I am writing to express my sincere appreciation for the outstanding service provided by our group manager, Javier, during my recent tour with your company. From the very beginning, Javier demonstrated exceptional professionalism, warmth, and dedication. They ensured that every member of our group felt welcomed, informed, and well taken care of. Whether it was coordinating logistics, offering helpful insights about each destination, or handling unexpected situations with calm and confidence, Javier consistently went above and beyond. Their enthusiasm and genuine passion for their work created a positive, enjoyable atmosphere throughout the trip. It was clear that they cared deeply about making the experience memorable for everyone, and their efforts did not go unnoticed. Because of Javier's outstanding leadership and the smooth, enjoyable experience overall, I will gladly recommend your company to others and look forward to traveling with you again in the future.

This was my first experience with Gate 1, and I will be back! I would first like to bring attention to our tour guide Javiar; he was amazing! I cannot recommend him enough. He was so knowledgeable about any question that was asked, he was incredible at translating all the time and must be one of the calmest and patient people I've ever met. I will be back just because of him. Yes, the experience was incredible, but it wouldn't have been as amazing without Javiar! This was a great trip to see a lot of the highlights Ecuador has to offer. I felt like the amount of time we spent at each location was just perfect. I can't wait to go on more tours!

The Aztec/Mayan Illumination Tour is one of the best Gate 1 tours I've taken. Julie was an outstanding Tour Manager. Her tour booklet provided vital information about the tour and the daily schedule. Her archaeological background added to a higher-level perspective on what we saw and experienced. I appreciated her "culinary tour of snacks", a real treat. Julie went the "extra kilometer" consistently. Jesus was an excellent driver--skilled, safe, and helpful. The hotels were great in all respects. The local guides were superb, adding greatly to our understanding. Their knowledge and passion for their towns were obvious. Highlights were the stop at the Anthropological Museum in Xalapa and the Hacienda de Pacho coffee farm. The local musicians who performed at our semi-final dinner in Chichen-Itza added greatly to our enjoyment and set a warm tone for the evening. A great tour! I highly recommend it!

The Aztec and Mayan Illumination tour was an exciting adventure and an excellent itinerary. Our tour manager Ivan was a very professional yet approachable tour director. His interpersonal skills were admirable, and his easy-going personality did not interfere with his efficient and effective tour direction. He was quite knowledge about the various stages of civilization and development of the Aztec and Mayan cultures that made Mexico the country we visited in 2025. The local tour guides introduced on our trips were highly prepared for their presentations with photos, diagrams and a wealth of history. Each guide introduced their location with a true love for the cultures they represented. Their overall knowledge of their subject was in depth. The stop for lunch and tour of the Pacho Nuevo hacienda was an interesting story of the other cultures in the area; that of the Europeans influence in and love of Mexico. I highly recommend this tour for all the reasons above. And our bus driver Eduardo/Lalo was an excellent driver and very helpful assisting the passengers on his motor coach.

Jose was exceptional! One of the top 5 we have had (being on over 25 Gate 1 trips that says a lot!) The bus driver, Felix, also was great! Manual, the Panama guide was VERY hard to understand, his skill of the English language was not good. It was a wonderful trip! The farm family lunch was highlight and great food! Loved all the boat rides. The tour and lunch with the Embera tribe was excellent, great fish!! We cannot wait for our next Gate 1 adventure.

Our trip was very good. We had the best Tour Manager, Giovanna, who was not only knowledgeable, but also very kind and helpful.

This was near or at the top of the list of all our tours, including several with Gate 1. Tour manager David was outstanding! I would recommend him without reservation!

I just wanted to send a message regarding our recent trip to Peru and the outstanding job that was done by our Tour Manager Washington. Simply "top notch" in all aspects! We couldn't have asked for a better guide! His personal attention to details and special needs of different guests was incredible! What a great reflection on Gate 1! I can't say enough about this wonderful trip that really was accomplished through the tremendous "people skills" of Washington. We learned, we explored, we had fun, and we became family all through his efforts. Safety was always at the top of his list and our trip was absolutely " Epic". Please pass on our thanks and appreciation for a job well done and let Senior Management know what a fine representation they have in Peru!

