OUR TRIP TO ECUADOR WAS MEMORABLE

 

Thanks, Francisco Guayasamin, for making our trip to Ecuador memorable.
We appreciate you showing us around your beautiful country and teaching us about indigenous culture. You made our decision to stay in Ecuador an easy one!
We feel more at home here than in FL or NY.

Nic & Jim 

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING

 

Thanks again for everything,  Francisco! You are incredible
(as a friend, a guide and a queer hero)

and we cannot wait to get to spend time with you again!

You gave us everything we had hoped for and so much more!
Thanks SO much!

Cody & Amy

HE IS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE HISTORY AND INTERESTING POINTS ABOUT THE SITES VISITED

I can say nothing but wonderful things about the time I spent with Francisco Guayasamin,
my tour guide for the past few days, and his wonderful driver, Miltón. 

Francisco acted as my tour guide on my first visit to Ecuador and Quito in October 2024 and was wonderful as the first Ecuadorian person I met here. I have since moved to Ecuador and he recently served as my guide on a drive from Quito to Riobamba. Such a pleasure to cross paths once again.
And I look forward to taking advantage of his services in the future, as well, as I get more settled into my new life here in Cuenca, especially as I eventually spend more time exploring more of
Quito and its surrounding sites and areas of interest.  

If you would like to know more about the types of tours that Francisco has to offer
(and I’m here to tell you that he is VERY knowledgeable about the history and interesting
points about the sites visited), please check out his website:
ECUADOR GAY TOUR GUIDE (ecuagaytourguide.blogspot.com)

* Richard Schlattmann

   Montana - U.S.A 

HE HAS MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION

 

We had a wonderful time with Francisco. He is both informative and fun.
Very flexible, we told him certain things we wanted to see and he adapted the itineraries.
He is a personal guide so it is only you and those travelling with you.
Made us have a very good impression of Quito.
In total we spent three great days going to old town, museums,
Pichincha volcano, and a tour outside Quito to Cotopaxi national park.
Has my highest recommendation.

Eric & Antonio 

Spain.

FABULOUS TIME WITH LOTS OF LAUGHS

Francisco not only put together a great itinerary at short notice and booked my Galapagos excursions for me, he also helped look after me a lot after.

I sprained my ankle hiking, checking in to make sure,  I needed anything and rearranging my bookings so I could continue with my trip. 

Booking trips with Fransisco and Victor not only means you will see the best of Quito during your visit, it also means you will have a fabulous time with lots of laughs. I’m looking forward to my next visit.

Kurt Macintosh
New Zeland

WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND FRANCISCO´S SERVICES

 

This is written to recommend the guide services offered by Francisco Guayasamin, who showed us Quito and its environs for several days and accompanied us on a day trip to a shrine church, Las Lajas, built in a gorge over the Guaitara River in Ipiales, Columbia.  The day trip included a visit to Ecuador’s Otavalo Market and the Municipal Cemetery in Tulcan, which is known for its topiaries.  Three of us had come to Ecuador to visit Tom, a retiree friend who lives there, and is the one who found Francisco through Francisco’s website. 

Francisco suggested we tour Quito’s historic district for our first day.  Quito, a North/South-oriented city, hugs the Andes traversing its peaks.  The old town contained its historic center with several churches, and we visited a number them: La Campania, a beautifully appointed Jesuit Baroque church is quite ornate and covered in gold leaf and La Basilica del Voto Nacional.  What was most appreciated was Francisco emphasis on how the Church interacted with the indigenous population and how these structures represented themes that the indigenous found meaningful to them, including the local fauna.

On subsequent days we visited a few museums, one emphasizing indigenous art (La Casa de Albabado), which is maintained in a beautifully restored building which was once a house.  We also saw some of Ecuador’s more modern art, visiting the exquisitely appointed home of Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuador’s most recognized modern artist, and his Chapel of Man, which contains several of his paintings.  Francisco also took us to an Inca ruin, which represented a border area of that Empire, and a local site on the Equator which demonstrated several phenomena experienced on and slightly north or south of that line.  While several of these sights can be found in the guidebook, value was also found in Francisco’s diverting from the beaten path.  His deep knowledge of his city allowed us to see some of its more remote treasures and his knowledge of shopping opportunities provided access which we would not have come upon through our own explorations.  He also was helpful in ferreting out store opening times and in negotiation with Its merchants. 

