What We Do

This was our second trip with Andean Discovery. The first was to Ecuador including the Galapagos, and this time was to Buenos Aires and Patagonia. As before, they did an excellent job of working with us to determine what we were looking for and were more than willing to discuss changes in their proposed itinerary so that it was a truly customized trip. Everything went smoothly, and we had another amazing adventure. Their choices for hotels, tours and guides were all excellent. I would definitely turn to them again if we decide to return to South America.

Wonderful trip planned to perfection that our entire family (children ages 13, 10 and 7) enjoyed. Great guides there to help at every turn.

Our Amazon adventure was somewhat disappointing in terms of what we did not see and our guide did not show up the last morning, and the van driver back to the airport was careless and reckless causing everyone in the van to feel as if we were in danger.

We had a fantastic 2 week trip using the Andean Discovery service. We started out with a cruise around the Galapagos Islands including daily visits to different islands. The service aboard the ship was great and the guides were all native of the Galapagos and were great. We then moved on the a 4 day adventure at the Napo Wildlife Center which was fantastic as well. We took daily canoe trips through the jungle seeing all manner of wildlife. We had two guides, one native to the rainforest. The food was great and the little cabins we stayed in next to the lagoon were superb. The guides here were fantastic as well. To conclude our trip we went to Peru and toured the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. We had Franco as our guide and he was great. All the hotels were really nice and he took us to eat and great places. It was a fantastic two week adventure that we will remember for a lifetime.

We had the most wonderful time on our trip to the Amazon, Galapagos and Peru with Andean Discovery. They exceeded all expectations, including a great itinerary, wonderfully professional guides and upscale hotels! We would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone traveling to Ecuador and Peru!!

We, four adults and two boys, 11 & 7, had a great time in Quito and the Galapagos.

My husband and I took our 13 year old son on a dream trip last summer. We explored the Amazon, the Galapagos Islands, and the Sacred Valley of Peru. Andean Discovery and their guides for each area were wonderful. Highly educated and skilled as well as personable and interesting, they gave us the trip of a lifetime that we were hoping for.

Our tour of Quito, Ecuador and The Galápagos Islands was arranged by Andean discovery in 2018 . Everything went as planned and without a hitch. Hotels were wonderful and the tour guides went above and beyond to be sure we were happy with everything. I would not hesitate to book another trip with them.

Traveled to Quito and Galapagos Islands over Christmas week. The weather was wonderful. Warm, breezy, sunny. Only one day was humid. Our guides were the best. Ericka in the islands and Carlos in Quito. They made sure we enjoyed our experience. We snorkeled on 2 different days and each was a different experience. The water was beautiful blue green and we saw many different fish, turtles, birds, red crabs, sharks. One shark swam every where with my daughter. The huge tortoises are a sight to see. They are every where there's lush green grass. Prepare to walk everywhere. Had many tasty dishes at different restaurants. Isabela Island is one of the safest places in the world. The people are happy, friendly, and always ready to give you a helping hand. Our trip was wonderful and all 10 of us will go back to Isabela in the near future.

From the time our tour guide and driver picked us up at the airport to the time they dropped us off at the airport they took such great care of our group of two families. Both families had different needs- some vegetarian some not and sometimes wanted to different things at different paces. It did not matter. The tour guide and driver got to know us quickly and made adaptations sometimes on the fly. THEY COULD NOT HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB. It was a trip of a lifetime. We flew into Quito and traveled to the highlands and stayed at a Hacienda that I will dream about for the rest of my life. Then we went to a cloud forest restaurant and hiked to a volcano. We then flew to Baltra and then took boats to the Islands and saw wonders of the world. I traveled with my kids ages, 11 and 12 and my 74 year old mom and my friend and her mother and 2 kids the same age as my kids.

For many years, it has been my dream to visit the Galápagos Islands and Machu Picchu. We chose to use Andean Discovery to handle management of the trip, including the selection of hotels, Galapagos tour boat and private guides in both Ecuador and Peru. Our travel dates were April 16- 28, 2019.

My wife and I have done a fair amount of international travel, but had no experience in traveling to South America. We also had limited Spanish language skills, so we had some trepidation, but Damian and the staff at Andean Discovery planned a customized trip for us and helped promptly answered all of our pre-trip questions. We also made some last minute changes which the Andean Discovery staff promptly handled for us without issue or complaint.

Once we landed in Ecuador, we were immediately met at the airport by our guide Johanna and driver. Johanna was fantastic, knowledgeable and took care of everything in mainland Ecuador. As an aside, prior to leaving, we read the US State Department warnings and internet information about Ecuador not being safe due to crime. While everyone’s experiences may vary, at no time in either Ecuador or Peru did we feel unsafe, nor did we ever even have run ins with would-be pickpockets (which btw we encountered several times in past trips to Italy and Spain). All the Ecuadorans and Peruvians we encountered were extremely friendly.

