SA Expeditions Reviews 1,176

An amazing trip. Exactly what I wanted, and more. The agent I worked with listened to what I wanted and was able to meet, and exceed, them. Every detail was thought about ahead of time. The SA staff are attentive and proactive and the companies they work with are very professional

Matias was very helpful. Even though I had a couple of days of struggle because of my illness, we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. My wife Ann, daughter Chandra and granddaughter were able to take all the trips that we booked ahead of time. The hotels we stayed were also good.
Thank you, Matias and SA Expeditions, for making this one of the best trips.

The whole trip was well organized. Guides were very knowledgeable. we spent 5 days in Cusco and Machu Picchu and 4 days on Easter Island. Our guide in Peru was Evert. He is amazing, knows everything about the land. On Easter Island the explora resort provided us with lots of things to do. We did hiking, biking, kayaking and snorkeling. Seeing the moai statues up close was incredible.

SA Expeditions created a stellar trip to Japan for us. It was an add-on to a group tour but everything went off perfectly, from the local guides, to meals, pick up and drop off-- it was all seamless. Their communication is great also- I tend to be a nervous traveler and found myself asking lots of questions which were answered in a timely manner and super professionally. Our trip in Japan focused on nature and arts for 4 days and they booked beautiful hotels and meals for us plus excursions that were meaningful and tailored exactly to what we asked for. There were many pleasant surprises along the way, not the least of which was that they booked us to see the hard-to-get-into Enoura observatory.

My wife and I are totally happy with our experience. Our trip to Cusco/Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu and the Galapagos was outstanding. Selection of flights, hotels and tours fit our requirements perfectly. Matt Greenberg, our travel advisor at SA responded to all of our requests/queries on a timely basis and designed an itinerary tailored to us. Our guides, drivers and reps were all excellent. In particular, our Machu Picchu/Sacred Valley/ Cusco guide Max was the best guide we have ever had. He is a proud local resident, who showed us everything over 4 days, was so knowledgeable and informative. Our driver Franco was excellent
As for Galapagos, the tour was with Sirius on the catamaran Galaxy. All was first class and excellent. We were 13 on board. Attentive crew, outstanding naturalist guides, beautiful catamaran, and outstanding food.
Usually I do all our detailed planning...this was a far more efficient and thorough way to see these remarkable places.

(Our original post was too long so this is Part 2.)

The last guide of our trip, and the biggest surprise of all was Ismael Vallejos. We talked Adam into arranging for us to stay at Chaparri Lodge in Lambayeque Department in the Northwest of Peru. He did not know the place but agreed to look into it for us. It was dry forest nothing like the Amazon Basin. That is why we chose it. Their bird list was completely different. Ismael was a young man whose English was about as good as our Spanish, so Adam set us up with Cecily Vargas Pardo as an interpreter. Cecily was excellent and charming and did an outstanding job. But for us Ismael was the star attraction of Chaparri Lodge. He was a great birder and a great guide. We had already worked with three very different but awesome guides. We had no reason to think we would be so taken with Ismael. We wanted a bird guide, and got that in spades. In addition to birds he got us great looks at local mammals, including spectacled bears, and historical and cultural sites. His interactions with Cecily were impressive, interesting, and sometimes hilarious. He spent his “down time” helping his sister, the cook, in the kitchen. He set the table, brought out the meal, cleared the table, then came back to play with us. When he was guiding he would say in English: “Here’s a good one, or it’s a new one, or it’s an endemic.” On one occasion, at the table, my husband told Cecily that when he was a boy he wanted to grow up to be Ismael. She translated. Very touching. When we departed everybody cried. We miss Ismael.

All the employees we interacted with were amazing. Sophia was a real professional. She helped us make our flight connections several times in Lima. She stayed with us throughout the whole process, making sure we got into the correct lines and headed in the right direction. She was so friendly and personable, even suggesting Peruvian foods we should be sure to try. All of the drivers we had were amazing, navigating Lima's overwhelming traffic without any problem.

We realized decades ago that if we wanted to have the best birding experience in entirely new places we needed local guides. We have birded all over the world, using local guides in Central and South America, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, Thailand, Borneo, multiple places in Africa. The guys from Peru we mention here are as good as any of them.

Thank you Adam for making this happen.

