South America Countryside village visits Trips

This was an incredible way to experience Costa Rica. There’s no way we could have seen and done so much on our own—being part of the tour made all the difference. Our tour guide was outstanding, and our driver was equally amazing, getting us everywhere safely with impressive skill. Navigating the narrow roads and tucked-away spots in the forest was truly remarkable. I highly recommend this trip to anyone considering it!

Unique, one in a lifetime places to visit. Great Tour Director and Bus Driver. Always on the move (early am departures) but they cover three great locations in a week. Tortuguero Park is only accessible by boat. Lots of rain (it's a rain forest) but managed to keep dry. The Lodge is 20 yards from the Caribbean on one side and 20 yards from the river on the other. Beautiful. All hotels/lodges were great. Awesome views. The hikes were more like lazy nature walks. Great for bird watchers; I like more movement but you have to respect what others in the group are there for. Group size was large at 42. Made good friends and everyone was nice; but 30 would have been a better group size. Food varied. Buffets were repetitive; filling but average. Open dinner nights, that you pay for, were very good. Bus rides could be long and bumpy. But they're taking you to out of the way places and they make stops along the way to break it up. The stops (Quintana Family - great dinner- The chocolatiers - very good) great and worthwhile. Hot Springs was great and a highlight. Did not do the Zip Lines as I'm a bit older. Enjoyed the Hanging Bridges (not as scary as people think). Not crazy about the La Fortuna Guided walk excursion. Weak and for bird/nature people. Great value for the cost of this trip. Would recommend it to anyone open minded and active. This is not a sit at the beach vacation. Had a great time and enjoyed meeting new people.

We saw a lot and I loved the trip but there is a lot of time on the bus because of it showing so many amazing sites. Just keep that in mind it's a trade off to see so much. I would love to go back again and see more. Also the wait time in the airport was very long and there was nothing to do at the end. Drop off was at 11am and our flight was at 7pm.

The itinerary is fast paced but you see a lot, which is what we expected. The excursions are nice for those that want even more adventure. We purchased snacks at the beginning of the trip but did not need them. The food was fantastic and we made many stops with a lot already included. Our tour guide was fantastic, as was our driver. This was our 5th Trafalgar tour and we have another one planned already for October. We had a wonderful group. Everyone got along and we all had such a good time together. The tour director started a WhatsApp thread and everyone was posting pictures. Even if you did not get a picture of something someone else did. The hotels were all nice and some of them were unique.

This trip was excellent. The itinerary was well thought out. I could not have imagined that Trafalgar had done such a unique job……. Special mention to the Tour Director Herman Rojas. He was a great part of what made this trip so good. He is a asset to Trafalgar.

This tour operator organized a cultural, spiritual and community immersion for me, my husband, my adult daughter and her boyfriend for 16 days in late February/early March of 2023. It was the most exciting trip I’ve taken. This is saying a lot considering I have spent a lifetime of travel, both personal and professional, focusing on Latin America. Everything ran smoothly, even with chaotic settings and complex logistics. A big part of this was by providing us with amazing guides, starting with Jahel Amaru, who met us at the La Paz airport to whisk us across the altiplano to Oruro for its truly spectacular Carnival. Jahel is knowledgeable, patient, down-to-earth, smart patient, funny, and an extremely enjoyable person to spend time with. She guided us through the hectic Oruro Carnaval during its culminating weekend - with boundless energy and contagious enthusiasm. We had the time of our lives cheering on the colorful characters as they paraded and danced thanks to Jahel knowing exactly where to go, when, and providing invaluable context. Community tourism (where visitors are connected with everyday Bolivians to learn about their lives) - has started to blossom in Bolivia, and this company is one of its pioneers. We got to experience it in Potosi, where we had another excellent guide, Marlene Quispe. She took us through Cerro Rico mine, which was the world’s leading supplier of silver. Marlene has close ties to mining: her brothers, parents and even she has worked there. As we ventured deeper into the earth, we learned from her about the mining process and cooperatives involved with it. She also introduced us to one of the mine's “tios” (“uncles” who are believed to protect miners), to whom she made an offering as she explained his importance. Marlene took us to the Quechua community of Phuto Phuto, one of several in the rural district Cabanias that welcomes visitors as part of its community tourism program. Families take turns showing visitors their homes and traditions, including cooking huts with steaming pots, whose contents you later share for lunch. Marlene and one of the family members we met then led us on a beautiful hike to a spot where they invited us to participate in a ritual offering to Pacha Mama (Mother Earth). It was an incredible day I will always remember. Another wonderful community tourism experience was in the majestic Cordillera Real (Central Andean range), where we appreciated both the nature and culture of the region by staying near the town of Tuni with the multi-generational Quispe family (not related to Marlene). Family members share with guests Aymara traditions like placing fishing nets, spinning yarn, making quinoa flour, and shearing alpaca fleece. Patriarch Jaime is a charismatic host and a certified mountain guide who along with his adult son Denys, also a certified mountain guide, have expertise leading visitors of different ages and abilities. We loved staying with them! There are a few other places that stood out on our trip: Hostal Las Olas in Copacabana on the shore of Lake Titicaca with gorgeous, artistic “cabins” and lovely views Templo del Retiro Espiritual Cruz Andina (the Andean Cross Spiritual Retreat Center), in Tiwanaku steps from the ruins and owned by spiritual and cultural guide Rosse Mary Vargas Vilela. It’s filled with cats and crystals and offers delicious vegetarian meals. This is not a stop for everyone, but worth visiting or staying in if you are interested in mindfulness, ancient healing, and/or new age spirituality.