In sum, we can highly recommend Francisco’s services and note that the costs associated with them were more than reasonable.  

EVERETT HUGHES

HIS RECOMMENDATIONS WERE SPOT ON

 

I’ve known Fransisco for about 15 years. He has helped me with my travels to Ecuador each time I visit. I was there again last week. We visited the Papallacta Thermal Springs, The Middle of the World, and had a fantastic 12 course dinner at Nuema to name but a few. His recommendations were spot on. 

The driver, Victor, he organized, was there for our day trips and also round trip from the airport.
Both of them is very knowledgeable and took very good care of us.
I completely recommend them for anybody’s travel needs.
I’m looking forward to my next visit. Hopefully I will have more time then.

Jonathan from Cape Town, South Africa.

MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

 

ARE YOU LOOKING AN LGBTQ FRIENDLY TOUR GUIDE IN ECUADOR?

                                    

If so, I’d like to recommend the services of Francisco Guayasamin. He is an amazing tour guide for members of our community and I feel fortunate someone recommended him to me as I was planning my first trip to Ecuador. I can’t possibly say enough great things about Francisco.

I had never been out of the US before this trip and Francisco’s help really put me at ease. Over a series of messages back and forth he proposed (and we refined) an itinerary for my visit. Francisco even offers a pick up service at the airport. After nervously making my way through customs (it was my first time and turned out not to be a big deal) it was so comforting to see a familiar and friendly face waiting for me.

The goal of my trip is to see Ecuador with a focus on where I’d like to settle when moving here early in 2023. The first few days I wanted to get to know the Quito area and Francisco set up the perfect itinerary. He recommended a private apartment in a safe neighborhood of Quito and arranged for a driver during our time together, picked me up at the airport and delivered me to the apartment… and then a quick dinner.

Francisco clearly loves introducing people to this beautiful country, but if you are just looking for a guide who will point at an attraction and say “look… there’s the Basilica de Voto Nacional…” as you walk by, then Francisco is not your guy. 

As we approached the Basilica on our walking tour of Quito, Francisco stopped to point out an interesting feature of the architecture. Most cathedrals feature gargoyles as part of the adornment. 

On this building the first level is adorned with animals native to Ecuador - instead of gargoyles. On the second level there are birds. And he explained why this is the case. This is just a small example of how he explains what Ecuador is about and why.

If you’d like to include something special in your trip (I wanted to buy a Panama hat) just let him know. He will do his best to accommodate your request.

* Kendel Joyce

Here is a link to his blog… 

https://ecuagaytourguide.blogspot.com/

PROUD GAY TOUR OPERATOR IN ECUADOR

  

In the spirit of celebrating PRIDE 🏳️‍🌈, I want to shout out and HIGHLY RECOMMEND Francisco Guayasamin who serves as a PROUD GAY TOUR OPERATOR in Ecuador. Francisco listened to my lengthy list of interests, in and outside of Quito, and coordinated two fantastic days of sightseeing. From a day of photographing Quito from the mountains surrounding the capital, including riding a cable car to the foothills of a volcano above the city, to traveling south and hiking down and out a lagoon inside a caldera, to laughing out loud talking about gay life, I can’t speak highly enough about Francisco. He’s awesome and I can’t wait to hire his services again, when my siblings and I travel together, back to the motherland. Gracias, Francisco!  - Turismo GAY en Ecuador

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Robbie Santillan who drove me around during my week-long stay. Not only is Robbie a consummate professional but he is a gay social activist extraordinaire!  Robbie is one of the founders of Quito’s Gay Pride, and he started a Gay Arts & Sports organization too!  Who knows, maybe he’ll start Front Runners Ecuador!  Great things are on the horizon for Robbie, and I’m grateful for our new found friendship.

ALEX ROSERO
New York

I LOVED LEARNING ABOUT THE COUNTRY THROUGHT A QUEER LENS.

