Llama Expeditions Adventure Tours

11/26/2024

11/23/2024

I use my decades as a learning experience designer for Fortune 500 companies to personally craft and test every single itinerary to make sure that all the elements come together to create an unforgettable experience.

11/22/2024

I was on a backpacking trip with local friends from Cusco.

We were miles from anywhere you’d find tourists.

In fact, we ended up camping on a family-run farm that was about a day’s walk from the nearest community – AKA “civilization.” Transportation consisted of a mule.

Since then, I’ve had many similar experiences where I was the only or one of the few Americans to be found – from long distance bus rides to beautiful beach resorts to fascinating archeological ruins to unmarked restaurants only locals knew existed.

And, it got me thinking.

I realized that it took getting off the beaten tourist circuit for me to really experience a country and get a sense of its culture and its people. Slick tour packages felt too staged. They seemed to tell only part of the story, and a sanitized version, at that.

I also had the good fortune to discover that there were times iconic sites were nearly empty. More than once, I was among a handful of people visiting Machu Picchu. It became clear to me that with the right timing, it was possible to enjoy top attractions without being jostled by throngs of people and risk getting whacked by a selfie-stick.

Finally, I became aware that the economic benefits that tourism brought were often concentrated to a few destinations or a few places within a destination.

It seemed that there was so much worth exploring that was being entirely ignored. And so many more people who could economically benefit from tourism.

So, I became very interested in taking experienced travelers to explore emerging destinations and largely undiscovered, yet magical, places in popular destinations. While there, we make it a point to work with the local community so they directly benefit from tourism and to get involved in local community projects, especially those that help women and girls whenever possible.

If this approach to travel resonates with you, I hope to see you on one of our trips soon!

08/21/2024

I just put the finishing touches on our trip to Chilean Patagonia on the website. Not only will we be visiting the famous Torres del Paine, but we'll be spending quite a bit of time in the beautiful Lake District - land of volcanoes, fjords, and some very distinctive Chilean wine. You can check out the itinerary here: https://llamaexpeditions.com/tour/heart-of-patagonia/

Best time to go is November through March. So, if this trip is on your wish list, don't delay. Some of the hotels book out well in advance. 😳

We are offering private departures for this trip.

07/18/2024

The hotel… a former colonial mansion. Pretty, huh?

07/08/2024

Machu Picchu has been confirmed as the first carbon neutral wonder of the world, according to the Green Initiative, the leading company for climate certification in tourism. 😍

If you've always wanted to go to Machu Picchu, we are running a small group trip October 14th through 26th. You can get the details here: https://llamaexpeditions.com/tour/highlights-peru/

07/02/2024

First time in Patagonia.

07/02/2024

Legend has it that if you kiss the foot of the Selk'nam Indian at the bottom of the Hernando de Magellanes Monument in Punta Arenas' central plaza, you'll be blessed with good luck and one day return to Patagonia. Hmmm... guess what we're planning for 2025. 😁

06/25/2024

The last time I visited Machu Picchu in 2017, it was a mob scene. It was all I could do to avoid getting whacked by a selfie stick. 😳

On the day shown below, though, I was one of four people in the park. Full disclosure: we did have to shelter from an epic rainstorm during part of the visit. Hence, the wet hair. But still... being 1 of 4 people in the entire park...

Flash forward to today. Machu Picchu is often still a mob scene. But... there are times when the crowds thin. And while there are more than 4 people in the park, it's not crazy packed.

The trick is that you have to know when to go. We do. In fact, during our Highlights of Peru adventure in October, we've planned our visit to Machu Picchu to overlap, at least in part, with some of this quieter time. It's just so much more enjoyable.

This sort of planning is just one of the ways that your visit to Peru is enhanced when you travel with experts.

To learn more, you can check out this link: https://llamaexpeditions.com/tour/highlights-peru/

06/18/2024

Speaking of food.... have you ever tried a pachamanca? "Pachamanca" is a Quechua word that means earth oven. It is a popular Peruvian dish in the Andes. It consists of meat and potatoes wrapped in leaves and cooked by hot stones in the ground.

I am looking forward to having it again during our trip to Peru in October. 😋

For full details, click this link: https://llamaexpeditions.com/tour/highlights-peru/

06/15/2024

A combination of ingredients grown from the Andes to the Amazon, and a mix of cultures including Inca, Spanish, Japanese, African, and Chinese has resulted in the creation of some of the most unique dishes on earth.

In fact, a Peruvian restaurant always lands within the top 5 spots of the 50 best restaurants in the world.

So what better way to kick off our Peru adventure in October than with a cooking class in the home of a chef?!

My taste buds cannot wait! 😋

06/14/2024

The walls of one of the hotels we'll be staying in during our trip to Peru this October feature original Inca stonework. How cool is that?! 😁

05/28/2024

More baby llama love ❤️

05/28/2024

Snuggling a one-day old llama

05/28/2024

It’s always fun to unexpectedly run into people you worked with. Abel was our driver way back in 2014.

05/27/2024

Tonight’s project. The sky was astonishing