South America Tours in September 2026

Another good trip with Explore. There were only eight of us in the group, so some free space on the minibus. Our driver Wilson was very good and guide Dario was very positive about his country. Highlights were the hot springs, climbing (slowly) to 5,000m, Cuenca old town, waterfalls and boat rides in the Amazon, plus various local craft visits. I didn’t experience any power cuts, and every hotel had somewhere to fill a water bottle, as did the minibus.

We added a day at the beginning to do Lima, which is worth a visit. Accomodation varied, was expecting it to be all 5*, but although everything very clean, and hotel staff very friendly, it could be a bit cold without heating in smaller hotels. Your leader, Darwin, excellent, full of enthusiasm for the history of Peru, and our itinerary was rearranged to ensure we didn't miss Machu Picchu despite industrial action there. Be prepared for cold mornings and hot days in some areas in September. Overall, exceeded my expectations, and well worth a visit.

All of the staff were brilliant, from the amazing strength, hard work and organisation of the porters to the skills, intelligence and knowledge of the leaders Erikson and Emile. They really looked after us, particularly my wife who struggled on the third day in particular. They were brilliant. The food was also excellent throughout.

The tour leader, Hector, was very professional, organised, friendly and informative. I was sick at one point and Hector was very caring and supportive. I can't thank him enough. I think we all felt very well looked after throughout the tour.

This tour was a fabulous introduction to this beautiful country with friendly people show casing their lifestyle. The landscape is very dramatic and changes quite quickly. I had never trekked at these altitudes and found the gradual introduction very helpful. Can't quite believe I made it to over 5000m on Chimborazo. The carefully chosen indigenous communities we visited showed the variety of cultures and lifestyles but essential showed people have the same problems the world over it's all about how they choose to deal with those issues. In the main the accomodation was good but I would have preferred to stay another night in Quito rather than return to our first hotel the San Jose, which was a little isolated. I wasn't very keen on the hotel in Rio Bamba + rocky toilet not great- and feel sure more appropriate accomodation could be found closer to Chimborazo. All the Guides were excellent - all the ladies showed a wicked sense of humour. Special shout out to Jason at le Jardin Aleman - his knowledge and field craft were remarkable. Dario and his trusty driver Wilson played such a key role in make Ng this such a memorable trip. Their passion for their country shines through and this together withe their kindness, humour and patience made them the dream team. We also fell lucky with the mix of our fellow explorers as we all seemed to have a similar focus (we weren't a shopping focused group It was a fairly full itinerary but aprming coffee break would have been appreciated and if it was possible to extend by a few days to include a vodysl dot it would be perfect.

where do I start!!! Peru is a country with many different places to visit, every region that we visited was totally different to the last, from seeing the Galapagos of Peru with is cute sea lions and adorable penguins to the mystery of the Nazca lines to the quiet beauty of the Inca trail, its a country that I will return to in a heartbeat.