La Paz is a capital like no other, set in high Andean climates and surrounded by the magnificent Andean Cordillera Real mountains.
Here you can sit at a cafe and watch the local ladies in their bowler hats and colourful traditional costumes. Immerse yourself in the fascinating culture of its indigenous population.
Take a cable car ride on the Teleferico to El Alto, the enormous satellite city spread across the Bolivian Altiplano high above La Paz.
Marvel at the views and its bustling streets.
Visit the craft markets, full of colourful weavings and woolly jumpers, there are souvenirs to suit every taste.
Don’t forget to explore and haggle at the intriguing Witches’ market, home to all sorts of potions.
La Paz really is full of life.
Bolivia’s Lake Titicaca is home to the lively lake side town of Copacabana.
Stay for a few days to explore the lake shore and the islands. Copacabana is likely to be your entry point if coming overland from Puno in Peru and heading for La Paz.
Pass the 12 stations of the Cross as you hike up to the nearby hill for views over the lake to the Islands of the Sun and the Moon with a beautiful mountain backdrop, the high ice-covered peaks of the Cordillera Real shimmering in the distance.
Take a one day or overnight trip by boat to the islands, Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna, where you can learn something of traditional island life as you wander along the ancient networks of paths.
The Atlantic gateway to Guyana, Georgetown is a fascinating mix of people, history fusions.
The ex-British colony contains influences from Amerindians, Asia, Brazil and more, making it a lively and welcoming destination.
The Natural History Museum is well worth a visit, as well as the world’s largest wooden cathedral and the thrumming market.
English is widely spoken and friendly local people are normally up for a chat about the unique atmosphere of Georgetown.
Rumoured to have inspired parts of Conan Doyle’s Lost World book, ‘Tepuys’, or table top mountains, after visiting, it’s easy to see why.
From the sabanna that links Guyana’s western front with Venuzuela, the Tepuys rise dramatically.
They provide unique eco-zones for many species and the lunar-like surface is home to species found nowhere else on earth.
Waterfalls, rapids and rainforest criss-cross the various faces and sections of the Tepuys, making Mount Roraima one of the most acclaimed sights in South America.
You’ll need to keep quiet in your kayak as you help researchers from Caiman House search and tag black caiman at night time.
By staying here, you’ll get an inside look at the work of those trying to protect this endangered species.
You can help to collect the data of any captured caiman – some reaching up to 12 feet in length! – before they are released back into the wild.
Caiman House is once-in-a-lifetime and thrilling part to any tour of Guyana, especially for wildlife enthusiasts who can also look out for snakes, frogs, bird spiders and more
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J. Hill, U.K. Cloud forest and Amazon trip, Ecuador. November, 2025. I would like to thank Tom for organising my trip to Santa Lucia and Sinchi Wayra! It was incredible - he made the process really easy, and having all the information provided in sheets ready to print out and take with me was really useful. As I had a short period of time to do both places and had seen Santa Lucia trips advertised on Andean Trails' website, I felt that you were best placed to help me manage the organisation and scheduling. If I were planning another trip to South America, your website is the first place I would look. I also found the blogs really interesting to read before my departure and gave me useful information (and ideas for future holidays!). The highlight of my holiday was the cock-of-the-rock walk at Santa Lucia at 4am. Seeing the forest and the birds through the sunrise and then eating breakfast by a waterfall was a great way to start the day! I also really enjoyed the day at the community centre at Sinchi Wayra learning about the community and their traditions. Accommodation/ food/ guides/ overall organisation were all extremely good for both locations. The trip was well organised - my guide made sure I had time to see and do everything that I wanted to do. We had lots of great discussions about the rainforest, the birds and insects and also the history of Santa Lucia. No question went unanswered and I had a lot of them! The food was excellent and good portions - I was very well looked after. The cabin at Sinchi Wayra was extremely comfortable, despite being quite open to the wildlife. The mosquito net sorted any night time visitors out though and it great listening to the sounds of the forest and seeing the occasional glow worm going past! Our guide worked hard on the excursions to find us lots of interesting things to see like monkeys, parrots and caymans and also helped us get great footage. The lodge picked me up straight after the flight and dropped me off well in time for my flight back to Quito with no issues. The food here was some of the best I had in Ecuador. At both lodges, time was taken to explain their history, the various environmental and social issues that impact both environments and how tourism is essential to help keep pressures of deforestation, and particularly in the Amazon, oil extraction, at bay. I feel my visit did therefore help the lodges and communities, as it helps them push back against these pressures.
Alastair and John, UK. Tailormade Patagonia inc. Self-guided Paine Circuit. November, 2025 Andean Trails has many pluses. You get a bespoke trip: “bespoke” as in getting exactly what you want (not as in expensive) and you are not part of a group with inevitable compromises to the itinerary. Kathy is very knowledgeable about the region from personal experience. The side trips beyond Chalten and Paine, suggested by Kathy, made for a fuller experience of both countries, their culture and history. We had to make changes during the trip and were able to complete them using WhatsApp, Kathy’s availability never seemed an issue. The local agents sent us reminders for the next day in good English and were all punctual. The WhatsApp reminders were very helpful/reassuring. The highlight of the trip was just the beauty of the scenery overall. Accommodation all very comfortable/ appropriate. The hotels in Buenos and Santiago were very comfortable and with good restaurants nearby. Canelos and Senderos good walking hotels, and food in Canelos notably good. Bunkrooms in Paine were roomy and facilities generally better than a lot of what we've experienced in Alps/Pyrenees. Food in Puerto Natales was particularly good with some great fish and seafood, at great prices, We maybe benefited local people by using hotels, laundries, restaurants etc. Obviously the tourist industry in both Argentina and Chile employs lots of local people. We tipped services hopefully at a reasonable level. What I would do differently is I probably would not have bought as much data on my eSIM WiFi is pretty ubiquitous even in the park. There are inevitably a lot of transfers and bus connections. Might have tried to finesse some of that.
