Galapagos Islands Travel Update by Tom Shearman on 31st May, 2024 Galapagos Islands Travel Update, May 2024 The increasing popularity of the Galapagos Islands keeps it at the top of many people’s must-visit lists. The Galapagos Park Authorities is responding to the boom, particularly hotel-based trips, by doubling the park entry to $200 per person from 1 August 2024. The entry fees have increased for the first …
Community Projects Update by Tom Shearman on 8th May, 2024 Supporting Community Projects across South America Travelling to South America with Andean Trails will help make a positive impact, as you contribute to our support of several community projects. Your visit is much more than creating local employment. It generates bonds between people and leaves beneficial footprints. We’re proud to financially support several local NGOs …
Ecuador’s best lodge-to-lodge hiking tour by Gill Christie on 14th March, 2024 Our lodge-to-lodge hiking tour offers the best trekking in Ecuador in comfort. Ecuador is one of the best Andean countries for trekking and day walks. On this lodge-to-lodge hiking tour, you experience fabulous expansive mountain vistas and volcanoes wherever you look. Enjoy views over deeply carved valleys, vast plains and a picturesque patchwork of fields. …
Be an Ecotourist while on Holiday in Galapagos in 2024 by Tom Shearman on 8th March, 2024 The Galapagos Islands are a very fragile environment and feel symbolic of a sea change in people’s attitudes to responsible and sustainable tourism. Every year more and more people visit. Some to get there ‘before it’s gone’ and most want to minimise the impact of their visit. Our handy guide gives lots of travel …
How Farming Fights Food Insecurity & Climate Change by Tom Shearman on 21st November, 2023 Students Study Food Insecurity & Climate Change in Peru University of Edinburgh students and teachers report back from Peru, where they learned how traditional farming techniques could help prevent climate change and reduce food insecurity. The team visited coastal Lima, the Cusco Highlands, and the cloud forest. For Andean Trails and our local team, it …
Wildlife Guide to Peninsula Valdes by Tom Shearman on 8th November, 2023 Wildlife Guide to Peninsula Valdes The wildlife guide to Peninsula Valdes will help you decide the best time to visit Argentina’s number one animal haven. Peninsula Valdes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its role as a marine mammal and bird sanctuary. The peninsula offers some of the world’s best whale-watching opportunities. There’s …
Know Before You Go: Peru Trekking and Hiking Travel Tips by Tom Shearman on 7th November, 2023 Peru Trekking and Hiking Travel Tips Peru, one of the most diverse Andean nations, offers a feast of trekking and hiking routes that showcase the country’s beauty. The Andes Cordillera runs the length of Peru. Its soaring peaks and satin-white glaciers frame many trekking routes as they course through remote villages, many unchanged since Inca …
Amazon Rainforest Know Before You Go Travel Guide by Kathy Jarvis on 28th September, 2023 Amazon rainforest know before you go travel guide: enjoy a life-enhancing adventure. Our Amazon rainforest travel guide takes the pressure out of planning your Amazon visit. You’ll find what you need to know before you go with these travel tips. We cover everything from the big questions like when to go to the details like …
What Do I Need To Know Before Going on a Galapagos Cruise? by Tom Shearman on 15th September, 2023 A Galapagos Cruise is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Follow Charles Darwin’s footsteps through a wildlife-rich and dramatic volcanic landscape. So take the pressure out of planning your Galapagos cruise with these travel tips. You’ll find everything you need to know before you go to this paradise. We’ll cover everything from the big questions like when to …
Hidden Gems: 8 Alternative Buenos Aires Day Tours by Tom Shearman on 30th August, 2023 You’ve seen the traditional tours. Now try alternative Buenos Aires day trips. Classic day trips include a walking tour, a great way to take in the highlights, Recoleta cemetery, a tango show, and the antiques on display at the Feria de San Telmo. Opera fans may visit a show at Teatro Colon, and football fans …
