Testimonials

Hi Silvia.

Thank you, we did have a nice weekend. (Sunday was Julie’s 60^th birthday, which we had planned to spend on board the Alya catamaran in Galapagos! But we did our best isolated in our house here. No party, but our friends did face time on our phones, and we had a champagne dinner. The best present Julie received was your email!).  Thanks for getting on to our file. I am going to sit down today and check the details through, but my first 3 reactions were:

1. It looks like a good outcome
2. We are so glad we booked our planned trip through your business – we appreciate how you continue to support your customers
3. Our fears of losing our dream of travelling to Machu Picchu, Cuzco and the Galapagos were not necessary: we will still (hopefully – health permitting) get there soon. I will probably have some questions (that is my nature!) – and I do want to continue contact , as we certainly intend to get that trip done. soon.

Best regards

Allen

Dear Tannia,

Robert and I would like to give you, SATO and your contacts in Argentina and Chile the utmost praise and gratitude for the help and support you have provided us.

These are frightening times and you have acted promptly, professionally and with empathy.

The refund/credit arrangements are wonderful and have been organised so rapidly. We will wait to hear re airfares.

Our deepest thanks,

Robert and Wendy

Hi Silvia,

Just returned from our trip to South America, which was absolutely great.

I wish to thank you and SATO for your arrangements, bookings and advice + all your guides and drivers in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay for their punctual and splendid service throughout. This made the trip so much more enjoyable as we had no worries with pick-ups, transfers and tours for the whole trip organised by you.

Many thanks again and we would be pleased if you let your compatriots in South America know that we appreciated the high quality of service provided at every location.

Best regards

Gary & Lyn (Sue)

Dear Silvia

My daughter Nicola & I have recently arrived home after Tango  & Samba Sensations tour.

We would like to thank you for a wonderful trip. Everything was so well organised , the hotels very nice & everyone associated with the tour company, very helpful and friendly. We enjoyed every moment of our short stay in Argentina & Brazil .

We will definitely contact you if /when we can plan another trip to Sth America.

Regards

Auriel

Hi Sophie and Blair

We have just come back from our Ecuador trip this morning, and I wanted to thank you for organising it for us. We had a most amazing time and everything from guides to accommodation / cruise boat was just utter perfection.

Kind regards,

Sandra

Hi Tannia,

Just a quick note to let you know that we had a most wonderful time in South America. Your organisation was outstanding! Everything went amazingly well, from the transfers, to the choices in accommodation and the standard of guides.

There was not a single thing that did not go right to plan!

We really were very impressed! It was a very easy holiday for us with everything so well organised and a most spectacular and very enjoyable one!

Thank you again, we would be really happy to recommend you to our friends,

Regards,

Kerrie

Dear Sophie. It is already over two weeks since our return from that marvelous trip you organized for us. I wanted to thank you. It is hard to pick a highlight it was all so wonderful and we were very well looked after everywhere we went. I was glad we cancelled the climb at Machupicchu because although I wasn’t sick, the altitude made me very out of breath. Instead of returning the second day, we stayed down in the village and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at our marvelous hotel then hiked out to the museum on the road up to Machupicchu. We adored the time in the Galapagos although were pleased it was not any later in the year when it would have been very cold to swim. Quito was wonderful and so was the trip on the tren crucerò. What marvelous tourist trains there are. Loved the Refugio Amazonas and the train trip up to lake Titicaca. Geoff broke a tooth at breakfast time while we were in Guayaquil and miraculously we had the whole day there and we were able to find a dentist and get it fixed before flying out to the Amazon. We thought the hotel in Lima was a bit under par but it was in a great spot and we met friends nearby for a meal and walked back on the foreshore. A really wonderful trip altogether. Thank you so much for your efforts.