 

Francisco and Victor were instrumental in making sure I had a great time during my visit to Ecuador. I travelled solo and did little research before arriving, but thankfully Francisco took care of everything and planned a wonderful two-day itinerary for us to explore Quito and Cotopaxi. He was prompt, friendly, fun, and always made sure we had a great time. He also shared information about his early activism in the Ecuadorian LGBTQ+ scene and I loved learning about the country through a queer lens. I will definitely reach out to Francisco the next time I'm in Ecuador and encourage anyone planning a trip there to do the same - you will be happy you did, and you'll make a new friend, too!

Christopher Wannamaker
Cánada

UN VIAJE INNOLVIDABLE EN ECUADOR

"Gracias Francisco por un viaje fantástico y entrañable por Ecuador.
Lo pasamos muy bien, fue una manera amena de conocer tu país.
Fue un viaje inolvidable.

Hemos viajado por todo el mundo, pero todos los guías siguen un formato igual casi en todas partes.
Solo te llevan a sitios turísticos y para comer, solo donde ellos ganan comisiones.

Tú eres diferente. Tu manera de guiar es muy cercana, personalizada y humanizarte. 
Contigo realmente pudimos experimentar lo que es ser ecuatoriano.

Para los turistas  gays tienes un gran carisma y una muy buena manera de tratar a la gente.
Encontramos en ti una persona culta con una preparación y conocimiento de su país muy profunda.

Para quienes realmente deseen conocer el Ecuador, Francisco Guayasamin es el guía ideal.

Jeffrey Saez y Antonio Burgos. 
GIBRALTAR

 

GUÍA DE TURISTAS DE "PRIMERA CLASE" EN ECUADOR

Francisco Guayasamin  preparo todo nuestro tour en Ecuador, desde Hoteles 5 estrellas, transporte privado, guianza, comida en los más bellos restaurantes. Toda la organización de nuestras vacaciones en Ecuador la dejamos en sus manos y tanto yo y mi pareja disfrutamos al máximo este fabuloso viaje que siempre lo guardare de mi memoria.

Sus conocimientos sobre todo lo que refiere a turismo de su país son impresionantes y su guianza es interactiva. Uno jamás se aburre como lo hace con otros guías de turismo. Lo que más le intereso es que nosotros tuviéramos una experiencia de lo que es el real Ecuador.

Francisco fue nuestro guía personalizado y en todo el trayecto se adaptó a nuestras exigencias y necesidades buscando sobre todo que nosotros nos sintiéramos de maravilla en este Ecuador fantástico y diverso.

JAVIER ZAPATA
Panamá

 

WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME.

 

Francisco, thank you so much for a wonderful two days in Ecuador.
We had a wonderful time with you guys and appreciate you showing us around this beautiful country.  Hope to see you again soon!

Kevin & Turner 

FRANCISCO GUAYASAMIN IS DEFINITELY THE BEST

 

I have done quite a bit of traveling throughout South America, including Ecuador, where Francisco served as my tour guide. I enjoyed my visit so much that I returned just last year.

If you plan to visit Ecuador and are looking for a guide who specializes in gay tourism, then Francisco Guayasamin is definitely among the best. He knows all of the places to go for sightseeing during the day and fun times at night. Aside from being an excellent tour guide, Francisco is really a great guy personally. If you travel Ecuador with Francisco Guayasamin as your guide, you will be extremely satisfied.

Walter Wilson

Washington D.C

¡HE IS AMAZING AND HIS INSIGHT AND HISTORY KNOWLEDGE IS SO ENLIGHTENING!

 

Ecuador was not on my radar or bucket list, but traveled there for business
and hired Francisco for 2 days. They turned out to be some of the best 2 days of my life!!!
He is amazing and his insight and history knowledge is so enlightening! 

I plan to go back for my 65 birthday and spend a week, if I can book him!!! 

Thank you Francisco! 

You were God's gift to me at the time i needed you! 

Lee Jones, 

Palm Beach, Florida

IT WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE

 

We just had the most wonderful trip to Mindo.
We rang in the New Year, spending days on either side seeing all Mindo had to offer,
and a bit of pieces of Quito.

Our guide was Francisco Guayasamin who worked with us to determine what we wanted to explore.
It was an amazing experience.
This is a photo he took of me at the Mariposario de Mindo.
Cannot recommend him and his friend Victor Cevallos more!

Lje Bear

I ALSO LOVE GUIDING STRAIGHT PEOPLE IN ECUADOR

 

Yes! , Francisco Guayasamin is amazing! 

