The post Most Memorable Trips We’ve Designed This Past Decade: Sunshine and Ian, South America appeared first on Active Travels.
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May 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of ActiveTravels. Over the past decade, I’d estimate we’ve designed close to 2,000 trips. Some of those itineraries followed the fall foliage route in New England, others followed the orangutans of Sumatra or the gemstones of Estonia. We’ve designed itineraries to 116 countries and probably all the American states and Canadian provinces. Of those many trips we’ve had the privilege to work on, there were ones that were quite a challenge and incredibly rewarding to design.
When someone calls asking you to plan the first 4 months of their yearlong travel-around-the-world sabbatical, you immediately feel like that kid at the country store with brown paper bag in hand ready to grab as many Red Hots and candy necklaces as possible. Sunshine and Ian would eventually head to Hawaii, Australia, and SE Asia, but my job was simply to focus on the first third of the year in South America, September through December 2018. Peru was by far the most complex nut to crack, with its vast size and diverse terrain. But we managed to get them across the country—Lima, Cuzco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Lake Titikaka, Arequipa/Colca Canyon, Nazca, Trujillo, a yoga retreat in the rainforest outside Tarapoto, and a Treehouse Lodge overlooking the Amazon.
Then it was on to Bolivia to visit La Paz, the drive down the world’s most dangerous road, Yungas Road (40 miles, 11,800-foot descent), the charming college town of Sucre, and the Uyuni Salt Flats. Next up was Ecuador with stays in Quito, Cotopaxi, Otavalo, a weeklong cruise in the Galapagos Islands, and a final stop in Cuenca. Last destination was Colombia to see Bogota, the street art of Medellin, the coffee country of Armenia, a yoga retreat in Santa Marta, and finally resting on the beach of Cartagena. At times, they followed in my footsteps, using the exceptional guide I hired to see the city of Medellin. Other times, I followed in their footsteps, taking the same Abercrombie & Kent trip to Machu Picchu they did a year later. The best trips inspire me and few trips excited me more than this one!
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]]>The post Lima, Machu Picchu and Sacred Valley with Abercrombie & Kent appeared first on Active Travels.
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One of my last trips before travel came to a screeching halt was this gem of an 8-day jaunt with A&K to Peru October 2019. I would spend my first day in the Lima neighborhood of Barranco, known for its art museums, artisanal stores, and top-tier restaurants. That night I would dine on charred octopus and fresh tuna, washed down with powerful pisco sours at a local favorite, Amoramar. Our next stop was Sacred Valley and the highly recommended property, Sol y Luna. Our group of 18 met in a ranch-style setting for cocktail hour and then a sublime dinner, worthy of the property’s Relais and Chateau rating. We started with pisco mojitos, created with the sweet local mint grown in these parts. Then we dined on trout carpaccio and beef tenderloin, finishing with a dessert of tres leches. Lunch aboard the PeruRail Sacred Valley, a 2-hour train ride inspired by the Orient Express, soon led us to our room that night at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, the only property overlooking majestic Machu Picchu. Finally, we ended with more fresh fish at a sushi joint in Cuzco. Fantastic sights, fantastic food, all at Peru’s finest properties. A&K plans to return to the country in mid-August and offer trips throughout September and October. ActiveTravels is ready to send you to Peru!
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