Feedback From Our Clients

Explorer Peru Bolivia Chile (5/6/11 - 5/20/11) Our trip was full of highlights, just as we had imagined. Our guide Fidel, did a great job of bridging the gap between our culture and that of the Peruvians. He really enabled us to connect with the land, inhabitants, and archaeological sites as well as giving us an up close look at the countries natural beauty. Peru is a country with a 5000-year-old culture and evidence of it can be found everywhere. There is so much more to see than just Machu Picchu, as many tourists believe. Machu Picchu was incredible but equally as impressive were the memorable experiences we had during the journey like the cultural connections we had. We would definitely go on this journey again.

Explorer Peru Bolivia Chile (5/6/11 - 5/20/11) This was my first visit to Peru. Everything about this country really impressed me. We received a very friendly reception at the airport by our tour guide Gonzalo and the interesting city-tour afterwards was very pleasant after our long flight. Unfortunately, the hotel room in Lima was very dark due to a window facing the backyard, which I didn’t care for too much. The following day was full of exciting activities, including a visit to the Huacachina Oasis and sand boarding the dunes. They were both a lot of fun and definite highlights of the trip. Also the boat trip to the Ballestas Islands was very interesting. There were many seals, Humboldt penguins and we were able to watch thousands of birds.

On our way to Arequipa, we visited, at the special request of Henry, another traveler in our group, the Maria Reiche Museum. During our visit we learned a lot of about the nasca lines. Contrary to what other travelers had reported our flight went very smoothly, giving me the opportunity to take photos of the nasca lines, unfortunately however, they were all blurry.

The next leg of our trip was by bus to Arequipa, where we arrived in the evening. After checking in at the hotel we had time to look at the Plaza de Armas and to make ourselves comfortable in a nice pizzeria recommended by our guide Gonzalo. He provided us with priceless information on restaurants daily, guaranteeing we ended each day with a delicious meal in a pleasant environment.

All tour participants decided to visit the social project of viventura. I was very impressed how viventura encourages and supports the local children who are growing up in difficult situations. However, I felt we may have disturbed the children during their lessons and distracted them from their work. The next two days (trip to the Colca Valley) were wonderful, even though the bus ride, (which cannot be avoided) took a very long time; the landscape was so fascinating that the ride was actually quite enjoyable.

Our bus driver was very cautious with his driving and respectful of his passengers. Unfortunately he was driving alone on this long trip and had to drive long hours with relatively few breaks. Coping with the altitude difference was difficult; therefore we were all quite tired early in the evening. In addition, it gets very cold after sunset in Cabanaconde and due to the physical exhaustion of the day I was very cold that night in the hotel “Posada del conde”.
It would certainly be very nice if we had been given the opportunity to warm up a bit in the evening and I would like to have had my sleeping bag that night. The next morning, as planned, we headed early to the Cruz de Condor as we wanted to spend more time observing them. We got to see many Condors really close up and took some great pictures. By now we were somewhat accustomed to the altitude and it was on to Lake Titicaca. I was pleasantly surprised by the great bus service up to Puno and the time flew by. Arriving in Puno, we were again greeted by our very knowledgeable guide Percy. Just after sunset we drove to Llachon, with a short break on a small island of the Uros and a demonstration of how these islands are built.

After arriving in Llachon we received a warm welcome by our hosts and sat down for dinner together. It was a wonderful experience, well organized and enjoyable. Our new guide told us all about his homeland of Peru and lake Titicaca which we visited the following day. A short walk up a hill and we were met with a beautiful view of Puno over the lake. After we returned, we had some free time which we spent at the beach and later walking around the village.

The next day was again very tiring, as expected, we were up at 4 clock in the morning, ate breakfast, took a boat to Puno 2.5 hours on the lake and then with an equally good bus headed to Cusco. By now we are all very well adjusted to the altitude and on arrival in Cusco we took a walk around the city hardly noticing the altitude difference.
Some of us enjoyed the nightlife, bud sadly I had to pass. Still, I very much enjoyed the city tour the next day, it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Our next guide, Marcel excellent as well and thoroughly prepared us for Macchu Picchu. I really enjoyed that viventura always found a way of locating bilingual guides; it would have been very difficult to understand all the interesting facts, and comments in English or Spanish.
The following day we headed to Aguas Calientes, near Mandor, and went for a hike the next morning. Our very early departure to Machu Picchu was well planned, so we had plenty of time to explore. In the afternoon we mad the return journey to Cuzco by train and bus. I will definitely remember this wonderful journey for a very long time. It was unique. Gonzalo was very attentive and kindly helped my daughter Bettina, who unfortunately had to cancel her trip due to an illness that began in Arequipa. I really appreciated his help. In summary, every day was special. As far as the hotels are concerned, I was very pleased with them, except the one in Lima.

Explorer Peru Bolivia Chile (5/6/11 - 5/20/11) The most impressive highlight of the trip was of course Macchu Piccu, where the local guides provided us with an excellent tour of the ruins. It was interesting to learn about life on Lake Titicaca. The people were very welcoming, our accommodations with our host families were basic, but we had fun in their traditional clothes that they put on us.

