Innovative & Enriching Itineraries
At Kuoda Travel, our personalized tours of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru are designed to leave not just a positive impression, but a lasting one too. Sure, you’ll go home with outstanding photos (that’s a given), but you’ll also return from our tours with much more – a sense of rejuvenation, priceless family memories and new perspectives on and a greater understanding of the world and its cultures.
For Local Insight
We are a Peruvian-owned travel agency with offices in the U.S. and Peru. Having an on-the-ground presence in Cusco gives us a vital edge. Not only do we know the region like the back of our hand, but we’re able to keep abreast of any exciting goings-on as well as any changes that may affect your Peru, Ecuador or Bolivia private travel experience. We know when traffic will come to a standstill and when festivities will result in reveler-clogged streets. Put simply, we don’t miss a beat. An international frame-of-mind with Peruvian know-how, can it get any better?
To Discover the Unknown
We actively seek out the undiscovered: the hidden-away wonders, the little-known locales and out-of-the-way attractions. In other words, the things that have yet to make it into the guidebook. We believe that by providing extraordinary experiences that fit your passion, we can take your vacation to the next level. Our focus is fixed on your individual requirements, interests and wishes, so you can expect our itineraries to be of the mold-breaking – not cookie-cutter – variety.
Best Value for Your Money
Your leisure time is a seriously precious commodity, so you have the right to expect the best return for your investment. We understand that letting us plan how you spend it is an act of trust, so we promise we’ll be there to provide personal attention and service at every point of the process. We want your trip to South America to leave you longing for more – in your next vacation of course! And lest you still need convincing, consider the following fact: more than 60 percent of our business comes from referrals.
Our Dedicated Passionate Agents
At Kuoda, we don’t see our clients as robots, but as real, live people and thus, deserving of the best hospitality and warmth this side of the equator. A simple concept, yes, but it makes all the difference. We value your opinions and hope that you’ll come to value ours too, as we succeed in providing not just more than you expect but also more than you can imagine. It’s not just our clients that matter, either. We are equally passionate about the people and environments of the countries we send them to. That’s why, we’re more than happy to arrange for travelers to participate in philanthropic efforts, cultural interchanges and other mutually enriching experiences.
Kuoda Travel was born out of a simple observation. Our founder and president, Mery Calderon, witnessed a group of exasperated tourists being shepherded onto a tour bus in Peru. This sad scene provoked a light-bulb moment: what Peru needed was a specialized, customer-oriented travel agent that treated travelers not as faceless, nameless numbers to fill coach spaces, but as individual people. Ever since, Kuoda has been providing private, flexible and personalized tours to Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
Planning a complex and highly customized international itinerary online can prove difficult, not to mention restrictive – some of the transport, accommodation and activity services in rural regions of South America don’t have an internet presence. Traditional travel agencies often fall short too; many of these agents have never even been to Peru. Not us. We wrote the book on luxury travel in Peru and are now one of the best tour operators in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. What’s more, we are constantly building on our knowledge. Think of us as a living, breathing South American guidebook written especially for you.
Since 2004, we have been dedicated to providing luxury travel in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. But for us, luxury isn’t defined by expense or excess. It’s about helping you to have the experience you crave and taking care of all the nitty gritty logistics so all you need to concern yourself with is enjoying your trip. This could mean staying in a 5-star hotel, of course, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the most expensive one. It might also mean booking a modest family-owned hostel with appealing character or an unbeatable location. Either way, we won’t try to upsell you into something you don’t want.
Our intelligent itineraries are designed with the client in mind and your experience drives everything we do. That means, you will never have to sleepwalk to Lima airport in the middle of the night, only to arrive in Cusco for an exhausting day chock-full of activities; we won’t test your navigational skills by forcing you to find your own way from the hotel to the airport; we won’t make you cough up cash for three-course dinners when all you want is a salad. Your ease, comfort and pleasure are guaranteed when you travel with us.
With headquarters in Cusco and an office in the United States, we’ve got a presence in each continent, and can offer a level of luxury and service that matches up to international standards. Thanks to our Cusco-based team, we’ve always got an ear to the ground and can offer up-to-the-minute recommendations and information. We partner with the best operators in other parts of South America too, so that you can rest assured that wherever you travel with us, you’ll receive the same exceptional service.
Our passionate and experienced travel-loving staff have heaps of tourism and hospitality industry knowledge as well as the adventure-seeker spirit needed to create unique and interesting itineraries. Then there is our thriving network of more than 80 top-of-their-field guides, drivers, historians, chefs and experts, who will ensure your experience is unforgettable.
