Michelle and Dan, Peru and Ecuador, April 2024.

We just wanted to let you know that we had a fantastic holiday. Everything went smoothly and exceeded our expectations. Flights, transfers, trips etc all on time, all guides were very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. We liked all the hotels we stayed in. Even the weather was great for us.

We were the first to the Sun gate and enjoyed a virtually empty first hour at Machu Picchu.

The animals and snorkelling in the Galapagos was successful with sharks, sea lions,  penguins, seahorses, turtles, marine iguanas, rays and even a dolphin!

So we want to say a huge thank you to you for all your help in  the planning, answering our questions and guiding us which meant it was such a success.

We will definitely be recommending you to our friends.

>> Inca Trail and the Galapagos Islands 2024

Naomi Paterson, Peru Highlights, Salkantay Trek, Amazon trip, April 2024.

Tom at Andean Trails made sense of my complicated logistics and it worked out really well – I had a truly fantastic holiday. Other companies I had contacted didn’t offer the same flexibility, but for me I was able to travel when I wanted and visit all the places I wanted, joining groups for a few days at a time and also have my own time. The local guides were great. I’d recommend Andean Trails for travelling around Peru!

I’d say the Salkantay trek was the high point – especially the point where we stopped for breakfast on Day 4, and then seeing Machu Picchu on Day 5.

The food and accommodation was excellent. The array of food prepared on the trek is particularly impressive! Guides were very knowledgeable. Cusco is fabulous.

Although the key reason for going to Peru was Machu Picchu I basically pieced together a version of the highlights tour, then the Salkantay trek and then a brief stay at the eco lodge in the Amazon, having spent many hours browsing web pages and looking at travel brochures etc!

I chose Andean Trails as they were able to offer much more flexibility that others that only did trips on set dates. You were incredible at making it all work around my other plans, at relatively short notice, and offered a ton of helpful advice for my first time in South America.

Brian Sargent, Maquipucuna and Galapagos Cruise, Feb 2024.

Andean Trails Ltd. for Ecuador and the Galapagos is absolutely 100% first class and excellent value. I strongly recommend that travellers use them.

At over 80, l am not up to the impressive hiking of younger travellers in 2024.

So, I researched broadly the Galapagos holiday I wanted, in addition to a trip around South America. Enter Tom at Andean Trails.

I quickly realised his long personal experiences in Ecuador & Galapagos could improve on my broad plans. So handed them to him to provide the detailed 3week trip including hotel & transfers at Quito, 12 days on boat in Galapagos, 6days in island hotels, and some days in cloud forest with all transfers & documents. 

Oh yes, and when civil conflict broke out, he organised all the changes quickly & without fuss. 

Tom at Andean Trails listened, understood and sorted everything for me before, during and after my trip of a lifetime. 

Many thanks, Brian

>> Maquipucuna Cloud Forest Eco Lodge, Ecuador

>>Galapagos Cruise

Rob Lawley, Galapagos Cruise, April 2024

The Galapagos Island Cruise on the Aida Maria was one of the best holidays I’ve ever had. Right from the start Andean Trails answered every question quickly, efficiently and gave useful information.

The yacht itself was fabulous, perfect size, spotlessly clean and looked great. The staff were very friendly, helpful and prepared really good food. Alex, our guide for the week, was superb. Knew everything about the Islands and shared his knowledge in an interesting, engaging, friendly way. The itinerary was excellent, so many interesting places and the animals/fish we saw was just amazing.

There were so many highlights but mine was probably snorkeling with Hammerhead Sharks, also the 50/60 strong pod of dolphins we saw who were swimming with the yacht for ages and also the nightly visits from sharks, sea lions, pelicans and a variety of fish at the back of the yacht whilst i was watching, enjoying a glass of red. Just incredible to see.

The whole trip was brilliantly organised and its something I’ll never forget. I hope to return at some stage to these amazing islands and would definitely recommend Andean Trails and the Aida Maria.

> Aida Maria Galapagos Cruise

Kate S., Ecuador and Galapagos, April 2024

I had a fantastic adventure! So many things to thank you for!

The highlight was the trip to Galapagos.  The combination of the Bonita, the activities (snorkelling and kayaking in particular), the wildlife, the weather, the companions and the crew made it easily the highlight of the trip. I was sorry to leave and could have stayed another week.

The low point was when I suffered from vertigo on day 2 of the Highlands walk. We came across a narrow ledge with a steep drop. Pablo, our guide guided me across the ledge confidently. I also found the final ascent to the Ruminahui volcano too steep to attempt.

Accommodation was very good. All the staff at every accommodation were excellent, very welcoming, friendly and happy to help us with anything. The food at every accommodation on the trek, on the cruise and at the cloud forest was very good – I loved eating new fruits and fruit juices. The food was always freshly made and of good quality. The only ‘satisfactory ‘ food was at the hotel in Quito!