Thanks for hanging out with us! 

Enjoyed your company, 

your vast knowledge of Ecuadorian history, 

your fabulous designer sister and her shop, 

and dining with you and a beautiful view! 

I love Francisco.
He’s so knowledgeable and interested in so many things from art to culture,
history and geology/geography!
He’s a pleasure to hang out with and knows the interesting nooks and crannies of his country.
❤️ can’t wait to visit again!

Anne Civetta

U.S.A.

HE IS THE BEST TOUR GUIDE IN ECUADOR

Francisco Guayasamin is the best tour guide in Ecuador!
He planned my stay and travelled with me to many cities, towns, mountains and beaches.

People with other tour guides stopped to listen to Francisco because of his knowledge. 

Looking a someone to set up your Ecuador itinerary and be your travel guide? 

Contact Francisco!

Nelson Gabriel Sears.

U.S.A. 

 

I HAD THE BEST TIME WITH THEM

Francisco is amazingly knowledgeable! You’ll learn so crazy much! 

I spent 2 1/2 days with Francisco and Victor and had the BEST time with them!
They were so much fun, caring, knowledgeable! Amazing! And, I’m straight!
Lol! Makes no difference! 

Love you both! 💙

Jan Harr

 

HE REALLY KNOWS THE HISTORY OF QUITO.

 

We had a fantastic time in Quito thanks to our very knowledgeable guide  Francisco Guayasamin!
He took us to all the cool sites around the city.
Great views of Quito from restaurants and the cable car.
He really knows the history of Quito and we highly recommend him!!

CARLTON & ROBERT
U.S.A. 

A SECOND TIME IN ECUADOR

 

Francisco guided the three of us to some of

the most beautiful places in Ecuador.

It was Francisco's knowledge of Ecuador

which brought me back a second time to see even more!

Mark A. Brousseau

A GREAT AND KNOWLEDGEABLE GUIDE IN ECUADOR

 

Francisco is A GREAT AND KNOWLEDGEABLE GUIDE with great contacts throughout Ecuador. His English is excellent and his Passion for his country is unparalleled.

He introduced us to Ecuador in 2014 and we continue to have great memories of that trip.

Joe and Dan Capps

PROUD GAY TOUR OPERATOR IN ECUADOR

 

In the spirit of celebrating PRIDE 🏳️‍🌈, I want to shout out and HIGHLY RECOMMEND Francisco Guayasamin who serves as a PROUD GAY TOUR OPERATOR in Ecuador. Francisco listened to my lengthy list of interests, in and outside of Quito, and coordinated two fantastic days of sightseeing. From a day of photographing Quito from the mountains surrounding the capital, including riding a cable car to the foothills of a volcano above the city, to traveling south and hiking down and out a lagoon inside a caldera, to laughing out loud talking about gay life, I can’t speak highly enough about Francisco. He’s awesome and I can’t wait to hire his services again, when my siblings and I travel together, back to the motherland. Gracias, Francisco!  - Turismo GAY en Ecuador

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Robbie Santillan who drove me around during my week-long stay. Not only is Robbie a consummate professional but he is a gay social activist extraordinaire!  Robbie is one of the founders of Quito’s Gay Pride, and he started a Gay Arts & Sports organization too!  Who knows, maybe he’ll start Front Runners Ecuador!  Great things are on the horizon for Robbie, and I’m grateful for our new found friendship.

ALEX ROSERO

New York

A WONDERFUL TOUR GUIDE IN ECUADOR

 

Thank you for being such a wonderful guide

and keeping us safe and well fed.❤️

Larry Gershberg

Tour operado por www.ecuadorpridetravel.com  

A GREAT TOUR GUIDE IN ECUADOR

 

Thanks Francisco for being such a great tour guide in Ecuador.

We’ll definitely recommend you to any friends visiting Quito in the future.

Take care and big hugs

Jorge Paneto

Tour operado por: www.ecuadorgaytravel.com

FRANCISCO HAS ASSISTED MANY GAY EXPATS AND THEY CONTINUE TO GO TO HIM

 

Francisco Guayasamin was our guide while in Ecuador. Yes, he knew his the culture and politics very well with various options for travel and lodging. He gave Alex and me a plethera of activities to experience while in Ecuador.

