The highlight of the holiday for me was spending time at the local chicharia. We saw how they make chicha, got to sample a few kinds, and played a bar game called Sapo. This was not originally on the itinerary, but it was a perfect way to relax after a busy day of sightseeing.

My ‘low point’ came on the 2-day Inca Trail – I realized I was overdressed and out of shape! I wish I had known it would be so hot and steep… but I did get a second wind at lunch and enjoyed myself more in the afternoon.

My favorite hotel was El Balcon – for me it was the perfect balance between rustic and comfortable.

Our guides and drivers were all great. Overall the organization was great, we just had to show up and everything was ready for us – an ideal vacation!

We possibly benefitted the local communities as we did get most of our souvenirs from local shops and we donated a few coloring books to the school.

Everything was wonderful. Everything was taken care of for us. As soon as we got off the plane, we didn’t have to think about a thing. We could just enjoy ourselves and take it all in. The food was amazing – everything was so fresh!

It is definitely difficult to pick one highlight, as the whole trip was pretty spectacular. If I had to pick one, though, it would probably be the squirrel monkeys.

Our guide, Ivan, was able to call over a pack of them, and they were so playful and curious. They reminded us of cats! It was amazing. Unfortunately, we don’t have any pictures that are especially great, but that’s because we were too focused on watching them live!

Ivan did an outstanding job. His ability to see and hear wildlife in the distance was unreal, but even more outrageous was his ability to actually call the animals to him. Absolutely amazing.

And it was so great they were so accommodating to me, since I am a vegetarian. We became addicted to fish eye chilis, which we learned are only available in that very specific part of the Amazon. Our guide made sure every meal had a chili sauce, since we loved it so much, which was incredible.

During the trip, we hoped that we were actually helping the local communities, and it wasn’t just a facade. But we learned that it absolutely wasn’t once we got into town. We met an esteemed professor, who focuses on bioethics and conservation, and talked with him for nearly an hour. He taught us a ton about the area, including the benefit of ecotourism in Peru.

This is his choice lodge; he has been going there for years as a stopping point before traveling deep into the Amazon for his research. Knowing that this specific lodge was the choice lodge for someone so deeply concerned about the environment and people, definitely gave us a good feeling.

I found Andean Trails through a responsible tourism website. Once connected with Andean, the team was super helpful and thorough.

We wanted to see animals in the Amazon, and they certainly delivered!

Too many highlights to mention. Rafting down the Arajuno River; snorkling with giant turtles; having our cycle rides interrupted by sea lions, giant tortoises and marine iguanas, etc etc…There were no low points.

Food: Extremely high standard everywhere- even in “basic” looking places and roadside cafes the quality was much higher than I would have expected

Guides: First class in every respect. Especially Jorge on the mainland (fountain of knowledge), Jan/Angel at Liana (nothing too much trouble), and Tanya on Isabela (who taught the children snorkelling and helped them get over their initial trepidations)

Overall organisation: cannot fault any of it. Tom at Andean was particularly helpful and user-friendly for the prep, and as above all the people on the ground were excellent once we got there.

We wanted to take the children to the Galapagos (they are really into David Attenborough documentaries…). Felt we needed an agency with people “on the ground” if we were going to do something like that. Combination of recommendations and googling led us to Andean for that purpose. We then chose places based on Andean’s recommendations for what would be good to do with children.

Thanks for organising a great holiday and we will definitely recommend you to others.

Our Galapagos Island Hopping Tour exceeded my expectations. I loved it!!!!

Haley and I had the most amazing trip anyone could ask for. I was so favorably impressed with every aspect and couldn’t have asked for more. The tour guides were wonderful, especially Andrea and Valerio in Puerto Ayora.

I would endorse Andean Trails without question and for travelers to stay in close contact with their travel adviser. Tom Shearman was so helpful and gave me many useful bits of advice.

I was able to witness how the residents are recycling and doing everything within their means to maintain a healthy environment for future generations.

Thank you for making this the most memorable vacation we’ll most likely ever have. I treasure these photos.

Hi Alan –

Yes, home safe and sound and a wonderful trip.  Feel greatly relaxed and looking forward to planning another trip sometime in the near future.

And now for some feedback……

– What was the highlight of your holiday? Was there a low point?

