Sometimes even the most intrepid traveler wants to sit back and let someone else do the work for a change. Because as rewarding as planning a trip from start to finish can be, it can also be exhausting. And hey, wasn’t this supposed to kinda be a vacation?
In these instances, it’s good to know that there are packaged trips that don’t treat people like herded sheep and that won’t result in you losing any indie traveler cred you had to start with. In fact, some of the package trips you can take will force you to be more active and outdoorsy than you might have been if you’d planned the trip yourself. I’m talking about tours that are typically called “adventure trips.”
Adventure trips are more common in some parts of the world than others, and luckily for anyone interested in a trip through Peru there are plenty of choices when it comes to adventure trips in South America.
Not all adventure trips are created equally, as some of them are truly about getting you out into nature for hiking, zip-lining, and the like. Others might just be smaller group tours that utilize local transport and incorporate things like biking trips into what is a relatively normal-looking schedule. You’ll have to look through the options to see which ones appeal to both your travel style and your budget, but the good news is that you won’t be lacking for choice.
A few things to keep in mind when you’re looking at adventure trips in Peru:
- Not all adventure trips will include your airfare to and from Peru; it’s important to factor this in when you’re looking at prices, but remember you can find cheap Peru airfare elsewhere if they don’t include it.
- If you have a particular thing you’d like to focus on during your trip, be sure to either let the tour company know that (in case they can accommodate you) or think of extending your trip to Peru to enjoy whatever you might have missed on the tour. For instance, if you’re a wine lover, you might want to do a bit of wine tasting in South America after your organized trip is over.
- As mentioned in the point above, it’s important to talk to the company running an adventure trip before you sign on – the groups are smaller, so they’re more able to tailor a trip to suit the people on the trip as opposed to just accepting something out of the box. It’s not hard to negotiate with a tour guide, you just need to know what you want beforehand.
As a side-note, a somewhat off-the-beaten-path spot in Peru was featured on a list of 5 “unexpected treasures” of South America recently – so if you can’t find a tour company that includes a stop at the Monasterio de Santa Catalina in Arequipa as part of their itinerary, definitely look into making it a stop on your own itinerary.
photo by Rick McCharles