Guides were excellent, a particular shout out for Pablo on our trek. He was very knowledgeable, good company and good fun.

Excellent organization, we were looked after every step of the way.

It would be helpful to say in your information that some sections of the walk are very steep (the Ruminahui volcano) and there are some narrow ledges which may not be suitable for people with any kind of vertigo.

We had a somewhat frustrating day in Quito as two of the churches and a museum we had planned to visit were closed. Perhaps a note in your information to tell travellers to check websites of churches/museums/places of interest before they set out might be useful.

A fantastic adventure! The trip was so well organised and you have been incredibly helpful in sorting out our itinerary. So many experiences and memories, thank you!

>> Galapagos Cruise on Bonita

>> Multi-day Trekking Hut to Hut / Lodge to Lodge Trek, Ecuador

Lars and Susie Smith, Patagonia, Feb 2024

After an initial chat on the phone, Tom received our general brief for a month-long trip to Patagonia, to include a few specific places and activities with an emphasis on trekking. His first comprehensive draft arrived soon after. Subsequently, it was a joy to work with Tom as he swiftly and effectively amended the plan to reflect our evolving appreciation of where we were heading. Nothing seemed too much trouble, repeat questions included. The result was a relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable introduction to South America.

The itinerary was thorough and well briefed, the travel arrangements practical. All the necessary paperwork and ticketing clear and correct. There was never a hitch, doubt or wasted day. The in-country agents were also on the ball and supportive on the occasion we made a minor change at short notice. No drama, no problem.

We recommend Andean Trails, and Tom, without reservation and aim to use their services again. We heard about Andean Trails from family & by reading travel books.

(On spotting a puma on the Paine W trek) The puma was around the Central hotel area on our way up to the Torres, initially seen as two green eyes in the dark at about 30m. We waited at the hotel until half light, tried again only to face it coming around the corner here. We finally continued 15 minutes later passing it lying in the grass about 20m off the path. Seen by others up to an hour later. One of a pair apparently. Kind of (not) cuddly!

>> Patagonia Holidays and Tours

The Brownsort Family, Ecuador and Galapagos, Nov 2023

We had a great time. All arrangements were  smooth and the guides all great – Jorge in Quito, Gabriel in Mindo and Sebastian for our hiking week.

We had walks on the Cotopaxi paramo, and great lunches! And we had another great walk around Quilotoa crater.

Our week cruising on Tip Top II in the Galapagos was everything we could have asked for, a fantastic time.

Thanks again for organising this trip.

> First Class Galapagos Cruise

>Walking holiday in mainland Ecuador

>> Ecuador cloud forest lodges

L. Kirley, Peru, Ecuador and Galapagos, Nov 2023

We had a fabulous time in Peru, we really loved the hotel in Cusco and Cusco itself, plus of course Machu Picchu. The guides and hotel staff were great too!

 We also had a lovely time in Ecuador! We enjoyed Quito more than we thought we would, thanks to our guide and we have absolutely loved the Cloud Forest – not least of all because we saw three bears. All the staff here at Maquipucuna have been amazing! 

 We had an amazing time in the Galápagos. We were so lucky to see so much wildlife all roaming freely. It’s such a special place & not one we will forget. Thank you so much for all the planning you did for us to ensure that all our time away has gone smoothly.

S. Oya, Patagonia, Feb, 2024

I came back home last weekend after wonderful trekking in Patagonia and sightseeing in other places in Argentina. 

 I really enjoyed the trekking tour thanks to Gaston and other trekking guides who encouraged and delighted all participants with kind communication and informative instructions.

The trekking participants came from various countries, and we were proud to be a wonderful international trekking team!

The weather also delighted us in both Fitz Roy and Torres del Paine. The views of the mountains reflected on the lake and pond were miraculous and awesome!   

“Patagonia Trekking Highlights” gave me an impressive trekking experience and memory. 

The Chatfields, Ecuador Lodge-to-Lodge, Aug 2023

We really enjoyed our time in Ecuador and our tour arranged with you. Pablo was a really excellent guide and we felt we were really able to get a good insight into the parts of Ecuador we saw with him.  

  One night we stayed at Chimborazo Lodge- the lodge itself had a real sense of history and spending time outside with the alpacas was great. Other hotels were also good – we especially enjoyed Cotopaxipungo Lodge.   

 On other tours where meals were included (e.g. Peru even on a private tour) these were often set meals of local type food with no choice, which to be honest we got a bit tired of after a while.  

 However, for your tour, even though lunch was included in the price we could usually make choices from the menu allowing us a much wider choice to have what we fancied. Pablo also sometimes paid for the odd drink or snacks e.g. at the mountain refuge which was nice.  

