Metrojourneys Omdömen 11

Very well organized. The whole week was a total adventure and fun. The ship was clean, pleasent and comfortable. I had a great time.

I recently returned from an incredible Galápagos cruise aboard La Pinta in Oct 2024, and I can confidently say it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The journey was nothing short of magical, thanks in no small part to Camila, the amazing travel agent who helped me plan the trip. From start to finish, her guidance was invaluable. She recommended the perfect tours and excursions to make the most of the islands, and every suggestion turned out to be spot-on.

The ship itself was beautiful and perfectly sized—not too big, so it felt intimate, but with all the amenities you could want. The naturalist guides onboard were exceptionally knowledgeable, and each day brought new surprises, from snorkeling with sea lions to watching blue-footed boobies perform their iconic dance. The crew took great care of us, and the meals were absolutely delicious, featuring fresh, local ingredients.

One of the unexpected highlights of the trip was meeting Camila herself—along with her wonderful family! It was such a pleasure to share this adventure with them and see firsthand the genuine passion she has for travel and creating memorable experiences for her clients.

I wholeheartedly recommend La Pinta for anyone dreaming of exploring the Galápagos, and if you’re lucky enough to work with Camila, you’re in excellent hands. This trip exceeded all expectations and will stay with me forever.

This company exceeded expectations. They provided value for the money. Someone was available to answer questions during the purchase process. They were honest and had appropriate staff and accommodations. Everything they recommended was first-class. They have 24 hour access in case of emergencies.

I cannot speak more highly of Metro Journeys. The ground transfers were perfect. We had a private guide for Quito which was outstanding. So much knowledge. We went to Mashpe cloud forest. What an amazing place. Again the guides were so informative.

We just returned from a 10 day vacation in Quito, Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. We booked all of our excursions and hotel stays with MetroJouneys directly. Camila was very responsive in helping plan our trip and answered each and every question in great detail.
We stayed at the lovely Casa Gangotena in Quito for 2 nights and 8 nights at the beautiful Finch Bay Hotel. To say we were happy with our trip is an understatement. We simply LOVED everything about it. From the moment we arrived at the Finch Bay Hotel, the staff and hotel manager, Alfonso, made us feel at home. Their kindness and attention to detail did not go unnoticed. The facilities were immaculate and the service was impeccable. The front desk staff knew everyone’s name and touched base with us daily to see how we enjoyed our day and to review our excursion details for the next day. We toured 4 different islands (Santa Fe, South Plaza, North Seymour & Bartolome) on the Finch Bay yacht, The Sea Lion, and were equally as impressed with the tour guide’s (Soto, Valentin & Fabian) knowledge of the animal species, history and landscape. The crew on the Sea Lion were great and served us a hot lunch and snacks each day!
All of our meals were included while at Finch Bay and they did not disappoint! The food & desserts were delicious and plated beautifully. The bar prepared a multitude of innovative craft cocktails using herbs and salts that we looked forward to at the end of our day!
Alfonso told us on our first night that he was sure we would have a fabulous week. He can say that with confidence knowing how well his staff is trained and the care with which he ensures is delivered to his guests! Thank you Alfonso to you & your staff for providing such a wonderful experience! We will never forget our time in the Galapagos and our blissful experience at the Finch Bay Hotel!

I booked 6 nights on Isabella II and from the first enquiry to the very end of the holiday, I cannot express my appreciation enough to the attention to detail, assistance, engagement/communications, and professionalism through the whole process. This was a surprise for my wife and although we expected great things, it far exceeded our expectations in every way. The destination experts, naturalists, and boat crew were all committed to making this a hassle free and memorable holiday of a lifetime - and it certainly was.
At one point our destination expert changed and I was a little concerned but needn’t have been- it was completely seamless and transparent.
Highly recommended company.

We loved our Galapagos adventure and our journey on La Pinta. We booked our cruise through Metropolitan Journeys (by Metropolitan Touring).

There is nothing we can think of to improve our experience because we thought of it as so perfect!

We completed two itineraries (Western and Eastern). Just fantastic!

Leaving lovely La Pinta was hard to do! Everyone on the ship was so good to us. The staff are extremely professional and attentive and kind. We felt safe and cared for.

