The cruise was well done, if a little ‘holiday camp’ like. That said, the whole experience was enjoyable with some incredible experiences and sights.

Overall, we really enjoyed our time in Ecuador, and didn’t see any signs of the recent troubles they have experienced, and at no point did we feel unsafe or concerned.

We didn’t spend much time in Lima, but from what we saw, that wasn’t a concern.

Sacred Valley – our guide throughout Peru (Ernesto) was excellent and our transportation was always on time. The excursions and locations visited were all well organised and enjoyable, and they always worked with us to ensure we got the most out of each activity.

The Inca Trail and Macchu Pichu were incredible, and it was certainly a lot more satisfying viewing Macchu Pichu from the Sun Gate having hiked there first, rather than getting a train and bus all the way in.

Cusco was lovely, and we didn’t really experience much in the way of altitude sickness, having acclimatised in the Sacred Valley for the previous days.

The flights went pretty smoothly and all of the guides dropping us at the airports assisted us through check-in.

We would like to start thinking about next summer’s holiday. Destinations under consideration are Japan and the west coast of Canada.

Many thanks.

There were so many highlights:-

Lima – We enjoyed Lima more than we thought. The hotel exceeded expectations. 

Amazon Rainforest – An incredible experience to spend 3 nights in the jungle at Posada Amazonas. One moment we were enjoying sunrise at the top of a 45m tall canopy tower with macaws flying all around us and a couple of hours later we were piranha fishing on the most beautiful oxbow lake watching giant river otters playing in the water.

Sacred Valley – The hotel here was our favourite hotel of the trip – stunning views and such a relaxed but stylish vibe. A great place to acclimatise to the altitude whilst spending the days exploring Inca ruins. Thankfully the altitude wasn’t as much of an issue as we expected. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the mountain biking day which was exceedingly well organised and top-class bikes too!

Machu Picchu – The one-day Inca trek was amazing, although a bit of a challenge in places, it is definitely the best way, to arrive at MP. There was an issue with the train not working on our return journey from MP to Cusco and our guide, Saul, went beyond the call of duty and somehow managed to organise a taxi to take us from Ollyantambo to Cusco. 

Cusco – rather overrated imo but we were only there for 2 nights. When we arrived at the hotel listed on our SMT itinerary, we were told our booking had been cancelled and they didn’t have our main luggage which had been sent ahead of us. Fortunately, we could use our AirTags to locate our bags which were sitting at another hotel! A phone call to the local agent quickly sorted things out. The girls used our free day in Cusco to go to Palycolo Rainbow Mountain which was a great success.

Lake Titicaca – I’ve dreamt of taking the train across the altiplano from Cusco to Puno since I was 6 years old, so this was definitely a dream come true moment and I just loved every minute. Our concerns about the homestay on Amantani were completely without foundation, we couldn’t have asked for a more delightful and welcoming family with a beautiful house and stunning sea views – a wonderful way to end our trip. 

Thank you for all your help and advice in organising another unforgettable holiday for us. Our apologies for taking so long to let you have some feedback but we got distracted trying to decide whether we should go to Argentina or Chile next….we’ll be in touch shortly…

It has been increasingly difficult to find a holiday that suits everyone as there is nearly 6 years age difference between the boys, but we all had a ball. W is now desperate to see all the Wonders of the World, what a great ambition for an 11 year old!

I would not want to do such a full on holiday every year but will definitely look to do one every other year. China seems to be the top pick for 2020. I would have no hesitation in using Stubborn Mule for our future trips. Thank you for all the care and attention given, both before and during our adventure.

The Sacred Valley was lovely – it was definitely a good chance to acclimatise (H and I had a few altitude sickness symptoms but nothing too bad – a few pills sorted it out!) and we enjoyed the comparatively luxurious Hotel Sonesta Posada del Inka. We all loved the stunning scenery during our trek down from Chinchero, and also the walk down from the Pisac ruins to the market. The zip wires were of course, a huge hit with H and H (and I felt a sense of achievement too!) Machu Picchu was obviously a highlight (so relieved we got there in the end), as was Cusco where we enjoyed chilling and wandering around the city in our own time (and I could shop in peace!).

In Cusco we can recommend the Limbus Bar (up the hill from the San Blas area) where it is possible to enjoy a wonderful view/drink/cocktail as the sun sets over Cusco and the lights come on. They do food there too – but it’s worth getting there early before the sun sets for a table as it gets busy.

The 10-hour coach journey from Cusco to Puno was something the kids were dreading, but in the end it felt more like a day excursion (we stopped at 5 places) with wonderful scenery, and was unexpectedly very comfortable. In fact there were only 16 of us on a 52-seater tourist coach! They supplied blankets (it was cold at the start) and drinks, and also a stop for a very pleasant 3 course buffet lunch.

And despite being a bit out of puff on lake Titicaca, we absolutely loved our homestay. We were lucky enough to arrive while there was an important annual fiesta going on just over the hill from the village (it happens around the same time every year apparently). We got up the next morning to find a brass band from Puno playing to the locals for a couple of hours before it moved on to the fiesta itself which kicked off in the afternoon.