I would like to thank Gate 1 and Discovery Tours for the amazing experience we had on the 14 Day Peruvian Legends Tour. The itinerary was excellent and we especially appreciated the opportunities for cultural connections. The hotels and included meals were top notch. But what really made the tour exceptional was the Gate 1 staff. Our tour manager, Victor has excellent communication skills and made our group feel like a family. He helped us see his country through his eyes and made us feel very welcome. He went out of his way to make sure all our needs were taken care of throughout the tour. We had an amazing driver, Dante, who efficiently got us where we needed to be and made us feel safe. Our local guides, Liliana, David, and John Claude were all very knowledgeable and friendly.. Our first tour with Gate 1 was an adventure we will never forget and we look forward to our next opportunity to travel with Gate 1.

We had a great time with Belize and Guatemala! Our tour guy, Luis, is a gem. He worked hard keeping our group organized, on time, and safe with all our adventures. He's so proud of his country and thrilled to share his knowledge with us. We have traveled with Gate1 many times and I would have to say Luis is one of the best tour managers we've ever had. Gate1 is lucky to have him on the team. Belize was amazing. We learned about Laminai, the Mayan ancient ruins. We enjoyed the boat ride on the New River and identified all wildlife. Cay was wonderful at snorkeling, and the best was the cave tubing adventure! Guatemala exceeded our expectations with Tikal, Livingston, and especially Antigua! What a beautiful city! We were in awe seeing smoke coming out from the active volcano behind our hotel too. Thanks to all the local guides and drivers who helped with our tour, especially Oscar1, Oscar 2, Nate and others. Our group of 14 were harmonious. We formed many new friendships with lots of nice memories and lots of laughter. We really recommend everyone to book this tour. You won't regret it.

My trip was great and the tour guide Carlos was excellent. Very knowledgeable, courteous and friendly and helpful. Super organized. Really superb!

We just wanted to say more about our tour manager Virginia. She was very organized. She prepared us VERY WELL for every day of the trip. She went out of her way, for example, taking people shopping that didn't have the right gear for our excursions. She was very easy-going and never showed any frustration, she always had a smile. She was very helpful getting us an Uber for going back to the airport at the end of our trip. She called the driver to give him directions on how to approach the hotel as the street was closed. She did this for others as well who were leaving by Uber. I just can't say enough about her, she deserves a raise!

This trip was fantastic! I must highly commend Julia; she was an amazing travel manager. I felt very privileged to have had her as the tour manager for this trip! Her expansive knowledge base and personality, plus her experience as an Archeologist contributed to making this my best Gate1 trip so far. She is an asset to the Gate1 family in Mexico. She truly raised the bar of my expectations for travel managers for my future Gate1 trips. Thank you!

Most amazing trip and this was my 9th Gate 1trip, driver was amazing in those narrow streets and always had water and hand sanitizer ready and bus was clean, local guides were knowledgeable and interesting, tour manager Elvis showed his loved for Peru and kept harmony and in the group and kept us safe and informed. I lost my passport coming back from Machu Pichu and staff located it and arranged for the return that night which is amazing and is main reason I use gate 1 because I know they look out our health and safety. I am still amazed at what I saw and how I was taken care of for 14 days, well done!!!

Trip was excellent. NO issues. Tour Guide Clemente did an excellent Job. Very accommodating to all in the group. Will take another tour with him without a doubt. Excellent driver also. Very experience and awesome skills maneuvering on sometimes tough spots.

This was one of the best gate one discovery tours I have been on. Our guide Chris was exceptional.

We had an incredible trip on the Rocky Maintainer through the Canadian Rockies. We loved the two-day train trip and the beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains. We have always had good tour managers with Gate 1, but our tour director, Nancy, was the absolute BEST EVER. From our first meeting, she made sure we all felt a part of a family group and took care of every detail and then some. Nancy had great knowledge of the local flora and fauna, history of the area, wildlife and always had extra surprises for us along the way. She had incredible humor and kept us laughing the whole way. Hang on to her!! She made our trip special. We also had an incredible bus driver, Bruce, who also had great knowledge of the area and had wonderful stories to tell. It's the first time I've hugged the bus driver when our trip was over. If you ever get a chance, put the two of them together. What a team. They took good care of my husband who needed a cane. Every day the scenery was more beautiful than the last. Highlights of the trip were the train trip and the wonderful service by the staff, boat trip, glacier trip and gondola ride. What a beautiful area.

Our trip was fantastic! Our guide Marco was top notch. He accommodated our every need. He is a wealth of knowledge with history and stories of all the areas we visited. He gave us just the right amount of information about upcoming plans so that we weren't overwhelmed. It was a very active, busy trip with many modes of transportation, but we loved every minute of it. Thanks, to Marco & Gate 1.

