If you are hoping to broaden your adventure portfolio this year, then I am here to help! This year I am extremely excited to share several new treks throughout South America for travelers looking for truly unique, rare and enticing experiences that showcase the various gems of South America’s diverse landscapes and the local peoples that call these enchanting places home.
Come trek in the steps of the Inca, through Martian landscapes and past table top mountains. Adventure into caves with glittering blue lagoons or venture amongst guanacos, condors and Puma on the Patagonian steppe. We have something for everyone and look forward to helping you plan your next epic journey!
- 6-Day Trekking the fantasy world of Chapada Diamantina
Chapada Diamantina, Brazil
Trek through a land of glittering waterfalls and dazzling caves! Near Salvador we find the most important trekking spot in Brazil: Chapada Diamantina. Large quantities of rivers are born in this spectacular region, forming over the years, beautiful streams, bubbling waterfalls and clear, natural pools. Some natural attractions include the Cachoeira da Fumaça, with its free fall of 380 meters, or the awe-inspiring cave, Poço Encantado. Throughout the trek, the marvelous natural landscape will continue to surprise and amaze.
Complete a circuit of the park on this challenging trek while hiking among Torres del Paine's famous craggy mountains. This trek is a circuit around the famous Paine Massif. This is the best adventure for trekkers who seek a challenging trip in Torres del Paine and a true wilderness experience. The accommodation is camping every night. Guides provide the tent and trekkers only need to bring a sleeping bag and a sleeping pad. Trekkers only carry a day pack with box lunches and personal belongings. The guides provide two duffel bags and porters will carry them during the trek.
A challenging trek to Choquequirao, then on to Machu Picchu: this is the best of the best! This program has you trekking past the Apurimac river canyon, into the amazing ruins of Choquequirao, through the Cordillera Vilcabamba to finally reach Machu Picchu from its south side. This unique program is perfect for those who want to combine archaeology and mountains. Some of the trail is following the footsteps of Hiram Bingham!
Way off the beaten track, Choquequirao (the “Cradle of Gold”) is an amazingly preserved Inca outpost. Only accessible by a tough trek, it is comparable in size to Machu Picchu and dramatically located on a promontory nearly 1,700m above the roaring Apurimac River. Our seven-day mule supported hike to Choquequirao and beyond takes in high passes, perfectly preserved Inca Trails and awesome Andean peaks, and ends with a spectacular and rarely seen view of Machu Picchu, complete with a fully guided tour of these incredible ruins.
This is a long, spectacular and strenuous hike crossing the entire Vilcabamba mountain range from the Apurimac to the Urubamba watershed. It is approximately 75km long with almost 5,000m of both ascent and descent, passes up to 4,100m and river crossings as low as 1,450m.
This is your chance to be amongst one of the few adventurers to visit this incredible site and complete this rewarding trek to Machu Picchu.
Follow an Inca trail through the Andes of Salta, Argentina! This trek begins at the foot of Cerro El Gólgota in Ingeniero Maury and ends four days later in Quebrada de San Lorenzo, right next to Salta city. Explore an old Inca trail amid landscapes of great contrasts. The first part of the tour takes place in a dry and arid climate. During the final segment we will enter the rainforests of Salta’s Yunga. Along the route, we will be in contact with nature and the culture of a special area of Salta.
Starting at the Quebrada del Toro, our first ascent will be surrounded by cardones (giant cacti) and will reveal the snowy peaks of Cerro San Miguel and Acay. The trail leads to the archaeological site of “Sillón del Inca” (Inca Seat), ruins that once belonged to the southern part of the Inca empire. We will continue the trip visiting the local inhabitants of the area, who work the fields and breed livestock over in villages over 3,000 meters high. Camp sites and dinners will be the time to share moments with the group and sometimes with locals when we camp near their homes at night.
Camp and trek in the remote wilderness of Tierra del Fuego! The National Park of Tierra del Fuego is in the heart of the rugged wilderness that comprises the land of fire at the end of the world.
Explore this extreme remote area of the Andes just outside of Argentina's southernmost city: Ushuaia. Valleys, lagoons, streams, prairies, cliffs, peaks, mountains, birds, guanacos, fox and numerous other species add to this amazingly pristine and unique landscape. Explore, breathe and feel, step by step, the rhythm and heart of Tierra del Fuego along the trail to Laguna del Caminante, at Laguna Superior and at each campsite surrounded by lush, green woods, rolling hills and snowcapped peaks.
Trek through lush mountains, rainforest, crystal lagoons and tropical islands! South of Rio de Janeiro, the Green Coast is a unique combination of mountains, tropical rainforest, crystal water lagoons and untouched tropical islands. In this region, we can still find small fishing villages where the electricity has not yet arrived and where they still use traditional fishing techniques. The Ecological Reserve Joatinga is one place we’ll where we will learn from several fishing communities their lifestyle and customs. At the end, we will also visit the beautiful colonial town of Paraty and its romantic and cozy atmosphere.
Have questions about any of these exhilarating treks? Want to book your spot? Feel free to contact me!
Your friendly South America expert,
Gretchen