Your Financial Protection
Andean Trails is fully compliant with European tour operator regulations. Financial security is guaranteed through our ATOL bond (6275) and our solicitor-managed Trust Account.
Tailor Made Trips, Custom Tours and Private Treks
We are a specialist in tailor made tours, customised trips, bespoke activity and luxury holidays through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Patagonia.
We have developed excellent relationships with all our local partners and put together educational trips for student, school, scout groups, families, photography clubs, cycle clubs, trekking and outdoor clubs too. Individual and groups all welcome.
Our first hand experience and intimate local knowledge, together with a network of high quality local guides and partners, allow us to create an authentic itinerary to meet your precise specifications… just get in touch, and we can discuss the options.
Small group tours
Andean Trails supports responsible travel and tourism. By limiting the size of our groups we minimise environmental impact and achieve greater flexibility.
On our small group tours our normal group-size is between 6 and 12 plus a leader, although some groups extend up to 16 people.
The typical age range is 25-75 with similar ratios of couples and singles, males and females. You will find yourself travelling with like-minded people; experienced trekkers, mountain bikers and climbers, as well as relative novices.
Fully Supported
All of our trekking, biking and jungle expeditions are fully supported, meaning you need only carry a small pack with items needed during the day, such as a camera, binoculars and waterproofs. We also some more expedition type tips where you may carry more, for example the South Patagonia Ice-Cap.
Generally though luggage is transported by porters, donkeys or a support vehicle. We find that while on trek, a certain level of comfort is appreciated by more people. We are generally accompanied by a team of local staff who set up camp and cook for us.
On trekking expeditions, kitchen, dining and toilet tents are usually provided (where possible).
Tour leaders
Our group tours are led by a locally appointed leader or a native English speaking-guide living in the country you are visiting. All have long-term experience in the field.
Our leaders and guides have been chosen primarily for their knowledge of the areas they work in and their fluency in English and Spanish.
While on trekking, climbing and jungle sectors of the tour, our groups are always accompanied by an experienced and appropriately qualified local guide.
Positive tourism
Andean Trails promotes responsible tourism and tries to make only a positive impact on our destination landscapes and communities.
We are involved with a number of organisations which work to protect and conserve the areas we visit. Andean Trails is committed to contributing on a regular base to two excellent NGOs in Peru. (Huchuy Yachaq and ECOAN).
We are also members of a variety of organisations that work in nature and wildlife conservation – John Muir Trust, the Galapagos Conservation Trust, the LATA Foundation, Rainforest Concern, and Tourism Concern (in the past).
Our staff trips are carbon neutral, we make a donation to Rainforest Concern or Trees For Life.
About You
We believe that a sense of adventure and an open mind are the most important things you can bring with you.
Testimonials
M. Cook and D. Heyburn, UK. Jan 2025, Paine Circuit Self-Guided.
My friend & I recently did the 8 day O Trek self guided which was organized by Andean Trails. We are so pleased we paid the extra to have all the camps set up & food included rather than carrying all our camping equipment & food. The camps were run by two different companies. One company looked after Seron, Frances & Central where we had tents on stilts. These came with a very comfortable mattress that filled the whole tent, sleeping bags & pillows. The other company looked after Dickson, Los Perros, Gray & Paine Grande where the tents were on the ground with individual mattresses & sleeping bags. I was very impressed with the tents on stilts & found them to be more comfortable & spacious.
The included food was very good & sometimes excellent! We appreciated having a welcome drink which we had before our three course dinner, either a glass of wine or a pisco sour! Very civilized especially as we were in the mountains.
We received plenty of information from Kathy at Andean Trails before the trek began & we received all our vouchers for the transfers into & out of the park & the camps. It was all very well organized.
We also received a welcome pack at the bus station in Puerto Natales which included a sleeping sheet liner, a large travel towel & a water bottle. I had brought my own but I need not have done although it was handy having two water bottles. I filled one with water & one with a fruit tea.
I have wanted to go trekking in Torres del Paine for many years & choose to do it as part of my 60th birthday celebration whilst I'm still fit & able! We are very pleased we choose the O Trek rather than the W Trek as we explored the whole circuit & the first four days from Central to Gray were much quieter & we made friends with some lovely people from all around the world. It was very special. The trek from Gray to Paine Grande was the busiest day on the trail as many people doing the W Trek were doing a day walk there & back. We were also there during peak time. We started the trek on 26th January.
We were very lucky with the weather. We only had one day of rain although it was on the longest day when we trekked over the John Gardner Pass from Los Perros to Gray. We were able to dry our wet clothes by pegging them up in the back porch of our tent & they dried overnight thanks to the wind!
My friend & I enjoyed taking our time every day except on the longest day as we had to be at El Paso ranger hut by 14.00 plus it was raining! We took our time to enjoy the scenery, take photos & we made our packed lunches last most of the day!
We also appreciated having a hot shower every evening except at Los Perros camp which is the most basic camp. Originally we were advised there would be no food provided there but we were offered a simple dinner which consisted of rehydrated food. It was better than nothing!!
It would have been good to have had an extra night at Frances then we could have had a more leisurely trek up to the Mirador Britanico although it would have been backtracking but it was less than 2kms to the Valle del Frances.
The last trek up to Mirador Base Torres was quite emotional. We saw many of the friends we had made on the O Trek plus it was goodbye to an Amazing Memorable Adventure. Thank you Andean Trails for your organization. We have been recommending you to all our friends!
M. Cook and D. Heyburn. Jan 2025, Paine Circuit Self-Guided. UK
» Paine O Circuit Full Trek: Self-Guided
Deb O. and Lisa B., USA, Self-guided Tailormade Patagonia, Feb 2025. There were so many highlights! The summits and glacier excursions were magnificent. We were blessed with great weather most of the time. Having our own guide in Chalten was great and our guide was fantastic! There were a lot of details to this trip and they all came together nicely. The accommodations were very good. Very clean -no complaints. Guides were wonderful. Food was amazing -everything homemade. I think we benefited the local people. We acknowledged their services with appropriate tips and we patronized many local establishments while there. I can’t think of anything right now that I would do differently! Patagonia has been a “bucket list” trip for me. I will turn 60 and retire this year so it was my treat to myself. It was everything I hoped it would be. I hope it doesn’t change with the ever increasing tourism. It’s such a special place. They are very proud of their heritage and it deserves to be preserved. We found Andean Trails online and the e reviews were good and prices reasonable. It was a leap of faith that paid off. Thank you so much for bringing this experience to me.
» Patagonia Highlights Trekking Trip
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