Beth and Geoff

Hi Tannia

Just thought I’d send you some feedback from my clients who return from their Brasil trip last week, couldn’t have made this happen without your expertise:

Just wanted to say thank you for helping me organise and book our amazing trip- I couldn’t have done this one on my own. Thought you would like to know that everything went super smoothly- beyond our expectations. All the services were excellent-friendly, helpful and prompt. Guides and drivers excellent. Only one small glitch of our first driver not showing up at Cuiaba airport, but when we called the company (through a helpful man at the hotel desk), they were very apologetic and refunded our taxi fare in cash the next day. We are actually amazed..Everything was so efficient, including the bits I booked/organised either here or in Brazil-they exceeded our expectations! The flights were good too…only one delay of half an hour and one delay of an hour. And as for the country and its people, we just loved it.

Kind regards

Celeste

Firstly, we just want to say thank you for all the effort and work you put in to organizing our trip, and liaising with your travel counterparts, to create what we consider was definitely the trip of a lifetime. (we travel a lot so that is huge for us!!!)

The consideration of accessibility is paramount for us to be able to enjoy our travels to the fullest, and we were extremely pleased with the level of access and the considerations provided to us during our journey.

Being able to access Lake Titicaca, the Reeded islands at Uros, and to be able to access Taquile Island is one highlight I will never forget. This is the most incredible part of the world, so rich in culture, history and beauty, and to be able to get out on the lake, and amongst the people on the floating islands is an absolute credit to Peruvian tour operator, Accessible Travel Peru and the work and commitment they have made to accessible travel opportunities.  I believe I was the first person using a wheelchair the company had taken to Taquile Island, and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity.

Just wanted to let you know how amazing our trip was. All super organised! Cars in right places, on time , each time. Hotels were good and very adequate!

Doing the kayaking in Antarctica was the best thing! We kayaked every day , most times twice a day. Just made the holiday! Otherwise it would have just been 2 Zodiac trips a day. Only nine in total chose to kayak out of 70! Mostly there were 7 of us. Another family of 4. Lovely people! We were out in the pack ice and could go places Zodiacs didn’t, so a totally different experience than all others on board. Had one afternoon snowshoeing. Enjoyed it.

Weather was fantastic. Best they’ve had for a couple of months. We ate out on deck several times, in bright sunshine but well rugged up!!

Simply fantastic trip.

Thank you for organising it so well!

Best wishes

Bernard and James.

Hi Sophie

Hope you are well.  Just wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you for all your help and recommendations on our trip to S.America.  the 4wd tour between the salt flats and atacama desert which you recommended was one of the highlights.  So glad you suggested it.  We had a great time.

Cheers

Shanika

The Galapagos was terrific. So much to see and the birds and animals are unbelievably  tame. The cruise was very busy but all things we like to do; walking on the islands among sea lions, iguanas, and masses of exotic sea birds; snorkelling with a range of colourful fish, sea lions, turtles, rays, sharks! (Edmund a little too enthusiastic about getting up close and personal with sharks for my comfort!); panga rides, kayaking and stand up paddle-boarding along the sea cliffs- again Edmund delighted to see a big shark cruising past! Our ship mates were pleasant- a mix of people but enough variety and space to get along well. The food was very good and plentiful!- (all the snorkelling giving us good appetite:) I’m glad we elected the extra day- in fact we could have stayed longer very happily. 

We enjoyed our 2 nights in Quito. Picturesque surrounded by the Andes and historically very interesting (I’ve been reading the ‘Conquest of the Incas’- and our guide was very good- filling the many gaps in our knowledge.) 

The Amazon cruise was also fascinating. We were with a small group of 11 Americans (all nice people) on the ‘Anaconda’ boat but Edmund and I had a private guide (named ‘Kevin’ would you believe) on all the nature walks. We really enjoyed learning about the plant life and spotted lots of insects, lizards, beautiful butterfly’s etc. Wildlife in and Amazon is viewed from more of a distance- binoculars useful but our guide shared his set; we saw a range of birds, including Macaws, and animals including 2 types of sloth, 3 types of monkey and quite exceptionally a couple of pink dolphins- very close to our canoe. (The dolphins are not usually seen except on the longer 8 day cruises that travel nearer Peru).  