The trip was amazing. It actually was so much more than what I expected. Our tour guide, Caroline, was so knowledgeable and fun. We had a great time meeting new people and going to places we would never have known about on our own.

Had a wonderful trip to Peru primarily due to our Gate 1 Tour Guide Abel. Abel has a deep knowledge of Peruvian History. He was caring & personable. Each day he took time to talk with everyone and ensure we were pleased, immediately reacted to any concerns. Abel exceeded my expectations by flawlessly handling each and every detail during my visit to Peru.

I wanted to take this opportunity to recognize our Guide Paul from Ecuador. He was absolutely superb and, in my opinion, made this trip a wonderful experience for the entire group. Paul is a really wonderful, warm, kind and caring person and he took the time and trouble to get to know each one of us and find out ways to support us during this trip. In the end, because of Paul's generosity and support, all 19 of us enjoyed being with each other and came together like one large happy family. I will always remember this trip and the way that Paul helped us create connections between everyone. Bravo Paul!

We had a wonderful time in Peru. Abel, our tour director, was in one word Fantastic! His managerial and problem-solving skills were excellent. His passion for his country was evident in the way he presented all information to us. He drew us together as a caring and cohesive group of friends. He was very much a part of that friendship. We have been on many tours, and I have to say that Abel was the best. Dante, our driver, was also excellent. Also, a big shoutout for Reuben, our assistant tour director, for his guidance and helping to make things go smoothly. The trip was a great experience in every respect.

Our Discovery trip to Mexico was FABULOUS! Bacio our guide was one of the best guides we have ever had and we travel A LOT! The itinerary was perfect and the small group made it that much better. Love Gate 1

Thank you and although it is nice to be home we had a fabulous trip. From the moment we arrived in NFLD until the day we left we had a fun, informative and fantastic time. Also met some new people and made new friends. So happy we booked this trip and thank you Gate 1 for making a trip I have been wanting to do for a while so stress free.

Just wanted to say Gary was the best tour manager we have experienced! He put safety first at all times and treated everyone in the group as part of his family. A very passionate and knowledgeable guide!

While I scored the maximum rating for our tour manager, the survey did not give me the opportunity to express how impressed my wife and I were regarding our tour manager, Edgar. Edgar's in-depth knowledge of history about not only Perú, but much of South America, was immeasurable. Not only ancient and modern history, but also culture and politics. Never have we had a guide in all the trips we have done over the years, that has left us with such a lasting impression. Finally. Edgar's constant care and wellbeing for his tour group were much appreciated.

This is the first group travel I have been on, and it was a wonderful experience! I will definitely consider Gate1 for my next trip. I really enjoyed the train and was very impressed with the service and food. Not having to deal with luggage at each hotel was such a pleasure. Just placing it inside the hotel room door and it magically appeared at the next stop! It's the little things that make a difference... I could not have asked for a better guide. Glenda was just super! She went over and above, always thinking about the small things to make the trip comfortable and memorable!

Our trip was fantastic! We enjoyed our visit to Ecuador. The Galapagos was the best part of the trip. Our naturalist guides, Peter and Darwin, were so knowledgeable and friendly. The hot springs in Papallacta were very relaxing along with the massage. The Amazon rainforest was such a great adventure. Our tour manager Wilson was one of the best we've ever had! He was very knowledgeable and so organized getting us through all the different modes of transportation. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone with the comment that it is a very active trip.

The Ecuador trip was absolutely OUTSTANDING, probably the best Gate 1 tour so far, because ALL of the experiences were so different: the Galapagos, the Quito/Andes area, AND the amazing Amazon Rain Forest. All the hotels were superb and the food uniformly excellent for every meal. Best of all was our Tour Manager Daniel who went above and beyond our expectations to make us feel safe and pampered every minute of every day! it was fun to have our local guide Alejandra be so well connected family-wise and well informed of the areas we visited.

Our Tour Manager, Giovanna is an Ecuadorian National Treasure. Her attention to detail, organizational skills, and overall passion for her country is outstanding. Her interaction with others our entire trip was one of respect and admiration. She is very well received and so in turn, so was our tour group. I highly recommend she receives either a huge raise and/or bonus! She is that great! This was a trip of our lifetime, we have never experienced anything like it before. The bar is pretty high up for future expectations but, we are interested in travelling with Gate 1 again, hopefully soon.

