Trip of a Lifetime

Peru | Oct 8 - Oct 18, 2022

Where to begin. I'll start with Jesus, since we spent almost two years planning the trip and Jesus worked with us throughout this entire process. It started before covid, then had to be postponed, and then planning had to start anew. Jesus worked with me the entire time. I can't tell you how many times, I changed the itinerary we wanted, the number of people who would be going, and the age of the people who were going. Each time Jesus modified and adjusted the itinerary to fit our wants and needs. When I wasn't sure about the cost, he helped us adjust our plans accordingly. When we changed dates, he helped us with the new planning. When the number of travelers kept changing, he adjusted the accommodations. When the age of the travelers changed, he adjusted the activities. When we wanted to add new ideas or change ideas, Jesus went along with the flow. He never, not once, said he couldn't get us what we wanted. It was amazing and unlike any other travel plans I'd ever made. And I travel a lot. When we finally got to Peru, we were met by Abraham right out of the airport, all our transportation and needs were met. When we went to Puerto Maldonado, we were met by Bastian who was our guide during the four days in the Amazon. Bastian was the friendliest, most knowledgeable, most helpful guide ever. He was an expert on all things 'Amazon'. He went out of his way to make sure we got the most out of our visit in the jungle making sure we could see as much of the local wildlife as possible. He told us all kinds of things about life in the jungle and the community of the people who live there. He had a great sense of humor and was a lot of fun to hang out with. He even trekked through the pouring rain to retrieve my sister's jacket she'd accidentally left behind at one of the sites we'd visited. Then we got to Cusco and we met our new guide, Julio. He was just as amazing as the previous ones. We traveled to Ollantaytambo and Urubamba. We did a beautiful hike and had a traditional Peruvian meal that was amazing. Unfortunately, the following day was when the majority of party got sick. This also coincided with the day we were traveling to Machu Picchu. If it hadn't been for the diligent efforts of Julio, half of us would have missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We were seen by doctors, given an IV cocktail for each of us that was severely sick, and provided a modified tour of Machu Picchu. It was rough, but Julio did a lot of juggling so we could make this happen. Back in Cusco, many of us were feeling well enough to do a little sightseeing around the city, which was incredibly beautiful. Again, our guide, Julio was extremely knowledgeable of the area, and again, he and Jesus met all our requests. Even the occasional odd ones. My daughter and friend wanted Tarot Cards representative of the local region, Jesus went around the shops till he found some and directed them to where these could be purchased. He even offered to buy them and be reimbursed. There were so many little ways that the guides went out of their way to be accommodating, regardless of how obscure the request was. One request from two of our travelers was a spiritual-based excursion, and Jesus got this immediately scheduled. He set up a laundry service mid-way through our trip. I don't typically use travel agents. I prefer to book for myself; however, I can't begin to imagine trying to navigate this trip on our own. We'd never been to South America before and were not familiar at all with the region. Having these expert, friendly, helpful guides made all the difference in the world. It made everything so easy. As I said, I don't typically use travel agents; but given this experience, I will use this company in future travels. Thank you so much to Jesus, Bastian, Abraham, and Julio. You are all incredible!