Destination Specialist:
Marci Koltonuk

Marci currently resides in Southern California after spending several years living and working in Santiago and Buenos Aires. She studied journalism and theatre in college, and worked in the luxury hospitality industry in New York City for a decade. Her love of travel eventually led her to South America, a continent whose contrasts and culture always intrigued her. Some of her favorite moments so far have been searching for elusive jaguars in the Pantanal of Brazil, snorkeling next to a penguin in the Galapagos Islands, and watching the sun set red and gold over the Atacama Desert in Chile.

Languages Spoken:
English (native), Spanish (fluent)

Recent Posts by Marci:

June 16th, 2018

The Real Paddington: Andean Spectacled Bears and Where to See Them

You may remember from the popular children’s books that Paddington Bear, although found in a London train station, was actually a stowaway from “darkest Peru.” Although you won’t find any bears in Peru that wear raincoats and eat marmalade, you can see the real-life version of Paddington, the Andean spectacled bear, during your trip to… Read Full Post

April 21st, 2018

Worth the Trip: A Visit to Paraty

Throughout my years of planning trips to South America, Paraty has always been one of those places that gets overlooked in favor of spending more time in its iconic metropolitan neighbor. Rio de Janeiro is, of course, inarguably glamorous and vibrant; it has one of the most stunning backdrops of any city in the world,… Read Full Post

Marci's Client Reviews:

From the very first contact I had with Marci I knew I wanted to travel with Vaya. She actually answered the phone the very first time I called and then followed up my call with an email within a matter of minutes and then responded to all my emails very promptly. I really enjoyed planning my trip with Marci, and I really believe that we had a fabulous trip because of Marci's planning and guidance.Janet Mitchell

Marci was so attentive, helpful, knowledgeable, and nailed it on planning a perfect trip for us. If I were ever to meet her in person I would give her a big hug for a job well done. She was a big part of a seamless and memorable vacation.Suzanne Balestrieri

Marci worked hard to make the trip what we wanted... From the moment we were picked up in Quito until we were dropped off at the airport in the Galapagos Islands, we were taken care of royally. Thank you, Marci!Steve and Christine Theno