To be honest I don’t have the words to describe the Galapagos. Breathtaking!!

Thank you so much for the excellent organisation, planning and support. The flights, boat, crew, guides, food and itinerary were excellent and worked really well. The wildlife was simply amazing and the weather perfect.

No low point. Highlight – everything, but in particular seeing a part of our planet that has not been ravaged by humans.

We wished to see as much of the Galapagos as possible and the boat made this possible. We chose Andean Trails because they responded very quickly and efficiently to our original request. Tom has been excellent and we would highly recommend Andean Trails again.

We loved it! Especially the high-altitude trekking and also being able to exert ourselves going up to the Lost City. It was brilliant being able to get there first and hence see the magic of the City with no one else there. We had great guides. We loved Cartagena and the Ananda hotel was lovely. The scenery and fauna in every location was marvellous and all the people were very kind to us. I love aguapanilla!

Our guides were all brilliant- especially in Cocoya- and we would happily travel with them again. The Cocoya guides were very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. They thought, and we agreed, that we could have handled a bit more walking as we are quite fit and tended to get to the next stop more quickly than expected. They were good at adapting the route to accommodate this, and we did an extra trip to Laguna de Otun as a result- this was a real highlight.

You were very responsive, knowledgeable and straightforward which we found refreshing. We would like you to organise another trip for us!

We had a very nice holiday and the Inca trail was the absolute highlight. The guide and porters were great and we have enjoyed everything. We have been so lucky with the weather also.

Thanks a lot for organizing the trip!

Mrs B, Nov 2019

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.).

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.

We had an absolutely amazing trip and everything was perfect.

Highlights – there were loads of highlights. We loved Quito – especially the morning we went up the Teleferico. We could see for miles over the city to snow capped Volcanoes beyond. Our Ecuador guide and driver were brilliant – Miguel and Memo. They went out or their way to make sure we saw as much as possible – we wouldn’t have seen or learned as much without them. We saw humming bird, toucans, tangers and a fantastic bird of prey sanctuary that wasn’t on the original schedule.

The Galapagos Islands were amazing. Again we saw so much and the guides were brilliant. They were so enthusiastic about their islands, the animals and conservation.

Accommodation etc – the hotels were all excellent. We loved the quirkyness of the hotel in Quito. The staff were very helpful and friendly. The Septimo Paraiso eco lodge in the cloud forest and the Hacienda Las Palmeras near Otavalo were great – the food at Las Palmeras was really excellent. The airport hotel was spotless and friendly but the set meal of Spaghetti bolognese wasn’t great to be honest. We ate in some lovely restaurants and the guides picked some lovely places to stop for food.

Sol y Mar on Santa Cruz was lovely too.

We loved Hotel Albemarle on Isabela. It was a perfect place to spend 5 nights. The rooms were comfy, clean with lovely balconies and views. There were some really good local restaurants, especially Coco surf, recommended by Tania, our Isabela guide.

The company that did our trip to Los Tuneles were fantastic. The guide was so enthusiastic and determined that we would see loads of wildlife. He took loads of photos with his gopro then downloaded them all for us for free when we got back. The lunch on the boat that day was chicken and rice which all three of my kids said was the best lunch they’d had all holiday. It might have been because they were all cold and knackered – they even took the hot sweet tea on offer.

I hope we benefited the local communities. We enjoyed our trips to the coffee plantation and the chocolate factory and certainly brought plenty of chocolate and coffee back with us. I would like to think that the money we spent goes in someway to help conservation efforts and to keep the cloud forests and the Galapagos Islands as special and unique as they clearly are.

We picked Andean trails because you are based in Scotland and seemed to understand out requirements and came up with a perfect sounding itinerary. Flying from Glasgow via Amsterdam worked well and for us was definitely the quickest and easiest way to get there.

Everything worked out perfectly. We had a totally brilliant time. I think it is all still sinking in…

The highlight of the climb was the whole experience from meeting the crew to training on the glacier to getting as far as I did.

Hats off to the crew. They all did a great job – everyone of them. Osvaldo was great throughout the entire few days; Alex the cook made some great food with some of the other climbers in the high hut commenting about how good the food looked. Thanks also to the porter Adrian.

I thought the climb was pretty tough overall considering the altitude. Had to catch my breath a few times. Osvaldo was great though and went at a pretty steady pace with lots of guidance.

I chose Huyana Potosi because it was an achieveable 6,000m peak. I didn’t summit but enjoyed the whole trip.

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.