Nature Experience travel agency

One history, many passions.

Nature Experience is a French-speaking tour operator based in Quito since 2004. We specialize in naturalist travel and scientific tourism.

The agency was founded by Xavier Amigo, a French Catalan and great nature lover who, having lived in Ecuador for almost 30 years, has criss-crossed the four corners of the South American continent, particularly the Neotropical Andes. As the agency expanded, it became increasingly structured. Dorian Noel and Pierre Ferron in turn became partners and accomplices in the growth of Nature Experience. The agency now boasts a multidisciplinary, multilingual team of 15 people.

 

America, Terra biodiversa

Nature knows no borders. These biota are a constant reminder of this. In all of these different biota we’ve  explored the trails of South America. From Guajira to Tierra del Fuego, and from the Chocó to the Atlantic forests, our quest has taken us to the continent’s best observation and nature photography spots, in nature that fascinates us, inspires us, transports us and makes us forget our own limits. Our aim is to offer you unique journeys, unique encounters and indelible experiences.

 

Specializing in the observation of flora and fauna, Nature Experience aims to share its passion by offering visitors the very best of the region’s diverse natural environments. In the equinoctial lands of Ecuador, the magical cloud forests of the Chocó-montaña bio-region will open their doors to us to enjoy sightings of rare and isolated species, such as the spectacled bear, the mountain toucan and the rare cloud olinguito. Stroll along the golden beaches of Bartolomé, in the Galapagos archipelago, where Galapagos penguins share a space with marine iguanas and sea lions. Meeting conservationists in the heart of Brazil’s Atlantic forests will also be on the agenda. Or perhaps you’d prefer to go in search of glass frogs and coral snakes in the tropical forests of Colombia’s central cordillera. Or we could explore the bamboo forests of Manu National Park, deep in the Peruvian Amazon, and meet passionate scientists. Between the steppes of Patagonia and the Chilean Andes, the Massif del Paine combines majestic landscapes with photographs of the puma. Further south, almost at the end of the world, we explore the Beagle Channel in search of large colonies of Papuan penguins and the rare Macaroni Penguin.

 

All our trips are dedicated to natural encounters, observation and understanding of these rich and unique environments. We have found the best observation sites for you, often little-known to the general public, so that you can experience intact and rich ecosystems.

 

 

Our team is made up of multilingual professionals (Spanish, French, English, German, Catalan, etc.) who are passionate and experienced in each field. They’ll use their experience, knowledge and patience to make sure you don’t miss a moment of these natural immersions. All our itineraries have been designed with our skills, knowledge and, above all, our love of nature in mind. Our aim is to bring together people interested in discovering the natural history of these regions, to share our passion with them and to help them discover these   little-known countries.

 

We include in our itineraries visits to scientific stations, meetings with key players in conservation and other participatory experiences, so that each participant can take part in concrete actions and better understand what is at stake in all this important work.

 

 

Our rare and original trips aren’t just for scientists or high-level professionals. We also design our itineraries for small groups of novices, families, students and any individual or group wishing to take a journey of knowledge in our company. We’ll take care of everything, so all you have to do is join us with a healthy dose of curiosity.

 

 

Evolution of the agency

Since 2004, Nature Experience has continued to grow, mature, improve and, ultimately, evolve, as it replicates the very essence of the nature that surrounds it. During this time, our representation has also evolved. Continuously adapting to new trends and tastes, we have sought to gradually perfect our image and adapt it to modern technical means, while maintaining a closeness to what we love to do: staying close to people and nature.

 

Evolution of agency logos

 

Diversifying our naturalist, photographic and scientific tourism offer

As the expertise and experience of our work improves and expands throughout the region, we have, in parallel, created new reference brands, beyond the borders of Ecuador and the Galapagos archipelago, to offer our experience in Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina and most recently on the white continent, Antarctica. And more destinations to come!

To cover in a more transparent way all these new offers of exceptional tourist destination Ecuador Experience, becomes officially since the end of 2015, Nature Experience, accompanied by its new image.

 

Several brands, a single entity

Ecuador Experience, Birding Experience, Colombia Experience, Peru Experience and Brazil Experience thus become representative brands of our new Nature Experience structure, in order to enhance our tourism services specializing in naturalist and scientific travel in the neotropics. Most recently, Birding Experience was created to represent birdwatching trips. Diving Experience, for scuba diving trips, Botanica Experience, of course, takes care of botanical tours, while Fixing Experience focuses on technical, logistical and scientific support for audiovisual entities wishing to develop projects in Ecuador for television and film.

 

 

Transportation services

Indispensable and inseparable from our business, transport services are another facet of our work. Aware of the need to meet our legal obligations in the face of new national legislation, we have set up a new transport company linked to our travel agency. Toucan Express, a subsidiary of Nature Experience, offers professional transport services.