He is a marvelous guide. He knows a lot about tourism but he is quite knowledgeable about becoming a citizen and getting a bank account. What is happening is lawyers are hiking their prices on wealthy EXPATS and expats who have property are taking advantage of expats who are moving their as they are pushing cost up. He has assisted many gay expats and they continue to go to him for things they don't understand. He refers to the expats as his children.

I like Alausi which is a small town in the highlands. I love Cuenca, which is in the highlands (about 8,200 ft. above sea level) offers more activity and gay community. I went to their Gay Pride Celebration while there.

Talk with Francisco to see how he can accommodate you. He more than met my expectations. He had an agenda to follow BUT he was flexible as we made changes in some areas which I don't regret. We were together night and day for 15 days. He is more like extended family. (He introduced a handsome professional man to me and we hit it off.) Ecuadorians are kind, loving, and accommodating people.

I like the people that Francisco introduced to me. They are all professional and friendly. Thank you for the experiences you gave me, oh!!! and the handsome cyclist, unforgettable.

Glenn Owen   

TOUR GUIDE AND A HELPER TO MOVING TO ECUADOR

 

My name is Al Walles.  I am an American living in Quito, Ecuador. 

I have known Francisco Guayasamin for just over a year now.

Francisco Guayasamin  has helped me find an apartment, has given me tours of Quito and the Mitad del Mundo (The Middle of the World park at the Equator), and has helped me many times with medical problems that I have had.  He has accompanied me to doctors, translated for me and even helped me at home when I was laid up with a broken leg.

I have talked with many people who have used him for a tour guide and everyone 

I have talked with seemed to be very happy with him.  I also know one man who bought a condo down here with Francisco’s help.  Francisco assisted him in finding the condo and getting him together with an attorney and even ran some papers around to get them certified for the lawyer.

I would recommend Francisco to anyone who comes to Ecuador as a tour guide and as a helper with moving here and setting up you life as a retiree.

AL WALLES

Las Vegas - U.S.A.

SERVICES, PRODUCTS AND EVENTS FOR THE GAY COMMUNITY IN ECUADOR.

 

"Francisco Guayasamin" is a gay english-speaking licensed tour guide with twenty years' experience in tourism. He is the founder of Grupo Pais Canela which offers services, products and events for the gay community in Ecuador.

His tours cover all tastes and budgets for whatever kind of nature, culture or adventure trip in Ecuador. Highly recommended.

Ian Wilcock

EXCELLENT GAY TOUR GUIDE IN ECUADOR

 

I have done quite a bit of traveling throughout South America, including Ecuador, where Francisco served as my tour guide. I enjoyed my visit so much that I returned just last year. 

If you plan to visit Ecuador and are looking for a guide who specializes in gay tourism, then Francisco Guayasamin is definitely among the best. He knows all of the places to go for sightseeing during the day and fun times at night. Aside from being an excellent tour guide, Francisco is really a great guy personally. If you travel Ecuador with Francisco Guayasamin as your guide, you will be extremely satisfied.

Walter Wilson

Washington D.C

HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE AREA AND ECUADOR IS PHENOMENAL.

 

If anyone is planning to tour Quito or planning to move to Quito I highly recommend Francisco Guayasamin.

In May I hired him to be the tour guide for me and a friend. He did an excellent job.

His knowledge of the area and Ecuador is phenomenal.

Over the past three days he assisted me in searching for an apartment. He was with me through the entire process of looking for availability in the area, meeting with potential landlords, preparing the Lease documents, accompanying me to have the Lease notarized and filed properly, and he made sure that everything was legal according to local laws.

You will not be disappointed!

Here we are  after my landlord handed over the keys to my new apartment in Quito.

Howard Woods

I´M SURE THINKING ABOUT MOVING THERE

 

I was continuously surprised and pleased by all the places we visited. Adding to an eye-opening adventure I really enjoyed Francisco Guayasmin's great company, practicality and sense of humor. l feel like I made a friend in Ecuador and I will be back to see more of Ecuador, I am sure thinking about moving there.

Thanks Francisco.

A WONDERFULL ASSET FOR ECUADOR MEDICAL TOURISM

Francisco was a wonderfull assett.

