I just wanted to say thanks for the fine organisation on this trip.

We learned a lot on how to make future trips out of this experience.

The bare-foot dune crossing was tough but something to be remembered for a lifetime 😉

Everything else was just tip top organised from accommodations to timing of events, guides etc…

Thanks again!

Geoffrey

The hotel is spectacular. The setting, the views, the comfort , the activities and above all the staff – brilliant. An off the beaten track destination, an out of this world experience, and unforgettable memories. I felt privileged to be there and didn’t want to leave.

We had the trip of a lifetime.  I hear that expression all the time but never really thought it real to say until now. It was fantastic!

Highlight of the holiday was the view of the Three peaks and the lake in perfect weather conditions. It was also the ice hiking which was totally thrilling and lots of fun.

Our guide, Danny, was simply awesome. Great sense of humor, very knowledgeable, good company, calm.  We felt lucky to have him with us.

The Refugios and the one night in the tent were very clean and the beds comfortable. The tents were great and sleeping bags and mats were provided –  despite no-one being able to sleep due to the noise of the wind (crazy!) Some Refugios were better than others but all were very comfortable with enough amenities

Food was adequate/fine. Don’t think I’ll be having mashed potatoes any time soon but absolutely nothing to complain about. The first Refugio we stayed in was the best (sorry, name eludes me)

The route was good and everything went to plan (bar the boat which no-one could have foreseen) Only emergency internet at that specific Refugio though so possibly a good idea not to try and leave from here as plans difficult to change.

Not sure about the local community benefitting but certainly in P Natales I felt we helped by shopping, eating and drinking there!  Surely just having visitors in the area helps the economy and educates people how to behave in a Natural Park?

We chose this place as we wanted to see if it was as beautiful as we had been told. And YES it was!

We chose Andean Trails as the itinerary could be flexible to our time schedule and the amount of time we wanted to spend walking. (Which was great)

Overall an absolutely fantastic trip which will be very difficult to top so if you have any other ideas for next year, please let us know!

The trip was truly brilliant.  We were unbelievably lucky with the weather – when we needed good weather (e.g. when hiking up to three towers, andean crossing) we had it!

The EcoCamp exceeded all our expectations (I am assuming you have been there so I don’t need to tell you about it!).  Our guide was just great – very experienced, knowledgeable and fun.  We had a full group of 12 and enjoyed everyone’s company.  We would both say that the trekking portion was truly awesome and very special – the highlight of our trip – not that the rest of it wasn’t great.

Everything was as it was supposed to be – we were met/picked up according to the schedule.

The hotels were also great – we loved all the locations and the hotels themselves.   At the last hotel in Buenos Aires (Legado Mitico) they were unbelievably fun and helpful.  They let us stay in our room until 4pm among other things.

Thanks for everything, it was an amazing trip and the place is only part of heaven if it’s not heaven itself, I hope humanity will keep it safe.

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

Certain steps were very hard . I wish we had more details about the expected difficulties. But to be honest, every step was worth it.

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

Between 1 poor-10 excellent I will rate it 7.

Did you feel you benefitted the local communities?

The local community, in general is very nice. And yes, I think we did. They are very welcoming. Need a lot to built the area for tourism with careful environment protection as they are persistently emphasising  on in the national park

What would you like to do differently next time?

I would give it another day for the last 2 days. The people who might not be as fit as the guide, like Nasser.

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

Personally, I am interested in seeing every beautiful part of the planet blue. Nasser searched  google for mountain trips and found your company highly rated .

But Alan, thank you for everything. Again, it was an amazing trip. We might be in touch in the future for another trip, may be somewhere else.

The crew was terrific – treated us all with respect, good humor, and interest and answered our questions patiently. The chef aboard (Victor) was fun, an excellent cook, and kept us well fed, including with hearty snacks after walks or snorkel trips.

We believe we got significant value for the cost of the trip and saw every bit as much as the expensive trips that were anchored at the same locations.

In all, we were very well pleased with the trip and will highly recommend it and Andean Trails.