The guides are outstanding! Their professionalism, expertise and genuine enthusiasm is what made the adventure what it was. In looking back, this is first and foremost what made it so wonderful.

The Galapagos islands are amazing. Every day was special.

La Pinta can carry 48 pax. There were 38 pax during our Western Itinerary cruise for seven days and 35 pax for the 5 day Eastern Itinerary. We traveled in mid-May.

All the ships' cabins are the same and all very nice. On the last day of our first cruise which was also the first day of the second cruise, we remained on the ship. While the rooms were being cleaned and set up for new pax, I took the opportunity to take a peek into every room. Again, all the same with little exception; some have an additional bed.

Each room has the same large window. There is a very comfortable bed and plenty of storage with room to move around easily. Good water pressure and a clothesline in bathroom, shampoo, conditioner, soaps and lotion and a strong hair dryer. We were given as many hangers for the closet as we needed.

Our cabin attendant always offered to dry our wet clothes. Very attentive, constant service. Again, we were so well cared for. Outstanding!

The ship has everything you could possibly need.

The guides carry things like bug spray which they will share while hiking. They carried baby shampoo to clean your dive mask. There are great walking sticks onboard to assist with hiking. The snorkeling equipment and wetsuits are sanitized and kept organized for each guest. Towels are provided for drying your feet after wet landings. It seems that every need and detail is accommodated.

Everyone receives a little back-sack and water bottle. I used these every day. There are filtered water dispensers on the ship. Good water!

So great to have medical help onboard. They provided me with eardrops....very much needed. I am so appreciative of that.

The food and dining service are excellent. So well presented. Just lovely. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style and sometimes on the lovely upper deck. Dinner is table service in the dining room. Snacks and juice offered after outings on the upper outside deck or in the lovely, spacious lounge.

All outings are tightly organized. There is so so much... and it is all done so carefully and thoughtfully. The guides ensure the opportunity to experience the most possible.

Our expedition leader offered an additional hike one evening. Less than half of the pax participated. He warned that it was “a very brisk” hike. We hiked up high enough for beautiful views of Darwin Lake. When we were there, he smiled and said this was his favorite hike. He did not have to lead this outing; I loved that he wanted to share something he likes so much. Two other of the guides on our cruise live in the Galapagos. They love their island home and they love sharing it. This makes the experience so genuine!

We also were given an option to boat over to see where the volcano on Fernandina was erupting. This was an additional outing at 5:30am. Not all attended. Again, the guides were sure to share the best with us. This was so wonderful!

Safety is the main concern at all times. Staff assist pax getting on and off the pangas. The activities offered included guided walks, hiking, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding in some spots, and a glass-bottomed boat for those that don’t want to snorkel. Pax choose their own activities based on their ability.

On the last day of the first itinerary and before the next itinerary began, the two of us had the entire boat to ourselves for the morning! We sat in the hot tub and out on deck being lazy and enjoying much-needed rest! Laundered a few things and used the available dryers.

The only thing we can think that would have improved our adventure – we should have stayed on La Pinta to continue on to the Northern Itinerary. We did not want to leave the Enchanted Islands!

I highly recommend Metro Journeys, Metropolitan Touring and cruising the Galapagos on La Pinta. Special thanks to Camilla at Metro Journeys for all her assistance in booking.

