
Is Ecuador safe to visit right now?
For a normal tourist itinerary — Quito, the Andes, the Amazon lodges and Galápagos — yes, with ordinary precautions. Ecuador’s security problems are concentrated in specific coastal provinces and city neighbourhoods that no well-run itinerary goes near. Galápagos is a separate province 900 km offshore and has never been affected. We publish a full, dated breakdown rather than a one-line reassurance.
Do I need a visa to visit Ecuador?
Citizens of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and all EU countries do not need a visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days per year. You do need a passport valid for at least six months, proof of onward travel, and — since 2025 — the online customs declaration form. Galápagos adds its own transit card and park fee.
What does the Galápagos actually cost on top of the tour price?
Two mandatory charges no operator can include for you: the Galápagos National Park entrance fee of US$200 per adult (US$100 per child under 12), paid in cash on arrival, and the INGALA transit control card at US$20, bought before your flight. Budget US$220 per adult on top of any quoted price.
Are you a local company or a reseller?
We are the ground operator. Zielo Adventures is the inbound brand of Aequatorian Touring Cía. Ltda., registered with Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism under registry 0190389316001.001.4000386 and operating from Cuenca since 2013. When you book with an agency in Europe or North America for an Ecuador trip, a company like ours is usually the one running it.
How far in advance should I book?
For Galápagos in high season (mid-June to early September, and mid-December to mid-January) book four to six months out — the good boats and the island flights sell out first. Mainland Ecuador can usually be arranged with six to eight weeks’ notice.
Credentials you can check
Sustainability
TourCert — international certification in corporate social responsibility for tourism, obtained through Ecuador's Ministry of Tourism.
Association
Member of ACTUAL — Asociación para la Cultura y el Turismo en América Latina, the association for culture and tourism across Latin America.
MINTUR ESNNA certification on the prevention of the commercial sexual exploitation of children in tourism, plus IOM/UN training in human trafficking prevention — held by our founder since 2012.
AEQUATORIAN TOURING CÍA. LTDA.
RUC 0190389316001 · incorporated 15 February 2013 ·
13 years operating from Cuenca.
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