Our trip to Peru was better than we even imagined. Gary was an excellent guide. He went above and beyond to make sure we learned about and enjoyed Peru. We always had the feeling that he was always looking out for our safety and comfort while taking in all of the amazing sites and experiences throughout Peru. We are so thankful he was our guide. We also felt that we were in good hands with our driver, Mel. He was so kind as he greeted us each day and he stayed so calm in all driving situations. This was our first Gate1 experience. We look forward to traveling with Gate1 again.

My husband and I had an amazing trip to Costa Rica and Panama with Luis. He is an amazingly, knowledgeable guide of both Costa Rica and Panama. His personality makes everyone feel comfortable and sets a great tone for the entire group. We are happy he has his license now to be the tour guide in Panama! Our small Discovery group felt like a family, he was our friend and fearless leader!!!

We had a fabulous time on this trip and enjoyed seeing all the sites that Canada has to offer in this region. Gregg did a great job of guiding us and letting us know about each location we visited would highly recommend this trip to anyone.

We just completed our small group Peruvian tour and once again Gate 1 has exceeded expectations on a truly amazing travel experience! This is our 5th trip, but it won't be our last. Your tour directors are the best in the business. Whatever process you use to recruit, hire, train, mentor and retain your tour directors is working extremely well because each and every one we have had on each of our 5 trips has been top notch. They are master problem solvers and organizers, the best of the best! On this trip, Pavel was our tour director, and he was outstanding in every way. He's a true passionate professional and leader who shares a deep love and understanding of his home country of Peru. The bus drivers you use are also extremely professional and competent. They are the unsung heroes of these trips. In many of these countries the traffic is insane with terrible roads and infrastructure (Peru was no exception). Your bus drivers keep it together and keep all the passengers SAFE and CONFIDENT! Julio was our bus driver on this trip and this guy was rock solid, a true professional and very kind. Lucky to have him. That's it! See you next time.

Just want to take a moment to shout out to Victor, Julio, and Jimmy who took our trip from great to extraordinary. The best trip staff we've ever had & they worked so well together. Visiting the school was a highlight. Thank you!!

Wanted to let you know that this was one of the best trips we have ever been on with Gate 1. Very diverse areas of Ecuador was a great experience; the itinerary was full of extremely interesting exposure to the country/culture/people. A key to our experience was the engagement of a very passionate tour director - Wilson. He tended to every detail to ensure all the logistics happened as planned; there were a lot of moving pieces to manage throughout the trip. He was perfecto!!! Wilson is a tremendous ambassador for his country (Ecuador)- full of knowledge on most any topic and a great communicator possessing a great wit and a comfortable demeanor in dealing with the group. We enjoyed his company and learned a great deal. He was fun to be with. He made the difference in creating our great trip experience. Gate 1 is fortunate to have someone as talented as Wilson on the team. He is very well connected and respected by most all the locals at all places we visited. He is focused on ensuring all goes well with trip logistics, our satisfaction and safety. We were in good hands on a great trip. We just booked our next Gate 1 trip!!

This was a trip of a lifetime and met all expectations. Tour manager Wilson went above and beyond to be sure we had a great time. He is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his country which engaged us at all times. He is so personable, and it really showed at each location because all the locals we encountered just smiled and were so glad to see him and our group. He is well-connected with the locals and their culture. He was always checking to be sure we had everything we needed and very clear with instructions and what was next on the itinerary. Wilson is a great asset to Gate 1 because of all these things. He has a great sense of humor and was entertaining with facts and stories. We were a very small group which gave us even more time to get to know Wilson and chat during and after dinners especially. He was simply the BEST! To use one of his favorite words...the trip was PERFECTO! Gate 1 should be proud to have such a wonderful, valuable employee. He made the trip! This was my second trip with Gate 1 and he, by far, was the best of the 2 tour managers. Because of that, I will definitely take more Gate 1 trips and hope your other tour managers are of the same quality and enthusiasm.

Luis provided excellent tour experience. I nicknamed him "ambassador" because of his ability to share his innate curiosity, intelligence, lived experiences and love for his Mayan heritage and Guatemala. He represents his country well. We are blessed to have toured with him. We think he is extra special. Gate One is fortunate to employ him. This was a special tour, and we are grateful

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Peru, and it definitely exceeded my expectations! Our tour guide, Julio, was the best and made the tour one of the best travel experiences I've ever had. He made sure we were comfortable and that we saw and experienced the best of Peru. I literally fell in love with this beautiful country, and I have Julio to thank for it. Ernesto, our bus driver, was also very kind and helpful and had a great repour with Julio. I also very much enjoyed Jamie, a local guide. Both she and Julio had great stories to tell and expressed great love and enthusiasm for their country. I would recommend this tour to anyone!