Nick – Kathy at Andean Trails did a brilliant job of helping us to plan our itinerary in Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. During 5 weeks of travelling every single thing which we had booked through her worked perfectly.

Ali – The extended Condoriri Trek was absolutely wonderful – untrodden trails, stunning mountains and glacial lakes, and super friendly guide and arrieros.

Katie – The one day version of the Inca Trail allowed us spend more time exploring away from the crowds, and still visit the Macchu Picchu site with (almost) no one else there.

Clara – My highlight? Cocktails on a roof terrace in Sucre after several days of dusty overland travel in Bolivia. Oh yes!

Freddy – We met so many fantastic people in Bolivia, so friendly and keen to show us their beautiful country.

5 *****

It was very memorable – reaching the lakeside at Torre del Paine after the trek through the valley; exhausted but exhilarating. The small group bred a camaraderie that added to the wealth of experiences.

The hotels were a level below what we might have chosen for ourselves but we could never haver reached such locations or enjoyed ourselves so much if not for the group experience.

Going to Patagonia really was the trip of a lifetime for us.

Getting to visit all 3 national parks was most welcome.  (We even got 2 days of sunshine in Ushuaia!). And we loved the hotels you suggested in Buenos Aires.

The scenery is unmatched, the hikes were well chosen and just arduous enough for us, our local guides and our driver and host guide were superlative, and our fellow group members were huge fun to be with, and a welcome diverse lot from several different nations.

The staffs at our base camps were first rate, looked after all our needs and provided good and more than ample food for us.

We enjoyed the estancia overnight very much.

We felt that Andean Trails did a good job of making sure we knew what to expect.

The Santa Cruz – Ulta trek was good acclimatization training for Huayhuash and we were glad we did this trek first. The four young Americans with us were good company.

The high camp below Yanayaku Pass across from Contrahierbas and the pass itself, and the earlier close-up sight of Alpamayo from the base camp side were the scenic highlights for us on this short trek.

Huayhuash is in a different league scenically and physically. It is really spectacular. It’s also not for the beginner trekker. We really liked our own small trip and flexibility we had in altering things with Rodolfo’s suggestions and knowledge.

Rodolfo was absolutely terrific in every way. He is an excellent organiser and guide and very worldly in his knowledge and views.

So all in all we are very happy with AT and your on-ground operations in Peru. Again, Rodolfo was terrific in Huaraz and on the trail.

There were a number of “reach the pass and see spectacular landscapes open up” moments; those were probably the high points.

I would highly recommend both the circuit and your company to anyone interested in that kind of experience (some strenuous hours, no-frills travel style, spectacular unspoiled landscapes).

I’m pleased to say that all the arrangements went to plan and the Eco Camp was excellent. Much better than an hotel. More comfort than I had expected and the food was excellent.

I was in a group of 11 and we had an excellent group dynamic even with an age range from 72 to 33. 3 Brits, 4 USA, 2 Canadians, 1 Honk Kong and 1 France.

We had 2 guides who were excellent.

Well worth the long journey and I can thoroughly recommend the holiday.

Hi Tom – just wanted to let you know that the riding was FANTASTIC and the Galapagos trip was WONDERFUL!

It was all a highlight really! The riding week was fantastic in terms of the setting / organisation/ quality of leadership / quality of horses and group composition.

And ditto in relation to the Galapagos Islands trip!

Sally was an excellent and knowledgeable guide – as was Martha on the Angelito.

I would rate the Guide as 10/10, or maybe a 9/10- really excellent.

The cook was great also, as were the donkey drivers.  Thanks for setting us up with such great people.  The food was very good, 9/10. Maybe a few more potatoes than we bargained for.

The highlights were probably the summits, although the rest days after the summits were very nice.

The trip was fantastic.

I think the trip was a life changing experience for some and everyone had nothing but positive things to say about it. The accommodation was of good standard and in a good central location.

It was more challenging than just doing the Inca Trail and that is what I wanted.

Thank you very much for organizing it and putting up with a lot of emails from the team/myself.