Andean Trails: South America Tours Specialist

The trip was great. We had perfect weather - 8 days with no precipitation and sunshine for at least a few hours on most days. It was a tough hike, but completely spectacular. Highlight was getting to the Cerro El Torre valley and camping there for two nights under the completely spectacular massifs there. The skies were clear and we could just spend hours sitting out there admiring Cerro El Torre and the other peaks. Juan was a great guide. He was on top of all the arrangements and very flexible in accommodating the guests. The food was fine - no complaints. The accommodations were also great (both on the trek and in El Chalten). I have wanted to do a visit/expedition to the ice field since I visited Torres del Paine back in 2013 and saw the Grey glacier. Andean Trails web site offered this up at the right time of year and was flexible in how it was organized/booked (lead time, confirmation logistics, etc.).

Ven Seshadri, Canada, Nov 2019
» Patagonia Ice Field Trek, Patagonia

The highlight of our holiday was the amazing trek and being in such a remote location surrounded by the most majestic, beautiful mountains. It was absolutely awesome. Accommodation:  It was great in Lima and comfortable in Huaraz with a fantastic rooftop breakfast! Food: The food on the trek was excellent - we are vegetarian and the cook (Estaban) provided us with delicious, creative and beautiful food throughout and plenty of it. He was like a magician, conjuring up the loveliest food whilst camping in a remote setting. Guide: Our trek guide (Yunmer) was great. He was extremely informative, had a great sense of humour and was really enthusiastic. He helped carry Jane's water and bag at times - not that we asked him to. He insisted! I have recently had my collarbone plated and he was keen to relieve me of the burden of carrying anything to heavy. Trek staff: Our donkey / horse driver (Gusman) was brilliant, hard working and quietly helped around camp, setting up, taking down and moving us from one home to the next. The trekking team as a whole were exceptional, really supportive and kind and worked really well together. Overall organisation was excellent. We felt we were in good hands and looked after well both before and after the trek. Acclimatising: Acclimatisation walk around Huaraz with Rodolfo was a perfect start to the holiday. Rodolfo is extremely reliable, efficient, well informed and a lovely person. It was great to gain a little insight into the people and culture of the region. The acclimatisation walk to Laguna Churup with David was another fantastic day. David has been living in the mountains for many years and shared some of his experience and knowledge with us as we surveyed the landscape of peaks, glaciers and lakes. Benefitting local communities: The local people benefit from the presence of tourists as we provide them an income. Visiting tourists encourages everyone to look after and help maintain this pristine environment- those in the remote communities and also our own trekking team. Visiting tourists also need to respect this. The local people were very grateful that we visited them and also very grateful to Andean trails for their support. They encouraged us to return or send other friends and family. We had some great interactions with our little team and a lot of fun. Sharing our time with these lovely, charming people was very special and we felt that they benefitted as well as us. Overall: We would strongly recommend anyone who loves nature, being outside and has a sense of adventure to do it. It is a very special, magical place. Having seen people undertaking the trek unsupported, we felt that having a supported trek was perfect for us as we could really enjoy just being there.

Jane & Greg Windsor, Aus, Sep 2019
» Huayhuash Circuit, Peru