We were assisted with all airport transfers by guides that met us in each airport to assist us with customs and baggage transfers. The Andean Adventures staff took care of everything. Andean Discovery even provided us a cell phone in case there were problems (there were none btw until we were ready to leave and air canada cancelled our flight out of Lima - see p.s below.

Our time on the Galapagos island cruise vessel, Legend, was fantastic. The iteniary was action packed and our naturalist guide Paul was super knowledgeable. We snorkeled with fur seals, sea turtles and penguins as saw all the “must see” land wildlife.

We again were assisted by Andean Adventure staff with our airport transfers in Guyacil and Lima en route ito Cusco were we were met at the airport by our guide Cesar Perez. Cesar and driver assisted us for 5 days in the sacred valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco. The itiniary created by Andean Discoveries was exceptional. We were treated to authentic cultural experiences with Quechua people which led to several “we can’t believe we are getting to do this” experiences. Cesar further allowed us to customize our trip according to our interests. Cesar was our guide the entire time in Peru. Cesar even accompanied us on the Inca trail one day hike and when we arrived to macchu Picchu it felt like we were the only ones there. We never had considered using a private guide before this trip, and now after working with Cesar, I can’t imagine not having a private guide on a trip like this.

I have never been on an international trip that went this seamlessly, and our trip required a significant amount of logistical support. For any one out there who wants the adventure of traveling to Peru and Ecuador, Andean Discovery can deliver a trip that will likely far exceed your expectations. This trip was worth every penny and much more.

PS. We had a last minute flight cancellation in Lima. We needed a hotel room fast. I called the local Andean Discovery office and someone answered at 3 am in the morning and arrranged a hotel near the airport and transportation. Five stars!

Everyone was extremely helpful and allowed my wife and I to thoroughly enjoy our 30th wedding anniversary adventure in S. America with the assistance of the knowledgeable and entertaining guides they hired and the memorable itinerary they planned and seamlessly executed!

My wife and I have traveled all over the world in the past 21 years. Andean Discovery was by far the most accurate, serviceable, professional and personable company I have dealt with. My wife and I celebrated our 20th Anniversary in Peru. Andean Discovery made all of the accommodations for us and we received exactly what we expected and more. They are able to accommodate all of your requests, from simple to the most elaborate hotels in the area. Not to mention, our tour guide (Cesar Augusto) was the best tour guide ever. This was an awesome experience.

Andean Discovery really knows what they are doing when helping a family plan a once in a lifetime trip! We have three children ages 16, 14 and 10. My husband and I were so happy that everyone had an incredible trip and all needs were met! We traveled to the Galapagos Islands, Amazon Rain Forest and Machu Picchu. If I had to pick one thing that this company does best, it is having the most amazing guides on staff! We are still in touch to this day with our guides as they truly went above and beyond for our family!!

My daughters and I traveled with Andean Discovery last summer to Ecuador and Peru. All of our guides were fantastic and made our trip very fulfilling. We enjoyed seeing the many sites, learning about the culture, and enjoying the delicious food. I am the older member in the group and the guides took this into consideration in allowing more time to get around planned activities. I strongly recommend anyone to go on an Andean Discovery experience. We have fantastic memories of our trip. Thanks so much!

My husband and I returned a week+ ago from THE most fabulous trip ever--the Ecuadorian Amazon, the Galapagos Islands, and Peru......EVERYTHING WAS AWESOME--and that is because of ANDEAN DISCOVERY!!!! From personalizing our trip with the WONDERFUL staff in Boston (extremely knowledgeable and outstanding follow-through, very detail-oriented).......to the TREMENDOUSLY FABULOUS tour guides throughout our trip--we could not have asked for a better experience!!!! Every person that met us at the assorted airports and toured us here/there/everywhere--and every step of the way--OUTSANDING!!!! Knowledgeable, extremely helpful, love their countries and love sharing, kind, considerate........great food, lodging!! Throughout our trip, I hugged and kissed every guide and driver that we had the pleasure of being with--truly, outstanding!!! Highly recommend--and already have! THANK YOU!!!!

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!!

We had an amazing trip to Ecuador, the Galapagos and Amazon jungle. The trip details were expertly taken care of well in advance, itinerary thoughtfully set out, the guides friendly and knowledgeable. Our family had a trip of a lifetime, saw so many incredible animals, people and places. I would highlyrecommend Andean Discovery to others planning a trip to Ecuador!

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.

The best tour we ever had and that is saying something as over the past 18 years we traveled in 48 countries by now.
Everything was perfectly organized, customized to our taste and there was nothing left to chance. Even the smallest details were taken care of and we really did not have to think about anything. Just enjoying the experience of seeing new places, interacting with animals and relaxing.