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Discover South America is a UK based independent tour operator specialising in tailor-made and custom itineraries in South America. Whether you want to get off the beaten track or visit the most iconic sites in a whirlwind trip of a lifetime, we are experts at crafting itineraries perfectly suited to each traveller.
Reviews 120
Fred Wise
Oct 02,2017Peru was our first trip to South America, and as such, largely unknown to us, logistically. Thus, it was vital that details were handled to a high degree of certainty, and that is what was provided to us by Discover South America. Not only were connections clear and prompt, the local guides and drivers were professional, knowledgeable, safe, entertaining and personable. Hotels were well-located and of high quality, and although we were traveling with a group of eight, these high ratings were shared by all in the group. In addition, Heather was able to adapt parts of the trip to fit individual member's interests, and customize/change aspects as we requested or found necessary. Plane flights made sense and were booked correctly, although did have four internal round trip flights once we arrived in Peru - a first of all of us. Plus, with the high altitudes, we needed days for acclimation, and those were planned for and easily accommodated. Thus, we are uniform in our 5 - star ratings, and would gladly answer questions of a more detailed nature, should that be necessary. Applause and many thank-you's to Heather and DSA.
Barbara Nelson
Sep 25,2017From the minute our group (4 couples) started planning our trip to Peru with Heather from Discover South America, her suggestions and recommendations couldn't have been more perfect for us and our interests. Heather is an extremely competent travel consultant; great communicator and very knowledgeable about the areas we were visiting. While we were planning, she always got back to us promptly to answer our questions. The properties were perfect. All our guides and drivers were warm, friendly, and loved teaching us about their country. A few times we spontaneously wanted to visit something not on our itinerary , and our guides were flexible with these new additions. Our trip was flawless! You can totally put your trust in Discover South America to organize a fantastic trip for you, whatever your budget. I can highly recommend this company.
Victoria
Jul 23,2017Very well organised trip and helpful staff
Jack Bernhardt
May 03,2017Absolutely excellent service from first to last with Discover South America- the hotels we stayed in were first rate, the hand-picked tours were fantastic, the coordination of flights and transfers were absolutely wonderful. Heather was a terrific organiser for our trip to Peru and we had an absolutely wonderful time - the only sad part was saying goodbye!
Josie Wright
Apr 20,2017Just returned from a tour of Peru. Excellent knowledge of the country by Discover South America made for a fantastic trip made all the better by well organised arrangements from pick ups and transfers to the use of local reputable tour operators who provided excellent service and guides. Will definitely use this company again for advice on our next South American holiday. Recommend unreservedly:)
Claire Jones
Apr 14,2017Great experience with Discover South America I have just got back from travelling to Peru and Bolivia I can recommend travelling with Heather and her company eyes closed. Super efficient at each step of my trip from organisation to proactiveness during the trip. The team is so professional and put together a made to measure trip adapting to each need and budget. Hotels adapted with very good service and facilites and tours really interesting. As an individual traveller I was reassured and made to feel very safe and comfortable throughout the trip. What was really nice was that the local tour companies and hotels chosen were socially responsible ones. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip and would definitely book again with Heather. Thanks to a great team A happy traveller - Claire 13th April 2017
Alan Smythe
Jan 31,2017Can't fault the team at Discover South America. The tour that was put together for us was well planned and executed throughout. What did impress was that when I took ill it only took one e-mail and flights were re-booked and hotels rearranged to suit. Couldn't ask for more.
Mary Mills
Jan 15,2017We spent 9 days (8nights) in Peru. DSA arranged all our transport, hotels and tours. We stayed in standard hotels which were all clean and nicely decorated with good breakfasts. One of the hotels had the most spectacular view of the Andes and most had some original decor which made them a bit different. All the transport & tickets worked like clockwork. I had been a bit worried because some of the info on the foreign office website about Peru was a bit scary but everything was fine because of the good organisation. We decided to stay in Ollantaytambo first as it is a bit lower than Cusco so we had some private guides as well as group tours. The guides were knowledgeable and fun and great about taking loads of pictures of us. Machu Pichu was just incredible. We were in Cusco for new year's eve and had a great experience at a group meal with local entertainment overlooking the main square so we could go out at 12 for the main event. We were then only a few minutes walk from our hotel. I would definitely recommend DSA to anyone thinking of traveling to South America!
Natraj Balasubramanian
Jan 04,2017Positives: Lovely hotels - Rio Sagardo, Sumaq, Casa Castelana and Belmond Miraflores; Very helpful over XMas week end when flights got cancelled / delayed. Negatives: Guides' English was only average, Machu Pichu guide was not traceable for 35 minutes, Aguas Calinetes meet and greet was a disaster (wanted to put us on the bus, when the itinerary called for lunch on arrival), Bad car at Lima, Poor advisory on limited luggage for Amazon trip (we could take our normal suitcases), the need to take torches (the resort provides), and no advisory to not change money at airport (rates in city much better), LAN seems a better airline than Avianca.
