Travel Planning
The Inca Trail and the Lares Trek with kids, Peru
by Kathy Jarvis on
Kathy, Andean Trails’ director, is just back from a trip to Peru over Easter. “ April is a fabulous time to travel to Peru. We have school holidays around Easter but many people don’t so flights are readily available and there are not many tourists around. The weather was excellent and the countryside stunningly …
Top 10 things to see and do in Buenos Aires
by Alan Lyall on
Buenos Aires is Argentina’s exciting, enticing and elegant capital city. Flanked by the River Plate on one side and the immense Argentine Pampa on the other, this bustling city is normally the first port of call for visitors to Argentina. It is certainly worth spending a few days there to get a …
Essential Travel Guide to Puerto Madryn in Argentina
by Tom Shearman on
Our visitor’s guide to Puerto Madryn gives lots of ideas, tips and advice to help plan your holiday to this scenic corner of Patagonia, Argentina. Read first hand advice from our travel expert Tom Shearman who spent 10 days exploring the region. “Puerto Madryn is a fairly large town of around 100,000 souls, first …
How to get to the marble caves of Chile, Patagonia
by Kathy Jarvis on
Some people dream of sailing through caves of polished marble in a spectacular setting away from it all……. This dream can become a reality in Chile’s remote northern Patagonia where one can find the “Capilla de Marmol / Marble Chapel” which was declared by the Chilean government a Nature Sanctuary in 1994. The nature …
2019 Machu Picchu – New visitor rules
by Kat Dougal on
Years of popularity and increasing visitor numbers have left a toll on the world famous Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. For a few years now authorities have been thinking of ways to limit the damage that millions of yearly visitors are causing to the site. After a first introduction of rules in 2017 regulating …
Know Before You Go: Our Top Tips for Holidays to Peru
by Tom Shearman on
Thinking about a holiday in Peru? Andean Trails’ Peru travel expert Tom Shearman has visited Peru more than 10 times and shares his top travel tips and what to know before you go. When to go The best months for hiking, highlands and jungle are in the dry season – May …
Peru’s Rainbow Mountain High Altitude Trek – Our Guide
by Kathy Jarvis on
The fabulously coloured Rainbow Mountain, also known as Vinicunca, Montaña de Siete Colores, or Montaña de Colores is a mountain ridge in southern Peru, at an altitude of 5,200 meters above sea level. In recent years it has become one of the top attractions for visitors to the nearby city of Cusco. What …
Visit South America’s Top 10 Tourist Attractions
by Alan Lyall on
South America has many tourist attractions being a large and diverse continent. It covers an area greater than that of Europe. The west of the continent is dominated by the Andes mountain range and bordered by the Pacific Ocean whilst the east is flanked by the Atlantic. The North of the continent edges into the …
Best Hikes to Trek in South America
by Alan Lyall on
South America is a great destination for adventure lovers especially those who are looking for a good trek. Mountains, forests, jungle and desert provide spectacular backdrops for hikes on and off the beaten path. In no particular order, here are our top 10 treks or hikes in South America. Paine W Trek, …
Wildlife spotting in the Iberá wetlands, Argentina.
by Kat Dougal on
Black caiman, capybara, howler monkeys and rheas are just some of the species you might come across in the Iberá wetlands, the second largest wetland in the world. Covering an area of over 6,500 square miles in north-east Argentina, the wetlands are a collection of lakes, bogs, swamps and rivers and are an important …
When to visit Galapagos Islands: weather and wildlife
by Tom Shearman on
When is the best time to visit Galapagos? There is no real ‘best’ time to visit Galapagos on holiday as there is always wonderful wildlife and weather to enjoy. Most animals – tortoises, sharks, sea lions and boobies – are found all year round and many of the species here are non-migratory. The Galapagos …
Visit Peru with the family – expert advice and tips
by Kathy Jarvis on
Peru- top tips for taking the kids Andean Trails director Kathy and her son (now eleven) are frequent travellers to Peru. Their latest trip was earlier this year and top of their list was the Lodge to Lodge Lares trek, a community tourism project in the Sacred Valley and a homestay with some day …
Peru – its weather, seasons and best time to visit
by Kathy Jarvis on
Kathy, director of Andean Trails since 1998, gives some tips on the best time to travel to Peru: You can certainly visit Peru on holiday at any time of year, but some months are definitely better than others depending on what you want to do and which part of the country you would like …
Argentina – its weather, seasons and best time to visit
by Tom Shearman on
Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world, covering an area of 2.78 million km² (1.074 million mi²) which is about 1/3 the size of the USA. It covers most of the Southern part on the South American continent and as such has a varied climate. It is flanked by the Andes mountains …
Bolivia – things to know before travelling on holiday
by Kat Dougal on
Land-locked Bolivia is a country of dramatic landscapes and fascinating native cultures and traditions. Being prepared for travel means you will enjoy the country at its best, so we have put together a list of essential and useful tips and facts to know about Bolivia, before you go. OVERVIEW Bolivia’s Altiplano (High …
Bolivia – its best cuisine and top restaurants
by Tom Shearman on
What is the food like in Bolivia? Find out in our food and Top 10 restaurant guide, all sampled by our travel expert, Tom. He writes: “Bold, big and burgeoning – the best way to describe the food scene blossoming in Bolivia. Servings are often as enormous as the Andean mountains that define …
Chile – Climate and when to travel
by Kat Dougal on
When planning a trip, one usually takes into consideration the weather at their chosen destination in order to make good choices for activities as well as when to travel. Chile is a thin sliver of a country running from north to south. It extends around 4,500 Km (2,750 miles) and as such has …
Guide to wine tours in Chile
by Kat Dougal on
How would you like to go to Chile, visit a winery and taste the wines produced in situ? Chilean wines have placed Chile firmly on the world map and a great addition to a holiday to Chile is to include some wine tours to your itinerary. In and around Santiago The Chilean capital …
Liana Lodge – top tips for taking the kids to the rainforest
by Kat Dougal on
When travelling to Ecuador with her family, Kat knew that visiting the rainforest was top of her list of places to go. They chose Liana Lodge and Kat is sharing her top tips for taking children to the rainforest. Choose a soft adventure Don’t travel too far, especially for younger children a softer …
The Tierra Hotels Experience, Chile
by Kat Dougal on
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to experience a luxury adventure holiday? Alan was invited to Chile at the end of 2017 to experience the newly renovated Tierra Chiloe Hotel. He says: “When the invitation came through to visit the Tierra Chiloe Hotel in Chile, I jumped at the chance …