Vaya AdventuresReviews of vayaadventures.com

Vaya Adventures (and more specifically Heather Deakin), put together the trip of a lifetime for us. My wife and I decided for our honeymoon we would like to go to Africa, mainly for safari opportunities. We took this information and our budget to Heather, and she quickly whipped together a few draft itineraries for our trip based on what we were interested in. She was able to answer every question we had (from tipping to vaccines to safety) and provided useful information before we even asked about it. And wow, did they ever deliver. Friendly drivers picked us up from the airports, who shuttled us to the most amazing hotels and safari camps. The staff in these places (specifically Garonga Safari Camp and Rock Fig Safari Camp) were incredible. They were very friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and just fun to talk to. The safari drives were everything we could have hoped for. This sort of thing cant be guaranteed, but we saw every animal we wanted to between Garonga Safari Camp, and Rock Fig Safari Camp. Vaya did their homework when it came to recommending the best locations with the best staff, and animal opportunities. The only dicey moment came when we had a tree nut allergy emergency while dining in a restaurant outside Cape Town, and our guide Sharif took us to a private hospital, where he ended up waiting for nearly two hours while my wife got treatment. She was fine in the end, and he drove us to a local pharmacy where she could get a prescription filled. He ended up working a few hours later than he was supposed to, and was honestly a hero for us that day. Afterwards, Heather called ahead to each camp we were staying at (without us asking for her to do this) and emphasized how important it was that we were not served tree nuts, and ensured each future camp had contingency plans in place. When we arrived at Garonga Safari Camp, they had my wife speak to the camp doctor AND the chef, to put our minds at ease. Special (and delicious) meals were cooked for us that were nut-free, and we had no further issues. Heather really went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. All in all, this was a dream come true. Vaya and Heather put together an amazing trip for us. Had we tried to plan this ourselves, I am 100% sure it would not have been as magical as it was. Everything was planned for, we just had to show up and wake up each morning. We look forward to planning more trips with Vaya.. maybe South America next time? Thank you so much, Kevin and Chelsea

Fantastic experience for my entire family! The guides were great and the lodging greatly exceeded my expectations. All of the accommodations were excellent, but a special shout-out to El Mapi! All guides were great. German Cruz in Peru was particularly helpful and insightful. Gretchen was impeccable in making sure we had everything we needed. My daughter cannot eat gluten, and she was extremely helpful in making sure that we would not have any problems.

Our recent trip to Zimbabwe and Botswana was arranged with Vaya Adventures. Our Vaya representative, Dervla Pinto, determined our desires for the trip and suggested places to visit and optimal duration for each. Then she made the reservations and arranged all the required transportation between stops. She was responsive to answer our questions whenever something arose before the trip. On our trip all the transfers occurred on schedule and the lodges were excellent. The whole experience exceeded our expectations and we will look forward to booking future travel with Dervla and Vaya Adventures.

Our guide Harry and driver Efrain were both wonderful. Harry provided detailed information and his knowledge of the history in the area was fabulous! They were punctual, friendly and very attentive to our needs. It was one of our best trips ever and first with a private tour guide. We ran into a couple who were on their third trip with Vaya and we can understand why. It was just perfect. The accommodations and lunch meals lined up by Vaya were top notch too. We appreciated the detailed checklist and information provided by Emily on filling out country paperwork etc. prior to the trip. Anytime I had a question Emily gave me a quick response. Our first two nights in the Sol Y Luna in Sacred Valley just made the trip. Our tours in this area were fantastic including the crazy good "picnic" lunch which was a full four course meal with a glass of wine. How nice and an unexpected surprise. We ran into a couple from Colorado while soaking in the hot tub and that was pretty fun to exchange stories too. Again, Harry our guide just kept our pace perfectly smooth and we got to see all the highlights that we wanted to see in Peru and more. He just had so much knowledge of the area - any question we had was answered in great detail. We were impressed with his knowledge.

Liz worked so hard to get us on this adventure from 2019 till we actually went in 2022. She kept us updated of changes, lots of emails and the detailed itinerary was right on. She was able to tie together 2 different countries and added walking tours in layover cities to create a memorable adventure. Mountain Lodges guides were simply the best ever, you could tell their connection to the local people, history and scenic beauty of Peru. Loved the hikes and we did the harder ones they offered and fared pretty well considering we are in our mid 60’s. Both guides Carlos and Ruli were fantastic. They helped several ladies on the steep sections who were not quite prepared for the hikes. We got a great mix of culture, local interaction and stunning scenery. Each day learning more about the Incas and seeing bigger ruins till we reach Machu Picchu. Liz highly recommended a better boat for the Galapagos cruise than we originally were looking at. Her expertise was valuable and got us onto a boat with many activities each day. We saw another boat several days and they had far fewer outings for their clients. We were thankful to be on such a nice, small boat with a wonderful crew, rooms and facilities. Great guide who was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about the animals, birds and plants.

My wife and I just got back from a 2 week trip in Peru arranged with Vaya and planned by Marci and I cannot recommend them too highly. We had a complicated itinerary going from Lima to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, then by train down to Lake Titicaca and overload through the spectacular Colca Canyon to Peru's second city Arequipa. We had excellent guides, very knowledgable and helpful, and the trip came together with nearly no logistical issues, despite the ongoing covid restrictions. Hotel recommendations were uniformly first-rate, including converted colonial Spanish buildings and a plush eco-lodge on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Peru is an amazing country, but it's not an easy one to travel on your own, especially if you don't have good Spanish language skills, and it really helps to have someone who knows how things work there. Vaya is at the higher end as far as cost, but they delivered in spades on every front. Highly recommend, I would definitely trust Marci to arrange another South American trip.

Excellent trip. Loved the Galapagos Islands and the land portion of Ecuador as well. Gabrielle Venturi: Attentive and personalized service. Quick answers to all our questions and easy changes so that our vacation was perfectly suited for our needs and interests. The tour of Hosteria la Andaluza was wonderful. The rabbits and peacock in the interior garden were a nice touch and the basket of fresh carrots to feed the rabbits was the highlight of my day. The restaurant food was also top notch, and the hotel spa is not to be missed! The staff at each of our hotels was friendly and welcoming. All guides were knowledgeable and friendly and over the top helpful. We needed to see a doctor for a small medical problem one day and our guide found us an appointment with a specialist for the same day. Also personalized our trip to fit our requests, interests and needs. A big thank you.

Marci was great! We wouldn't hesitate to use her again. We had an issue with our flights, and she was available at night and on the weekends to help smooth things out. All the guides were very well educated about their communities and country. Their knowledge of the history of Peru and Inca ruins was very enjoyable. All the guides were very accommodating with any request. Both of our hikes were spectacular. The day trip to Machu Picchu and the two day hike to Rainbow Mountain were challenging but experiences that will remain with us forever.