He was invaluable at the dentist , optometrist and pharmacy.

He is very knowledgeable with all things in Quito.

We will definitely look for him again when we visit again Ecuador.

Arthur Colins 

FOR THE BEST TOUR GUIDE IN QUITO...

For the best tour guide in Quito contact Francisco Guayasamin. He has unlimited knowledge of the area. I have lived in Ecuador almost five years. I learned more from Francisco, during the three days with him, than I learned on my own. He’s honest, dependable, and his prices are a great value. I highly recommend him.

Howard Woods

THE BEST TOUR GUIDE IN ECUADOR EVER!

 

“Francisco Guayasamin”  was the best tour guide EVER!

We had such an amazing time in Quito and learned so much about the city and the people.

He’s amazing and has taught us a lot about the indigenous culture and the history of the city!!

Very affordable, accommodating and flexible!! Thank you so much!!!

Tiffany Page

THE SERVICE WAS EXCELENT

The service with Byron  and Francisco From  was excellent.

Francisco was very helpful and explained everything cearly in English

making the border crossing much less confusing than it would have otherwise been.

The border crossing was not too long and the drive has been smooth and confortable.

Thanks...

Pierre Lam Shang Leen

SCOTLAND

WOW!!! Just Wow !

Such amazing service, looked very looked after especially as a famale solo traveller

crossing a busy border.

Would recommend to friends.

MERINDAH FUNNELL

Australia

Pic: Me and my driver  guiding straight tourist

 

WE´D RECCOMMEND FRANCISCO GUAYASAMIN TO ANY TRAVELLER VISITING ECUADOR

 

In our recent trip to Ecuador, we hired Francisco Guayasamin while we were in Quito.

He proved to be highly personable man who knows many interesting stories and retains a detailed knowledge of Ecuadorian culture and history.

With Francisco we enjoyed browing crafts markets, watched folk dancers, trekked up the nearby volcano ( whisch almost ripped our lungs out)

and travelled throught the middle of the world and back.

These were all made effortless and fun because Francisco speaks the language,

knows the customs, and suggest the options that will best suit cusomes.

We´d reccommend Francisco Guayasamin to any traveller visiting Ecuador for the first time.

After that, you´ll naturally want to see him again on a return visit.

DARREN & ROWAN

Canada

I TOTALLY RECOMMEND HIM FOR ALL YOUR TRAVEL NEEDS

 

From the moment Fransisco Guayasamin met me at the airport in Quito he was incredible.

Took me to the hotel that he found me.

Perfect, great location. He took me on tours;

The Middle of the World, Cotopaxi, the old town etc.

Took me to local restaurants, shopping for the best deals.

He had an answer or solution for everything I wanted. Even found me a dentist.

Now he is assisting me with some translation work.

Currently he's planning my next trip to Ecuador in a few weeks,

and will even assist me in finding an apartment when I move there in a few months.

I totally recommend him for all your travel needs.

JOHANN ROUSSEAU

South Africa

MY AWESOME TOUR GUIDE IN ECUADOR

 

A friend recommended a tour guide that he had used in Quito and I sent him an e-mail since

I was going to be pretty much lost and alone in Ecuador.

He turned out to be a really great guy and I want to recommend him to others.

He works as a guide with his travel company.

He will stay with you from morning until night if you want and he knows everything about Quito.

He also helped me save money in the markets, etc. He charges $ 9 per hour.

You would be expected to treat him to lunch during the day, but he took me to places where locals go that only cost about $2 including everything. I strongly and warmly recommend him.

His name is Francisco Guayasamin and you can e-mail him at canelatravel@gmail.com .

He also traveled with me to Baños Ecuador and found me a great  hotel!!!

MAYNARD DODSON

U.S.A.

ECUADOR THROUGH AN ECUADORIAN´S EYES

Francisco Guayasamin was an amazing guide. He showed us Ecuador through an Ecuadorian´s eyes. 

So we had no prepackaged expensive tours.  His knowledge of , and enthusiasm for his country made our trip truly memorable. 

There is no way we could have experienced the wonderful places and things we did with out him.

Thank you so much for all you did for us and for the fabulous tour of Ecuador. 

We had such an incredible time and look forward to returning.

Again, thank you so much and we are so glad 

we have a new friend named Francisco Guayasamin.

