Peru will be remembered as one of our favorite family vacations!!
Our family enjoyed the 2-week Peru/Machu Picchu vacation--we have travelled all over the world with our two sons (aged 18 and 16) and this by far was the most remarkable as far as being able to be relax and just enjoy the trip. It was well worth it to have Andean Discovery arrange this vacation for us. The itinerary was packed but every experience was valuable and so educational. Having the local guides and drivers managing our schedule allowed for us to enjoy the culture and the people without the administrative stress and worries. Our guides Jessica in Cusco and Delfina in the Lake Titicaca/Puno regions were fabulous--both were sweet and kind and extremely knowledgeable and so passionate about teaching us and showing us their beautiful culture. They were delightful--fun, enthusiastic, endearing, considerate and very trustworthy, and they really took care of our family. For our last hike on the last day at Taquile Island, Delfina recognized that I was worn out and arranged for our boat captain to take me and my husband around to the other side of the island where we hung out watching the locals demonstrating traditional dancing and talking to the men about their knitting. We trusted her to take our sons for the hike up the mountain for the view and festival and they met us on the other side of the island. Both boys had so much fun with her. Our sons study high school Spanish and benefited being immersed in the language as both guides were attentive to insisting that they communicate mostly in Spanish. The kids were comfortable speaking for my husband and me by the end of the trip and they also learned some Quechuan vocabulary. Our drivers in Cusco and to Llachon were excellent. Although the drive from Cusco took 9 hours, the van was large and so comfortable and we made many enjoyable stops to interesting historical sites. Our drivers were so kind and went out of their way to return to our hotel after a day excursion to delivery my iphone and to take my husband to an ATM. The one-day trek to Machu Picchu was amazing; Jessica taught the whole way and helped to pace us so we arrived at a perfect time to take photos when the lighting was just right and the crowds had thinned. Just as fulfilling was our homestay with the Lake Titicaca family--they were so open and went out of their way to share their traditions with us. Our guide Delfina helped to facilitate a couple of extra experiences, such as fishing for our breakfast one morning and arranging for a local group to entertain us at dinner. The housing arrangement was simple and comfortable and clean. The Peruvian people are kind and humble and very friendly and hospitable. I bought a new 25-inch suitcase while there to bring home all the beautiful textiles I purchased. (I'm a knitter--the prices at the artisan shops were well worth the quality). The whole time we felt safe and welcomed. The only regret we had was not exploring Lima for a more extended time; on our Lima day, we only were picked up at 2:00 pm for two hours with our guide, who was not as enthusiastic about showing us around. All of our hotels were top-notch and the included menus exposed us to a representative sampling of the delicious Peruvian cuisine. The historical sites were worth the visits and we have a deep appreciation for the incredible Incan achievements and influence on the world. Thanks to Andean Discovery for arranging some fantastic family memories!!
Excellent service
Excellent service. Our guide, Wilson Rosales took such good care of us! Galapagos experience amazing.
This was an incredible experience and…
This was an incredible experience and Andean Discovery did not miss a trick. Our guides and drivers met us on arrivals and escorted us through departures. Tours were well planned and all of the guides were friendly and very knowledgeable. We highly recommend Andean Discovery.
We just returned from our trip to…
We just returned from our trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu that was arranged for our group by Andean Discovery. It was easy to plan our trip with Andean Discovery. They responded to emails promptly and the whole planning process went smoothly. The guides were good specially the guide in Cusco and Machu Picchu. The choices of hotels were excellent. Some of the activities in the Galapagos are meant for people with moderate level of fitness and might not be suited for elderly or disabled so make sure to consider this in planning your activities. Only issue we had was that some were not able to go up Huayna Picchu as we did not get the requested tickets.
Verified
The perfect trip to Galapagos and Peru
Our trip to Peru and the Galapagos was extraordinary from start to finish. The guides were remarkable, the lodging, meals and excursions were excellent. Everything in-country was outstanding.
Everything detailed was handled with…
Everything detailed was handled with expertise. The guides were knowledgeable, strived to make sure are interests were explored, and generally very fun. I have in the past been skeptical of guided tours, but Andean Discovery makes me want to reconsider.
Very friendly
Very friendly , professional help & guidance. Our custom-made itinerary was full of excitement and was done nicely in a way that no time was wasted. Really worth the price we paid for . Thank you very much Andean Discovery !
We couldn’t be happier than we were…
We couldn’t be happier than we were with Andean discoveries. First class trip all around. We started in Quito and then on to the Galapagos legend. We are 3 mature women traveling and every little detail was handled in a professional and worry free manner. The local drivers and tour guides were there for us every step of the way. From picking us up at the airports (we had a total of 10 flights) to checking us into hotels, taking us to restaurants and making sure we had everything we wanted. From the Galapagos on to Cusco and Machu Picchu beautiful hotels and transportation and excellent guides and drivers. One of my best trips ever. Highly recommended
Andean was great to work with
Andean was great to work with. They spelled everything out as far as what to bring and had great people working in country for them. They were very punctual and knowledgeable about Ecuador and the Galapagos. The staff at hotels were also great though not Andean employees. The food was way above my expectations of a small set of islands. It was all fresh and organic grown on the islands. Andean was very good at rescheduling some meet times as going home there was a problem with the plane we were supposed to fly. Its a well run company and the people of Ecuador and the Galapagos were great, if your considering travel to this part of the world do it.
We left the planning to them and they…
We left the planning to them and they exceeded our expectations. Scenery was beautiful; tour guides were friendly, informative, and instinctively knew or physical limitations; the restaurants and food were great.