5 Star South America Tour Reviews — 1 to 3 of 3

An extremely well organized and well planned trip. A more ambitious hike than we expected up to the Lost City and back with very steep terrain up and down along the way. I can't imagine hiking this in the rainy season. It would have been very slippery and very difficult to walk back down the steep 1200 steps from the Lost City in the rain. The hiking guides were very helpful and considerate. Their knowledge of the surrounding birds along the Lost City Trek was not as strong as I was hoping for.
Our guide, Christian, on the Tayrona National Park coastal hike was very knowledgeable in all aspects both of the area and of the flora and fauna.
The local tour company was readily accessible once we were back to cell phone service after the Lost City hike. Especially when one of us became ill such that we needed to cancel our tubing experience.
The Hotel Jorara eco-hotel after the Lost City hike was a wonderful experience. We enjoyed a very large room and an open air area beside the room to hang out in and relax. Very helpful staff.
Our first night hotel in Santa Marta was in a good location for walking on the malecon next to the water with easy access to the Museo del Oro as well. One complaint: our room was right above a bowling alley. Hmmm.

There is magic in the Galapagos Island. The kind of enchantment which unites an eighteen-year-old daughter, on the cusp of leaving for college, a fifteen-year-old son who is fascinated by animals and photography and us--their parents--who, being from Alaska, love active adventures. On so many moments on our trip, we were all united with the same sense of awe, beauty and wonderment. Of course, the sea lions captivated us with their love of play (we saw one bite the tail of a marine iguana just to be ornery). The inquisitive Nazca boobies waddled up and delighted us. However, there is one memory that stands out; snorkeling and seeing hammerhead sharks coolly cruise by below. There was collective squealing through the snorkels as we pointed out the sharks, who are so distinctive in appearance and smooth in movement. Later that day, at dinner, that was the memory which elicited excitement and the feeling of "Did we really just get to do that?".

Our whole family loved every single second of this trip, from the food and accommodations, to the crew and all the tours. A special shout out to the Captain of the Beluga who let us come into the Bridge on the boat who let us see the equator latitude and take pictures when we crossed the equator on water. A trip of a lifetime for these Alaskans. We are grateful.

Itinerary was great! Beluga yacht was awesome! Great service, crew,food,and logistics. The Enchanted lodge was lovely and the service and food were perfect. We were the only ones on the extended bike tour and our guides were very flexible and knowledgable. If you want an active experience with a lot of variety and high quality service this is the trip for you!

We found the biking to be strenuous and modified it for less biking and more kayaking and hiking.