PHOTO OF THE MONTH:

Photo gallery of pictures from our ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND adventure vacation
Iguana Jan 2010
Travelling on two wheels is a great way to meet the locals and slow down to smell the coffee.

MEET OUR GUIDES:

ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND adventure travel guide
Yohn Grajeda
"Yes!! Yohn was excellent in all aspects. His communication, level of engagement, listening, keeping the group together etc was par excellence. Overall, he ensured that the trip went off smoothly and everyone had fun."
Vaidy Parameshwaran (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) Aug 2009 Jaguar
News Clips and Reviews
Patagonia - Day One
by Dan Cooperman

Just got back to my room from dinner after my first full day of the Condor tour. It was a lot of driving as we had to make our way from Punta Arenas, which is where I flew in to from Santiago, to Puerto Natales, the launching spot (well almost) for our W hike, a four day/three night, 70 km hike deep into Torres del Paine National Park. Dating back 12 million years, Torres is a hiker's delight located deep in Patagonia. Millions of years ago magma (insert Dr. Evil saying “liquid hot MAGMA”) intrusions failed to make their way to the earth's surface, cooling underground into resistant granite. In the interim, water, ice and snow eroded the softer surrounding terrain to liberate the massive spires for which the park is known. Read more...

Hiking in Patagonia
"Active South America's Jaguar trip is outstanding. We thoroughly enjoyed learning about the culture and history of Peru from our knowledgeable guides as we hiked, biked and kayaked. What a great two weeks!"

Jerry and Judith MacNab (Wisconsin, USA) August 2007 Jaguar
ACCOMMODATION:
The Condor is an active adventure-oriented trip around Patagonia. We’ve chosen accommodations for their comfort, cleanliness and charm – not the number of channels available on the television! In some of our accommodations on this trip, you will be sharing bathroom facilities. For our 4-day/3-night Torres del Paine trek, we’re in backcountry refugios (basic mountain lodges) with minimal facilities but in stunning locations; the rest of the time we stay in clean, comfortable, locally-owned places in the heart of the action, which is where you want to be!

RECOMMENDED FLIGHTS:
You can fly into Punta Arenas on the first day of the trip - be sure to arrive by 1pm. Punta Arenas is the main gateway town to Chilean Patagonia and major airline LAN flies into here. On the last day of your trip you can fly out at any time. If you want to arrive earlier or leave later, we're happy to help out with extra hotel accommodation.

TRIP START:
If you arrive on the first day of the trip, an ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA representative will meet you at the airport at 1.30pm. If you’re already in Punta Arenas you’ll meet your trip leader and the rest of your group in town at 2pm.

TRIP END:
You’ll wake up in Punta Arenas on the last day of your trip, so you can book a flight home departing any time that day – we’ll be happy to drop you off at the airport any time before noon.

TRANSPORT:
We cover a lot of ground in the Condor trip, and inevitably there are some travel days. The longest scheduled travel day is five hours, so there’s always time to fit in an activity, which of course we do! We use Chile and Argentina’s comfortable, reliable public transport system to get from town to town, and we have private vehicles and appropriate support where required for activities.

FITNESS:
You must have a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy yourself. You don’t have to be young or extremely fit (although if you are, you won’t be bored) but you should be in the habit of doing some regular aerobic exercise. Age and experience are not important. An older person with a good attitude will enjoy themselves more than a 22-year-old couch potato! On the 4-day/3-night ‘W’ hike in Torres del Paine, you’ll need to carry your own backpack (approx 60-70L), sleeping bag, overnight gear and toiletries as we are staying in mountain refugios (beds and mattresses are provided).

EXPERIENCE:
You don’t have to have any outdoor experience to do one of our trips. We offer trips that enable you to make the most of South America’s awesome outdoor environment, culture and history. Our trip leaders are highly trained and experienced outdoor guides, and they’ll look after you! You don’t need any experience for the multi-day trek, or to have ever paddled a kayak before. You don’t need to be a serious cyclist to enjoy our rides either. If you’d rather hike or laze around, then you don't have to do any biking at all! If you’re energetic and in reasonable shape you’ll have a wonderful time. On the other hand, if you like a challenge then we will certainly give you one! We manage the level of commitment to suit your experience, and we have an impeccable safety record.

FLEXIBILITY:
We won’t tell you that everything in South America runs like clockwork. What we can tell you is that we are experienced adventure travel leaders, and we know how to keep things operating as smoothly as possible, even when conditions are challenging. That’s why we’re here! But you’ll find your trip even more enjoyable if you remember to bring flexibility, an open mind and a sense of humour with you.

INCLUDED:
The trip fare is US$3999. The trip fare includes just about everything, specifically:
• All guiding services. We always have an experienced trip leader with every trip and will have a local guide on many of our excursions for extra local knowledge.
• All ground transportation.
• Comfortable accommodation for your entire trip. We can also organise pre- and post-trip accommodation for you if required.
• All your breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
• All drinking water. Alcohol and other drinks are not included – although we’ve been known to spring for a few drinks here and there!
• All sea kayaking, hiking and biking as described in the itinerary. None of the activities are compulsory, so if you prefer to sit some of them out, and just have a ‘down day’ hanging out with a book and a hammock, then that’s fine by us. This is your vacation after all!
• Tips for local activity guides and drivers are covered by us.

NOT INCLUDED:
This is your holiday, and we are serious about not nickel-and-diming you! You’ll have a few drinks to cover, extra activities if you choose them, and you’ll probably feel like tipping your guide at the end of a fabulous time, but you won’t be pulling out your wallet every few minutes on your ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA trip!

GEAR LIST:
Click here to see a copy of the Condor Gear List

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