We sat and watched the band, watched the locals preparing huge vats of food (lamb!) for the fiesta, then while the boys (A, H and the guide) disappeared for a challenging uphill walk, H and I took greater pleasure in staying behind to watch all the ladies getting ready for the fiesta later in the day, putting on their wonderful fiesta skirts/outfits etc All this right outside our homestay room! Fabulous.

That guide and that family must be highly commended, they were all amazing and we have been invited back to stay for a month if we want!!  Staying on the island was stunning, the boat ride over was beautiful – on the island they had arranged a football match for all the kids, we went into the school and the kids helped teach the local children, they had laid on a fiesta for us (full costume etc!) and we ate with them in their home and they could not have made us more welcome.

The guides were all exceptional.  Really good and would recommend them all.

Yes we did get to Arequipa early – that was the one thing that would have been disappointing. Colca was amazing but there would have been limited things to do for a whole afternoon and a full morning… our guide was exceptional at making it happen for us and so longer in Arequipa was what we got which we all agreed was a brilliant result!

We have no complaints at all, we loved the whole trip and it will remain unforgettable.  The only possible things that could have been improved were:

1. Having more detail on travel times… so a clear steer on pick up and travel duration times would have been good.
2. The hotel in Puno was pretty horrible to be honest. I wouldn’t recommend using it again. Dirty, noisy, generally not pleasant.
3. The zip wiring was, in my kids’ view, the very best but for me, who is terrified of heights, it will be unforgettable for slightly different reasons! Some information about what exactly was involved would have been great… we all, and the American girls who did it with us, thought it was going to be a little like Go Ape… rather than a five hour climb roped together up a mountain… followed by the zip wires!!! All amazing but a bit more detail for future travellers may be good.

So I would say we loved the trip, thought your itinerary was spot on perfect for us as a family who likes to be busy and outdoors… the blend of free time also worked perfectly… Thanks so much for all your help, you were a pleasure to work with on the planning of this and I appreciated hugely your flexibility and patience!

The hotels were all very nice. We really liked the Tikawasi in Cusco. It was great to be in the heart of the city and the staff were really nice – particularly solicitous when I was suffering from altitude sickness. There were lots of great touches around the hotel and it was just very charming.

The Amazon lodge was great. I’m so pleased that you persuaded us to go for the one with a pool as this made a huge difference with the kids. They were quite whacked with the jet lag when we first arrived and being able to jump in the pool made a huge difference.

The hotel in Lima was fine – nothing to get too excited about but perfectly okay and the location was good. We tried the restaurant that you had recommended on the first night and the ceviche was to die for. Inevitably the kids wouldn’t touch it but M and I devoured it. Thanks for the tip.

One final thing, our guide Arnold in the Sacred Valley was amazing. Really patient with the kids and incredibly knowledgeable. Please pass on our thanks.

Let me know when is a good time to chat about Burma.

We met some backpackers in Puno the next day who had been to the more touristy homestay on Amantani and they told us that there had been more than 200 people in the village square in the evening for the dancing, which sounds like my idea of hell so I’m so pleased you avoided this!

We also loved the section around Colca Canyon. Thanks so much for suggesting this part as it was spectacularly beautiful.

Cusco and the Sacred Valley were as lovely as we expected and we really liked the Inkallpa. Machu Picchu of course an absolute highlight. We got there really early and the whole site was completely obscured by fog which was ominous, but it cleared quite quickly and we were so pleased to be there without the crowds.

All up a great trip. Thank you!

The Amazon was also fab and the boys loved the piranha fishing. All of the guides were great and it was really well organised. At the start of the trip we had a list of all the guides, the times when we would me met etc which was really helpful. It was also good that many lunches were included. As we often don’t have much choice about where we stop it makes sense. It also meant that we didn’t have to worry about some evening meals.

M and I think it was the best trip that we have done so thank you.

The service you provided made the trip totally seamless. We were met at every airport by one of your representatives smiling faces and taken to our hotel. The train/flight tickets and info was always waiting for us , which made the trip stress free.

The balance of hotels you suggested was perfect and the jungle trip a huge success…we were lucky enough to see a 30ft Anaconda!

One of the highlights for us was the Sacred Valley…the hotel a gem after the jungle and the town, bustling market and tuk tuks were fascinating. The scenery was stunning and we found a great horse-riding place and the boys went zip lining which looked fantastic (if not a terrifying!) – I can provide you the contact details if you would like to give to future clients.

Once again thank you so much for your service and we will definitely be in touch again for another adventure!

The arrangements all went like clockwork – guides were always there to pick us up from the airports. Hotels were great – particularly the Solyluna in the Sacred Valley.

M and I loved the food….the kids a bit less keen on some of the fish but they are fussy. We tried guinea pig so they’ve been dining out on that ever since. Not sure it will make it onto our family menu back home.

Anyway, we had a great time. Thanks so much for everything. Hoping for China next year so watch this space.