Last Frontiers
the specialists in travel to Latin America
About us
Last Frontiers
the specialists in travel to Latin America
About us
Edward spent three years at Oxford playing his trumpet and learning to punt in a straight line (a useful skill for South American river travel). He then farmed for 10 years in South America (based in the Venezuelan Llanos, Orinoco Delta, Morrocoy and Valencia; in Brazil he ran a 50,000 acre farm in São Paulo state with lots of cattle, sugar cane, soya, maize and anacondas; and Argentina is full of his cousins).
Recent travels include a ride across the Andes from Argentina to Chile, jungle lodges of Ecuador, Guyana, the Serra Geral of southern Brazil, and the Missions of Paraguay. Having taken his family to Venezuela several years ago they now insist on an annual Latin American jaunt.. these have included Brazil, Guatemala and Honduras, and northern Argentina.
Edward was Chairman of the Latin American Travel Association for ten years, and is a trustee of the LATA Foundation.
Since
joining Last Frontiers Tracy has travelled between the far north and far
south of Latin America, from Mexico to Cape Horn, and been lucky enough to
see most of the bits in between too.
She has had some amazing experiences: driving a 4x4 across Costa Rica (and losing the car's bumper on the way!), white-water rafting the Apurimac in Peru, climbing Maya temples in Central America, kayaking in Torres del Paine, walking on a glacier in Argentina, visiting an Amerindian village in Guyana, going down a mine in Bolivia, escorting a BBC team around Belize, cruising the Galapagos and around Cape Horn, and sunbathing on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, to get a tan and prove it's not all hard work!
After spending 18 months working and travelling around the world Sue decided a job in the travel industry sounded like a good idea. During her 6 years at Trailfinders she made the most of every opportunity to travel.
Since joining Last Frontiers in 2001, her recce trips throughout Central and South America have been numerous. Riding in Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador and Argentina have all been highlights. As a wildlife enthusiast an amazing 'Classic Antarctica' cruise was hard to beat. Two further cruises around the Galapagos, the most recent on board the luxury boat Eclipse, have not been too arduous! The Angel Falls river trip, Venezuela, Brazil's Pantanal, and Guyana have also been top trips.
Recent travels have taken her back to Peru - checking out the luxury Orient Express trains and properties and hiking in the Cordillera Blanca, the Colonial Heartland of Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, Guatemala and Honduras, and the colonial towns in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Sue's constant companion, Tarka (pictured), is now the office mascot.
Ed escaped London in 1999 and landed in Chile to work as an interpreter for a Raleigh International Expedition. Almost three years later, after going on to work in tourism throughout southern Chile, he decided to come home and moan about life in the UK again. During his time in Chile, he had the misfortune of guiding tours around the Torres del Paine, cruising around untouched Patagonian fiords, leading hiking and kayaking groups in Chiloé all whilst trying to get his head around the local accents. Further travel has taken him throughout Peru, Bolivia and Argentina and highlights include Machu Picchu, the Salar de Uyuni, Chile's Atacama desert and avoiding root canal surgery in the south of Bolivia.
Since joining Last Frontiers, Ed has filled in the gaps travelling throughout South and Central America as well as leading a number of photographty trips. Personal higlights include hiking in Mexico's Copper Canyon, swimming with the sea lions in the Galapagos, mountain biking past Inca ruins in Peru and driving into the wilds of Chile's Carretera Austral.
Pura vida!
Jill
left Warwick university with a useful degree in Renaissance History and launched
straight into a long and happy career in the world of advertising.
She first travelled to South America during her honeymoon in 1988, visiting Caracas and the Angel Falls. Her next visit (10 years later) was under rather different circumstances, when she was asked to move out to Caracas to open a Venezuelan office for her company. Jill spent 4 very happy years there, and during that time, managed to travel extensively throughout the continent, including once as a client of Last Frontiers on a holiday to Ecuador and the Galapagos, which she somehow survived... All this was great training for thinking about a new career on her return to the UK and she was delighted to be able to join the Last Frontiers team in 2003.
Highlights of her travels since then have included meeting remote tribes deep in the Amazon jungle, enjoying high teas in Welsh Patagonia, exploring the canyons, ruins and beaches of Mexico and Central America, and driving over sand dunes to hidden corners of northern Brazil - what a wonderful way to earn a living!
Jill was a founding Trustee of Veniños, a charity helping disadvantaged children in Venezuela. She is currently Vice-Chair of the LATA Foundation which brings together members of the travel trade to help worthy charitable projects throughout Latin America.
After
a degree in Zoology, Alison headed straight to Peru to live in the rainforest
for 3 months as part of a conservation study. Having fallen in love with
South America, she decided to travel, which took her to Bolivia, Paraguay,
Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. After a short spell at home in Scotland she
left for Melbourne where she lived for a year. On her return to Edinburgh
she began to question what she would like to follow as a career and the answer
was simple - travel!
