Quasar ExpeditionsReviews of quasarex.com

Quasar did a wonderful job organizing our Galapagos cruise and the crew of the Evolution and the guides that we were assigned were all fantastic! For those who are interested in a luxury eco adventure, I highly recommend Quasar and the Evolution Yacht.

I just went on the Evolution with two great guides, Roberto and Sammy. It's a very special place. Hard to believe the gorgeous photos one sees in coffee-table books or on-line are really what you see when you are there. The boat is beautiful, comfortable and all staff provided excellent service. Really fun to swim with sea lions, penquins, turtles, sharks, rays and inumerable fish. Hope I win the free trip so I can return soon!

Dear Diane, Thank you for all you did to make our trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands so very special. It was a marvelous adventure. Every aspect of the trip was excellent from your careful planning and astute advice to the execution and performance of everyone on the Quasar team during our travels... bus drivers, guides, yacht personnel. We especially appreciated the way the two guides, Bolo and Walter, so capably accommodated our bi lingual family conducting briefings and expeditions in both English and Spanish. You can be sure that we will enthusiastically recommend Quasar to our fiends. Warmest regards, Tom

My family of five just returned from a fantastic week in the Galapagos aboard the M/V Evolution. Our experience was top notch from start to finish. Every excursion, crew member and planner was a consummate professional. The food was excellent and completely tailored to dietary requests. I highly recommend this experience without reservation!

Our Galapagos cruise on the Grace was the most amazing trip! The ship is beautiful, the crew was amazing, including our fabulous guide Rafa. And our Peru extension to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu was wonderful. Every day was a new adventure, it truly was the trip of a life time.

We enjoyed an excellent experience in the Galapagos, on Quasar’s MV Evolution, in early March 2018. The boat was, we thought, perfect, with enough room for everyone, good rooms and facilities, and an expert, friendly crew. The vessel cruises around the Islands (see Quasar’s website for details), so every day we had new places to explore on land, on and under the sea. The wildlife was spectacular, and the experience was heightened by the two experienced and very approachable wildlife experts who were always out with us. Both experts were local people who were clearly committed to the ecology of the Galapagos, very inspiring. Perhaps I should say that my wife and I aren’t regular wildlife tourists, and we found the experts very illuminating, as did several more committed wildlife guests on our trip. The bar area, and service on board was always welcoming; the food was a good standard, with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables; in fact all the food was tasty and reasonably healthy. The off vessel trips were all very well organized, with careful attention paid to safety, while giving guests the freedom to experience the delights of Galapagos’ nature. There were a couple of moderately steep hikes that taxed older guests, but the vast majority of off vessel experiences were very accessible to all; and of course no one had to go on very trip. The only two minor issues we had with the “experience” was, first, some engine or motor noise at night, which we understood most guests also experienced; mind you, almost every night we both slept well, as we’d done so much! Second, the initial transfer from the airport to the vessel was chaotic and crowded, which gave a bad first impression; but once we were on board it was quickly forgotten. In addition to our time with Quasar in The Galapagos, we also stayed in Quito. That part of our trip we organized ourselves, but Quasar gave very help and good advice, and we also hired a guide through them, who was excellent, and made that part of the trip. By contrast we spent one day with another guide who, while not terrible, was very poor and superficial by comparison with the Quasar guide, who was called Carlos.

My husband and I just returned from our excursion to Ecuador - the Amazon and the Galapagos. First and foremost, thanks to Diane for assisting us in planning this trip. Everything was arranged to perfection!. Our hotel, La Jimenita, was very comfortable and the property was beautiful. Before our cruise, we stayed three nights at La Selva Lodge in the Amazon- great food, service and beautiful accommodation. Our guides, Julio (naturalist) and Henry (local guide), were our eyes and ears, finding wildlife we would have never seen on our own. They were both top notch - A+. We chose the itinerary originating in Baltra and ending in San Cristobal. There were 14 guests, though the yacht has a maximum of 18 guests, allowing for a very intimate experience. My husband has a tendency towards sea sickness. He wore the patch and was perfectly fine throughout the entire cruise. The cabin, Grace Kelly was spacious, having plenty of drawers, shelves and closet space - we did not utilize all. The bathroom was well equipped - shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, hair dryer and tissues. Bed was very comfortable, two nightstands, with ample lighting. We had two land excursions every day (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) and one-two snorkeling adventures as well. It was not necessary to wear a wet suit as the water was warm. We saw a tremendous amount of wildlife, both on land and in the water: sea lions, turtles, hammerhead sharks, penguins, marine iguanas, lava lizards and numerous birds to name a few. Crew and guide were exceptional. Such wonderful people who truly enjoy what they do and work so hard to ensure that everyone has a wonderful time. Though, a few need mention: Edison (cruise director) who was always cheerful and smiling, accommodating my dietary needs and assuring everyone's needs were met; Saul, who made sure our rooms were kept clean and fully stocked of necessary amenities as well as surprising us with towel animals and chocolates; Freddy, assured our safety every time we were in the panga and made sure that we did not miss any sighting of wildlife; Jacinta, the captain was very friendly and guided us during our snorkeling to ensure we saw all; Jorge, bartender, always made sure our glasses were full and never thirsty; Rapha (Naturalist Guide) educating us on the wildlife, flora and fauna, as well as spotting wildlife that we may not have seen on our own. One highlight was the chocolate tasting! One afternoon, after returning from our excursion, Edison arranged for the guests to taste different flavors of Picardi chocolate! This was a real treat! The other highlight was seeing the Orcas! The captain had spotted orcas and everyone was called to deck with cameras, within minutes we were in pangas chasing after the Orcas. While I have gone whale watching before, I have never seen so many Orcas up close. There was another ship nearby that kept on going and wonder did they even know the Orcas were there? We thoroughly enjoyed our time aboard the M/Y Grace and highly recommend this yacht.

This trip was extraordinary, everything went off without a hitch. La Selva lodge and the Amazon experience was wonderful, and the Galapagos were amazing. Our ship, the Grace, was beautiful and very comfortable. All guides and staff were great, and couldn't do enough. For us, this was the trip of a lifetime. Can't think what might be better!