 

 

---

 

Services for professionals

Our in-depth knowledge of the field at the service of professionals

 

Our logistics, fixing and journalistic support services

For many years now, we have been applying our know-how and knowledge to the service of television and film. Contact us for help with your project.

Our knowledge of the region, its cultures, its language and its ecosystems is an asset for the fixer’s job, the smuggler’s support, the reporter’s right-hand man and the journalist’s essential ally.

Interpreters, translators, scientific consultants, facilitators, technicians, logisticians and professionals of all kinds – our work list is long and well-structured. We’ve got the contacts, and we’ll take you to the right people. Our local knowledge will save you precious time, both during pre-production and on location. We also have extensive translation experience for post-production.

Our experience in the field of natural history has enabled us to assist in the production of several nature documentaries, on Andean bears, Hummingbirds, Andean condors, Ecuadorian volcanoes and many other subjects.

ULM, horses, speedboats, helicopters, hot-air balloons – when it comes to logistics, we’ve got you covered too.

 

Our knowledge has enabled major TV networks and production companies to shoot in the best possible conditions (BBC, NHK, France5, TV5, ARTE).

We also know all the ins and outs of applying for filming permits, an essential element for filming in complete serenity. We also take care of transcriptions and translations. Our presence at the shoot gives us a better understanding of the content, and saves us time in the final production process.

 

Contact us for all your fixing and journalistic assistance projects.

 

Find all this information and more on our dedicated page: Fixing Experience

 

Our services for scientific expeditions

Scientific exploration trips have always relied on logistical support and in-situ knowledge in order to survey the target regions in the best possible conditions.

One of our most important obligations as a naturalist and scientific tour operator is to contribute, if only a little, to one of the most important pillars of conservation: scientific investigation.

Who said tourism and science weren’t compatible? Not only are they, but we believe they go hand in hand.

In addition to our various participatory tourism offers, over the years we’ve developed a wealth of know-how, thanks to our experience in accompanying scientific expeditions, our passion for nature and our accumulated knowledge in the field, which we like to offer to the scientific community.

Biodiversity inventories, exploration missions, specific research projects, ethological data collection, cartography, applied courses for university students, participative travel… There’s no shortage of topics when it comes to science. Let us know what you need and we’ll take care of all the details to make your mission a success.

Several organizations have called on our services for the organization, logistics or support of their scientific projects. Here are a few examples:

• First phase of an entomological expedition – Ecuador Trichoptera (February 2015)
• Search for new lichen species in northern Ecuador (July 2016)
• Ornithological expedition to Puna Island, Ecuador (September 2016)
• Second phase of an entomological expedition – Ecuador Trichoptera (February 2017)
• Research project – Ecology and water quality of the Machangara River – Ecuador (April 2017)
• Ichthyological inventory of the Mira River (June 2017).
• Third phase of an entomological expedition – Ecuador Trichoptera (November 2017)

 

 

Contact us for all your scientific projects and expeditions.

 

Find out more about our scientific trips for universities and student groups.

 

Our services for transport and logistics

Indispensable and inseparable from our business, transport services are another facet of our work. Aware of the need to meet our legal obligations in the face of the new national legislation, we have set up a new transport company linked to our travel agency. Toucan Express, a subsidiary of Nature Experience, offers professional transport services.

On the water, in the air, or on all South American roads, we offer you a wide range of quality options, accompanied by professionals.

Our services are as safe as they are varied, whether for a film shoot, a cruise, a honeymoon, an auto-tour or a scientific expedition.

 

 

Contact us for all your projects, for transport and logistics.

 

Find all the information in this link : Toucan Express Transport

 

---

 

Our mission

Nature Experience is a travel agency focused on the marketing of naturalist and scientific trips to various destinations in the Neotropics. We are committed to various aspects of environmental protection and scientific popularization.

Our commitment is to create fun, unique and innovative products that include high quality standards and great respect for the spaces visited, taking care of the environmental, socio-cultural and economic impact of our operation and maintaining a policy of internal and external equity. We support our employees and suppliers in adopting appropriate, relevant and effective sustainability standards. At the same time, we raise our customers’ awareness of broad and distinct issues, training them and empowering them towards more sustainable travel behaviors.

 

 

---

 

Our travel DNA

In this, the twentieth year of our tourism business, we are more than ever seeking to adapt, change our habits and rethink our offering. A constant rethinking of our profession is now inevitable. We have decided to become players in a more committed, more human and, above all, more coherent form of tourism. We’ve achieved this by integrating a new rhythm and reducing our brand, because it’s all a question of permanent impact. It’s not a question of “rethinking tomorrow’s travel”, but of initiating concrete actions today to make up for yesterday’s mistakes; to reconstitute the true DNA of travel. Longer, slower journeys, but more intense, more intelligent and more supportive. An almost complete reduction in the use of internal flights, more authentic human encounters, a commitment to a genuine reduction in carbon footprint, through local and efficient mechanisms, all point us in the direction of a more participative tourism. We owe it to ourselves to generate a benevolent relationship with all those involved, and above all with the elements involved in a trip. More than ever, we’re asking ourselves the question: how can we best share our passion, without accentuating its effects, and invite you to continue traveling? Please don’t hesitate to submit your projects and desires. We’ll have more time than ever to respond to your requests. Let’s not be in a hurry: nature knows how to show itself to those who know how to wait.

