Footprint Expeditions in South America

Why Footprint Expeditions?

During the last 10 years we have traveled throughout each and every corner of South America and have had the wonderful opportunity to work for some of the leading travel companies of our time. However, there were so many things missing on the trips and journeys we embarked on with those other companies. For example, we saw unfair competition and prices for locals, unsafe trips, social irresponsibility, and many other missing pieces of the puzzle. This is the reason that one year ago we decided to change it all in order to offer our travelers authentic grassroots experiences. We have spent this past year designing new trips and hiring the most qualified, professional, and easy going crew (office staff, guides, tour leaders, drivers, porters, horsemen, etc).

We are the South American travel specialist and offer a unique way of traveling by enabling you to truly get to know each individual place so that you make your own experiences and memories. At the same time, we have a remarkable commitment with the places and destinations we visit. We want to avoid destroying the magnificence of those places and we do not want to be accountable for killing off the environment of the destinations that we so love and care for. Our Non Profit Organization, OYE (Optimismo Y Esperanza), is taking the lead to give back as much as possible to the communities, people, and children that we encounter. OYE is focused on assisting others in becoming self-sufficient. To accomplish this, OYE is working on bettering the education system, empowering women, reforestation and environmental care, and other community work.

Now that you know all of this information it is your choice to be a responsible traveler and make the right decisions in terms of the environment, social welfare, and personal preferences!

Authentic Experiences

Our trips were designed for experienced travelers and our main goal is to give you authentic experiences in each trip you embark on. Squeeze on a chicken carrying bus with locals in Bolivia, hike with llamas at the northern Peruvian Andes, party for days in Brazil at Carnival, take tango lessons in Buenos Aires, or descend 3000 meters from the High Peaks in the Andes Mountains to the Rainforest Jungles at Manu National Park.

Good Value for Your Money

We agree that traveling experiences can not be that expensive. Our travel styles, small cozy hostels, and traditional transportation can give you the best memories of a lifetime for a great price without forgetting to be socially responsible with our society.

Group Size is Important!

We believe that group size is important in order to maximize our travelers’ experiences. The minimum allowed on each trip are four travelers and the maximum is sixteen. Keeping the groups between these sizes will allow our travelers to be more individually affected by each experience while at the same time lessoning the negative impact on the places that we visit.

World Wide Travelers

Expect to be in groups with other fellow travelers from all around the world. This will help you improve your experience at the locations we visit and enable you to learn more about the world and culture of each member of the group from different corners of the planet.

Transportation

We believe that a big part of the traveling experience is how to get there? How will we reach our next destination? This is why we are going to travel basically on anything that moves. You might find yourself riding a bike crossing the cloud forest on your way to reach the Lost City of Incas, driving across huge sand dunes in a Peruvian desert, or on a fun and thrilling boat ride to reach Angel Falls in Venezuela.

Accommodation Makes the Difference

Years of years traveling gave us the conclusion that spending large amounts of money in luxury hotel charges will not necessarily make a better travel experience. We will spend most of our nights in small, clean, and comfortable family run hostels, or you might find yourself camping at the Inca Trail, sleeping in hammocks in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, spending a couple of days with an Andean family, or on a boat sailing the Amazon river from Manaus to Belen in Brazil. Rooms are based on twin-share accommodation, are sometimes multi-shared, and you will be always paired with a roommate of the same gender. Remember that if you are traveling solo and do not feel like sharing a room it is possible to book you’re a single room.

Food Experience

When traveling with Footprint Expeditions not all meals are included. We want you to explorer the tastes of each place we visit. Local cuisine is considered a very important part of the travel experience. Most of our trips include some meals, usually breakfast and some other meals in included activities where it would impossible for you to get food at your own in places such as the Inca Trail, the Salt Flats expeditions, or the Amazon Rainforest excursion. The food provided is fresh and very well prepared by our chefs and cooks. As well, our experienced guides and tour leaders will suggest some great local food options of at every destination we visit. Meal Inclusions are listed on each dossier.

Tour Leaders & Guides

After 10 years on the field, we have had the opportunity to get to know most of the leaders and guides located at every destination throughout South America; this is why we know who the best are! Our commitment is to provide you with the most qualified and experienced tour leaders and guides from South America. Most of our trips are led by one of our experienced tour leaders, local guides, or Footprint Expedition Representatives. Their main task is to take the hassle of traveling off of your back to give you the best travel experience possible, help you to immerse yourself into the culture of each place we visit, give tips and suggest great eating options where possible and, of course, introduce you to local friends. We will also have a local guide for some of the Jungle trips, hikes, and National Parks we visit.