Susie Bass
Nov 29,2016On first contacting Discover South America we only had a vague idea of what we wanted to do and simply had a budget. Heather pulled together some great itineraries for us and was really flexible when we kept changing our minds about what we wanted, eventually settling on three weeks in Peru. Everything was planned to perfection and in the run up to our trip Heather was incredibly helpful answering all our questions for us and providing advice re packing, spending and tipping etc. On the trip itself our transfers and tours all ran seamlessly. At one point there was a risk of strike action which would mean changes to our itinerary but we were kept fully informed throughout, with Heather even coming up with a back-up itinerary just in case, to enable us to still fit in what we wanted to do. We couldn't recommend this company enough. The level of customer service is excellent, all the local tour groups they use provide a high quality service and the guides are all extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Thank you Heather and Discover South America for a wonderful holiday :)
L Everard
Oct 07,2016Our personalised trip through Peru was excellently organised by Heather, at Discover South America who took on board our specific requirements and created a programme that absolutely suited us. It was really good to meet Heather in person to go through the trip and to explain all the different aspects; the pick ups, the tour details and the different people and local companies that we would be dealing with.
Mary & Bryan Whiteley
Oct 06,2016We looked at several tour companies when researching our South American holiday but Heather at Discover South America turned out to be absolutely the right choice for us. From her own personal experience she was able to create an itinerary that included all our requests and the choice of hotels was excellent. She was always contactable by email or by phone and dealt with all our requests and queries promptly and efficiently. Prior to our departure she provided us with all the details of flights, hotels, reps and telephone numbers, a detailed itinerary and advice on what to take. The representatives of all the tour companies used in South America were always there to meet us at the airport, to arrange transfers and provide guided tours of the places that we visited. The guides, whether in a small group or our own personal guides, were excellent. They were knowledgeable, informative, passionate about their country and spoke very good English and did much to enhance our appreciation of the places that we visited. We had a fantastic holiday and if we were to return to South America we would have no hesitation at all in using the services of Heather at Discover South America.
Jenny Jenkins
Oct 03,2016An amazing holiday arranged by Heather at Discover South America. She listened to our requests and made suggestions resulting in an incredible 3 week itinerary. Heather kept us fully informed of our options and developments following an earhquake a few weeks before our departure. She was available by email throughout for questions and sorting out minor changes to our itinerary. We stayed in some wonderful small hotels and had excellent guides who delighted in sharing their incredible country with us. For us the whole trip was memorable so really difficult to be specific about one particular highlight! For most of the time whilst in Peru I felt as though I was strolling through the pages of a National Geographic Magazine. The scenery, ruins, towns and villages were all so much more than I had expected. Stunning surroundings and generous, friendly people. Probably our highlight was meeting local families, exchanging and sharing our respective daily lives and cultural traditions, in the Colca Valley and on one of the Uros islands on Lake Titicaca we met two wonderful families that we felt we make a connection with. I can't wait to plan another trip and without hesitation it will be with Discover South America!
Danielle Agius
Oct 01,2016Heather at Discover South America was recommended to us by a friend. We sent over the main places we wanted to see and she came back with a suggested itinerary explaining the best order to do things and other places we may want to visit. The trip itself was incredible - out of this world. A representative met us at each airport or hotel and explained what would happen the next day. The tour operators were all local people, very passionate about their country and full of knowledge. Heather also had direct experience of the country having lived there and gave us lots of tips on markets, sightseeing and restaurants. She was very responsive when we contacted her while we were away and always quick to resolve any queries. The hotels we stayed at were great - all central and clean, you have the opportunity to upgrade from 3* but as we were only sleeping in them and then exploring they were perfectly fine. The trip itself was great value compared to others we had looked at and they also sorted all our flights. Definitely want to visit South America again after this experience - the country is magical and would have no hesitation in using Discover South America again!
Uyen Ly
Sep 19,2016Excellent service from Heather. Everything was perfectly organised, met my expectations as to breadth and depth of recommendations for a tailored experience. Tour agencies used in Lima and Puno were absolutely lovely and went well above and beyond in terms of servicing. Agency in Cusco was not as good as to promptness in scheduling and share of information but my experience in Machu Picchu was very special, tour guide was very good. All in all I would 100%+ recommend Discover South America to anyone who wants a smooth and fulfilling experience.
Clare Fuller
Jul 07,2016Great experience booking a trip to Peru. Heather took into account all my preferences, as well as my budget, and created a bespoke trip for me that ticked all the boxes. I had an amazing time and wouldn't book future trips to Douth America with anyone else. This is a different kind of service, more personal, scope to tailor your trip and still be budget savvy. Highly recommended.
Emma Aldridge
Jun 26,2016Well organised and enjoyable trip.As a lone traveller I felt safe and looked after all the time
Jamie
Jun 11,2016Heather was great at figuring out the right activities based on our interests. Would definitely come back to her team again.
Mike Webb
Jun 10,2016We spoke to Heather on numerous occasions and we were always treated in a very professional but friendly way - very patient while we made up our mind on the itinerary - no hitches whilst we were on holiday - would and indeed have recommended them to friends without reservation.
Office 1, Kingsway House, 134/140 Church Road, BN3 2DL, Hove, GB
http://discoversouthamerica.co.uk
Jaclyn
Oct 10,2017Heather was so helpful in planning our trip to Peru. We went from an initial idea to booking everything in just over a week. She was very prompt in responding to all inquiries and the one issue we had while we were in Peru she resolved right away. Everything was very organized which allowed us to really enjoy our time away. Would recommend Discover South America to anyone!