We are very impressed with Ecuador tourism. The service everywhere has been fabulous and the people seem very, very nice; relaxed, justifiably proud of their country, knowledgeable, very helpful and great company. We’ve also been really lucky with the weather. We’re now waiting for our flight to Lima to start the next stage of our journey – exploring Peru. 

I can’t express how much I appreciate the great service and advice you provide. The value of travelling with a good agent was especially realised after my stuff up at the start- missing the first flight. I was amazed that the Ecuador contact of Metropolitan Travel got us onto that Galapagos flight. They were terrific right from the start- when I phoned them, as you suggested; very reassuring- ‘don’t worry- we’re going to sort something out for you’ – and they certainly did. 

Edmund has taken some great photos. I’ll try to upload to facebook when we have faster internet.  

Best regards,

Diana

Hi Guys,

We just wanted to extend a huge thank you for putting together such an incredible itinerary for our honeymoon. We particularly fell in love with Peru (condor travel were spot on, their guides were amazing) and the Atacama desert – where the day trips were just out of this world, Alto Atacama is paradise!

2 weeks back and it all feels a bit surreal….you have just got us addicted to organised trips 💛💛💛

I’ve also taken about 5000 photos in the event you need any candid shots 😂

Thanks again

Gareth & Carly

Hello Henry

I have now settled back to work and getting used to be being back in the office after our outdoor life in Chile.

We had the most amazing time in Chile and enjoyed every minute.  I want to thank you and South America Tourism for giving me the opportunity to be part of this special famil.

A very special thanks to Nadina our tour leader as she was incredible.  Always keeping us updated every day, taking care of us all and such lovely company.

I know you both had to deal with Latam strikes and changes and really appreciate your advance thinking and help.

I absolutely loved Chile and could not choose my favourite area as each part of the trip was so different offering such wonderful scenery & experiences.

Each Tierra property was stunning and  very impressed by the staff, especially the guides that Tierra offer.

I have been sharing my experiences & adventures with colleagues, friends & family and anyone who will listen!

So now I want to send everyone to Chile to experience its special uniqueness.

Many Thanks & enjoy the rest of your week.

Kind Regards

Theresa

Hello Emily,

Hope all is well with you. I just wanted to take a few moments to provide you with some feedback on my trip to Costa Rica. In one word… AWESOME!

I have the form from South America Tourism Office (service report) and will try to provide with the same information.

1.      Travel experience overall:  Excellent

2.      Itinerary: Excellent

3.      Highlights: The diversity, the ease of all transfers, tours were as described. Tortuguero was fascinating. Ziplining in Arenal was amazing.

4.      No low points

5.      Accommodation: Good

6.      Opinion on accommodation:  all hotels or lodges were very well located, including in San Jose as I was able to walk to downtown.

7.      Included meals:  Good

8.9.    Quality of local tours and local guides: Excellent. All tours were on time, guides were knowledgeable and passionate about Costa Rica environment. Expectations were met.

10.     It was a wonderful trip, and I wouldn’t change anything to it. Swiss Travel in Costa Rica did a great job.

Thank you Emily for listening to what we wanted. We got it!!

Dear Henry,

At long last I have managed to sit down for long enough to make contact with you and let you know how much we enjoyed our holiday in South America.

It was such a pleasant surprise to have you come up and introduce yourself at Lima Airport. We very much appreciated your help and assistance at Santiago especially when you had your own family to look after. It was a pleasure to meet you.

Our trip was organised so well that we do not really have anything bad to boast about. Everything went so well for a couple of innocents abroad that we only have good memories.

Neither one of us became ill in any way and  with a little bit of preparation we cruised through the altitude bit without a hitch.

Our itinerary was easily managed and apart from the very early transfer from Iguazu ( brought about by an altered airline schedule) everything went according to plan. We had a couple of learning experiences with regard to boarding gates but no matter we did not miss a flight .

