:t:viventura[e=h2l;p=ntfb]:t:Feedbacks[e=h2r;p=ntfb]
:t:Every viventura client has the opportunity to give feedback on their experience with viventura after the tour. We welcome constructive criticism because it helps us to improve our services.[e=intro;p=ntfb]
Classic Colombia, 12/12/ - 12/25/2011
viventura provided a good tour. I enjoyed the places we visited; the highlights being El Cantil Ecolodge, strolling El Poblado, Hotel Charlie (thanks, Matt!), the lake district in Guatape above Medellin, horseback riding in Tyrona and the beautiful city of Cartagena. With the exception of El Cantil and Hotel Charlie, I was disappointed with the quality of the hotels - most notably the lack of hot water. This bit of information would have been nice to know ahead of time, if nothing else, to psyche myself up. The first hotel we stayed in was fine but the shower regulator was very difficult to use providing either cold or scalding hot water. Also, the hotel location was a bit too far and difficult to find with all the winding roads. With the exception of poorly booked flights from Nuqui to Medellin, I think the viventura staff did a fabulous job. They were very informative, spoke excellent English, and were genuinely nice people. Matt knocked himself out in showing us the Caribbean coast. It was a real pleasure having him along, and our boys adored him!
Note: Hotels for this tour have been upgraded to address the concerns of hot water and more convenient locations.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
viventura provided a good tour. I enjoyed the places we visited; the highlights being El Cantil Ecolodge, strolling El Poblado, Hotel Charlie (thanks, Matt!), the lake district in Guatape above Medellin, horseback riding in Tyrona and the beautiful city of Cartagena. With the exception of El Cantil and Hotel Charlie, I was disappointed with the quality of the hotels - most notably the lack of hot water. This bit of information would have been nice to know ahead of time, if nothing else, to psyche myself up. The first hotel we stayed in was fine but the shower regulator was very difficult to use providing either cold or scalding hot water. Also, the hotel location was a bit too far and difficult to find with all the winding roads. With the exception of poorly booked flights from Nuqui to Medellin, I think the viventura staff did a fabulous job. They were very informative, spoke excellent English, and were genuinely nice people. Matt knocked himself out in showing us the Caribbean coast. It was a real pleasure having him along, and our boys adored him!
Note: Hotels for this tour have been upgraded to address the concerns of hot water and more convenient locations.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
:t:Send an email to Dominique C.[p=tfbd]
Classic Peru Bolivia Chile, 05/06/ - 05/20/2011
A journey that we dreamed of for many years, the dreams have actually fallen short of the reality. The trip brought a succession of moments bringing diverse and varied intensity or emotion, sublime landscapes and amazing Inca sites.
Some highlights: Machu Picchu, of course, was really magical, but also the sites of Ollantaytambo and Saqsayhuaman, and the Salar de Uyuni and the Atacama desert.
But of course a special thanks to our guide Ricardo who despite his young age is a great man. With his kindness, professionalism, and good humor he shared his love of his country and people with us and helped create an unforgettable memory.
And thank you to all the team of viventure who helped to prepare this trip and manage the unexpected.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
A journey that we dreamed of for many years, the dreams have actually fallen short of the reality. The trip brought a succession of moments bringing diverse and varied intensity or emotion, sublime landscapes and amazing Inca sites.
Some highlights: Machu Picchu, of course, was really magical, but also the sites of Ollantaytambo and Saqsayhuaman, and the Salar de Uyuni and the Atacama desert.
But of course a special thanks to our guide Ricardo who despite his young age is a great man. With his kindness, professionalism, and good humor he shared his love of his country and people with us and helped create an unforgettable memory.
And thank you to all the team of viventure who helped to prepare this trip and manage the unexpected.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
:t:Send an email to Eric W. aus Darmstadt[p=tfbd]
Classic Patagonia , 10/02/ - 10/18/2012
Our highlights were trekking the mountains and Torres del Paine. The accommodations were generally good to very good, except for the City Hotel in Buenos Aires, which is much too small and not enough light in the room. Our tour guide Heike was one of the highlights of the trip, with her knowledge of nature and interesting ideas she has made this trip unforgettable. She is the best tour guide we've ever had (and we are experienced travelers). The support on the journey was very personal and pleasant and we felt that we were very well taken care of. On the whole, this trip was one of the best group trips we have done and kudos to viventura!
