I am now back from an 8-day adventure trip to Peru ('PAI') and what an experience it has been!!!
Everything. Absolutely everything Tucan Travel arranged went according to plan.
Not only that, but the quality of every aspect of the trip could not have been better.
But let me start from the beginning...
I don't speak a word of Spanish yet wanted to experience Peru in the safety of a group while enjoying the raw, unfiltered sights that come with hiking in the Peruvian Amazon Jungle, climbing and venturing to locations in higher elevations of the Andes, as well as staying in prime locations in enchanted and picturesque towns like Ollantaytambo, and Cusco.
I checked and compared the itineraries of different 7-8 tour companies and found time and again that Tucan Travel topped them all in all aspects of what interested me: Exciting sites + efficient logistics time-wise.
In just 8 days the itinerary got us to Lima, Cusco, Porto Maldonado (the Amazon), Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes, and on to the most famous of them all - Machu Picchu, Pisco, and more ancient and memorable sites.
It would not be such an exciting adventure without the excellent people of Tucan Travel on the ground.
I could not imagine better Guides than we had. From Paul who was with us throughout the 8 days from Lima where the group first met, to Victor a local Amazon Jungle resident of several decades who lures Fire Ants out of a tree and a Tarantula out of its borrow, spotted Caymans in the river in the dark or enticed them to come out from a swamp, to Rafael who guided us for the best part of 2 days in Pisco, Ollantaytambo and the Sacred Valley, to Pedro at Machu Picchu and other sites. All of them well spoken in English, knew everything about the visited sites, and were also very passionate, personable, attentive and ready to answer a question or provide an advice whether regarding packing for the following day, the best restaurants to eat at when relevant, or where to go shopping etc.
Under their guidance, the group quickly developed into a very orderly bunch of guys and gals who showed up on time in the mornings, and on time to be ready for the next leg of a journey.
Logistically, there was not even one hitch - tickets for the 3 domestic flights, transfers to airports, bookings at hotels, the included meals where applicable, canoe trips down and up the Madre De Dias river to the Amazonian Lodge and more - everything worked liked a clockwork.
It's even more commendable that it all worked so smoothly considering the fact that the group of 16 (max # for these trips) had people dropping and joining it throughout the week as some move on to do the 3-day Inca Trail while others join for parts of the 8-day trip.
Food safety, food quantity and quality again, were far beyond what I had expected - Breakfasts (all included) were rich and plentiful which is critical for 'Adventure' travel because you spend so much in calories due to the hiking and higher elevations. Lunches and Dinners which are also included in the Amazonia Lodge were likewise excellent.
Finally, I should mention where it all started for me - the Website and the open, detailed and prompt communication that Tucan Travel agents provide you with. In my case, I wanted to climb Wayna Picchu (the mountain overlooking M-P) which is not on the itinerary, however Tucan Travel came through for me big time and arranged tickets for an earlier train to get me there in time.
I could not be happier with my choice to go with Tucan Travel and I think more people need to know about this great Travel company.
All that means I know which company I will travel with next. The only question now is where to :)
A Video of my trip will be posted on YouTube by the end of Sep-2016 in case you want more info + a Video of my climb to Wayna Picchu.