South America holidays

My sister, her boyfriend and I had a fantastic time.

Both guides were excellent, spoke good English and were very knowledgable.

The food was also excellent - some of the best I had during my 4 months in South America!

The taxi arrangements were good and on time to get us started on the first day and overall we had a really great time and would definitely recommend the trip to anyone!

flange reviewing Trek the Inca Trail in Peru

Trekking to Machu Pichu has long been a dream of mine and this was a wonderful way to do it. The guides and porters on our trek took great care of us… reassuring us about the effects of altitude and encouraging us all to walk at our own pace. We were in a group of 12, a good size…large enough to have some interesting chat at dinner but it we never felt crowded when we were walking. The food was fantastic and could easily stand alone as a selling point for the trek. The weather in June was clear although chilly at night…gloves should be high on the kit list.
The trip up the Tambopata river into the jungle is in complete contrast to the heights of the Andes and quite magical. Before we had even got to the lodge the guides had pointed out caiman, capybaras and vultures along the riverbank. The accommodation itself was very comfortable, with a large bar, dining area and very clean comfortable bedrooms. I had been a little nervous about the prospect of sleeping in a room open to the jungle but am now a complete convert, the noises and views into the vegetation were fascinating and best enjoyed from the comfort of a hammock!

jenny reviewing Cusco, the Sacred Valley, the Inca Trail & Amazon Jungle

We very much enjoyed our trip and met great people on our guided tour. The combination of sea kayaking/biking/hiking/diving etc really suited our penchant for activity holidays. The hotels were basic but absolutely fine, the food great and the Island to Island transfers exciting. You cannot help being impressed by the wildlife in the Galapagos Islands. We combined it with a visit to Quito where we did an awesome mountain bike ride down the slopes of Cotopaxi, then managed to climb the same mountain over the next 2 days - 19,000 feet!
I would thoroughly recommend this holiday as organised by Tourdust!
That's our second great trip with this company.

John Donald reviewing Galapagos Adventure

We really thought our trip was great. I would rate your service and the whole experience as a 5. The only piece that would make your service more convenient would be if the prices were conveyed in dollars instead of pounds. We would definitely recommend the trip and company to other travelers. We had our own trip for 3 people and were given lots of special attention. The transportation was very easy and all of our needs were met. Thanks so much for arranging everything for us!

Rochelle Loughry reviewing Lares Valley Trek to Machu Picchu

The actual trip, logistics, accomodation etc. worked really well! I didn´t expect the Eco basecamp to be so luxurious. The sleeping domes were so cool, the bathroom facilities amazing as well as the whole restaurant and bar area. Almost like being at the Hilton but in the wilderness ;-). The cabins and dorms worked well too but after two days of long trekks it felt great coming back to the Eco domes. A perfect balance. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable. I was lucky to end up with a great group that had a lovely dymanic which also contributed to the overall experience. I only have one little comment and it´s not a biggie. In the eco camp I shared dome with another female (a fellow country woman from sweden it just so happened). However the one night in cabins I had to share with a man in my gruop. It worked out ok but I guess I only expected to share with the same sex. Maybe something to prepare others with in the future.

In summary, I would highly recommend this trip to others it´s one of the most awesome things I´ve ever done!

Thanks for all your help in the run up to my trip!

P.S. My boots also turned out amazingly well in the end ;-)

AnnBergstrom reviewing Torres del Paine Trekking Expedition

From beginning to end the service from both Tourdust and the local operator was fantastic. Despite being the rainy season we had a fair bit of good weather, and even when we didn't it couldn't take away from the great experience and amazing sites. Our guide Odon really made it for us. There was a smallish group of 8 of us. He understood everyones needs and tailored our days to make sure everyone got the most out of it. Whenever he could he made sure that we were ahead of other groups and got time at the most interesting sites on our own. He also hads fantastic knowledge and always had really interesting things to tell us which made the trip even better. Our team of porters were also fantastic. The food was amazing and you wouldn't believe they were cooking it in a camp tent. Thank you to the whole team for making this such a great trip. I would highly recommend Pachamama if you are thinking of doing the trail. Becks and Will - Jan 2011

beak101 reviewing Trek the Inca Trail in Peru

I cannot imagine a better guide than Odon. From the very first time we met, he has been funny, kind, supportive, very knowledgeable and a real pleasure to be with. The fact is I was not fit enough to do this like some of the other young fit people, but he made me feel welcome and cared for - a wonderful man and a wonderful experience. Apart from my shame at taking the horse, I have loved almost every minute of this trek and Odon has been the second best part of it - countryside came first :)

Charles reviewing The Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu

Getting to Refugio Amazonas from the airport at Puerto Maldonado involved a slow, bumpy hourlong bus ride to a sweltering jungle outpost aptly named Infierno, where we transferred into 55-foot-long motor boats that resembled hollowed-out bananas. The 2 1/2-hour ride upriver instantly oriented us to our new environment. Sixto pointed excitedly to a black caiman, an endangered reptile that resembles an alligator, sunning itself on the riverbank. We drew in for a closer look, which prompted the fierce reptile to eye us warily and slither into the water, its eyes still trained on us like periscopes. Moments later, we were distracted by the primordial shriek of a scarlet macaw. Perched on a clay outcropping were two of the storybook birds with their coats of crimson, gold, and green. Our normally skeptical teenager took in nature's technicolor with disbelief. "Can you believe where we are?" she said

Our boat finally pulled ashore at a set of wooden steps that rose up from the river. We had been hiking for 10 minutes when the lush green forest suddenly parted to reveal what looked like an enormous ship's prow cutting through the vegetation. This was Refugio Amazonas, a giant open-sided structure with a thatched roof and spacious two-story common area that included a bar, dining room, and hammock lounge. Our rooms had three bamboo-lined walls and beds draped with gauzy mosquito nets. The fourth wall was open to the rain forest. The bathrooms had running water and cold showers. Candles and kerosene lanterns provided our only light (the dining room has several hours of electricity each night where you can recharge camera batteries). We fell asleep that night to a thrilling cacophony made by howler monkeys, macaws, parrots, and crickets.

The next morning, while Jasper (7) was helping to save the forest, (along a special children's rain forest trail created with help from a Peruvian nonprofit organization, ANIA, which aims to teach children about natural and cultural resources of the rain forest) Ariel (15) was out with another group climbing a 75-foot tree with ropes and a harness. Another day featured kayaking and fishing on the Tambopata, hiking a remote clay lick to observe macaws and parrots, and following Sixto as he showed us how he used rain forest plants as medicines. "I don't go to a pharmacy," he said, motioning to the dense growth around us. "I have all the medicine I need right here." He won over Ariel by curing her nagging stomachache with a potent tea he brewed from a forest vine.

On our last morning, we climbed an 80-foot canopy tower to bird-watch with Sixto and take in the sunrise. Jasper and Ariel were glued to their binoculars as they took in the bird's-eye vantage point. Mist rose over the green carpet beneath us, and we peered into the tops of giant kapok trees. We spotted more birds in an hour than I had ever seen, including a toucan, tanager, parrots, macaws, and parakeets, to name a few. A full-throated symphony of birdsong rang out around us.
(David Goodman, writing for the Boston Globe, August 2007)

Boston-Globe reviewing Family Rainforest Expedition in Peru