Our Advice
Slow down and enjoy the differences…. you’ll be back home with the familiar soon enough.
Enjoy being away
Here are some of our suggestions on how to get the most out of your trip to South America.
It makes a lot of sense to start enjoying your holiday even before you leave home. We suggest you do some reading and learning about where you are off to, by tapping into the many sources of information that are out there, books, blogs, travel web pages, maps and so on. If you spend some time learning about the places and cultures which you are going to come across – it can only enhance your experience.
If you don’t speak any Spanish why not sign up for a language course before you go. If you make the effort to meet and talk to the local people in their own language it will add to your understanding and enjoyment. If you are off to highland Peru then you could try learning a few words of Quechua – that will impress the locals.
We suggest you are sensitive to the behaviour, beliefs and customs of the local people.
If you want to take photographs of people, always ask first, they may not like it. It is worth remembering that you are just one of many visitors.
Laws of land ownership and access may be different from your home country, so don’t assume you can walk anywhere you like. Always ask.
Also of course we recommend that you respect the laws of the country you are travelling in.
Witches market, La Paz
We always try to support small local businesses and therefore to support the local economy, rather than large chains. If you buy local produce then you will be helping the local economy, drink locally made beer or fruit juice rather than imported brands and buy and eat locally grown food.
There may be some flexibility in prices when buying crafts, especially in local markets. Some haggling will be expected. But we recommend you haggle with humour and not aggressively.
You may encounter some begging. We suggest, rather than giving directly to individuals, donating through a charity, clothes, goods, money will always be welcome, and there are many worthwhile organisations that would welcome any help at all. Many kids do not have access to dentists so please don’t give out sweets.
Most South American countries do have a tipping culture, so bear that in mind. Some people rely on tips.
Environmental impact
Do try to minimise your environmental impact.
There is very little recycling in South America, so try to minimise use of plastic, single use batteries etc. Turn off lights, power, air conditioning etc when not in use. Resources are limited.
Follow guidelines at popular sites in order to help preserve local wildlife and habitats. Stick to footpaths and don’t buy products made from plants or animals.
Mountain streams are often drinking water so avoid using soap and washing in the water. Carry all rubbish out with you form the mountains,
Do not pollute or bathe in rivers. Often those streams will be someone’s drinking water source further down river.
Never leave rubbish, pack out what you bring in, leave no trace, and even better leave a campsite in as good or better state than you found it.
Huayhuash
Testimonials
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.
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