A vibrant journey through Colombia, from Cartagena’s colourful streets and Tayrona’s pristine beaches to the peaceful coffee fincas of the Andes, filled with culture, warmth, and unforgettable scenery.
Cartegena is a city full of colour, I spent hours just wandering the streets of the Getsemani district with its beautiful colonial facades. The proximity to the Carribean makes it a real gem of a gateway to the surrounding beaches and from here you can travel along the coast line to visit the impressive Tayrona National Park with its gorgeous hilly backdrops leading to white beaches – throw in some ancient ruins of the indigenous population and you have a perfect mix.
The green hills of the coffee region are full of opportunities for active travellers, but also a great option for those fancying a few days to relax. Many coffee fincas have opened their doors to visitors and guests, and I loved learning all about the coffee production and seeing the endless rows of coffee beans.
I loved Colombia for its rich culture, and its wonderfully warm people. It’s such an intriguing country, and so welcoming. I’m always drawn to the hills, so I loved exploring the Andes region but also enjoyed the vibrant city life of Bogota.
A breathtaking three-day trek beyond Cocora’s crowds, through lush cloud forests and up to the páramo, where stunning volcanic views and the warmth of mountain families make for an unforgettable adventure.
We did a 3-day trek in the mountains behind Cocora….It felt great to leave the relative crowds of Cocora behind and keep heading up up up into the clouds and then above them.
The Paramo is a special place and the people that live up there and offer accommodation were among the nicest I’ve met – so open and generous.
Mornings brought clear views to ice-capped volcanoes, and we walked through some of the most verdant cloud forest I’ve seen.
Despite snowy detours, Bolivia’s breathtaking landscapes, warm hospitality, and inspiring community-run lodges made this Uyuni and Chalalán adventure far surpass expectations.
The Uyuni tour – even though we weren’t able to visit the National Park due to snow, it surpassed our expectations with its amazing, spectacular landscapes. We had a great guide (having an English-speaking guide was well worth the extra cost – thanks for the steer).
Everywhere was friendly, welcoming and well-located, and in fairness did have hot water which was very welcome! We loved the lodge at Chalalan. Other than the cold rooms, the Tayka Salt Flats tour lodges were spectacular.
The guides were top notch. Informative, personable, organised and punctual, and clearly put in the effort to give us an outstanding experience, including the revised itinerary in Uyuni where we felt that our guide, Alvaro, really stepped up to minimise the impact of the National Park closure and give us a great time.
Chalalan explained how they are benefitting the local community and it was gratifying to see the contribution it makes.
The arrangement by which Tayka hotels transfer into community hands also seemed like a good model.
Generally, we were told often that Bolivia feels a bit off the tourist map and that the country would benefit by visitors spreading the word.
Bolivia is a lovely, diverse and, in places, spectacular country. It’s also one of the rougher countries we’ve visited, given the altitude, extremes of temperatures, road conditions, limitations of accommodation and general level of development, and this reflects in some of our comments above. Our trip itself was really enjoyable and fascinating and we’d like to thank you for your help in putting in together.
Excellent organisation, prompt communication, and an outstanding guide made this Bolivia adventure, from the vast Uyuni Salt Flats to breathtaking treks, truly unforgettable.
Communication through email was excellent. Questions were always answered right away. Great service! Wonderful tour and excellent tour guide. Lots of highlights, Uyuni and trek were probably our favourite.
An unforgettable five-day luxury journey through Cusco and Machu Picchu, with perfect organisation, excellent guides, and world-class food and accommodation. Truly the trip of a lifetime.
Just did the 5-day luxury tour with 5 other guys. Best trip of our lives.
Great food. Great guide. Great accommodations in Cusco and Aguas Calientes. Great service. Wouldn’t change a single thing.
I just can’t reiterate enough how incredible the trip was. Thank you for everything.
Far exceeding expectations, this Patagonian rafting adventure combined world-class rapids, incredible food, yoga, hot tubs, and warm hospitality, so good it’s worth returning for next year.
I had the most amazing time, it far exceeded what I was expecting.
The camp really does sell itself short, it’s an amazing camp. Food was out of this world and all staff were great, free bar at camp and each tent/hut had its own member of staff allocated to you for the whole trip, so coffee served in bed every morning.
There were yoga classes every morning to help get ready for the day in the raft and two hot tubs.
I’m going to go again next year!
A seamless journey from the jungles of Manu to the heights of the Inca Trail, with fantastic guides and a perfect stay at Cusco’s charming Amaru Hotel.
I wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our trip. The guides from Manu and the Inca trail were both great. The Amaru Hotel was wonderful and the location was perfect.
A thrilling family holiday through Peru’s rainforest, Andes, and Lake Titicaca, filled with wildlife, adventure sports, and unforgettable Inca history.
We arranged a family activity holiday to Peru with Andean Trails and had the holiday of a lifetime. The first week we spent in a lodge in the rainforest seeing lots of tropical animals and birds including an opossum which raided our biscuits. For the second week we flew to Cusco where we went white water rafting, mountain biking, and horse riding, as well as visiting lots of Inca sites including Machu Picchu. For the final part of our trip we took a bus to Lake Titicaca and spent a night on Amantani island. We had a really amazing trip, the guides who looked after us were fantastic, the travel plans all worked without a hitch and the children loved all the activities that had been organised for them.
A beautifully organised adventure through Peru’s breathtaking landscapes and ancient history, offering unforgettable insight into the country’s rich culture and diversity.
