
Privilege and responsibility Vaya Adventures relishes being able to show its clients one of the world’s greatest natural wonders, the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador’s coast. Knowing that we are able to help people realise their dream of visiting the most biodiverse place on earth is heart-warming but we are also well aware that with this [...]

A trip to the Amazon is on many people’s bucket list, and with the variety of species on offer it’s no wonder why. Here’s a list of five animals that were highlights of my months in the jungle. (I’ve strategically left sandflies and mosquitoes off the list – the less said about them the better!). [...]

Uruguay, with its pre-Hispanic name, sounds a lot more exotic than it really is. Many people imagine it to be buried deep within the Amazon, but it is actually right on Buenos Aires’ doorstep. The entire country, wedged between its huge neighbors Argentina and Brazil, fits on to a coastal plain whose highest point is [...]

Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as it is known in Polynesian, must be one of the most enigmatic places on earth. Thousands of miles from anything, including the Chile coast, and littered with almost 900 moai, the angular figures carved from volcanic tuff which have made the island world-renowned, it is a deeply haunting place. [...]

Peru is a fantastic place to buy traditional arts and crafts, but the quality on offer varies enormously. Make sure you don’t buy a fake alpaca sweater (or a real Inca relic!) by following our guide to the best of Peru. Alpaca wool Just like quinoa was the food of the gods, alpaca wool was [...]

Downtown Santiago is about as globalized as it comes in South America, and international brand names abound. Scratch the surface, however, and you’ll also find that there is plenty to buy that is distinctly Chilean. Lapis lazuli Chile and Afghanistan are only countries in the world with significant deposits of this blue semiprecious stone, and [...]

Most photos of Machu Picchu include the rhino horn-shaped peak of Huayna Picchu, making this peak almost as iconic as the archeological zone itself. Maybe this is why many visitors to Machu Picchu eagerly queue every morning to be one of the 400 people who are permitted to ascend the 8,920 ft. peak per day. [...]

I recently had a chance to visit Chile‘s mythical island in the Lake District called Chiloe. Among other places, I went to see and stay at a new high-end hotel, Refugia, located in a tucked away and picturesque area of the main island of Chiloe, roughly 20 minutes by car from Castro, the island’s capital. [...]

Argentina is a shopper’s paradise – if you know where to go. Here we look at three products the country is really famous for, and where to get them. Leather The ubiquitous beef must come from somewhere, and the hides from all those cows definitely don’t go to waste. Leather goods are available throughout the [...]

My first trip to Peru in 2005 consisted of a 2 ½ week tour. Each day kicked off with a pleasant stroll through small towns or into surrounding mountains, following roads and trails through The Sacred Valley. I’ve since returned several times, taking in many more parts of this beautiful country, from Chiclayo to Chachapoyas [...]