• The highlight was definitely the Iguazu Falls and generally the service everywhere was exceptional and staff were overly helpful.  The low but not so low point was the Hotel Loi Suites – great lobby and the rooms were great but the bar was in the pool room and full of kids and the restaurant wasn’t great. Equally, the Time Suites in Santiago were definitely past their prime and in need of a bathroom upgrade.

– How would you rate accommodation/ food/ guides/ overall organisation?

• Everything worked extremely smoothly. All pickups happened and all the guides and drivers were knowledgeable, friendly and willing to go out of their way to give us a good time.
• In Mendoza, the hotel offered us a better rate than the company that organised our transfers
• And its possible that the other 5* hotel (Frank will give you the name) was nicer than the Hotel Casa de Uco – but this hotel was very nice too.
• Hotel Terra Atacama was amazing and although expensive was definitely worth the money.  I hadn’t realised that all food, drink and tours were included so that was a lovely surprise.  All staff and tour guides were amazing and the food was delicious.  Would definitely recommend to others.

– Did you feel you benefitted the local communities?

• Not sure – only in the sense that tourism brings in money.

– What would you like to do differently next time?

• Enjoyed it all

–   Out of interest why did you choose the places you visited and why Andean Trails to organise your trip?

• Recommended by a friend.

What was the highlight of your holiday? Was there a low point?

• Both Napo and Galapagos were incredible nature experiences, but driving through the Andean highlands was also spectacular.
• The Coral II is an older ship and after the Anakonda, it was a bit underwhelming.
• The staff and the excursions made the Galapagos a highlight and the food was very good (we actually had a company “hotel manager” on board with us, who inspected everything (like a quality control person), so the staff was on full alert. The staff helped to create a special birthday evening for me with cake and song.

How would you rate accommodation/ food/ guides/ overall organisation?

• All accommodations were top rate, we asked for unique historical boutique hotels and you delivered.
• The Hacienda San Augustin de Callo was amazing, and we are so glad you booked three nights!!!!!.  Please never book them for only one night, people we met who only had one night were all very disappointed. We also really enjoyed the Hacienda Cusin, be sure to tell guests to also check out their next door property, the Monastery.
• Food was good everywhere, great Ecuadorian cuisine
• Guides were all very good and spoke English well.

What would you like to do differently next time?

• Stay longer and add Cuenca. I also would buy an underwater camera.

Out of interest why did you choose the places you visited and why Andean Trails to organise your trip?

• Kat really helped me to put this together.  We shared our interests and she really listened to our input. I looked at different companies online and you were very responsive.

Miscellaneous comments

• At both Cusin and San Augustin, there were nights were we were the only guests or there was perhaps one other couple or family.
• Weather was much better then we expected.  We had some rain, but it never got in the way of our trips and if it rained, it was never for long. This must be their low season, but it was great to not have the crowds.
• Altitude was not a big deal, but hiking uphill was not an easy feat
• As gay men travelling, we felt very welcome everywhere, even though we were offered separate beds in multiple places. In all cases, the situation was quickly resolved once we explained that we were a married couple.  In Ecuador there is still a bit of a macho culture but certainly in the tourism world, being a gay couple did not present any issues.  The owner of San Augustin actually hosted a gay wedding at her hacienda (perhaps something you can add to your trips…..)

Hi Kathy,

Thanks for everything. It was a great experience and we are very glad we went with Andean Trails.

Thanks

Siva..

– What was the highlight of your holiday? Was there a low point?

 The highlight of our trip was our trek (Inca Trail). It was a great experience and the team (guide, chef and porters) was amazing!!!

The green house bed & breakfast was a great experience as well. Beautiful property, serene location, friendly owner/host. Even though we just spent the evening before the hike, we were impressed and happy we got to spend some time there. No low points (have to be very picky to point out low points).

– How would you rate accommodation/ food/ guides/ overall organisation?

Very well organized. We had dietary restrictions (vegetarians, one of us had allergies) but they made it look easy & seamless. Shout out to the chef who made tasty, nutritious meals through out the trek.

Accommodation was excellent – clean and nice tents, great locations with very good views, very comfortable. No complaints from the first time campers (including two teenage daughters!!!)

Guide (Wilson) was very experienced, friendly, helpful, informative, and put us at ease. 

They were as supportive as they could be and made it enjoyable in spite of the physically demanding trek / terrain.

– Did you feel you benefited the local communities?

