Trip to Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Amazon. The trip was perfection, from airport pick-up to drop-off, everything was carefully and thoughtfully planned. We had two guides and each were local, knowledgeable and extremely helpful. They even catered some of the excursions to our timing and interests. What truly set the trip apart though was the focus on the culture and the people of Peru. We got to experience and share in a llama blessing, dine with locals and share in their culture and customs. A lot of the scheduled stops and restaurants support the local families and businesses which not only showed the commitment that Acanela has to the places and people, but allowed us a unique global perspective. It was a fantastic experience! One that I would recommend for anyone looking to experience a place in a way unlike any other. The care that Acanela puts into the relationships they build with tour guides, businesses and families is represented in the caring and welcoming way everyone interacted with us. read more

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I've been admiring Acanela's Instagram for some time and when I got an email for Free Friend Friday for Japan, I had to jump on the opportunity. From searching the website to booking the trip, to adding an extra night and during the trip, the team was super helpful and responsive. The itinerary they built was just enough activities and our own free time to explore. The hotel choice was a perfect, central location and our transportation was really nice to have arriving into a foreign country. We did a good excursion, so most activities were cooking classes, which were super fun. Our guide, Maya, was wonderful. She was extremely knowledgeable, kind and personalized our two days with her so perfectly. I don't get to travel internationally very often, so this trip was a huge deal. I can't wait for the next opportunity to work with Acanela on my next adventure. Thank you! read more

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I cannot even give them 1 star! They play a good game- until you arrive at your destination (airfare not included) and you have no reservation and no one to contact! We were super excited for our adventures in the Greek isles, until we landed in Santorini. It's an amazingly beautiful place, but all of the accommodations and dinners we had paid for, in advance, with Acanela, did not happen! We could not reach them and there was no in-country contact person, as promised. We were left alone for 4 nights with no support and left with all the additional expenses. DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM! they did not answer calls or emails when we were in another country or even after we returned to US. The next time we heard from them was 2 months later when they saw that we disputed the credit card charge! They are still fighting the dispute! No way am I letting them get the money! read more

I previously worked with Kaitana in 2018 for trips to Jordan/Egypt from the US and to India as an overland trip from a cruise being picked up in Mumbai. Apparently, she is not there anymore. They made all the arrangements to include the flights. Both trips were perfect and went as planned. I wanted to use them again this year to go to The Galápagos Islands and Easter Island. I called and spoke and spoke with a lady. I have an idea who but not 100% sure so I won't say who. The first thing she told me is that they no longer make flight arrangements. When I asked why, she said making flight arrangements are too complicated. Isn't that part of a travel agent's job? So I said go ahead and provide arrangements for tour guides and hotels and I will make my own flight arrangements. She said ok and that she would email me in a couple of days once she got in contact with me once she put something together. I gave her my Yahoo address. That was Jan 6th. On Jan 10th, I realized that I had not gotten anything so I called twice but got no answer. I then text her on the 12th and she didn't write back until the 16th and said she sent it to a Google address but that she would send the to my Yahoo address. Today is the 18th and all I've gotten from them was the sound of crickets....nothing. I STRONGLY recommend that you do NOT use this company. I have never experienced such poor service in my life. They have gone from fantastic to not worth the phone call. read more

In May 2022, I put down a deposit to visit the Amalfi Coast with a Rome extension of three days. One week before my departure, I had not heard from Acanela concerning my housing or itinerary in either Rome or Naples. Thankfully, the travel coordinator Maria Teresa (who is not an Acanela employee but rather a vendor they use) reached out to me directly to get the Amalfi portion sorted out. I am currently in Amalfi, but I still have not received any responses to a Tweet, two instagram messages to the founder Kylie Chenn or the company account, or four emails. When Maria Teresa contacted Acanela to ask on my behalf when and where I will be staying in Rome so I know where to go, Acanela "asked if I had any travel days in Rome associated with Acanela." I am pretty shocked to learn that I am about to be stranded in Rome for three days. I will be filing a dispute with my credit card company for a full refund of the Rome portion. This is unacceptable. read more

My time in Cuba with the Acanela team was so amazing! I got to really experience an authentic time in Havana and Vinales and I feel like I got to see so much of the Cuban life and culture in such a short span of time in 6 days. The Acanela team were so accommodating, considerate, and kind! They were very flexible with the itinerary, switching the schedule around depending on the weather, how tired our group was, and what photos we wanted to take. I also really enjoyed the activities they lined up on the itinerary. I got to experience the Cuban beaches, Downtown Havana, the countryside of Vinales, and an array of local restaurants. read more

