Last Minute South America Tours and June

The outstanding aspect of this wonderful hike was the planning of the campsites. We stayed largely in smaller campsites out of phase with the 200 other hikers joining the trail every day so one would not have known there were so many people on it. The exception was the final campsite which was unmissable given its views over the Andes and clouds. The other advantage compared with the average tourist is the walk down into Macchu Pinchu, I had previously visited there on a tour and the experience was infinitely better this way.

This was genuinely one of the best experiences of my life, and a huge amount of that comes down to how well Explore organised the whole thing. Pabel, our tour leader, was absolutely brilliant - knowledgeable, warm, and incredibly well-organised. Everything ran smoothly from start to finish, and you could tell the whole operation had been carefully thought through. The route Explore uses is particularly impressive - we managed to avoid the bulk of the crowds on the trail, which made the whole experience feel far more immersive and special than I'd expected. We were a small group of seven and that made such a difference. Everyone gelled immediately and we had so much fun together. The porters deserve a special mention: they were phenomenal, and the food on the trail was genuinely outstanding. They even baked a birthday cake at the highest elevation campsite, which tells you everything about the spirit of the team. The one thing that held me back from a perfect score was the main hotel in Cusco. The location is excellent, but my room was really noisy - you could hear the reception phone and conversations drifting in from the courtyard throughout the night. For a trip this good, it felt like an easy fix that would make an already brilliant experience flawless. Highly, highly recommend Explore for the Inca Trail. Already thinking about the next one.

À really great trip. Great itenery in good company and with a great guide and driver. A great m mix of local culture, hiking in great countryside with beautiful scenery among cloud forests and vulcanos followed by a 5 island hop in the Galapagos. Being land based gave us an opportunity to see more of the islands interiors as well as being able to see a lot of bird life, tortoises and iguanas. We also had 3 snorkeling trips and were fortunate to seeing penguins turtles and reef sharks. Our tour leader and guide Fabian was excellent, very knowledgeable, kind and looked after us very well. It was sad to say goodbye. The local food in Ecuador was excellent and the hotels that we stayed were confortable and usually close to local amenities In conclusion a great trip. Would do again

Our Inca Trail Trek was an amazing adventure! Our guide, Ludwig, was amazing. His passion for the Inca Trail and Peruvian history shone through in his story telling and explanations. Joining him on his 243rd trek was inspiring. Don't worry about going hungry on this trip. The food was delicious and servings were plentiful. Roberto, our cook, out did himself with every single meal. Everything about this trip was perfect!

My wife and I had an amazing trip with Explore. Ludwig our guide was top notch, and was very knowledgeable and passionate about the Inca Trail. Our chef, Roberto, was incredible. We were not expecting the gourmet meals that he prepared on our trip.

I thought the hotel/resort in Monte Verde was beautiful and an amazing stay. The coach was comfortable and liked the WiFi and usb outlets. The itinerary was fun and I’m glad we had time to pick our own excursions or just chill if we wanted to. Horseback riding and catching the sunset was perfect and zip lining was super fun. The float on the river seeing so many monkeys in the trees was a perfect way to end the trip. Also the stop on the river for a snack and coffee was such a nice touch.