 Many of the lunches when we were walking were “make your own sandwich” first thing in the morning, with a really good choice of snacks. This was really great – exactly what we would have chosen. Overall, the itinerary seemed really good for us. I am so pleased to have got to the top of Rumiñahui and seen Cotopaxi smoking. 

 As a whole we were very happy with the trip and Pablo helped to make it so good. 

 Thank you for making the arrangements. 

A. Barry, Peru, March 2024

I have returned from my Peruvian adventures!

Thank you so very, very much for everything that you did in preparing and organising my itinerary. Everything was absolutely perfect and I had a really wonderful time. I loved every bit of it all! Everything ran perfectly smoothly and to plan, without any problems whatsoever.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the excursions. The places I saw were just amazing. And the guides and organisation of everything were just fantastic.

I absolutely loved the Colca Valley – what a beautiful place. I didn’t want to leave. And I adored lodge!

Lake Titicaca was just wonderful too, and the choice of hotel was total perfection for what I wanted to do.

I enjoyed the tour and stay in Arequipa also.

Kat – thank you for all your time, energy, help and patience in the early days when you were putting up with a lot of chopping and changing from me before we finally pinned things down into the finished plan. I had a really wonderful, happy experience and I would not hesitate in highly recommending the services of Andean Trails to anybody.

A. Schoon, Galapagos, Amazon and Cloud Forest, Jan 2024

I especially was happy that I got to see 3 completely different biotopes that each had their own unique animal and plant species.

Accommodation was good everywhere, food was excellent during the Galapagos trip on the Nemo II, less so at the two lodges but still very good.

I was happy with the guides (two of the three were very helpful in using their binoculars to make close up pictures and films on my smartphone!) and happy with the perfect organisation of transport everywhere.

At Sani lodge I certainly feel I benefited the local people. During the Galapagos trip less so, this felt more luxurious. In the cloud forest I felt less that I benefited the local community but definitely felt I was helping preserve nature there.

Next time I’d check out my hiking boots earlier – I discovered too late mine were worn down at the soles so I did not have good ones to take with me. And not get sunburned during snorkeling in the Galapagos. But those things are on me, not on your organisation!

I wanted to see the Galapagos Islands and that was the main goal, Amazon and cloud forest were add-ons. When I started looking at possibilities I was overwhelmed by all of the companies and the amount of things to choose from and I almost gave up entirely. I think I ended up with Andean travel through Rosy at Responsible Travel, whose approach of ‘responsible’ travel appealed to me. And with Andean, I really appreciated getting three alternatives for each question I had – it is much easier to choose between 3 clearly different alternatives than being sent 25. So thank you!

Thank you for the last minute changes that you made to avoid Quito when the unrest there made it unclear how safe it would be to visit.

Christian Cornett, Maquipucuna and Galapagos, Mar 2024

Thank you for organising the tour to the Galapagos for me—the tour overall was above expectations!

Thanks for suggesting going to the cloud forest! Maquipucuna and Galapagos are both great places to visit. I would recommend both places strongly.

The trips on the Galapagos boat enabled me and the other passengers to see a lot. The boat tours were overall well organised and the service level was good too, the atmosphere was pleasant and the activity level was great.

Overall: I had a great time & thanks again for a great trip!! I will recommend you to friends!

Prof Bob, Galapagos land-based holiday, Feb 2024

The high point was a sea lion swimming with us whilst snorkelling off Cape Rosa amongst the lava ‘tunnels’. We have a video of this taken by the snorkel leader playing on our digital frame at home.

 The day tours were all excellent – sometimes the description was a little vague. Food on some tours was a little basic whilst on others it was superb, e.g. the vegan vegetable rice served on one of the boat tours. The highlights were the snorkelling trip to Cape Rosa tunnels and the visit to the Bartolome Island, plus the small plane trip back from Isabela to Santa Cruz.

 The guides were all very knowledgeable and friendly – William and Martin stood out. 

 We feel we benefited the local people.  We had lots of feedback from locals thanking us for staying on land rather than going on one of the boat cruises

What we would do differently is probably fly between islands rather than taking the speedboat – and perhaps fly to a third island as we had long enough there to spend three days on a third island.

 We chose Andean Trails because it felt like a focused agency that specialised in the area and we liked Kat!

Calinici family, Galapagos cruise, Dec 2023

We had a wonderful time in Galapagos.  

We really appreciated the guide we had: he gave us so much information, he made us feel safe and took us to the most spectacular snorkelling sessions. I can’t describe any low points. 

 Everything went very smoothly: starting from Quito airport, the welcome in Baltra, the boat and the whole crew. The crew did their best to accommodate all our requests and desires. 

 The only thing I would do differently next time is choose a longer holiday :).