And what about our name? Kuoda, which literally means to expand, to improve, to learn and to grow, reflects our philosophy perfectly. Our team is strongly committed to these principles and is always looking for new finds to share with our clients during their luxury tours to Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
Getting to Know You
Once you get in touch with Kuoda, we’ll ascertain the basics: where you want to go, how you like to travel, your timeframe, budget, who’s coming with you, health and diet considerations etc. Next up, we get down to the juicy bits: your interests and passions, the stuff that makes you tick. Armed with all this useful information, we’ll get to work creating a complimentary preliminary itinerary and budget for customized tours to Bolivia, Peru or Ecuador.
Itinerary Development
This is your private and wholly customized tour, so we think it’s only fair you get to have your say. Which is why, at this stage, we revert back to you so you can share your thoughts. Once we’ve got some feedback, we’ll start refining your itinerary. All the while, we’ll remain in contact by phone and email, should you have any thoughts, concerns or lightning-bolt realizations. The process continues until we’ve got an itinerary you are truly excited about.
Finalization, Confirmation & Deposit
Once you give us the final nod of approval for the itinerary, we’ll begin confirming hotels and trains. After between two and three business days, we’ll report back with updates. At this point, we also request a 30 percent deposit. Upon receipt of the deposit, we’ll continue arranging your personalized trip to Ecuador, Peru or Bolivia, reserving tours, transportation and entrance tickets. We confirm all bookings in advance, so you know exactly what to expect and don’t have to worry about unexpected last-minute changes.
Preparing for Departure
After poring over the details and ensuring everything is in place, we’ll send you the full itinerary for your Peru, Bolivia or Ecuador luxury tour via email. This is when the excitement really begins. Your impending trip will seem realer than ever as you read through day-by-day accounts of planned activities, as well as hotel names and addresses, guide meeting times, key transportation information and locations. We’ll also include contact names and numbers for the Kuoda team as well as helpful packing tips and details about changing money, insurance and health precautions. Ninety days before departure, we will request the remainder of your payment.
Arrival & Your Travel Experience
This is when you will see just why we have got a reputation as the best tour operator in Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. Whichever country you’re going to, you will be met at the airport by your Kuoda host, who will take you to your hotel, go through your itinerary, provide directions for meeting your guide and generally make sure things go as smoothly as possible for you. Got any lingering questions or reservations? Now is the time. After that, your guides will take care of all the day-to-day logistics, as well as dealing with any unexpected hurdles you encounter. A Kuoda customer service representative will also check in every other day just to make sure everything is going as expected. And should you have any burning questions or a need for assistance, the Kuoda team will be contactable 24/7 via phone.
Returning Home
We’ll do our best to make your return journey as painless as possible. A Kuoda team member will go with you to the airport and ensure you are comfortably settled in your departing flight. We’ll also be contactable upon your return.
Personalized Travel Experiences
No stone is left unturned in our quest to deliver exceptional private tours to Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. With us, it’s all about you – and your traveling partners too, of course! We take your wants, needs, time constraints, budgets and personal travel style into account to deliver experiences that are far from standard.
Luxury Travel
The level of service you receive and the experience you have is of the utmost importance to us. We cultivate and maintain excellent relationships with top South American guides, hotels and restaurants to ensure the best for our clients.
Attention to Detail
We don’t like to toot our own horn, but we are phenomenal planners. With Kuoda, details are everything and thanks to our diligent approach, nothing falls between the cracks. If you use Kuoda to plan luxury travel in Ecuador, Bolivia or Peru, you can rest assured that your trip will be seamless.
Knowledge
Our team visits and thoroughly investigates all destinations, services and amenities featured on our luxury tours to Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, so we can be sure we are offering the best quality, services and price for our clients.
Infrastructure
Our network of carefully chosen partners are selected based on the quality of their services and on their sustainable approach and practices, which ensure local communities benefit as well as our clients.
Originality
At Kuoda, we don’t rest on our laurels. We are constantly trying to discover new and special experiences that can make our customized tours to Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru truly one of a kind.
Cultural Responsibility
At Kuoda, we take our ethical and social responsibilities very seriously. We believe that tourism in South America should do more good than harm, which is why we are committed to following ethical practices. Not only do we treat the cultures we visit with humility and reverence, but we also strive to create a two-way dialogue that’s enriching for both visitors and locals. Through sustainable tourism practices, communities can focus anew on their traditions, celebrations, stories and traditional arts, and can devote more resources to maintaining their cultures, heritages and even languages. Our guests have the opportunity to see the world and contribute to it in a way that is more responsible and, ultimately, more rewarding.
Environmental Responsibility
When it comes to environmental responsibility, we take our cue from the Quechua, the indigenous people of the Andean highlands. They hold a strong belief in the power of the planet, or “Pachamama,” and so do we. We always seek to steer our guests toward culturally authentic experiences that protect and preserve the ecological environment they interact with. Our goal is to have minimal impact on the areas we visit. To ensure we attain this, we only work with trusted travel agents, suppliers, guides and lodges who share our eco-minded beliefs.
