South America Specialists
We really are experts for South America. We offer no other destination. We aren't a sub-brand or secretly part of a larger company while masquerading and branding ourselves as a specialist business. South America is who we are, it's what we do, and this is all we do.
All our friendly team are either from South America or have spent time living in and travelling extensively throughout South America. This is a prerequisite of working with us and for us - we want to know our destinations first hand. Equally we return regularly to keep on top of travel trends, our suppliers, new emerging hotels and destinations, and so on. We do not research our destinations by powerpoint, training course, or on YouTube... we have lived and breathed our destinations ourselves.
We share our experiences, knowledge and passion with you, and use this to create our fantastic holidays. Our knowledge is our gift to you, and we want nothing more than to share our knowledge to help you have a wonderful holiday.
Tailor Made Travel
We are independent tailor-made specialists for South America. We believe South America is a very special travel destination that deserves a special holiday, so our holidays are tailor-made to put you in control so you can get your dream holiday.
We do not tie you into a fixed itinerary or rigid departure date, and we don't operate large-group holidays where you are stuck with other passengers - with us you travel where you want, how you want, when you want, with as much freedom as you need. We're just there to help you along the way.
100% Flexibility
We have a range of suggested holiday itineraries on our website and in our brochure which can be booked as described if they are what you are looking for, but equally they act as suggestions, inspiration, and a starting point from which which we will personalise, craft and tailor each of our holidays to suit your dreams and wishes, whatever your budget or destination. No two holidays are alike.
Travel at your own pace and style, stay in your preferred style of accommodation, visit the tourist highlights or trek off the beaten track, choose from shared or private excursions, seamlessly blend together landscapes, cuisine, culture, history, archaeology, wildlife and adventure... enjoy South America your way. We make it happen for you.
High Quality and Great Value
As a small independent tour operator we don't have the huge overheads and infrastructure costs of the larger holiday providers, so can pass on these benefits to our customers without impacting your holiday. Stay in the same hotels, explore the Galapagos in the same cruise ships, and experience the same destinations in the same way... for greater value.
As we're passionate about South America we've spent a great deal of time hand-selecting our hotel, accommodation and tour choices to offer exceptional value, experiences and choice. We focus on boutique, independent and character hotels to provide you with a more memorable and special experience and to ensure your money supports local businesses and people within our destinations.
We don't cut corners, but focus on a more immersive and high quality experience and use our experiences to design our holidays in the right way - an example of this is our tour through Peru's Sacred Valley on the journey towards Machu Picchu. Our tour visits the entire valley including the Inca ruins and ancient church in the village of Chinchero, the stunning Inca ruins at Moray, and the fabulous Inca Fotress at Ollantaytambo - this full day excursion gives a fascinating insight into the Inca Empire as we build your journey towards Machu Picchu. Many other "Sacred Valley Tours" are available but most only visit a fraction of the sights worth experiencing while we prefer to focus on quality of the whole experience - we understand our destinations are often "once in a lifetime" and we want you to have a wonderful adventure with no regrets.
Travel With Confidence / ATOL-Protected
We are an ATOL-holder (ATOL number 12706). All our flight-inclusive holidays booked in the UK are are ATOL-protected, so you can travel with us with peace of mind that your holiday is protected.
Your Financial Protection. When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive package from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.
We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).
If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.
We are also members of the Travel Trust Association (membership number Q1338, verify our membership and find out more about the Travel Trust Association here) so your holiday is 100% financially protected.
We operate a 24-hour UK phone and WhatsApp number which we provide all our booked guests, and in addition we also provide our guests with the direct contact details of the relevant guides in South America, so we're always on-hand either before or during your holiday for your peace of mind.
Sustainable and Responsible Travel
We genuinely care about South America, and so Sustainable and Responsible Travel are a key focus for us.
There's much that we do, far more than we could possibly write in a few lines here, but our primary focus is to both support the local economies and to protect the wildlife and cultural heritages within our destinations; as well as a wider focus on the general nature of travel and the consequences it can have on the planet if enacted in the wrong way.
We support the local economies within our destinations in a number of ways, for example by using local guides (which also enhances the experience for our guests) and locally owned restaurants and hotels, and we protect the environments within our destinations a number of ways, for example only using Amazon lodges with sufficiently trained guides, and by giving our customers advice on how to protect fragile locations such as ancient archaeological ruins.
If you would like more information on this topic please read our Responsible Travel Policy, or contact us and we'd love to discuss this with you and advise on ways in which you can also help and support.