We thought that the people who met us at the airports, the drivers and our tour guides were all just so friendly and professional . We could not have been in better hands at any of the venues. The tour guides from Condor Travel in Peru were all outstanding and to be fair, so were all of the others in the other cities and countries.  In our attached report you will see that we were a little critical of the hotel on Easter Island but those comments are made with the intention of letting you know how we saw things. We would also add that Easter Island tourism simply asks to be criticised as we considered it a bit off putting to be shown a very sacred site that was infested with weeds and generally in need of a bit of tender love and care. Easter Island is a very special place and I guess we should cut it a bit of slack.

Your selection of hotels was first class . We did not experience one instant of bad service and when required the staff went out of their way to give us assistance . On most occasions we took advantage of dining at the hotel and I must say we enjoyed every meal.

I have not been in touch with Debbie from my travel agency who was our local travel agent. I will do so in the near future as she should also be congratulated for looking after us at this end.

Henry, many thanks once again for arranging such a great trip for us. We will never forget it and thank you sincerely for being such a professional.

Kind regards

Annette & Jim Screen

Just to let you know had excellent experience with  Sacha lodge & Galápagos cruise and indeed all transfers in Quito. Very very professional.excellent staff.

Kind regards

Firstly, the organization for this trip was outstanding. Twenty-four flights, nine countries, innumerable tours, taxis and buses and it all went like clockwork. It didn’t matter if it was 10 o’clock at night or 2am in the morning, somebody was always there to meet us and take us to our next destination.

To all those involved, Congratulations and a huge pat on the back.

Accommodation – Could not be faulted. In many cases it was way above our expectations. Most were ideally located, within easy walking distance of interesting things to see. Everywhere the staff spoke reasonable English (way better than our Spanish!), so we had no problems with communication.

Without exception the breakfasts were incredible. So much delicious food to choose from.

Cuba and Bolivia were highlights for us, but what we did there was more for the adventurous and not recommended for the fainthearted. Cuba is such a poor country and yet the people are so cheerful and helpful. We would advise doing some research into Cuba’s recent history to get the full benefit of this country. La Paz is a wonderful city and we would definitely recommend it to anyone. Riding the Teleferico’s is a great experience. The jungle was amazing – it is real jungle, so be prepared for the unexpected.

Galapagos Islands – Should be on everyone’s to do list. A truly exceptional place. We found the Galapagos Legend the ideal ship for us. Good sized cabins and plenty of spaces to move around. Well organized and catered for. Safety precautions were very good. A certain level of fitness is required to get on and off the Zodiacs and do some of the hikes. Eight days was ideal – we had time to see everything we had hoped to see without doubling up or getting bored.

Mexico – We felt places like Palenque and Chichen Itza rivaled Macchu Picchu as far as archealogical sites with far less tourists. Macchu Picchu is however situated in the most incredibly picturesque valley. Driving some of the roads in Mexico can be an adrenaline hit and an adventure in itself. As Australians, we would give Playa del Carmen and Cancun a miss, we have far better and less crowded beaches here.

So, after nearly ten weeks, we arrived back in Australia intact, healthy and with all our luggage.

A huge thank you to you and all those involved for allowing us to have the most stress free, wonderful and exciting holiday of a lifetime.

Til next time!

We are moving on to El Calafarte tomorrow after 3 fabulous days in Patagonia Luxury Camp. This is a great spot with wonderful staff and facilities to be proud of. Weather has been warm & sunny. Thanks for organizing that.

I can not thank you enough for support.

We are in Santiago waiting for connection.

We didn’t make it on time (just few minutes before we arrived the gate closed) No drama someone was waiting for us and help us with rebooking. Surprise we didn’t pay any fee. We are on 4:35 pm flight which is excellent  thank to your help. Someone will be waiting for us on the other end.

Crazy day but we are safe now. Big mess at the airport because of the delay.

Thanks again and see you when we get back.

Kind Regards

Grace & Tom

Am writing this small note to thank you and your staff for our trip South America Voyager .