We had the most fantastic trip – Peru is such a rich country in terms of natural beauty and diversity, ancient archaeological and anthropological history and culture. We were busy the whole time in order to cover what we did and there was still so much we missed – we would have loved to see some of the sites further north and up the coast from Lima (Chan-Chan etc.) The organisation and advice we received was brilliant. We had done a lots of pre-reading and were very interested in the history which helped us to appreciate it more. To everyone involved – a very big THANK-YOU for making it such a special trip.
A flawlessly organised trip through Peru’s stunning landscapes and rich culture. Every detail ran smoothly, making for an unforgettable adventure.
We had an AMAZING time. What a brilliant country. The range, quality and distinctiveness of what we found in Peru was amazing. With regards to our guides/organisation, everything – pretty much without exception – ran like clockwork: we were picked up in every place, never had to wait or were left wondering what to do (even though having travelled independently a lot before we occasionally fretted needlessly). Thanks very much again, and who knows? We might be in touch again regarding another South American trip in the future.
A wonderful journey combining the iconic Inca Trail and the Amazon rainforest — the perfect mix of adventure, culture, and nature.
We had a wonderful trip! We both really loved the Inca Trail and the Amazon and mostly had excellent service. We want to return to South America. I would definitely ask you to arrange our future trips for us.
An incredible Peruvian adventure brought to life by expert local guides and unforgettable encounters with the country’s plants, wildlife, and culture.
We had a WONDERFUL time – really incredible. All the folks we traveled/worked with were great. We really enjoyed our guide Zacharias – he was very knowledgeable, and I really tested him on the plants!
An unforgettable journey through Peru, expertly organised with thoughtful advice and seamless service that exceeded every expectation.
We had such a great trip to Peru. The guides and all the support people where excellent and made the trip very memorable. Peru was high on our list of places to visit. We were fortunate to have booked with Andean Trails which made our trip more exciting than we had expected. They gave advice on places to visit and gave us option that we had never even considered.
We would highly recommend them on everyone planning a trip too South America knowing full well that they provide an excellent service.
A fantastic and flawlessly organised holiday exploring the unforgettable highlights of Peru.
We have just got back from our amazing holiday in Peru. Thank you for your part in organising it.
An unforgettable 4-day Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu, perfectly organised, stress-free, and full of breathtaking moments.
Trip was amazing and went like clock work – thanks so much for all your help and advice. 4-Day Inca Trail Hike To Machu Picchu, Peru. Will certainly recommend your company to others. Best wishes
A flawlessly organised Peruvian adventure, from a luxurious Amazon lodge to the unforgettable Inca Trail, with seamless logistics and exceptional service throughout.
Your organisation was first class, all the connections worked perfectly and the people waiting for me at all my transfers were on time and very helpful. Amazon amazing (the lodge was 5 star), Inca trail even better. Hotel in Cusco was perfect, great location and really nice rooms, staff, views. Jesus who met me in Cusco was good and I used him to book some later parts of my trip although he bit off a little more than he could chew. Still, his attitude was great.
Will recommend you to anyone.
A wonderful experience learning Spanish in Cusco, with welcoming and dedicated teachers who made language study both fun and rewarding.
The Cusco Spanish school was great. The Spanish language teachers there are really welcoming, patient and had a keen interest in my pushing forward in learning Spanish. Thank you again for your assistance, the entire experience was wonderful.
A perfectly organised Peruvian adventure, from the Inca Trail to the Santa Cruz Valley, with excellent guides, great company, and unforgettable mountain experiences.
The holiday was a complete success. The porters and guides on the Inca trial were excellent. Our main guide, Henry, was knowledgable about the trek and always in good spirits. We has a really good time with everyone else in the group. The food was excellent and the accommodation was always set-up and waiting for us when we arrived.
The flight of the condor was also excellent. Chris is a really nice guy and it was great to have a native english speaking guide to keep us informed and entertained throughout or 5 day trek in the Santa cruise valley.
Thanks for all you help and advice when booking the trip.
A special and enriching Peruvian adventure, combining an unforgettable trek with deep insights into the Quechua people’s enduring traditions.
We had a great holiday – flights and hotels really good. The trek was great and Manolo our head guide was exceptional. It was a very special experience. I very much appreciated learning about the Quechua people and their continuing traditions, from our Cusco guide, Victoria and of similar things from Manolo. I am doing a lot more reading now about ancient Peruvian rituals and traditions.
S Hinks, UK, 2010
A flawlessly organised South American adventure with great food, welcoming people, perfect timing, and the reassuring support of Andean Trails every step of the way.
I love South America, love the people (they were really open to talk to) and the trip was so well organized. Food was great, breaks on the right moments, wonderful camp sites, very good hotels, all transfers etc exactly as agreed upfront.
Thanks Kathy for your way of organizing things and communicating so well on the status of reservations. We really felt “in good hands”.
A beautifully organised luxury Inca Trail trek, complete with sunshine at Machu Picchu, a rare bear sighting, and an unforgettable adventure made seamless by expert planning.
Well, we survived the Inca trail and were very pleased we selected the luxury trek with the smaller camp sites and extra day to complete the 42km. Macchu Picchu in all its glory was was bathed in sunshine on days 4&5 so we were very lucky.
We were lucky enough to spot a small black bear as it crossed our path on route! Our guide Nilo stated he has only seen two bears in the last five years. Thought you may like to see this.Thank you also for all your help in booking this very memorable adventure! Your info and organisation was much appreciated and really helpful.
We had a fabulous trek. Thank you again.