One of the reasons we chose Andean trails was to benefit the local communities. All the porters and the chef were from the local communities and we felt they were treated properly. I was amazed at the guest to porters ratio (4:10) and it not only provided employment for more but also helped in not overloading the porters!!!

– What would you like to do differently next time?

I cant think of anything major that I would do differently. Sites we went to, pace we did everything was great (we had a private tour), no complaints.

–   Out of interest why did you choose the places you visited and why Andean Trails to organise your trip?

I have been waiting until my kids could do the Inca Trail trek with me and with limited time (spring break) we could not do much of other things around in Peru.

I was looking for a dependable company who were experienced in organizing the trek and benefiting local community – Andean trails came with good recommendations from my friend who had done a Peru trip with them earlier. They truly fulfilled my expectations.

For a high point we both agree it would be reaching the top of the pass on day two. Day 3 rained so that was somewhat of a low point, but part of the experience.

Accommodation: Excellent, great breakfast. Accommodation on the trail was most satisfactory, kept us dry, warm, and comfortable.

Food: Food consistently exceeded expectations. Multi-course meals, an inventive and gifted chef. Fresh veggies, healthy fare. Let me tell you what he made on our third (final) night: a cake!

Tom, this man (Eber) made a cake, with frosting and strawberries, in the middle of a rainforest on the side of a mountain!

Guide: Anna Maria displayed a thorough knowledge of all local natural and man made features, was friendly, and I cannot thank her enough.

Overall Organization: Everything had clearly been done before, and they had it down to a science. Everything ran on schedule and by the numbers. Experienced professionals.

Every (soles) you spend from a vendor or at a trailside stand helps someone make a living there.

I cant think of anything we would do differently.

We had the most amazing time and can’t recommend Andean Trails highly enough.

From the booking process right the way through to the guides and team on the ground, everyone was professional and efficient. Every eventuality had been through through, guides, drivers were there on time, knew what they were doing and helpful. And they were really flexible when Richard was ill, enabling him to do as much as he could.

I would thoroughly recommend this trip and itinerary to other families or adults. Enough time to acclimatise and enjoy Cusco and the Sacred Valley (luckily in time for a Semana Santa parade), the mountain biking was great as a starter, not too taxing but with great views. The trek was a real highlight – so great to be out in the real Andes, not just looking at the mountains from a bus/train, and it felt that we had the valley to ourselves. Great choice of camping locations – rivers, mountain tops AND alpacas! – and superb food conjured up on the spot. The team couldn’t have done more to make us comfortable (despite the cold). I’d really recommend this to families to see real Andean life in the villages along the way and to learn about the local cultures. Hopefully passing through, buying food and bits and pieces in the communities and employing local people brings a benefit to them too and we felt that we had probably got more insight into local life than if we had done the Inca Trail. Having a campfire on a mountainside was also a highlight, especially for my 14 year old son. He was a bit apprehensive about 3 days walking, but surrounded by alpacas and stunning scenery (and not noticeable suffering any effects of altitude!), he loved it.

The Lares Trek was great – all of their guides were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. My only complaint is that their English is so good I didn’t get a chance to practise my Spanish!

Similarly the rain forest expedition from Puerto Maldonaldo – very much enjoyed it. Saw a lot of wildlife – including jaguar sightings on 2 separate occasions, a swimming tapir and literally hundreds of parrots and macaws at the clay licks and elsewhere.

My advice to anyone thinking of doing a similar trip in Peru is to do it! It might not be lazy (6am starts on the trek – but with hot coca tea – and dawn walks in the rain forest) but as it is all so well organised it is not stressful and you can enjoy the experience knowing everything is taken care of. The walking was not as taxing as my son feared (and very much at our own pace), and the altitude really wasn’t a problem to be put of by – we had a mild background headache for the 1st couple of days but nothing at all after that.

The kit list supplied was really helpful – a bit daunting but we had everything we needed to be comfortable in cold or heat.

I certainly have not ruled out coming back to do some more trekking as for me that was the highlight, a once in a lifetime chance to be out alone in the mountains with the stars (and the alpacas).

We had a wonderful trip!!! Missing it all already and scheming going back to the Galapagos in the future… 🙂

We wanted a responsible tour operator for our trip to Galapagos. The reason we chose Andean Trails over another provider was because we appreciated the professionalism, open and honest advice, and the insights and options for the trips suggested.

Isabela was our favourite Island so we were happy to be spending more time there. Also happy that we didn’t have that much time on Sante Cruz – very different vibe!