The tour was to our deep satisfaction everything was made to feel like we were someone special The tour guides over in South America were amazing informative ,and most gracious We were met at all airports and taken to our Hotels which we found were good and so it is with great pleasure that I have been recommending your company to people around up north.

Thankyou once again

We had a wonderful trip and everything was seamless from beginning to end.

The agents were brilliant, especially in Peru and Bolivia, I couldn’t find any fault with the cars, transfers, guides, drivers, programs……everything was fantastic.

We were fortunate to be upgraded to a Junior cabin on Coral 1 in the Galapagos which made things a little more comfortable and it was lovely to have the big picture window. We enjoyed the company of the other passengers and the food/service was excellent. One day we saw heaps of sperm whales and minke whales along with lots of dolphins so that was particularly exciting.

We loved The train trips and the amazing scenery and we were very glad we did the road trip from Uyuni to San Pedro as the lakes, mountains, deserts and lagoons were spectacular, especially after the snowfalls and at sunrise and sunset. I personally hate cold weather and it was freezing at times but it was worth going in winter to get the beautiful clear blue skies and sunshine.

The hotels were all good and helped me realise that perhaps I am not really the boutique hotel type after all. Despite appreciating the character and ‘beauty’ of hotels like La Casona, El Mercado Tunqui and Altiplanico I would have preferred rooms that were more modern, fresh and light-filled, but this is just me being very picky as the hotel staff were fantastic, the restaurants were great and we were actually upgraded to suites in La Casona and El Mercado, and a family suite at Altiplanico but I still found them to be dark and a bit musky. I loved the Sumaq Hotel, the Libertador at Lake Titicaca and the Salt Hotel and also liked your suggestion of the Dazzler Hotel in Lima.

So Tannia, thank you very much for organising a memorable trip for us. Your help, advice and hard work has been very much appreciated by us both.

Regards,

Cheryl Bond

Sandra and I had a great time and would like to thank yourself and everyone else who made this trip possible. Everything ran to schedule as per the itinerary and we would like to give special thanks to the local guides who were excellent. They met us at every airport and gave us local advice before making sure we were comfortable in our hotel. They were always on time to take us on sightseeing tours and happy to look after all our needs. Our questions were never left unanswered and at the end of our stay they made sure we had all our paper work in order and guided us through the check-in at the airport before we left for our next destination. We can’t thank them enough.

When we booked this tour we specified we were happy to travel tourist class which meant staying in 3 to 4 star hotels. The hotels we stayed in exceeded our expectations and in most cases were centrally located so that we only had a short walk to the town center, markets, beaches, restaurants, etc.

We have to say that the obvious highlight of the tour was Machu Picchu which brought tears to Sandra’s eyes when we arrived there, this is a memory we will never forget. We also enjoyed a swim at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janiero, another fond memory. We have many more memories that we will share with friends and family.

Thank you again for making this holiday possible and we will have no hesitation in recommending South America Tourism to friends and relatives.

Regards

Jim and Sandra

We had a fantastic holiday and wanted to congratulate the South America Tourist Office and you for a no problem, hassle free holiday.

We loved Machu Picchu and Iguazu Falls.

All travel companies used were very prompt, helpful and informative. A special mention of Condor Travel whom we would rate 10/10.

We had great weather and were very happy with all accommodation booked for our stays.

All travel, either by plane, bus, train and boat were hassle free. Entrance fees were all paid and we wanted to say that everything went very smooth and we were grateful that we didn’t have to organize anything in a country where we did not speak their language.

We highly recommend the type of independent travelling that we did as we had a lot of tour guides to ourselves or we had to share with a limited number of other tourists.

Thanks again for your excellent organization of our holiday and we will not hesitate to recommend you to our friends.

kind regards

Leanne & Mike

We have just returned from our 5 week trip around South America. Thank you so much for organising this fabulous trip! Everything went so smoothly and we had a great time in Cuba and an absolutely amazing time in Galapagos. All the transfers, tours and accommodation were fantastic. Thank you so much for the advise with all the flights and your attention to detail.