Metropolitan’s agent, Camila Vela, was very responsive to all our questions and gave us good advice in planning the itinerary and the trip as a whole. The Metropolitan representative who met us at check-in at Quito airport was helpful in handing out our boarding passes and Galapagos travel documents and guiding us through the formalities.
The trip was fabulous! The itinerary was perfect. The program on the first day before we got to the ship was fairly heavy after a very early start, though we can understand why it was useful to do the trip to the highlands before settling into the ship. We also would have preferred nonstop flights to and from Baltra if available, though maybe they're more expensive or don't fit the rest of the itinerary.
For the trip as a whole, everything went smoothly, just as planned. Isabella II was lovely. Our "owner's " cabin was extremely comfortable with plenty of storage (we thought it was just beginning to show its age but it was spotlessly clean and still very comfortable).
The crew and guides were superb! Our guides, Alex, Humberto, and Johan, were highly trained naturalists who clearly care a great deal about preserving the fragile environment, they were always good humored, helpful and considerate, and shared their expert knowledge abundantly and clearly, and gave well prepared, interesting, and well delivered lectures every night. With their help we got to see an amazing array of wildlife. Whenever we had a problem snorkeling or on any other issue they were always there to help cheerfully. Francesco was a wonderful hospitality manager, always looking to help and full of good cheer and good humor. Eduardo, our main server, learned our names instantly and was tremendously efficient and helpful at every meal. The food was bountiful and delicious - our only complaint is that we ate too much! All the crew from the captain on down were efficient and tremendously courteous and helpful.
All the equipment we needed to enjoy the trip was freely available on board, from the snorkeling equipment to the kayaks. It was useful to have a nice doctor on board to deal with whatever minor health issues cropped up.
After the trip Metropolitan provided free of charge a photo gallery and videos that the guides took during the trip.
Visiting Galapagos was a marvelous, once in a lifetime experience! We have no hesitation in recommending Metropolitan without qualification - we felt we could not have been in better hands!

Once again I traveled with Metrojourneys (this time with my family), and our trip to Galapagos was amazing, they are very professional and customer service is always there for you. Makes you feel as a king/queen.

I toured the Ecuadorian Andes with Metro Tours in July 2023. I visited Quito, Otavalo, Mashpi Lodge, Lake Quilatoa, Cotopaxi and the Ingapirca ruins.

I chose the Andes because I live surrounded by the ocean and it is hot in the summer in my homeland. I truly enjoyed the break from the summer heat with the cooler Andean temperatures.

I started by connecting with Metro Tours on the Internet. Deigo Zapata, a travel expert, was extremely helpful with suggestions of what I would enjoy seeing after listening to my interests. He crafted an extremely wonderful tour.

All the accommodations Metro Tours selected for me were extremely comfortable and the old haciendas were so interesting and enjoyable. I never encountered a ghost like one of my tour guides teased me that I would. 😊

The guides and the drivers were extremely attentive to my safety. As a single woman traveling alone, I felt very secure.

I also felt safe when I had time to tour Quito alone during the daytime. Susy did an excellent job, showing me the historic quarter of Quito.

The tour guides were knowledgeable and answered my questions about Ecuadorian life and culture. I wish I could name all the tour guides and drivers, but I trust that Metro Tours has a record of their names because I cannot remember all their names. I am grateful for their first-rate professionalism.

I cannot say what was my favorite – I enjoyed learning about traditional weaving as well as the crafting of traditional instruments in Otavalo. I thoroughly enjoyed the windswept foothills of Cotopaxi and its lake. It was unusually windy the day we visited, but it was beautiful! I learned from my tour guide, Wilson, to ask the permission to visit the waters of Limpiopungo Lagoon in keeping with what the Indigenous people do and put water on my head to show respect for the privilege of being able to visit these places. I make this a practice now, so I do not take for granted the beauty of my homeland and the need to care of Pacha Mama in my corner of the planet.

Two nights at Mashpi Lodge were amazing! The aerial bicycle and aerial tram, the hike and cooling off with a swim in a pool beneath a waterfall, the hummingbirds feeding from my hands and the beautiful large weasel called the tayra were all unforgettable! The tour guides and lodge staff were impeccable.

The Ingapirca ruins were remarkably interesting. They are the Ecuadorian version of Machu Picchu in Peru. I learned how a people called the Cañari predated the Incas and designed with the natural contours of the landscape among other interesting information.

I will always remember and treasure the beauty of Ecuador and the warmth of its people. So glad I did it!

1. Very good size rooms
2. Very friendly staff
3.very good food
4. interesting lectures
5. excellent guides!!
6.well equipped ship ( snorkels, wet suits, kayaks, hot tub, and more)
7. Nice bar ( but no light drinks free as we were told before )
8. on "dry trips" guides should stop and make people drink more water. Too many people suffered from dehydrating. maybe have a people carry with them more water on the walks.
9/ Special thanks for letting us off on the Island of Santa Cruz, where our next part of our trip was.
10. All in all: Amazing!!