Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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How long have you been in business?
We started in 1993 as Travel Innovations. In 2000 we decided to focus on South America, so we changed our name to Amazon Adventures. Jim attended Travelmart Latin America in Fortaleza Brazil for the first time that year, as well as to the Brazil International Tourism Exchange in Rio. He met lots of local operators at those events and we have worked with some of them since that time. What makes your agents experts in selling trips to South America? We visit the countries ourselves and every year we attend conferences such as Travelmart Latin America (which is held in a different South American country each year), Peru Travel Mart, Colombia Nature Mart, Adventure Travel Trade Association events and others so that we can keep up with what is new with various local operators and hotels/lodges/cruises. We also attain Specialist agent status for many of the countries and Jorge was actually the U.S. representative for several South American cruise and hotel companies and has been a tour operator there. Why should we book with you instead of directly online? We have insider information based on experience. For instance, anybody can build a nice jungle lodge, but a good guide makes all of the difference in the world. We know who has the good guides. Most people go to the Amazon to see wildlife. But if the local Indians hunt wildlife, then you are not going to see much. We know who hunts and who doesn’t. Also, if there is a problem, a local operator won’t want to lose our business, so they will take care of things for us. They might not do that for an individual that they will never see again. Can I just hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu on my own? Not any more. It used to be possible, but people were camping inside the ruins, walking on them, setting campfires in them and the local operators were having to haul out tons of trash every year when the trail was closed, so the local authorities decided they had to do something to preserve the sites. So now you have to travel with an authorized tour operator and the number of daily permits is limited so that the trail and campgrounds don't get too crowded. |
How do we know we can trust you?
Check out our record with the Better Business Bureau or our Google or Facebook reviews. What is the best amazon adventure for me to take? That depends on your idea of what an adventure is and what you can handle. For some, just taking a nice Amazon cruise would be considered an adventure. For others, a 10 day kayaking/camping trip would be more of an adventure. We offer all sorts of options and can help you to choose what suits you best. Is the Amazon or the Pantanal better for wildlife viewing? The Amazon definitely has more species of birds and other wildlife, but it is often difficult for an amateur to spot a lot of them because of the thick foliage. The Pantanal does not have as many different species, but it does have a lot, and most of them are out in the open and easy to see. And the Pantanal is definitely a better place to try to see animals like jaguars, giant anteaters and tapirs. Can I just go down the length of the Amazon myself? Perhaps you have read about others doing this. Some people have gone by boat for most of the Amazon, but they are normally sponsored by companies or organizations who put up thousands of dollars to finance the trip and they take months to do it. One person hiked the length of it, but it took him 859 days and a local guide joined him for most of the trip. The trek cost an estimated $100,000 raised by donations and corporate sponsors. Another person recently did it with various guides, but it took him 6 years and he sold his house to raise enough money to do it (but he ran out of money and had to survive on donations). A few years ago I was contacted by a female from England, asking if I knew anything about her friend. I did not recognize the name, so I asked what she had booked. She said the girl was trying to travel the length of the Amazon by herself, but she had lost contact with her. I asked one of our operators in Manaus if they had heard anything about her and they said they had read in the paper that she had been killed in a local village. Can I just go to Machu Picchu on my own?
Because of the large number of people who come to the site now, the government decided they needed to control the visitor numbers. So now they limit the number of people who can visit each day, they assign you a start time and they broke up the site into different routes and you have to do the one that you are assigned to. Our local operator can help you to get a ticket for your preferred route when you book with us. |
