Teens On The Trail - Family Holiday

Our Clients’ Reviews

• 

  Helen Bichard

  INCAS & THE AMAZON - FAMILY HOLIDAY

  

  Written August 2011

  A fantastic family adventure letting you experience the best of Peru, from the wonder of the Amazon to the magnificence of the Andes and the Inca ruins. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Where to start?

  - Cayman spotting at night from a canoe on the Amazon

  - Home cooked guinea pig in a family home

  - Looking down on Machu Piccu from the Sun Gate

  - Playing with the disabled children and orphans at the Rainbow Centre

  - Learning how to play Zapo at a family run chicheria (chicha is the local corn beer, an acquired taste!)

  - The lovely cobbled hills of Cusco

  - Stumbling across a Pacha Mama festival in the Sacred Valley

  - Doing the Inca Trail (well, one day of it, but still means you can say you've done it!)

  - Inca Kola for the kids (like a Peruvian Irn Bru) and Pisco Sours for the grown ups!

  And for Mums...great markets!

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Our guide in the Amazon - Edwin at the Tambopata Lodge - was an exceptional young man, with a wealth of knowledge of and passion for his home. He was equally good with kids and adults, and is an eagle when it comes to spotting wildlife. All this after he'd only just recovered from dengue fever too!

  Carlos was our guide for the Inca part of the tour. Again, very knowledgeable, and clearly loves his country though happy to share its chequered history and the cultural issues which still affect it. And he's VERY concerned that you put on enough suncream, watch the steps, drink enough water...:)

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Be honest with yourself about your and your family's fitness. There were 5km/10km treks in the Amazon. We were lucky with the weather as it was unseasonably cool, but if it had been the humid 40 degrees predicted, it would have been hard. The quarry trek is steep, long and with no shade. We had several wilters! The Inca Trail is actually OK - once you get up there! - as it's surprisingly level and some is through cloud forest. Altitude sickness affected most people at some point - so stock up on Diomax, maybe some anti-sickness pills, coca tea and drink lots (Inca Kola is the business!) And the sun - you're high up in the Andes and very exposed, so bring hats, scarves, high factor cream. Oh, and top tip. The Iberia flight back involves a stopover at Madrid and you have to re-clear security, which means they confiscate all liquids, including (especially) duty free Pisco. Nice little earner for the officials. Beat them at their own game by buying drinks in Lima beforehand and putting in your hold baggage.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  This trip doesn't include Lake Titicaca. We added that on afterwards and frankly you're not missing out. The floating islands are a veritable Disney theme ride - it feels fake and overcrowded. Better add ons would be Arequipa (beautiful colonial city in the shadow of volcanoes, with the frozen remains of a 13 year old Inca sacrifice) and the Nasca Lines (you can do this from Lima).

  Exodus Response

  Please note that this review (and those prior to it) refer to the 2012 Exodus operated tour ‘Incas & The Amazon’ which has now been replaced by the similar 2013 ‘Teens on the Trail’ tour.
  

  - Exodus Staff