South America Budget Culture Trips & Packages Tours & Trips

What travelers are saying

"BUYER BEWARE!!! This company has a policy that if THEY cancel your trip…THEY get to keep your money and you get a credit the company. They cancelled my first trip..found out the hard way about their policy. Booked a trip…then had left over money so booked another…which they cancelled…again. Surprisingly…this time they offered a refund, but only gave me back the money I had put down…not what was left of “my credit”. So now I am forced to do business with a company I no longer wish to, that picks and chooses when to follow their own policy!! There are plenty of other travel agencies with similar tours…don’t give these guys your hard earned money for them to keep."

What travelers are saying

"I worked with Garvey to plan my dream trip to Patagonia. It was a two-week trip, we started in Buenos Aires, took the Australis cruise through the Tierra del Fuego fjords, visited Torres del Paine staying at the Explora Lodge and ended the trip in Santiago. All of the guides that Garvey arranged for excursions were excellent. Garvey managed the travel logistics between the different locations so that our experience in South America was seamless. Overall Lost World Adventures was a great travel agent for us. I had worked with this company previously for a trip to visit Angel Falls in Venezuela and hike the Machu Picchu trail in Peru, which was also fantastic."

What travelers are saying

"Absolutely superb trip. I would put this tour up there with the best I have ever done. The scenery is otherworldly and travelling in a small group (a driver, an English-speaking guide and 5 tourists) is perfect. Would recommend to everyone who considering doing this. Yes, the accommodation is basic, it gets very cold at night (I was there in early October) and there are a couple of very early starts, but it is all part of the adventure! I only have 2 negative comments: 1. Our guide was in a bad mood on the final day (we had our suspicions as to why this might be, but they were only suspicions, so it wouldn’t be right to mention them here) and was quite rude to the whole group – in particular to the 2 Swiss people, for no reason whatsoever. 2. Our guide insisted on taking the salt flats perspective photos with our phones – because “it is too complicated with cameras”, but this means we got rubbish photos, with either the foreground or the background out of focus. (My advice is to use your camera. Set it on aperture priority and use a high f-stop number – at least 9 – and set your focus to ‘wide’, not ‘centre’. Finally, don’t put the camera too close to whatever is in the foreground and don’t zoom. (OK, maybe he was right – that does sound a bit complicated, but if you do it right, you’ll get amazing photos!) Finally, I’m glad I’d spent 3 days in San Pedro to acclimatise before doing this tour, as the altitude didn’t affect me at all. Anyway, book this tour – you won’t regret it."

What travelers are saying

"Our trip started off with a lunch at Maya Gardens. We went to see the poultry in their pens while waiting for lunch, thinking it was a petting zoo. The poor birds did not have water or any indication that they ever had water. One of the turkeys was lying on it's side looking very sick. No one would give them water when I asked them to. The lunch was so awful I did not eat meat for the rest of the trip. I sent a video to Angela Bailey telling her this is not what we want to see when on a conservation trip and she acted like I was lying. Our guides were lazy and not caring about us. They took us to overpriced markets to get fleeced by the sellers there. At the anti-poaching farm tour, we had to walk over a bridge with wires on it, to keep wildlife in. One of our travelers, who was 65 years old, tripped over it and had to go to the hospital. No one warned her about the wires. Then, trying to get off the safari trucks, she was so very very sore and no guides helped her to get out of the truck. Completely appalling. The guides had very poor communication skills that worked for Discover Corps. I was forced to get vaccinated while in Kenya, because the laws changed while we were there. I asked if I could try to get out of the airport first and if I could not then get the vaccine. Discover Corps said "If you choose to do that, you are on your own". The conditions of medical in Kenya is not like the US and it was awful. The airport didn't even ask me for my vaccine card on the way out. DC could have worked with me on trying this first before forcing me to get this vaccine in a poor 3rd world country. Also, my vaccine card had the wrong date of birth and my name did not match what is on my passport. The doctor tried to get me to tip the nurse giving me the vaccine. The guides dropped us off curbside at the airport and left us there to navigate. I will NEVER use this company again. They did not have my back on anything that happened and Angela Bailey never contacted me to follow up about my experience after this trip was over."

What travelers are saying

"Absolutely superb trip. I would put this tour up there with the best I have ever done. The scenery is otherworldly and travelling in a small group (a driver, an English-speaking guide and 5 tourists) is perfect. Would recommend to everyone who considering doing this. Yes, the accommodation is basic, it gets very cold at night (I was there in early October) and there are a couple of very early starts, but it is all part of the adventure! I only have 2 negative comments: 1. Our guide was in a bad mood on the final day (we had our suspicions as to why this might be, but they were only suspicions, so it wouldn’t be right to mention them here) and was quite rude to the whole group – in particular to the 2 Swiss people, for no reason whatsoever. 2. Our guide insisted on taking the salt flats perspective photos with our phones – because “it is too complicated with cameras”, but this means we got rubbish photos, with either the foreground or the background out of focus. (My advice is to use your camera. Set it on aperture priority and use a high f-stop number – at least 9 – and set your focus to ‘wide’, not ‘centre’. Finally, don’t put the camera too close to whatever is in the foreground and don’t zoom. (OK, maybe he was right – that does sound a bit complicated, but if you do it right, you’ll get amazing photos!) Finally, I’m glad I’d spent 3 days in San Pedro to acclimatise before doing this tour, as the altitude didn’t affect me at all. Anyway, book this tour – you won’t regret it."

What travelers are saying

"Takes a huge amount of coordinating trips with outside organizations so not without some problems. Being a solo tourist in a foreign country sometimes those problems were quite scary. Overall, I believe this group did their best to ensure I had a safe and wondrous adventure."

What travelers are saying

"Phenomenal! Karen was awesome. We made a potato soup with an avocado rose set on cheese in the middle of the soup. Then we made a sword fish in a cream sauce and finished with a chocolate fondue dish with a variety of passion fruit and other local fruits. It was the best cooking class I have ever taken. Thanks Karen!"

What travelers are saying

"The ancient 4-day Lost City trek in the Sierra Nevada, Colombia, provided a mix of awe-inspiring moments and frustrating setbacks, largely due to the shortcomings of Wiwai Tours. While initially drawn to Wiwai for their promise of indigenous tour guides, our experience was soured by the glaring absence and apathy of our assigned guide, Benjamin. Throughout the journey, our group found ourselves repeatedly questioning Benjamin's whereabouts, as he seemed more interested in socializing with his friends than providing us information to his paying customers. Despite Wiwai's organizational flaws, the trek itself offered breathtaking scenery and a unique opportunity for adventure. However, the lack of structure and guidance from our tour guide left much to be desired. Icebreakers or introductory sessions could have helped foster a sense of camaraderie among the group, while providing essential context for the journey would have enhanced our understanding and appreciation of the experience. Moreover, Wiwai Tours' disregard for customer safety became evident when my companion fell ill on the second day, likely from contaminated water or food, and possibly heat stroke. Despite his obvious distress, our guide and translator failed to offer any direct assistance or inquire about his well-being, leaving us to rely on the support of fellow trekkers. Additionally, the lack of information about the local culture, the trek itself, and the indigenous people until each evening was disappointing. The sporadic delivery of information made it challenging to absorb after a long day of trekking, highlighting the need for continuous enrichment throughout the day. In conclusion, while the 4-day Lost City trek offers incredible natural beauty and adventure, I would caution against booking with Wiwai Tours until they address their organisation, or moreover had Benjamin as their guide - I am aware that my review contrasts to others. So looks like we got the short straw unfortunately."