Last updated: 3 September 2026

This Booking & Travel Policy (“Policy”) applies when Ecuador Lifetime Experience (“we”, “us”, “our”) plans or operates a journey for you in Ecuador. It should be read with your written quotation and our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

We do not publish a single public price list. Each trip is quoted for your dates, group, and regions. Where this Policy and a quotation differ, the quotation wins for that booking.

1. How a booking is made

1. You enquire by email, WhatsApp, telephone, or the Site.
2. We send a written quotation (email is enough) describing the itinerary outline, inclusions, exclusions, a price or price range, the deposit, the balance due date, and any non-refundable items we already know about (for example certain yacht departures or park fees).
3. The quotation is an offer. It is valid for the period stated on it, or 14 days if no period is stated, and may be withdrawn earlier if a supplier withdraws space.
4. A contract is formed when you accept the quotation in writing and pay the deposit specified in it (or the full amount if the quotation says so). Until then we may re-quote.

2. What we arrange — and what we do not

We design the journey and book third-party services on your behalf: lodges, yachts, transfers, guides, domestic flights when included, and park or permit logistics. We are not the lodge, the yacht owner, the airline, or the park authority. Those suppliers perform the services under their own rules.

Unless the quotation says otherwise, international flights to and from Ecuador, travel insurance, personal spending, visas, and tips are not included.

3. Prices and payment

Prices are in the currency shown on the quotation (usually US dollars). They may change before you accept if a supplier or tax changes. After acceptance, the price is fixed except for:

• changes you request;
• government taxes, park fees, or fuel surcharges that a supplier is legally entitled to pass on;
• errors that are obvious (we will explain and you may cancel that item without penalty if the corrected price is materially higher).

Pay by the method named on the invoice (typically bank transfer). Do not send card numbers over WhatsApp. You are responsible for transfer fees so that we receive the invoiced amount. A booking is not confirmed until the deposit clears.

4. Changes you request

Ask in writing. We will say whether the change is possible and what it costs, including supplier fees. Changing dates, yacht departures, or Galápagos logistics often means a new quotation. If you reduce the number of travellers after confirmation, unused places are treated as a partial cancellation of those places.

5. Cancellation by you

Cancel in writing. The following applies unless your quotation sets a different scale (yacht and Galápagos products often do):

• Before we have paid a supplier on your behalf and more than 60 days before the start date: we refund the deposit minus a planning fee of USD 150 per booking and any non-recoverable third-party charges already incurred.
• 59 to 31 days before start: 50% of the total quoted price is due (we retain that amount from sums paid and invoice any shortfall).
• 30 days or fewer, or no-show: 100% of the total quoted price is due.

Park fees, permit charges, scheduled yacht cabins, and many lodge peak-season nights are frequently non-refundable once reserved. Those amounts are never refunded when the supplier keeps them, regardless of the scale above. We will pursue a supplier refund on your behalf when their rules allow and pass through what we actually recover, minus reasonable bank fees.

6. Changes or cancellation by us

We may change an itinerary when a supplier fails, a park closes, weather or safety requires it, or a minimum number on a shared departure is not met. We will offer a reasonable alternative of similar standard or a refund of the unused portion we recover.

If we cancel the whole journey for a reason other than your breach or force majeure, you may choose a full refund of sums paid to us for that journey, or a new quotation. We are not liable for separately booked international flights or other arrangements you made outside our quotation.

7. Force majeure

We are not liable for failure or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to earthquakes, volcanic activity, floods, pandemic restrictions, strikes, war, terrorism, government acts, park closures, or airline grounding. In those cases we will work to rebook or recover funds from suppliers; we refund only what we actually recover, except where mandatory law says otherwise.

8. Unused services

If you cut a trip short or skip an included service, unused nights or activities are not refunded unless the supplier refunds us.

9. Travel documents, entry, and health

You must hold a passport valid for the period Ecuador and any transit country require, plus any visa. Galápagos and other protected areas have their own inspection and fee rules; you must follow them. You are responsible for vaccines, yellow-fever certificates if a destination requires one, and for judging whether altitude, heat, boats, or rainforest conditions suit you. We can describe typical conditions; we do not give medical advice. We may refuse to include an activity if a supplier or we reasonably believe it is unsafe for you.

10. Insurance

You must carry travel insurance that covers medical treatment, evacuation (including from Galápagos or the Amazon), cancellation, and adventure activities on your itinerary. Send us the policy number before travel if we ask. Travelling without adequate insurance is at your own risk.

11. Conduct

You must follow guide and park instructions, treat wildlife and communities with respect, and not behave in a way that risks the group or a supplier’s licence. We or a supplier may remove a traveller who refuses — unused services are then treated as a cancellation by you.

12. Minors

Anyone under 18 must travel with a parent or legal guardian, or with written authority the airline and we accept. The contracting adult accepts these terms for the minor.

13. Complaints

Raise an operational problem with your guide or lodge at the time so it can be fixed. Write to sales@ecuadorexperience.travel within 30 days after the journey ends if it was not resolved. We will investigate with the supplier and reply in writing.

14. Liability for the journey

Nothing in this Policy excludes liability that Ecuadorian law does not allow us to exclude. We take reasonable care in selecting suppliers. We are not liable for their acts or omissions except as mandatory consumer law provides. We are not liable for loss of enjoyment, missed international connections you booked yourself, or valuables you leave unattended. Our aggregate liability for a confirmed journey is limited to the amount you paid us for that journey, except for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or for fraud.

15. Governing law

This Policy and the booking contract are governed by the laws of the Republic of Ecuador. The courts of Quito, Pichincha, have jurisdiction, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer forum that applies to you.

16. Contact

Ecuador Lifetime Experience · Quito, Ecuador
sales@ecuadorexperience.travel · +593 2 739 351 · WhatsApp +593 996 687 121