Since joining Last Frontiers Ali has been lucky enough to have travelled widely throughout Latin America and has many memorable experiences as a result. She has cruised around the Galapagos Islands, seen an anaconda in the Pantanal, tried out zip wires in the cloud forest canopy of Costa Rica, hiked in Mexico, spent time in the Amazon, visited Nicaragua's volcanoes and crumbling cities, explored the stunning scenery of northwest Argentina and tested the beaches in Cuba, to name just a few highlights! Her ultimate experience though was a cruise around Antarctica - a zoologist's dream and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see penguins and icebergs!
Rebecca's
love for South America started in her childhood when, inspired by her uncle
who lived in Chile, she learnt all the capital cities of the continent! She
studied History and Art History at Plymouth University and went on to work
for a large tour operator specialising in Latin America and the Caribbean
for a number of years.
Rebecca has visited Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and has also travelled to the Brazilian sertão - famous for its fabulous sand dunes and beaches. In Mexico she particularly liked travelling overland from the charming town of San Cristóbal to the Yucatan peninsula and visiting Oaxaca with its special regional cuisine. In southern Argentina she drove around most of the scenic Lake District and visited the windswept but beautiful Estancia Cristina near the Upsala Glacier. Rebecca has been to the driest place on earth (the Atacama Desert!) and seen the fascinating Moai of Easter Island. Her most recent trip saw her cruising down the Amazon in Peru, flying over the Nazca Lines, adjusting to the altitude of Arequipa and Lake Titicaca and then enjoying a luxurious train journey to Machu Picchu!
Rebecca is currently on maternity leave.
After
a vaguely relevant degree in Spanish and Latin American studies at Portsmouth
University and a brief stint selling travel clothing, Lizzy set off to fulfil
her dream to travel around South America, starting in Ecuador and finishing
up in Brazil. It was an area that she had studied but not at that point yet
visited. Prior to her studies, Lizzy spent six months as a volunteer on a
project in Mexico, and returned to Mexico to study as part of her degree.
During these stays she explored a little of Mexico and also headed south
to visit Guatemala. Following her 6 months in South America, Lizzy headed
for London to seek her fame and fortune in the travel industry and spent
5 years there, still returning often to Latin America.
Tired of the big smoke Lizzy headed out into the countryside and found Last Frontiers. Travel highlights for Lizzy have been kayaking down the Tambopata River in the Peruvian Amazon, cruising the Galapagos on the deluxe vessel, Eclipse, a very short but enlightening visit to Cuba, a return to Mexico for a tour of its Colonial Heartland; and most recently the fantastic opportunity to take up a trip around the Falkland Islands, getting face-to-face with its various penguin species!
Lizzy, too, is on maternity leave!
Oli has been travelling the world from a very young age as his father was a captain for British Airways and took him on numerous trips when he was a boy. One which stood out was a visit to Brazil, and from that point on the Latin itch had well and truly got under his skin. Whilst studying Music and Philosophy at Leeds University Oli spent his free time developing his interest in Brazilian culture; learning capoiera, running a samba band and trying to get to grips with Portuguese.
The logical step after university was to re-visit South America. An 8 month trip around the continent began in Venezuela and followed a clockwise loop finishing in Colombia visiting most countries in between. Highlights included: playing capoiera in the Pelourinho in Salvador, staying with local tribes in the Amazon, cycling down the 'death road' in Bolivia (and surviving), appearing on Peruvian local news and learning to dive off of the Caribbean coast in Colombia.
Oli has just returned from his first Last Frontiers trip: to the Misiones province of Argentina, which included the Jesuit ruins of San Ignacio Mini and a helicopter flight over the Iberá wetlands.
Claire’s passion for Latin America stems from a young age when, in her early teens her father was posted to the Dominican Republic. Despite being shipped off to boarding school at the first opportunity, frequent holidays in the Caribbean evoked a lifelong passion for the people, the culture, and the vibrant liveliness of this region.
Having spent six months of her gap year travelling through Mexico and Central America and volunteering in Ecuador, Claire embarked on a degree in Spanish and Linguistics at the University of Leeds. This gave her the opportunity of spending a year teaching English in Arica, Chile. She enjoyed her time there so much that upon graduating went back for another year, fully enjoying the main perk of a teacher's job; the long holidays, to travel extensively throughout Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Ecuador.
On returning to the UK in search of a 'real job', Claire was thrilled to discover that this did not have to mean giving up her passion for all things Latin American, but in fact could use her experience and expertise in the region to help others get all she has from this unique and marvellous region.
Since joining Last Frontiers in January Claire has already been lucky enough to visit Lima, Iguassu Falls and Easter Island.