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
Our highlights were trekking the mountains and Torres del Paine. The accommodations were generally good to very good, except for the City Hotel in Buenos Aires, which is much too small and not enough light in the room. Our tour guide Heike was one of the highlights of the trip, with her knowledge of nature and interesting ideas she has made this trip unforgettable. She is the best tour guide we've ever had (and we are experienced travelers). The support on the journey was very personal and pleasant and we felt that we were very well taken care of. On the whole, this trip was one of the best group trips we have done and kudos to viventura!
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
:t:Send an email to Benedetto N.[p=tfbd]
Classic Peru Bolivia Chile, 10/12/ - 10/26/2011
We enjoyed the whole trip. Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Salar de Uyuni, were the essential highlights.
Good organization before departure. Our guide, Nathalie, was excellent and provided great points of view. We believe it was her knowledge and care that raised the level of the entire journey. viventura would surely be missing an important element to their tours without working with these local guides.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
We enjoyed the whole trip. Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Salar de Uyuni, were the essential highlights.
Good organization before departure. Our guide, Nathalie, was excellent and provided great points of view. We believe it was her knowledge and care that raised the level of the entire journey. viventura would surely be missing an important element to their tours without working with these local guides.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
Classic Peru Bolivia Chile, 05/06/ - 05/20/2011
The trip exceeded our expectations! We wanted to really know South America and on our trip we got to to know the people of the Andes, the remains of pre-Columbian civilizations, landscapes, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Lima, Cusco, La Paz, Santiago de Chile ...
Before we left Benjamin answered all our questions. During the trip, the various guides comments were invaluable. Ricardo was scout ready, smiling, patient, considerate, knew how to animate, assembled and even cared for our group: the perfect guide.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
The trip exceeded our expectations! We wanted to really know South America and on our trip we got to to know the people of the Andes, the remains of pre-Columbian civilizations, landscapes, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Lima, Cusco, La Paz, Santiago de Chile ...
Before we left Benjamin answered all our questions. During the trip, the various guides comments were invaluable. Ricardo was scout ready, smiling, patient, considerate, knew how to animate, assembled and even cared for our group: the perfect guide.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
Classic Peru Bolivia Chile, 10/12/ - 10/26/2011
It was a beautiful trip! Our guide Nathalie was great, she had an answer for everything and was available for whatever we needed.
The highlights for us were the Inca trail with magnificent Machu Picchu and the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia ...
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
It was a beautiful trip! Our guide Nathalie was great, she had an answer for everything and was available for whatever we needed.
The highlights for us were the Inca trail with magnificent Machu Picchu and the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia ...
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
:t:Send an email to Bernd[p=tfbd]
Classic Peru Bolivia Chile, 05/06/ - 05/20/2011
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.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
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.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
:t:Send an email to Hannelore[p=tfbd]
Classic Peru Bolivia Chile, 05/06/ - 05/20/2011
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. 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 nazca lines. Contrary to what other travelers had reported our flight went very smoothly, giving me the opportunity to take photos of the nazca lines, unfortunately, 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, 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. Sadly 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 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 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 by bus headed to Cusco. On arrival in Cusco we took a walk around the city hardly noticing the altitude difference. Some of us enjoyed the nightlife, but 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.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
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. 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 nazca lines. Contrary to what other travelers had reported our flight went very smoothly, giving me the opportunity to take photos of the nazca lines, unfortunately, 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, 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. Sadly 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 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 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 by bus headed to Cusco. On arrival in Cusco we took a walk around the city hardly noticing the altitude difference. Some of us enjoyed the nightlife, but 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.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
:t:Send an email to Ursula[p=tfbd]
Classic Peru Bolivia Chile, 05/06/ - 05/20/2011
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.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
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.
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
Classic Peru Bolivia Chile, 05/06/ - 05/20/2011
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!
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]
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!
:t:to the travelogue of this tour[p=tfbd]