David Beckwith

Elvis Presley Enterprises

Los Angeles

 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

Francisco Guayasamin is a gay english-speaking licensed tour guide with twenty years' experience in tourism. He is the founder of GRUPO PAÍS CANELA which offers services, products and events for the gay community in Ecuador. 

His tours cover all tastes and budgets for whatever kind of nature, culture or adventure trip in Ecuador. Highly recommended.

See website for full range of travel opportunities

Ecuador Gay Tours

Ian Wilcock

THE BEST ECUADOR TOUR GUIDE EVER

Francisco,

I want to thank you again.
You are the best tour guide ever.

I am telling everybody about your professional and courteous service and your affordable rates.

Don Martin

 

AWESOME!!!

 

My friends, 

You have to go to this website.  Meet this wonderful, honest, travel guide, (one on one),

real estate prefessional, and great easy-going person to spend time in the Equador

Americans don't know about.

I can tell you personally that our idea of Ecuador is jaded.

So... also, you can find him on facebook as @ecuagaytravel

His name is Francisco Guayasamin, and e-mail: canelatravel@gmail.com 

Plan an awesome and inexpensive time just 3 and 1/2 hrs south of Miami. 

Culture, history, and Fun.

Thomas David Rosenberger

A GREAT TRIP TO ECUADOR

 

Recently, my brother and I took a vacation to Ecuador.  Neither of us had been there before and our goal was to see the exciting and beautiful sites of Ecuador, but also to become familiar with the different peoples and customs of Ecuador and to observe their everyday lives and routines as they went about their daily activities.  We wanted to see how it would be to live in Ecuador as a resident of the country.

    While planning the trip, my brother happened across the website of Francisco Guayasamin, a professional tour guide in Quito, Ecuador.  He emailed the site and found Francisco to be very friendly.  After several discussions, we decided that a guide would be very helpful if we were to experience as much as we would like during the 2 weeks that we had for our trip.  After email discussions with Francisco to express what we wanted to do on our trip, he submitted a proposal for a trip itinerary, which we discussed and modified several times until we finally developed the actual trip itinerary.

    We arrived at the Quito airport around 9:30 pm.  Francisco met us at the airport and accompanied us to our hotel which he had arranged for us.  Our Spanish is very minimal, and from the time we hailed a taxi to take us to the airport, Francisco, who speaks English quite well, was our interpreter.  That skill was extremely valuable to us during the entire trip.  It also gave us the opportunity to practice our limited Spanish speaking abilities while being secure that Francisco would keep us out of trouble if we said something wrong, which I did frequently.  Of course, we understood even less than we spoke, so Francisco’s help with language was a major benefit to having him as our guide. 

    From the day we arrived, Francisco was with us every day.  He had made arrangements for activities, accommodations, and travel needs.  We followed our itinerary, but also made small adjustments as we felt like doing so.  We traveled from Quito through the high country to Banos, Alausi, and Cuenca, including smaller towns in between.  We took some back roads which offered many interesting sites including volcanic lava flows, absolutely beautiful scenery of the Andes mountains, waterfalls, and rivers, as well as views of the rural life of farmers and residents outside the cities.  We also traveled on nice newer highways, through the valleys, and in the clouds.  The roads are sometimes rough, but always winding.  I was glad that Francisco had arranged for a driver and vehicle for us so we did not have to drive.  Having the driver allowed us to concentrate on seeing the sites, and our luggage was secure while we traveled from hotel to hotel.  The driver was also very friendly and we enjoyed the company as we rolled down the road.  We asked every question that came to mind, and Francisco answered them all.  We found him to be very knowledgeable about any aspect of his country.  We discussed the many indigenous peoples of Ecuador, the history from the time the Spaniards arrived in the 1500’s, the current government, and the many influences of the Catholic Church, and of course toured many beautiful cathedrals built under the guidance of the Church and architects brought from Europe.  Francisco knows all regions of the country and can educate you about them all.  We did not visit the Amazon region because of time constraints, but did get a very good tour of the highlands and coastal regions.   