Los Tuneles was definitely a highlight! We saw a huge school of golden rays on the way in and the guide let us hop off to snorkel with them, lots of sleeping white tip sharks, grazing turtles, and sea horses. And some manta rays on the way! The scenery is also very special. We absolutely loved that day.

Kicker Rock trip was excellent. The guide and the boat we had were the best of the overall experience. Snorkelling between the rocks was an amazing experience. We saw loads of sharks but unfortunately didn’t spot a hammerhead (divers did though)!

Española and North Seymour were also great days for bird spotting, snorkelling and exploring the uninhabited islands. We weren’t disappointed we didn’t get to go to Santa Fe in the end, and one of the guides was swearing by North Seymour being better.

Staying on the islands felt like we were contributing to the local communities, compared to the boats that locals told us “only leave trash behind.” I also hope that entry fees do help to contribute to the conservation efforts. I was worried that tourism on the islands is not helping the cause but it seems to be welcome there, and that they are at least trying to put the rules in place to make sure tourism is not just ruining the place.

This certainly was one of our best trips ever!

Thoroughly enjoyed Colombia and would definitely recommend as a place to visit!

People were super friendly, didn’t feel at risk or threatened at any point. Lost City was beautiful, despite the trail being hard and accommodation basic.

Overall, we had a fantastic holiday & had many memorable moments.  Thanks for organising a great trip & understanding our brief.

• Out of interest, why did you choose the places you visited and why Andean Trails to organise your trip?

Places were chosen around the desire to visit the Galapagos.  I was also keen to vist Machu Picchu.  You fitted the other elements around the 7 day cruise.

Why Andean Trails – simple, as based on the 4 agents that we were  in touch with, you were first off the mark, seemed to understand our brief best (along with one other) & you were really helpful to work with us to fine-tune an itinerary.

Galapagos cruise (MC Anahi) was superb.  Definitely the right choice for us being on a smaller yacht.  Great mix of people (6 Germans, 6 yanks & 3 brits).  Captain & crew were all excellent, taking care of various dietary needs & very careful getting us from yacht to pangas.  The weather was hotter than expected & the guide reckoned it was 35C some days.

Naturally, getting so close to wildlife was superb.  Invariably a matter of feet from sea lions, Blue Footer Boobies & other birds, etc.

We really couldn’t have done this trip without your help and the whole trip was outstanding.

We want to thank Tom at Andean Trails for helping us figure out an itinerary and then put it together into a perfect package. We wanted to do and see a lot in Peru and Ecuador from Machu Picchu to the Amazon jungle to the Galapagos Islands. There were a lot of moving parts from private tours of Sacred Valley to bus and train rides required between towns that needed to be organized.

I have always been able to book our own tickets and tours but this trip was way too complicated to figure out on our own and Tom’s expertise was exactly what was needed. Tom has been to all of these places before and so he speaks from experience. I think that was most important. Knowing that he had actually stayed at the lodge that is 4 hours by boat up river from any town in the Amazon jungle was reassuring.

He is definitely a specialist in this part of the world and when he recommends a place that he has already tested out – you can be assured that it will be great.

Highlights: Our adventure had many highlights. If could have been Machu Picchu itself or possibly accomplishing the climb all the way up Wayna Picchu. It may have been just being in the Amazon jungle and waking up to the sounds of howler monkeys overhead every morning or it may have been seeing a jaguar lying on the beach basking in the sunshine. Or was it the male blue footed boobies doing their little song and dance when a female was around. The beautiful downy white, red footed boobie babies who seem to perceive that no one will hurt them so they sit contently in their nest not two feet away from where we were walking. Each part of our trip was completely different and amazing.

Accommodation and guides: Our accommodations were great – certainly quite unique in some places but clean, safe and not the norm. Tom’s organization was perfect. Everything went off without a hitch. Our guide Lucy in the Amazon was fantastic. She was our favorite. Our guide in Machu Picchu was terrific, a little more Peruvian accent but great. Rosia in the Galapagos was not as good but we would still rate the Islands a huge success. The Angelito was a great boat and the staff, crew, meals and accommodation was perfect.

Back home and finished all the washing!! A great trip.

Thanks so much for all your organising and planning. Everything went very smoothly.

We all enjoyed the trip and Patagonia lived up to our expectations. We were so lucky with the weather and all the helpful people we met.