I want to give a special appreciation to Giovana, our tour guide while in our recent 13-day trip to Ecuador in April. She was very attentive to all our needs and gave great background information at all our destinations: the Galapagos islands, Guayaquil, Quito, Papallacta, and the Amazon basin. She enjoyed talking with us around the table after we had finished our meals. She also made sure we had some free time to do a little shopping after we had finished our local tours. Jeanine, the naturalist on Isabella, and Shonshu, the naturalist at Sacha lodge, were wonderful guides. Lots of interesting information on each of our tours.

Our Discovery trip to Costa Rica and Panama was so good. Our guide Ricardo was so personable, kind and so knowledgeable about wildlife. He looked for and pointed out to us the different Monkey species, Sloths, turtles, frogs and so much more at every stop we made. He took exceptional care of us for the entire trip through Costa Rica and Panama. We stayed in a beautiful lodge in the Rainforest, an amazing hotel with the jungle on one side and the beach within walking distance. From our Balcony we saw a Howler monkey on a tree a few feet in front of us. Wonderful! We had an amazing lunch with a Costa Rican Family that I will always remember because they were great hosts, their farm was beautiful, and the food was fantastic. Panama was a wonderful surprise, The boat ride on the Panama Canal was fun. The visit to the indigenous tribe was a highlight of the trip. Maurice, our local guide in Panama, was very knowledgeable and took very good care of us. Thank you Gate 1 for another amazing trip.

Our trip was absolutely wonderful. Our guide, Marco, was the best. He was so attentive to everything. The trip was well organized, very informational, exciting, etc. The hotels were all superb quality. The food was superb. The tours were all great. We couldn't be more positive about our experience in the Galapagos, Quito and Amazon jungle. WOW does not adequately describe our experience, We would HIGHLY recommend this trip to friends and family and HIGHLY recommend MARCO to lead the tour.

We had a great group to travel with, the accommodations were very well located and nice, our drivers, Hector & Felix, made the trip relaxing & safe. But most of the praise must go to Luis, our tour manager. He was always helpful, knowledgeable, concerned, always looking to make the best of our tour... an absolute pleasure to travel with. He is the best tour manager I've had out of all the trips with Gate 1 (and most other tour companies) which says a lot because you have the absolute best tour guides period. Make sure you take good care of him...he's a great asset to your company.

The first time I saw a documentary of the giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies in the Galápagos, I knew I had to get there to see them for myself. The Galápagos islands delivered in every way. Glamping at Scalesia Lodge was extra special too. All amazing! I would have liked to stay a day or two longer, but there was so much more in store for us to see in Ecuador. All of the mainland cities we visited were vibrant and very interesting. The Ecuadorian Amazon was also a glorious adventure and surprise for me. Seeing all of the colorful wildlife there and learning about the Kichwa customs, scouting talents and cuisine (shout out to Shanshu, Jerry, Erica and Luisa) was a bonus. Getting to the beautiful Sacha was an experience on its own. And last but certainly not least, the Master of Ceremonies, Paúl, outdid himself. As our Tour Manager and Naturalist Extraordinaire, Paúl was spectacular in every way! In my opinion, the TM can make or break a trip and he made it in spades! Paúl's love and knowledge for his home country was inspiring. His kindness, humor, and patience with us on a VERY busy schedule made it extra fun and memorable. He related so well with the teenagers on the trip all the way up to us oldies. I travelled solo and met my good friends there. I felt very safe and comfortable being by myself under his watch. He always checked up on everyone. The daunting movement of this trip is no small feat, and it was flawlessly organized and handled by Paúl. I also loved all of Paúl's little surprises along the way. Paúl said this trip was a "not a vacation, but an adventure" and that statement tracks. Big effort with BIG rewards. It is so worth it! Shout out also to Javier (our main driver) who delivered on the KFC bucket picture for me. And thank you to all, including the hosts/hostesses that opened up of their private properties to expose us to a local slice of Ecuador. I learned so much and the food was delicious. This trip was very special for me and I will never forget it.

I want to say that our guide on our Patagonia trip was the best ever. AL was efficient, communicated excellent, cared about us, and made our experience one of our best trips ever, and we've been traveling for over 30 years. You have an excellent employee!