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No one ever responds to emails. Their voice mail is full. I have a trip coming up in 60 days. My invoice is incorrect and I cannot get anyone to respond to me UGH! read more

Acanela Expeditions has absconded with over $8500 of our money we put towards a trip to Greece. The agent, a Ms. Lindsey Marx has not responded via email, phone or website chat room. We paid this sum of money and had to cancel due to COVID. We were told by Marx no refunds were allowed but money could be applied towards future trip. She was cooperative until it came time to finalize and book. And now never to be heard from. Do business with this company and Lindsey Marx at your own risk. read more

I had the amazing opportunity to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with Acanela Expeditions in February 2020. I was very nervous when I left for Tanzania about the climb, but we were in amazing hands with the most incredible team of porters and guides to help us up there. The care that they showed us and the outpour of positively was definitely one of the reasons our group was so successful. Before I left I wasn't sure if I could make it, but on summit day I never had questions if I could do it or not. Oh, and the food was amazing! read more

Acanela Expeditions - At the top of Kilimanjaro - Travel Services Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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We have used Acanela twice for travel and will be using them again in October. We took a 3 week trip across Europe and a 11 day trip to Costa Rica. They are so good at looking into the fine details. Every hotel we were in were amazing. I would highly recommend this company. read more

While the safari was awesome, I would not recommend booking with Acanela. Their communication is horrendous. We had difficulties paying for our trip, getting answers to questions, and getting our itinerary. It wasn't until I waiting on the website for 45 minutes on the online chat that I actually got to talk to someone. They said they would send our itinerary within the hour, but we had to wait on their online portal again the following day to actually get it. Their online portal for seeing your trip does not work. All the milestones of when things would happened, didn't happen. We booked an extra night on the front end thinking that it was an extra day at the hotel, but our tour guide told us we would of had an extra day of Safari. Wish we wouldn't of had our flight delayed. Every email I ever sent to Acanela was never responded to. Every voicemail I left with Acanela was never returned. Not a single one. With that being said, our safari was actually awesome. We had Tony Mobile Safari. If you are planning on going I recommend booking with him directly. He has a website in which you can do it. When our flight was delayed he contacted us to make sure we were okay. I emailed and texted Acanela from my phone and let them know that my wife's phone didn't work in Africa, and that we missed our flight, but they did not respond to me. They did try to contact my wife, but as I mentioned, her phone didn't work. Tony was an excellent guide. He is great at tracking and we saw lots of animals that other safari groups did not. The food cooked by Bongo was very good. We never had a moment where we felt unsafe, or that his company didn't know what they were doing. So, my review is one star for Acanela, and 5 stars for Tony Mobile Safari. tonymobilesafari.org Adding: Acanela didn't tell us that we would need to purchase a visa to enter Zambia, and that it was cash only. read more

Please for the love of God DO NOT use this company! Trust me, I was in your shoes, I read all the bad reviews and all the good reviews before signing up and I thought after so many issues they must have gotten there act together. They have not. My sister and I paid for a trip to Turkey over the Christmas holiday 2021. Our mom died of Covid19 around Christmas last year and we needed to get away from it all, we had always dreamed of going to Turkey and our mom was an avid traveler so we thought it would be a good way to pay tribute. After going through all the steps, paying in full, and receiving a confirmation email from the company the week before that our trip was on track, we packed up our bags and left. We landed in Istanbul after 26 hours of travel to discover no one waiting for us. This was a Saturday morning LA time, which is key to this story as there was no way to get in touch with anyone. We called, emailed, not a word from anyone or peep this company even existed. It was clear they were closed over the weekend. Luckily, I had the in-country travel contact and we whatsapped him. Almost immediately he responded to us and let us know Acanela never confirmed our trip and never paid him so he had cancelled it. He pulled through massively, he had us in taxi to a lovely hotel where we promptly slept for 12 hours. When we woke up Sunday morning he had created and sent us a brand-new travel itinerary and let us know he had taken care of and paid for everything (from flight tickets to tour tickets to upgraded hotels) and that we needn't worry about a thing. We were thrilled that we were still able to do the same trip given the problems with Acanela. Monday rolls around and we finally hear back from Acanela, who said "Thank you for notifying us about the situation, and please accept my deepest apologies you were the receipt of this confusion with our partner! I notified my Team Lead as soon as I received your email and they contacted Cemal immediately to resolve the situation. They were able to solve the issue directly with Cemal, and your tour will be moving forward as you previously planned for on the itineraries you received, and Cemal also upgraded the hotels for the headache and issue". Seriously?! I literally laughed out loud reading this response. All our problems were solved by Camel before they were even open, the fact they dare take credit made me livid. Acanela is a giant sham. They just took our money, and way more of it then we should have every paid if we are being honest. It was Gorgeous Tours Cappadocia who saved the day hands down, we highly recommend them and Camel (the owner I believe) who was a giant life saver. Trust us, if you want to do the Turkey trip just look up and reach out the Gorgeous tours, you will be so thankful that you did! read more

