The guides were knowledgeable and friendly; the cruise director was outstanding.

In Peru, the hotels were great--I could never have imagined how beautiful the Inca Terra or Sol y Luna grounds would be. The people who picked us up at the airport and at the hotels were totally punctual EVERY TIME! The hacienda we had lunch at the first day in the Sacred Valley was amazing and Mrs. Nilda's weaving place was fascinating. When I bought a modest table runner, they brought the lady who had woven it to meet me. She was so proud; it nearly brought tears to my eyes!

We especially liked how they divided the passengers up among the three boats (Flamingo, Letty and Eric).  It seems like this flexibility allowed for us to be paired with travelers with similar needs/expectations. I don’t think other companies can do this. We loved the other passengers on the Flamingo and have been corresponding with them all since the trip. We love trips that combine adventure and education and the animals in the Galapagos were probably the most memorable.  It is amazing how both land and sea animals will interact with humans.

This trip was all we imagined, with fantastic accommodations, GUIDES, sites and just so much more!

The hotels were incredible; I have never been in hotels with this much character! I thought the guides went above and beyond, especially the guide in Lima. It was Independence Day in Lima and all of the tourist sites were closed. However, by talking to the policeman, she was able to get us in to get a view of the main square which was only filled with soldiers in dress uniform and members of their Congress. The guide in Cusco was very friendly and very knowledgeable. I couldn't have been more pleased!

Our Program Manager at ExpeditionTrips did a great job. I gave her our window of opportunity for Peru and she continued to work on it until she was able to get me into the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. We met people who had waited two years to get into that hotel, so we felt lucky.

The only improvement, which is not your fault, was the white water rafting could have been more intense. Since you stated that it would be level II and III rapids, it did meet that. I just thought there would be more of them. There were only two III rapids. Since I have significant experience on rapids, this could have been better.

We were especially impressed with the 4 field guides...their passion for the Galapagos and the in-depth knowledge of the environment. The trip was memorable for our whole family.

Although we did not specifically book a family Galapagos trip, there was a nice mix of families and non families on our trip. Each day we learned more and more about the Galapagos from our extremely knowledgeable and personable guides.

The natural setting of the Galapagos and its multitude of marine, land, geological lifewow!! Its tough to say what the most memorable part of our trip was, but it was probably being able to observe nature so up close. It was also great to have a contrast between the Inca culture of Peru and the natural wonders in Ecuador.

The daily visits to the islands were unbelievable. I snorkeled next to sea lions and amongst thousands of magnificent fish and sharks. Incredible!

Elga, our guide in Peru for three days was extraordinary. She was warm, caring, knowledgeable and even managed to arrange for us to have the front two seats on the train to Machu Picchu. All the hotels were first class and the connections worked out like clockwork.

Lori recommended the Machu Picchu extension and placed us in the very capable hands of their partner company in Peru. She booked us into fine establishments before, after and during our two week vacation....all giving us a flavor of the region and the people.

We wanted to visit one of the wonders of the world at Machu Picchu and to explore the land and sea wonders of the Galapagos. Our guide Melbin and our driver Hector in Peru treated us as family as did the establishments we stayed in. Who'd have thought we'd have five star hotels and gourmet food everywhere we went? THEN, once we arrived in the Galapagos Islands and saw our ship the Explorer II we were again very pleased. Once on board we were not disappointed. The staff and guides were highly professional and accommodating. Everything from the pleasant wake-up call each morning to the last sip of good wine before retiring was enjoyable. All the activities to and from and around the islands were organized perfectly to make the best use of time and opportunity to get a close up and personal look at the enchanted islands.

The trip was even better than I could have imagined. Being with a multi-age group was very good. The people were compatible, helpful and so much fun to be with. Melbin from Rainforest Expeditions was also a very good guide and helped so much with walking through Macchu Picchu.

Posada Amazonas/TRC - We were so lucky to have Jesus Duran as our guide. His specialty is birding and that is what we were interested in. He was such a pleasure and made sure to show us everything. We saw over 84 species of birds, 6 species on monkeys, and assorted other wildlife. He was a perfect guide for us and his English was excellent. At first we were a little disappointed that a NEW TRC was in the process of being built and was far away from the river. The erosion on the shoreline had literally forced them to move quickly in November. Their old lodge was going to be eroded into the water if they hadn't moved. It worked out just fine, however. The excursions were unbelievable.

Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu - WE LOVED Willka Tika! Carol and her staff were the best of anywhere we stayed. Our room was great, the food was exceptional... We loved every minute of our stay there. Carol is expanding, adding several additional rooms that will be luxury rooms. Her plans look outstanding and should be finished in a couple of months. Her expansion won't make it too big...but will provide the deluxe/luxury some are looking for. We were just fine with our standard room!

Erika, our guide for Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu was very nice and did a great job. Our driver Hector was also excellent. We loved Machu Picchu and due to the rail strike that occurred just after we arrived, we virtually got Machu Picchu to ourselves for 2 days. We climbed Huayna Picchu -- absolutely awesome!

Mario, our driver and guide in Lima was outstanding. He is very sophisticated and was perfect for us.

Thanks again for all your help!

We were impressed with the choice of field trips, including the weavers at Chinchero, the orchids and birds at the Macchu Picchu Pueblo. Cusco was lovely, and there was a great balance of guided and free time.