This was our second Zegrahm Adventure (the first was an outstanding joint venture to Antarctica, partnering with Stanford Alumni Travel in January, 2015). As we had never toured with any other group besides Stanford over the past 20 years, we were very impressed with the knowledgeable, caring and attentive Zegrahm staff (at all levels) that we experienced in Antarctica, so chose Zegrahm for our Galapagos adventure based on recommendations from fellow passengers, choices of destinations, value and type of adventures offered.
Based on previous travel experience, we always arrive at our departure city at least one day prior to meeting the group. Zegrahm staff in the front office were very accommodating and booked both air and hotel reservations based on our needs, as well as provided transportation from the airport to the hotel for our early arrival. The process could not have been easier, customer friendly and helpful! Duane even contacted us immediately when the airline changed its flight schedules for one leg of our trip, and communicated with us frequently to ensure every detail was covered.
Guayaquil, Ecuador is a very cosmopolitan city, and having completed some pre-trip exploring online and through reading, we had a days' list of activities. (For us) The city was very walkable and easy to get around, but cabs were plentiful and inexpensive ($5 to most destinations), if one wished. Metropolitan Touring was the local connection and also offered city tours, which were taken by some of our fellow colleagues. In Guayaquil, the Hilton Colon was our base--we were on a concierge floor, which offered a generous breakfast, all day snacks and an evenings' happy hour overlooking the city and river. The hotel had many amenities that we did not have time to enjoy--including several restaurants and lounges, a beautiful pool and patio, incredible spa and other personal services.
Comfortable, with attentive staff