Best Time To Visit Guyana: Weather and Seasons by Tom Shearman on 14th July, 2023 The best time to visit Guyana is during one of its two dry seasons: February to March or late August to September. Like most destinations, the best time to visit Guyana may depends on travel preferences. Weather is never defined simply and Guyana’s seasons are a little more nuanced. Many people visit all through the …
Chile and Easter Island Theories by Tom Shearman on 6th July, 2023 Debunking the Myths: Easter Island Theories Explained Rapa Nui’s giant and ancient moai statues have stumped academics and archaeologists for centuries, sparking myriad Easter Island theories. Aliens, rats, and human greed have all been credited with the dramatic collapse in Easter Island’s population and abandoned statues that scatter the land. This triangular island, 14 miles …
A Guide to the Best Festivals in Peru by Tom Shearman on 20th June, 2023 Peru festivals are some of the most colourful and spectacular celebrations in the world. Peru festivals include fiestas, parades, and processions throughout the country at various times of the year. Visitors are welcome on many of these special occasions. The main celebrations mark Inca history and the country’s independence whole newer festivals show Peru’s modern …
Volunteering on Horseback in Ecuador – a traveller’s review by Kat Dougal on 8th June, 2023 Volunteering at a riding stable in Ecuador is a dream for me. Patti McCarthy is spending a month volunteering on a horse ranch in Ecuador, and is full of enthusiams albeit the hard work she is putting in every day. Read her blog on her volunteering holiday and maybe you’ll get inspired, too! …
Cotopaxi Lodge to Lodge Trek: a Traveller’s Review by Kat Dougal on 1st June, 2023 Trekking in the foothills of Cotopaxi Return customers Patti McCarthy and her family recently travelled with Andean Trails around Ecuador and shared their experiences of trekking the Lodge to Lodge trek in Cotopaxi National Park with us. Up close to the mighty Cotopaxi Mountain weather is notoriously unsettled and unpredictable, but the volcano Cotopaxi is …
Nibeko Aike Estancia, El Calafate, Argentina: Travel Review by Tom Shearman on 19th May, 2023 Nibeko Aike offers a genuine Estancia stay near El Calafate. Patagonia is synonymous not only with incredible landscapes and high winds but also with the Estancia and Gaucho cultures. Here, a hundred years ago, people started a new life working the land, including at Estancia Nibeko Aike. Now, visitors can live the Estancia experience with …
Self-Guided Paine W Trek, Torres Del Paine National Park by Tom Shearman on 19th May, 2023 Chile’s Paine W is on many trekkers’ lists. Patagonia is a trekker’s paradise, Kat headed off on a self-guided hike along the famous Paine W trek to find out where its appeal lies. She came back with everything you’ll need to know about hiking the Paine W. Getting to Torres del Paine …
A Guide to Spotting the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) by Tom Shearman on 26th April, 2023 Seeing the night sky dancing during an aurora is on rightly many people’s bucket lists. Watching solar activity painting the Earth’s atmosphere shades of purple, green, red and white is an unforgettable experience. Aurora hunters often head to northern countries to glimpse this natural phenomenon, to destinations like Iceland or Canada. But the north’s Aurora …
A Guide to Eco-Tourism Holidays in Guyana by Tom Shearman on 19th April, 2023 Eco-tourism comes as standard in Guyana. This is a country whose lands are 75% covered by lush, verdant forests interspersed by mighty, life-giving rivers. Indeed, Guyana’s original name, Guiana, means land of water. Wildlife as diverse as jaguars, giant river otters, and black caimans traverse these watercourses in one of South America’s best-protected natural landscapes. …
Travel & Money in Argentina: The Blue Dollar by Tom Shearman on 21st March, 2023 Travel Money in Argentina: Currency Exchange, Best Rates, and Blue Dollar (Updated March 2024). The Argentine Peso has been experiencing a volatile time on currency exchanges for several years. The country’s rampant inflation and unstable currency do indeed make it a little more complicated to pay for things in Argentina, but the latest devaluation of …