The Nature Experience team.

 

---

 

Our duty, our commitments

Tourism, like all human activity, has an impact on the environment. Our Code of Ethics therefore begins with the utmost respect for the environment, through strict rules of approach, observation and vigilance. We also strive to generate maximum feedback from the observations and data collected during our tours, so that they can be used freely by the scientific community.

 

As much out of respect for the environments visited as for the comfort of participants and the quality of observation, we limit the size of our groups depending on the type of trip (see details of each trip).

 

The majority of our partners work on sustainable tourism projects, respecting local people and the environment, with a view to promoting conservation and better support for native populations.

 

Agreements with a large number of sustainable projects, private reserves, conservation foundations, scientific stations and other local players in conservation and scientific research enable us to be constantly up to date with practical and scientific information that can help us in the realization of new projects.

 

Our commitment to the environment and all those who depend on it is an important issue for Nature Experience. Tourism is a new source of income for many people in many countries around the world. We strive to motivate native populations and other external stakeholders to realize the long-term viability of tourism as both an economic and a conservation solution. We therefore make it a point of honour to remunerate all our employees and service providers fairly and equitably. Tourism must be a positive activity for people and their environment.

 

Nature Experience Group has been supporting a large number of conservation initiatives, investigation and disclosure projects for over 8 years. Since 2016, we have created the ECO-SYSTEMA Project, which constitutes an economic fund for the conservation, research and protection of fragile ecosystems in Ecuador. We donate 3% of our annual profits to the project.

 

The past few years have been marked by recognition for our work. Winner of the ATR (Responsible Tourism) award in 2015 and in 2016 we received Q (Qualidad Q) certification from the Municipality of Quito and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism. The Safe Travel label was awarded to us during the pandemic. In 2022, we  joined the prestigious list of Ecosafaris label.

 

We are delighted to announce that Nature Experience has been awarded Travelife Certified status (see document). This award recognises our commitment to social and environmental sustainability. Travelife is a three-stage certification programme for tour operators and travel agents: (1) Travelife Engaged; (2) Travelife Partner and (3) Travelife Certified. We are now in the final stage, stage 3 – Travelife Certified, which means that we meet over 200 criteria relating to sustainability management, office operations, working with suppliers and communicating with customers. Travelife, as a certification body, is officially accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the world’s highest certification body, supported by the United Nations.

This process, which began in October 2022, has mobilised our entire team. It has seen the introduction of weekly team meetings, enabling us to communicate more effectively and learn more about the specific nature of each other’s work, and to generate a space for proposals and exchanges for actions aimed at developing the sustainability of our business in the short, medium and long term.

In the facilities we occupy for our offices, a project to recover rainwater from the roof has come to fruition, enabling us to clean our vehicles without using the town’s drinking water, our used tyres have been recovered and placed as protection for the small car park to protect the walls and vehicles from possible impacts, and local species have been planted in the garden adjoining the office. Most recently, in September 2024, the company decided to install an alternative energy production system using solar panels, with the aim of reducing its energy footprint and increasing the autonomy of its offices. This system not only makes up for possible power cuts, but also considerably reduces the office’s electricity consumption, thus contributing to a more sustainable energy model.

Our staff, guides and drivers have received training in sustainable development from Travelife, our partner in this project. Our agency’s teleworking policy has been formalised and a staff satisfaction form has been distributed and completed by everyone. We are currently looking at ways of optimising our processes and reducing the number of documents we print.

We are also continuing and expanding our involvement in a number of local development projects: a project to plant local species in the Andean Chocó, the construction of small accommodation facilities in little-frequented or little-known areas of high biodiversity, and our participation in a number of local projects and areas linked to species research, observation and protection, by providing photos, logistical support, coordination and training.

Finally, in collaboration with our entire team, a broad action plan for the coming years has been defined in various sectors, including individual responsibilities and deadlines.

We are happy to share with you our commitment to work together in a concrete way for the environment and biodiversity in our destinations and to generate a global movement. If you have any questions or comments about our sustainability policy, please contact us.

 

Our sustainable development policy

You can download our complete sustainability policy by clicking on this link.

 

 

---

 

Around Nature Experience

We are affiliated with:

 

We have been awarded the:

 

We are members of:

 

Our partners:

 

We sponsor:

 

On the press front

The media are talking about us.
In Spanish, French, English and German, Nature Experience (formerly Ecuador Experience) is the talk of the town. See for yourself:

 

Nature Experience on television

 

 

---

 

International travel guides recommend us

 

Petit futé

 

Michael Muller Verlag

 

Viva Travel Guide

 

Samana Guide