Elaine and Thor Holmes

It was good experience. Thank you

Absolutely amazing planning team, communications and organization. My guides were super friendly, knowledgeable and flexible. The accommodations were all top notch and I would highly recommend SA to anyone looking to travel to Thailand.

I went to Arequipa and Colca Canyon in Peru in November 2025. Pilar was wonderful to work with. She understood my wishes and made it work. I felt safe, especially as a solo female traveler.

Our recent trip through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand with SA Expeditions was truly exceptional. From start to finish, the team was incredibly responsive, and every detail was flawlessly planned. Our reservation specialist, Georgia, was wonderfully knowledgeable—her firsthand experience living in the region was invaluable. She encouraged us to add Cambodia to our itinerary, and it ended up being our favorite destination of the entire trip!

The excursions in every city were thoughtfully curated and offered something for everyone. Each guide we met was outstanding: special thanks to Dang, Harry, and Kai in Vietnam; Peter in Cambodia, whose depth of knowledge was remarkable; and Moo, Nu, Kwan, and Karn in Thailand. Their warmth and expertise made every day memorable, and we’re equally grateful for all of the fantastic drivers who kept everything running smoothly.

We never once had to worry about airport pickups, check-ins, or navigating delays—SA Expeditions handled everything seamlessly. We would absolutely recommend them to anyone considering travel in the region, and we look forward to planning our next adventure with them!

We recently traveled to Patagonia. SA expeditions did an excellent job giving ideas, listening to our needs, and planning the trip. SA expeditions were responsive with emails and phone calls before, during, and after the trip.

What a fantastic trip! A huge thanks to our SA contact, Hellen, for her excellent communication. The tour guides were wonderful, and our cruise on the Endemic was superb from start to finish.

Terrific planning, guides, experiences; seamless operations.

SA Expeditions made our recent trip to Peru FLAWLESS and more. Our coordinator anticipated our needs, we were given options and all the information we needed to choose. I had a medical need that had to be accommodated at each hotel and they were prepared and super gracious. Our local guides were highly knowledgeable, professional and helpful in every way. We can't say enough good things about SA Expeditions.

Nick put together an itinerary for us with not much notice and he was able to get in everything we wanted to see. The lodgings were great and all transportation was reliable, on time with friendly, knowledgeable drivers. He stayed in touch with us during the trip and was available for any questions we had. We always felt safe and learned a great deal from all our guides. This was our first time having a touring company set up an entire itinerary and I would do it again!

The organization and complexities of booking in a country where I don’t speak the language made our trip smooth and perfect. Every day was filled with very well educated guides that educated us about the history of the areas we saw and about the local people and architecture or wild environments.

My husband and I had an incredible experience planning our trip to Patagonia, Argentina with SA Expeditions. From start to finish, Megan was outstanding—professional, responsive, and attentive to every detail. She promptly answered all of my questions and concerns, made every change we requested with ease, and even remained available while we were in Argentina to ensure everything went smoothly. Thanks to her, we felt completely supported and safe throughout our journey. I highly recommend SA Expeditions to anyone looking for a well-organized and worry-free travel experience!

Planning was top notch. Made all our transportation as seamless as possible. Guide was incredible.
Once in a lifetime experience. Highly recommend.

This is the second time that we travelled with SA Expeditions. This is a first rate agency that makes travel easy. They book first rate accommodations, arrange for friendly and knowledgeable guides, and arrange for transfers to and from the airport. Our guide in Quito was most helpful, especially in assisting us in negotiating the online forms required for travel to the Galapagos. He also shared some truly interesting travel sites during our tour. Our contact person, Melissa, was helpful and responsive during the planning stages of our trip. Due to her skills in coordinating nearly every aspect of our travel, everything went off without a hitch. In the Galapagos, our ship was luxurious, the staff friendly and professional, the itinerary interesting and engaging and our guides, superb! I would highly recommend traveling with SA Expeditions!

Beautiful Costa Rica!
Amazing trip - 3 parts of the country, gorgeous rainforest, white water rafting, hikes and beaches. Fantastic food. Amor Arenal is a must stay if you can swing it, and the Mistico Hanging Bridges park was an absolute highlight. Pacuare River Lodge amenities, staff and excursions were top notch if you want a more rustic but pampered environment! Costa Rica in the offseason was a great choice - no crowds. We did experience some rain most days late afternoon, but it really did not impact our plans very much.