About us
We love to get feedback - it helps us find out what our clients really want. Here's a random selection of comments from our past customers!
Cuba
“We had a fabulous holiday and feel as if we immersed ourselves in Cuba. There were all sorts of highlights, from snorkelling in the Bay of Pigs, to hiking to Fidel's hideaway in the Sierra Maestra, to spending a morning visiting Hemingway's haunts by 1950s open-topped American car. We would like to make special mention of your Cuban partners who organised our accommodation, transport and social agenda and most notably, their driver/guide, who was exceptional. He looked after us for 13 nights with immaculate driving - no mean feat on the roads and with the fuel shortage - humour, warmth and consideration. He introduced us to local customs, food and experiences beyond our expectations, and gave us confidence in an unfamiliar environment. All the other guides we met along the way were also well-informed, friendly and helped to make our Cuban adventure very special.” - JF&PW travelled in February 2024
Costa Rica
“Overall the itinerary was great and we felt the number of night stays in each location was about right. Our local representative was absolutely great, a very good communicator and was really ‘on it’ in terms of keeping us up to date on everything. The Costa Rican people are all delightful and generally extremely welcoming and the level of spoken English was exceptional. The internal flights were good and obviously got us around quickly but we really did enjoy having the freedom to explore in our rental car. A great holiday, thank you very much for all your help and advice, and we feel that overall we did get to really explore the country which is, of course, helped by having a car to go off and do your own thing. Driving in Costa Rica was easy once you’d become accustomed to the local traits.” - SJ travelled in February 2024
Chile
“We had a very successful trip. The itinerary worked out well and we felt we got a good sense of Chile as a whole without too many flights. We particularly enjoyed Cerro Guido, the tour around Arica province, and also enough time to relax in Santiago and see the Pre-Columbian Museum and some of the parks, based from the excellent Le Reve Hotel.” - JE travelled in November 2023
Chile/Argentina
“We had a really excellent holiday and want to thank you very much for all your hard work, especially with the inevitable hitches and glitches. I also finished reading the Brian Keenan and John McCarthy book you sent me. It was wonderful and it's such a great and unique idea to send a book to your clients. The ground services were all super with good communication, punctual and friendly. The Australis cruise lived up to expectations and the cabin, food, service, excursions etc. were superb. El Chalten was my favourite part of the trip. I loved the relaxed, laid back vibe, we had perfect walking weather and I loved being able to hike straight out the door, no park fees or transport needed. Thank you again for organising such a wonderful trip and we will think about our next Latin America adventure soon. More wildlife somewhere, I think.” - UM travelled in February 2024
Ecuador/Galapagos
“A fabulous trip that exceeded my expectations. I loved Ecuador and all the different areas visited, which included the Amazon, Hacienda Cusin near Otavalo, Cotopaxi and the Galapagos Islands, where the wildlife blew me away. All the arrangements ran like clockwork and Marco, my local guide, went out of his way to show me as much as possible in this wonderful country. Thank you for all your help and advice in organising this special trip - Antarctica is next on my list!” - AM travelled in February 2024
Colombia
“Many thanks for organising another fantastic holiday! We loved Colombia and your partners in Colombia were excellent.” - DM&RB travelled in February 2024
Brazil
“We have had such a brilliant holiday. Everything went like clockwork and everywhere we stayed was wonderful, on the whole. Thank you so much for organising it all for us.
Latam was a great airline, all flights on time and business class very comfortable. Pousada Literaria, Paraty was a great hotel and our guide was excellent, both around the town and on the boat trip which was huge fun. Das Cataratas, Iguassu is a great hotel and we had another excellent guide. We really enjoyed Ouro and our guide was exceptionally knowledgeable guide. We were fairly churched out by the end! The tour of the gold mine was fun. Chapada Diamentina was a highlight, we loved Pousada das Aguas and our guide was excellent, and took us on wonderful treks to views, caves and waterfalls.
All the guides were extremely good at getting us checked in at the airports and making sure we had our boarding cards, which was very helpful as online was a bit tricky! We think the length of time we spent in each place was just right. 3 nights made the long journeys between stops worthwhile and not too much of a rush. Overall an excellent holiday. Thank you very much for organising it.” - JE travelled in February 2024
Mexico
“I had a wonderful time in Mexico, it was a hugely enjoyable trip: all flights and arrangements worked really well and I thank you for all your efforts. The schedule that you created worked very well, producing some wonderful memories and my guide was exceptional and very knowledgable - I could not be more delighted. The Espirito Santo, swimming with sea lions excursion, was excellent - it was of course a delight to swim with the sea lions, to observe them at close quarters, but also to see the islands, landscapes, and fauna and flora. The day was calm, with little wind and ample sunshine and was perfect for the activities undertaken.
