South America tour, coast to coast

COUNTRY:
Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru
DEPARTURES:
2013: 14 Jul, 11 Aug, 15 Sep, 12 Oct, 3 Nov, 15 Dec
PRICE:
From £3618 (19 days ) including UK flights
MORE INFO:
Price is per person, based on 2 people sharing, and includes: • Company tour leader • Internal flights • Transfers in Latin America for transatlantic flights on tour dates (for those who have booked the journey inclusive of flights) • Transport and accommodation • Meals and excursions as specified in the tour profile • Departure tax on internal flights within Latin America
LATE AVAIL:
Spaces still available on the 14th July and 11th August
VOUCHERS:
Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
Make enquiry
South America tour, coast to coast

South America tour, coast to coast

Small group adventure holiday
This trip is run by a company which specialises in only Central and South America holidays. Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip and how many others are booked on it) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone, with your partner or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places, whilst being led by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic leader.

How South America tour, coast to coast makes a difference

Environment

One of the major attractions of the tour is the visit to the Iguazú Falls. The falls lie in both Brazil and Argentina. UNESCO, in association with the WWF works to coordinate both the Brazilian and Argentine sides of the National Park, and make sure that all the money raised from entrance fees is properly distributed to the protection and development of the area.

As well as offsetting carbon emissions on all staff travel, we actively encourage our clients to offset their emissions through our chosen scheme TICOS (Tourism Industry Carbon Offset Scheme). Clients are asked to make a voluntary contribution based on the distance travelled and amount of carbon produced which is then invested in projects which alleviate poverty whilst aiming to reduce carbon emissions. Currently our chosen project replaces diesel generators with solar panels in rural schools and public buildings in Panama, trains the community to install and maintain them and consequently offers a sustainable form of employment and self-sufficiency for local communities.

Community

The trip covers some of the main tourist sites of South America, but additionally we try and visit places more off the beaten track to give an insight into other aspects of this fascinating continent, and provide much needed tourism to countries such as Paraguay that lie off the normal routes.

The tour visits indigenous markets, such as in La Paz and the Sacred Valley, where local ‘Campesinos’ bring their goods to market. Here the local populations benefit greatly from the much needed economic boost that tourism brings to their towns. Local arts and crafts can be purchased, putting money back into the communities.

On this tour we work with small privately owned ground agents who live in the area, have established RT policies in place, and employ local guides and staff. A number of journeys on this tour use public transport, the hotels are small, individual properties often run by the owners and their families, we eat in local restaurants serving locally grown produce – our style of travel ensures that as many local people as possible benefit by our being there. This tour runs with a maximum of 16 people which helps to minimise the impact on delicate environments.

South America tour, coast to coast

Make enquiry

The story of the provider of South America tour, coast to coast

Our founders Chris and Brian first met while living in Brazil, where they came up with the idea of joining forces to offer holidays to what was then the little-visited continent that they both knew and loved. What started in 1980 as a two-man, one-telephone operation swiftly grew to a company of over 60 employees, all sharing Chris and Brian’s passion and their ethos of sustainable and responsible tourism. Now, more than 30 years on, we are the UK’s foremost and best-established specialists in travel to Latin America, offering the most extensive range of holidays throughout the region and unrivalled expertise in creating both tailor-made trips and group tours. The company is still completely independent and Chris and Brian still work full-time. Their motivation, like that of the company, hasn’t changed: experience, knowledge and passion are what we are all about.

Holiday provider no: 1261

South America tour, coast to coast

Reviewed 11 Apr 2012 by Ann Hammersley5 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Every day was a wonderful experience during our stay in Brazil and Ecuador but I guess the Galapagos will be the most memorable. We felt very privileged to be there and our guide and crew on Anahi (Journey 1) were excellent.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Be prepared to live out of a suitcase and enjoy travelling. Not for people who just like to sit on a beach all day. If you like exploring and want to learn about different countries then this holiday gives you more than you can imagine.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?


It certainly made us more aware of the work people are doing in conservation and hopefully benefited local people. There still seems a lot to do in making local people more aware of ways in which they can take more care of their environment particularly on the more populated Galapagos Islands.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


We have travelled to many countries all over the world and enjoyed finding out about different countries and cultures but this holiday tops the lot not just for the experience but for the help and guidance received from the tour operator. Sophie, their bespoke specialist, was superb in tailoring this package for us. All flights and transfers were first class (even though we flew economy). All hotels were excellent and conveniently located. Would definitely recommend for anyone considering a trip to Latin America.


Reviewed 13 Feb 2012 by Brian Wright4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


There were so many! - Rio, Cusco, Iguacu falls, Machu Picchu, the rainforest, etc. Overall a brilliant cross section of South American sights and culture.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


None, really! The operator provided quite accurate tour information.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


I am not quite sure how local people benefited other than by enlightening us in their culture and selling us their wares.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


Great.

Reviewed 12 Dec 2011 by Vinod Mehta4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Rio, Iguzu Falls, Bolivia, Machu Pichhu.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Beware high altitude sickness.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Did not notice and positive or negative impact.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


Excellent.

Reviewed 05 Feb 2010 by Mar Thomson4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


This is a tough one to answer. We started with the Iguazu Falls and were worried that we had hit the highlight of our trip in the first two days. Not so...many more amazing sights awaited us; the Peruvian jungle, the Uyuni salt flats, walking the Inca trail from the top of the Pisac ruins down to the town of Piza, and the list goes on.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Go with a reputable agency. We arrived in Cusco just as the area was being ravaged by rains and flood waters. Although we could not visit Machu Pichu our tour guide and the local operator arranged alternate areas to visit. When we were speaking to some tourists travelling with other companies they reported that they were essentially abandoned, told they might as well go home. Not so with our operator.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Yes in as much as a tourist can judge how the benefits trickle down. Certainly local guides, drivers etc were used at each stop.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


Our holiday met our expectations and we had a wonderful time. Now we'll recoup and plan the next one. We have booked several tours through the responsible travel website and have been pleased each time. Thank you
Make enquiry

Holiday Reviews

You can trust responsibletravel.com reviews because, unlike many other schemes, reviews can ONLY be written by people who we have verified have been on the holidays. In addition, we don't run these holidays ourselves - our only interest is giving you the best independent advice.

Read our review policy

Convert currencies