At Cola Canyon we saw 10 Condors ascending in the air, but we also felt the huge altitude difference. The dune buggy tour through the sand dunes was great fun. We will never forget our visit to the viventura school and the children. During the tour we woke up early often and there were many long drives in our little bus (which is inevitable due to the distance), but we saw and learned a lot about the country and people from our guide Gonzalo. Kudos to him. He took very good care of us and we felt very comfortable with him as our guide. A very likeable young man, who had a solution for every problem, he always accompanied us, and taught us a lot about his country. The accommodations and breakfast were fine.

Explorer Peru Bolivia Chile (5/6/11 - 5/20/11) Machu Picchu was definitely the highlight of the trip and the main reason I chose this trip, however the north with it’s rich cultural heritage also deserves recognition as one of the most impressive sights.

The trip provided me with a very solid introduction to the country, its 5000-year-old culture, its nature and the current hardships it’s facing. There is no better guide than Fidel, he was great, and this was my first but definitely not my last trip with viventura!

Explorer Peru Bolivia Chile (5/6/11 - 5/20/11) This was our fourth South American tour with viventura, and it was a fantastic trip to Peru / Bolivia. Just as with our previous trips the organization, supervision, and implementation were flawless. The highlights? The whole tour was a highlight thanks to the daily diversity of activities and perfect weather conditions. A colorful mixture of highly interesting cultures, indescribable nature, and gigantic cities, as well as the intimate encounters with the country and lovely people.

Machu Picchu was the cherry on top for us. We were very impressed by this ancient city. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, which was certainly thanks to our great tour guides (Karol and the other local guides that took care of us all) as well as the great group members. This vacation was full memorable experiences and discoveries, which will stay with us for a long time. Many thanks to all participants on site and in Berlin! Muchas gracias viventura!

Explorer Colombia (5/7/11 - 5/16/11) Highlights: - Bogota quality accommodations. Some accommodations were beautiful - for example the Coffee Finca. Tour Guide: Steffi was awesome. Always cheerful, friendly and helped us see everything that we wanted. She made a great effort through out the tour.

Explorer Peru Bolivia Chile (5/6/11 - 5/20/11) This trip was an unforgettable adventure and an awesome experience. Breathtaking scenery, friendly and likeable fellow travelers, and our dedicated tour guide Roberto. The expert local guides, tasty food and many wonderful adventures along the way. The best parts for me were the Colca Valley, the (small) Inca Trail, Cusco, the time with the farmers at Lake Titicaca and the jeep ride through the Salar de Uyuni to San Pedro. The hotels were basic but clean; nothing fancier was necessary with the exception of the hotel in La Paz, which was disappointing. You should keep in mind that the itinerary is quite tiring and free time can sometimes be scarce. The indicated driving times were often exceeded by one to two hours. Viventura’s assistance before and after the trip was great and all my expectations were met. I would definitely take this trip again and can absolutely see myself, traveling with viventura to other countries in South America.

Explorer Peru Bolivia Chile (5/6/11 - 5/20/11) Although it is hard to single out just one highlight, my favorite part of the trip was Manchu Picchu. I saw so many highlights every day that it would be easier to speak of daily highlights than trip highlights. There were so many sights and adventures, (such as sleeping on the floating islands of the Uros), the lovely travel companions and the thoughtful, professional travel guides, it was a trip I will always remember.

Active Patagonia (5/5/11 - 5/20/11) This was our second trip with viventura. Before our trip, we read other travelers' feedback and thought "hmm...okay." The feedback seemed a little excessive at the time, but now we can only agree...the journey was simply fantastic! It was everything to us. The guide was fun-loving and had extensive travel experience. We liked that the trip's itinerary was very diverse and that we could explore restaurants on our own during times of leisure. The accommodations were simple, yet clean. Our recommendation for the hotel in Puerto Varas would be to get a room on the first floor. On the second floor, you will just be serenaded by the sound of the kitchen and only have a view of an alley.

Explorer Colombia (5/7/11 - 5/16/11) There were many highlights on this trip. And most of them will stay with me for a long time. The accommodations were between good and very good. The best? the accommodation on the coffee plantation with a swimming pool, massage facilities and so on. Steffi our tour guide was awesome. She was funny, well tempered, and had an answer to every question. It was great fun.

Active Patagonia (5/5/11 - 5/20/11) It is difficult for us to pick just a few things as highlights - every day was a thrill! It started with great planning of the trip by Kathrin and was continued with satisfactory service by Dunja, our tour guide. She was really cool, responsible, competent, and above all she took care of everything and everyone. They were able to handle all aspects of the tour. Thanks Dunja. Since we had reserved a tour with an active itinerary, the trip definitely met our expectations. We didn't want to miss a single day, even if we had so many days of hikes, walks, and climbs with our heavy backpacks. In the evening, we were always satisfied with our vast experiences. The accommodations were fine and were always as described.