We saw one youngish whale shark close to the boat and were unlucky not to see any grey whales, but the tour was turned into one of the most enjoyable excursions by the extensive knowledge of the guide who pointed out so many different birds (including pelicans, cormorants, heron, ibis, caracara, a barn owl, a green-breasted mango etc.) and explained about the mangroves ecology. He encouraged the boat captain to search further waters (in the hope of seeing whales) and we were rewarded by a fine sighting of a dozen or so dolphins with some young.
The blue whales tour – Isla Carmen, Loreto, was a delight for the sea life we saw but also for the landscapes and sheer joy of being in an open boat on the largely calm sea. The boat captain was commendably attentive to his responsibilities to the whales and took pains to ensure good sightings were possible, and the knowledge of my guide made the tour very much more rewarding than it would otherwise have been. With great luck we encountered a humpback whale soon after leaving Loreto and were afforded good views, including its tail fin making a silhouette against the sun. Dolphins, mantarays and many different birds were seen and right at the end of the tour (causing its duration to be extended) we had a clear, fairly close sighting of a blue whale. The whole tour was a delight.
In Bahia Magdalena the boat captain was superbly good at his job, tracking down the grey whales with some skill in the swell and manoeuvring the boat at close quarters to the whales for some considerable time to afford the closest contact. We encountered two grey whales who, perhaps having become used to human contact, were willing to display themselves even to the point of being touched. I understand that the sighting and contact we enjoyed was of a quality that could hardly be exceeded. The guide provided much information and encouraged us to interact with the whales. He also arranged a delicious lunch at one of the restaurants in the port.
Once again, the whole experience of my visit to Mexico was a succession of delights, typically exceeding expectations, and I remain very favourably impressed with how you managed to assemble such a wonderful programme for me and with such little effort being required of me. I record my lasting appreciation.” - BF travelled in February 2024
Ecuador/Galapagos/Peru
“The holiday to the Galapagos and Peru was amazing and being at the end of the season meant it was not crowded anywhere and we were able to enjoy every moment and take lots of photographs minus tourists. The Galapagos Islands were unbelievable and the Beluga team looked after us really well. We were really fortunate, in that for the first three days on board there were only three couples, we all got on very well and felt very spoilt. Juan our guide was excellent and we will never forget the experience of seeing so many beautiful birds and animals. We'd seen Machu Picchu on TV and in pictures, but being in among the mountains was incredible, magical and spiritual.
We couldn't fault the arrangements you made for us and our guides were all excellent, never rushing us and able to answer our many questions. Many thanks for all of your efforts it was a well planned holiday and one we will never forget.” - RH travelled in November 2022
Costa Rica
“Costa Rica was amazing, we absolutely loved it. Thank you so much for all your help and hard work organising everything. The volunteering was great, certainly ‘at one’ with nature because we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. We only saw one turtle but the hosts were lovely. Very, very glad we did it and thank you for your help researching where to go. During the rest of the holiday everything ran very smoothly. The hotels were beautiful, spotless accommodation and accommodating hosts. All the staff, from the transfer drivers to the ones working at the hotels went out of their way to be helpful. The guides on the tours were excellent too. Thanks so much again.” - EW travelled in July 2022
Cuba
“Our 3 weeks in Cuba was fantastic. It was a true eye-opener and if I ever get my narrative with pictures finished, I will send it to you. It was well organised and Cuba Private tours, your local agent, was terrific, as were all our guides. We learned so much and felt we really got immersed in Cuba - we loved the people, the music and the art. We couldn’t have done it without your help, so thank you.” - AP travelled in December 2022
Ecuador
“What a holiday!! I had a marvellous time in Ecuador. The itinerary you put together met all my expectations and more.
The Napo valley was very special, I wish I had had more time there. The three guides Pedro, Abel and Roger who were with me the whole time were brilliant. They went out of their way to ensure I was able to observe and experience the magnificence of the national park. Their knowledge and expertise is second to none.
It’s not just the things you do and the places you visit that make a holiday but the people you meet along the way. Marco Toscano, my guide for most of the holiday, was exemplary. One of the best guides (if not the best) I have ever had and a great companion.” - RH travelled in September 2023
Cuba
“We had a wonderful holiday, thank you! Huge thanks to you and the team in the UK and also the team in Cuba. All the accommodation was great and most of the restaurants and bars suggested were also spot on. Our driver was absolutely brilliant - he was a careful and safe driver with excellent English and very knowledgable about his country. We also enjoyed all of the walking tours and the boat trip in Trinidad was one of the highlights of our whole holiday. All in all then a fabulous holiday, although very sobering to experience the changes for Cubans since we were last there in 2016.” - DC travelled in March 2023
Ecuador/Galapagos
“A brilliant trip, and superbly organised. Thank you!” - GE travelled in April 2023
Peru/Bolivia/Argentina/Paraguay/Brazil
“Thank you for organising our trip, we had a great time and the pace of the trip was about right. There was a lot to see but the real highlights were the Serrania de Hornacal with the rock formations and colours and also the journey across the altiplano from Tarija to Tupiza. Iguazu was, of course, spectacular but a bit more expected so didn’t stand out as much.” - PC travelled in August 2023