    After leaving Cuenca, we drove to Guayaquil, and then up the coast the Puerto Lopez and towns in-between.  We passed banana plantation, coffee plantations, cocoa plantations, and of course saw beautiful beaches.  We stopped anywhere along the way we chose, and enjoyed the flexibility we had by having a dedicated driver and vehicle. A day on the beach at Puerto Lopez was relaxing and beautiful.  We toured other towns along the beach after leaving Puerto Lopez and enjoyed the sites and activities in each.  Even with various changes my brother and I made to the itinerary, Francisco altered hotel arrangements as needed and kept us on schedule to be back in Quito the day before we returned to the U.S.A.  We relaxed the last day in Quito, visited some craft shops that Francisco told us about in Quito, had a leisurely meal at a very modern shopping mall in Quito, and visited the botanical gardens.

    Our trip to Ecuador accomplished everything we expected and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.  Francisco was very instrumental in making our trip successful. He is honest, friendly, extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of Ecuador, and fun to travel with.  I highly recommend him as a guide if you are taking a trip to Ecuador.  He is very flexible and will spend as much time with you as  you want, from 1 day to your entire trip if you desire.  You may contact him through his website.  He is NOT a high pressure salesman and he will respond to your email in a friendly and courteous manner.

 I hope you have a nice vacation to Ecuador.

Rick Bettes

Texas, U.S.A

HE WAS ABLE TO SHOW ME THE REAL ECUADOR

 

"I am so happy that I found "Francisco Guayasamin" on the internet and hired him as my guide to Ecuador! Not only is he a very personable and friendly guy, he is extremely knowledgeable about his country and very enthusiastic about sharing it with people. His input in developing an itinerary was very helpful; and his ability to be flexible with that itinerary and make last minute changes as we went along was vital to our trip's success. He is able to accommodate a variety of special interests, including glbt and nudist activities which were aspects of Ecuador life that I wanted to explore.

"Francisco Guayasamin" was able to show me the real Ecuador.

Thanks to Francisco, my trip was very informative and productive, and helped me to develop an intelligent impression of the country based on actual observation and experience as opposed to internet hype. I would not have accomplished nearly as much on my trip had I not had Francisco with me.

If you are planning a trip to Ecuador,

I highly recommend you have Francisco show it to you.

He is worth every penny!"

DAN  BETTES

New York 

EXCELLENT TOUR GUIDE TO ECUADOR

 

I can vouch for "Francisco Guayasamin "as a truly excellent guide to Ecuador -

in our case, to Quito and its surroundings.

We had planned to hire him for only one day,

but he was SO knowledgeable and friendly that we booked additional days with him. 

(BTW, we are not part of the gay community, but are very supportive!)

Rich Way

THANKS FOR LETTING ME VISIT AND SEE SOME AMAZING PLACES

 

I want to thank my very kind guide Francisco Guayasmin. He not only got me around to some wonderful places I had no idea existed, he was a shoulder to lean on when my feet hurt too much, a grocery shopper and nurse when I ummm well ate the wrong things.

If you are going to ...Ecuador work with Francisco Guayasamin, (friend him at Ecuador Gay Tour Guide) to plan any kind of trip you wish to take, highlands or Galapagos Islands or the Amazon he will get you there.

Second the staff at the hotel was wonderful, my lousy Spanish skills made it hard to share but they were there when I needed help and this is one nice place for 42 dollars a night. 

And finally, Ecuador thanks for letting me visit and see some amazing places, great talent, good art, wonderful smiles, good food and a wonderful example of a working Democracy dealing with the challenges of providing services to the people and participating in the global community. 

I hope to go back so now it is time to figure out how to get these feet to cooperate with my ambitions.

BOB DOYLE

PERSONABLE GUIDE OF MAJOR SIGHTS IN ECUADOR

 

"My daughter and I were on a Tour and chose Francisco Guayasamin at random from a listing in a popular Tour Guide (could have been Lonely Planet or something similar).

We were not disappointed, as Francisco showed up on time and proved to be a most interesting, educated, and personable guide of major sights in Ecuador. He even selected a great (non-tourist) restaurant for lunch and made sure we returned to our hotel in time to depart with our tour. He is a gentleman and a scholar: heartily recommended as a tour guide."

Categoría de servicio: tour guide

Año de primera contratación: 2006

Sus mejores cualidades: Grandes resultados, Experto, Gran integridad

Elizabeth Korosec