Alfonso Tandazo is President and CEO at Surtrek Tour Operator. With 25 years of providing travelers authentic custom-designed trips across South America, Surtrek Tour Operator offers some of the best luxury tour services on the continent. Our travel team includes native speakers of five different languages, therefore we can guide you to the “center of the action” as well as “off the beaten track” – while never compromising on your comfort, style or well-being. And rest assured that whatever your destination, Surtrek will work to ensure that your visit makes only a positive impact on the environment, the local community and the area’s economy.
For those people visiting a Latin American “farmers’ market” for the first time, the fruit section can be a new and exotic experience for all the senses. A carnival of intense colors and capricious shapes unfolds before your eyes, while the aromas and textures are simply astounding. In the touting of the sellers who try […]
In terms of do-ability and safety, a Galapagos Islands family vacation is easily achievable for most households. Plus, such a getaway can have a powerful and lasting influence on kids. Notwithstanding the concerns about traveling with children to the seemingly remote Galapagos Islands in Spanish-speaking South America, there are a number of more powerful reasons […]
The digital age has changed everyone’s life, as well as people’s style of traveling and how tour operators organize trips. Today’s travelers have to deal with an immense, almost unmanageable amount of online information, which poses new challenges for individuals and tour operators alike. All of this means that concepts of specialization, innovation, efficiency, and […]
When thinking about the Andes, many people picture snow-capped mountains, vast green plains, indigenous peoples …and herds of llamas. And yes, these are some of the main characteristics of the mountainous South American region – including those llamas. In fact, American llamas – and their close cousins (alpacas, guanacos and vicunas) – inhabit the immense […]
With 2017 already on line to break the world temperature record, the idea of Summertime skiing might seem a bit far-fetched. Nonetheless, escaping the Northern Hemisphere heat is precisely what can be accomplished at one of several ski resorts in the South American nation of Chile. In fact, from mid-June to early October, Chile is […]
Chile is one of those countries that cannot be identified with a single touristic icon. Its geography is so diverse, and its culture so rich, that the images passing through the traveler’s mind are like those of a movie sequence ranging from the mysterious Moai statues of Easter Island and the imposing glaciers of Patagonia, […]
Strikingly beautiful and mountainous, Bolivia has been dubbed the “rooftop of the world” due to the dizzyingly high altitudes of most of its Andean cities – altitudes that can literally take your breath away the moment you touch down. Because of these extraordinary mountainous landscapes and thick Amazonian jungles, European contact with Bolivia was impeded, […]
Many people call Lima Peru the “Culinary Capital of Latin America,” and there are plenty of reasons for such a title. In this Andean city, one finds a celebration of ancient techniques and avant-garde practices that seamlessly merge inside the local kitchens of Lima’s highly diverse restaurants and bars. Successive migrations (African, Chinese, Italian, Japanese […]
Every year, millions of travelers are drawn to a singular mountain-top sanctuary, as if individually summoned by some otherworldly force. Nevertheless, it’s easy to understand why so many embark on this annual trek to Machu Picchu. Once we make personal contact with the 550-year old citadel, somehow built almost 8,000 feet in the air, its […]
When the world was yet to discover the charms of this beautiful city, many people associated Lima with only fog and gray skies. While it’s true that the Peruvian capital has a very particular climate – influenced by the cold Humboldt Current and the Andean mountain range – this is by no means the only […]
Peru has long been a backpacker’s paradise; however, this “Empire of Hidden Treasures” has now entered into the limelight as a must-see travel destination for upscale travelers as well. From riverboat expeditions deep in its exotic rainforest, to journeys along its vast coastal desert – traveling via the breathtaking peaks of the Andes in between […]
A small and beautiful region in the Ecuadorian Andes, Imbabura Province is an area whose crafts have become famous worldwide. The skill and business acumen of this area’s inhabitants – some 400,000 people – have been the basis for the development of this dynamic northern Ecuadorian region where artisans rise before the sun to engage […]
Southern Ecuador’s Azuay Province is one of the most important and richest tourist areas in the country. Its capital, Cuenca — proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO — is a charming Andean city characterized by its red-tile roofs and narrow streets in which time seems to have stood still. The beauty and quality of […]
Your honeymoon is the chance for you and your soul mate to deepen your bond with each other as you begin your life together. To help you and your new spouse find the ultimate, most unforgettable experience for your postnuptial getaway, we have generated a short-list of six (6) of the most memorable, romantic and […]
An emerging travel destination, the highlands of Ecuador offer horseback riding for spirited travelers who seek special travel experiences – ones with magnificent colonial haciendas, jaw-dropping vistas, contact with authentic highland cowhands, and some of the gentlest horses you’ll ever find. Mounted on horseback, your journey will take you through pristine highland valleys surrounded by […]
A city is many things: its landscapes, its people, and their daily lives… But for many, a city is above all its flavors. A traveler knows that a culinary experience of a place can make the difference between a good memory and one that they’d rather forget. Guayaquil – the second largest city in Ecuador […]