DO NOT TRAVEL WITH THIS COMPANY!! They have the worst customer service and have ignored every email, phone call, and social media post for the last 3 months. I even tried messaging the owner and have been completely ignored. My trip is in July and due to the horrendous customer service I REFUSE to travel with them. Trying to get my deposit back and SHOCKER, no one will talk with me. Save your money and travel with someone else. This company is a SCAM! read more

Had a great time with Acanela. They gave us a true local experience with amazing guides. It was just really hot (lol), which made it hard to want to explore all day. read more

I loved traveling with Acanela Expeditions! They know exactly what they're doing. I had the best time and would love to travel with them again! read more

#FYREFESTIVAL2.0... almost! We had been wanting to go to Under Canvas for quite some time so were very excited when Acanela came out with this last Moab tour. When we booked, the tour was glamping at under canvas. They have the best glamping setup with running water, showers, and toilets. They have a lobby open 24hrs with misters(which is important in 105' weather), outdoor fire place with smore kits, and a games area. A couple weeks before our trip Acanela emailed us saying they had acquired their own tents and would have their own area now, but rest assured it was "even better". They did offer us $100 off for the change of plans but were very confident it was not a downgrade from under canvas. When we pulled up to their new camping site promptly at check-in time... we didn't know if we should laugh or cry. Literally #fyrefestival2.0! Other ladies were sitting in their cars pissed off at the set up. A portable tent material style single shower was tipped over by the road. The bathrooms had apparently not arrived yet. None of the "glamping tents" were set up yet. There was no shade provided anywhere. This was literally just camping... we didn't pay $2000 to go camping. We paid $2000 to go Glamping with under canvas like conditions. Upon talking to the operations personal on site who was very understanding at the time, we decided we need to leave and think about our options. We travelled along ways, spent a lot of money, and didn't want this disaster we showed up to, to ruin our Moab experience. We went to under canvas to see if they had any rooms and then they heard our story. #1 Acanela had never reached out to them about running their expedition there.... So we were never ever staying there. #2 Acanela used under canvas photos without their permission. #3 Acanela apparently didn't have a proper permit for where they set up their camp and the cops showed up. We went back to Acanela and told them that we would not be staying in these fraudulent conditions and would like a refund. (As we approached him, he was talking to the "event coordinator" and she was crying)... so if that's any indication how this was going to go. He was not as pleasant this time around and said he would need to talk to someone and get back to us when he has service. (we had service) I later saw on Kylie's (the owner) instagram that she was there at this time and could've addressed our concerns. Upon coming home we received an email saying they would need to review this and get back to us by Wednesday or Thursday. That's ONE WEEK from our complaint without any real feedback!!!! My friend who was on the trip sent Kylie a message on Instagram right away and she never got back to her. Upon returning home my friend left a comment with negative feedback about our trip on one of her photos and Kylie blocked her! This is extremely unprofessional. I will update this review with how they handle this when ever hear back about our refund. I DO NOT recommend planning a trip with this company! Everything was just thrown together very last minute and we were NOT compensated fairly for the changes. read more