Explorer Colombia (5/7/11 - 5/16/11) I traveled to Colombia, this was my first trip with viventura and I was very satisfied with the services of the company and will have many wonderful experiences I will remember all my life. The tour organization was great, everything went as planned. Our guide Steffi helped us to feel comfortable about traveling in Colombia and was always friendly without being overly intrusive. She was very caring for our interests and I greatly appreciated that. My favorite parts of the tour had to do with my archaeological interest such as the Gold Museum in Bogota. I can recommend the trip to anyone who wants to discover Colombia and travel largely off the tourist paths. Colombia is an interesting country with very friendly people.

Active Patagonia (5/5/11 - 5/20/11) For many years I have wanted to visit Patagonia. The flight over the Patagonian plateau, and the arrival in San Carlos de Bariloche was a personal high point. Finally, this gorgeous landscape - to experience the emptiness of the Patagonian steppe and see how they abruptly blossom into fantastic mountain passes.

So there was really no single highlight, because again and again I had new surprises and experiences. I felt comfortable in the well-selected accommodations which were run by competent and very nice locals. Our tour leader Fabian deserves kudos, because he managed not only unpredictable situations very well but he was a competent, warm, and compassionate companion for our group.

As the oldest of the group (63) at the end of the first day of trekking through the Torres, I was pretty much on the ground and not happy with a not-so-great campsite (El Chileno). My tour guide (and the group) helped me so wonderfully to the next campsite (Cuernos) which was sunny and pleasant, and the result (much later) was a wonderful natural and social experience ... I will travel again to Patagonia ... there is so much to see. For future tours we will not stay at El Chileno, but the newly renovated El Torres site.

Active Patagonia (5/5/11 - 5/20/11) The hotel's Puerto Varas: nice staff, like almost everywhere

I enjoyed the food, hiking in Torres del Paine.. Also there was a time when I went off the trail and unfortunately no one missed me immediately and I had to climb a little (I wasn't in a climbing gym for four years for nothing) even so it was incomparably beautiful.

Active Patagonia (5/5/11 - 5/20/11) The trip was great! Fabian was a great companion also. There was lots of sun, stunning landscapes and natures creations. All the best, I have nothing to complain about. Here and there it went a little fast, but we, as a group, went through everything with joy.

In short - was great fun and informative, all well organized and supervised. The time with the locals was a little too short, I just wish we had more time to spend with them.

Active Patagonia (5/5/11 - 5/20/11) Patagonia XXL - one eventful action packed holiday (South America in the fast lane), with many highlights - for us, above all, Perito Moreno Glacier (including mega-demolition in the Lago Argentino)-Trekking in Torres del Paine, volcano ascent of Villa Rica, the beautiful landscapes in Patagonia steppe (including solar wind and rain) and the vibrant Buenos Aires.

Active Patagonia (5/5/11 - 5/20/11) It is difficult to say now which was my personal highlight of the trip. One highlight followed the other, so now so shortly after I returned from my holiday can I process all the great impressions. But to me, my personal highlights were certainly the ascent of the Villarrica volcano, trekking in Torres del Paine National Park and the Perito Moreno Glacier. I was also fascinated by landscapes of the Patagonian steppe.

Fabi took excellent care of us throughout the trip and with great dedication and tireless energy. Everything was super organized and he brought us closer to the country with his great knowledge of the country. You could feel his enthusiasm for the region. He's a great guide and is such a positive person.  He contributed so much to this trip and made it an unforgettable experience. So I must say a big thank you to Fabi.

The service was great before the trip. Katie was very helpful and answered all questions about journey with her phone call shortly before departure.  And I was happy to receive an email from her on my return. A heartfelt thank you to Kyla. This can be called truly personalized service. Of course there is also a thank you to all who organized everything behind the scenes.

The accommodations selected were uniformly good, clean and in good condition. I can only recommend the trip and viventura and I would also travel again with viventura back to South America at any time.

Explorer Colombia (5/7/11 - 5/16/11) The active tourl to Colombia really earned its classification. Highlights were a whirlwind: the visit of a social project in Bogotá, the colonial atmosphere in Villa de Leyva, Cartagena and Salento, from the jungle to the beaches of the Pacific, the successful search for small frogs, warming up after a heavy rain in the thermal baths, floating in the canopy over coffee plantations and bamboo groves and the cable car on the slopes of the big city of Medellin, horseback riding, the wax palm, walking and swimming, sunset at Café del Mar and much more.

Explorer Peru Bolivia Chile (5/6/11 - 5/20/11) To name the highlights of the trip is almost impossible. Every day there was something new and exciting to discover; breathtaking scenery, fascinating people, impressive cultural attractions and plenty of nature. All accommodations were great, as well as preparation and advice we were given before the trip.

Explorer Colombia (5/7/11 - 5/16/11) Colombia is a diverse and interesting country with lovely people. Highlights for me were the social project in Bogota and the wax palms in the coffee valley.

The quality of accommodation was good (at least for South America :-) Regarding safety in the country, I felt a strong police and military presence throughout the country. All in all (again) a very eventful and successful trip viventura!