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I want to thank you all for a great trip to Peru. Erin, you are a superstar! I appreciate what you and your operations' team put together. The flow went very well and there was someone waiting for us at all transition points. The drivers and guides were friendly and very informative. Both Grecko and Samoan were very knowledgeable, friendly and patient with us. We received great history lessons and insight into the people of Peru. Both were very proud of their country and that made the trip that much better. I highly recommend both of them. Machu Picchu was just amazing and the highlight for me. We enjoyed the visit to the high country and learning about the culture of these folks in Peru. My wife and kids really enjoyed the Amazon. It was exciting to be in the jungle and see the wildlife. The highlight here was the Sloth and birds. The Inkaterra Lodge was beautiful and the food and service was excellent. Our next big trip will be Italy, so I'll be reaching out in a few months to get your thoughts on it. read more

I've been looking for itineraries for Peru. I came across acanela expeditions through instagram. After asking several questions regarding their trips. I was so impressed with their itinerary to Peru, it's everything I needed to explore Machu Picchu. Huge bonus with two meals a day, transportation, hotels are included. Small group tour which are intimate. Response was great, I can't wait to travel with them. They are much easier than using a travel agent. I highly recommend booking through them. They have several itineraries to different countries you can check off your bucket list. They offer plenty of 2 for 1 deals. Prices are reasonable with all inclusive! read more

I went on my first trip with Acanela to Peru in 2018. Because of the amazing experience I had, I will only travel with Acanela going forward. Booking was super easy, and any questions I had were answered by their team. The expedition was seamless, and it was amazing not to have to worry about a single thing. The in-country tour guides and drivers were so friendly and knowledgeable. What I really appreciate -- and what makes Acanela stand apart from many other travel companies -- is that they care about the environment and local communities. This translates to having rich, intimate expeditions that you won't get anywhere else. You're not just another tourist, you're part of the family. read more

Amazing! My family of 8 people went on a trip to Peru. It was so exciting everything was so easy from arrival to departure. They provided us the greatest guide, Simon, who was so knowledgeable and answered all our silly questions. We went to Machu Picchu and it was so amazing. We also had a llama blessing ceremony which was amazing and so beautiful in the middle of the mountains. We were also able to go to other ruins around the area. Acanela was so great at everything, from planning to arrival to end of the trip everything was perfect! I will definitely travel with them again! Thanks Acanela! read more

This was my first trip to Peru and I am not sure what others have experienced but this was much more than I could've imagined. Acanela and Domingo put a fascinating trip together from the private dining experiences with the locals, alpaca birthing ceremony, immersing us into the villages, and the overall hiking treks! I would highly recommend this team for your trip to Peru. Acanela Expeditions has found the right partners where ever you'd like to travel so would use them exclusively! read more

Just went on a trip with Acanela but I would never again. They don't return emails/calls in a timely manner if at all. I know we are in the times of Covid but we had this trip planned for months* now and when we arrived at the hotel in another country**, we thought everything was handled but clearly the communication between this company and the hotel was poor, creating a lot of confusion in what was included. I went on vacation to relax, not to be sending over 10 emails to a company who's JOB is to have these things settled BEFORE we go. Not worth the money or the stress. read more

My husband and I spent 9 days with Acanela and our driver Dennis. Dennis was extremely thoughtful and attentive throughout our 9 days together and provided us with many once in a lifetime trekking experiences as we witnessed incredible wildlife scenes throughout the week. We also found Dennis really easy to talk to about current-day Kenya, and I left our week together with a much richer understanding of Kenya, both it's natural beauty and wildlife but also it's history and modern life. We started first with an add-on to the Safari in Nairobi with a full day of touring the elephant nursery, giraffe sanctuary and Karen Blixen's home and museum. All were enjoyable and provided us with a good base of knowledge for the rest of the week. We stayed at the Monarch Hotel in the city center which was clean and comfortable with a very nice breakfast buffet. Our safari included two nights in Maasai Mara staying at the Ol-Moran tented camp, one night at Lake Nakuru at the Flamingo Hill Tented Camp and 3 nights at Amboseli staying at the Kibo Safari camp. I highly recommend our itinerary and accommodations. All of the tented camps could be classified as "glamping resorts" where tent structures were built on permanent building foundations, each with its own bathroom and electricity. Ol-Moran was the simplest of the three but I loved staying at the Maasai owned and operated facility at the beginning of the trip. The subsequent accommodations were progressively fancier and the settings became more and more beautiful and memorable with each stay. Our final day, as an add-on, Dennis brought us to the Nairobi National Museum and the Maasai market in the city center. It was the trip of a lifetime, yet one I plan to repeat -- maybe to new destinations next time. The encounters with wildlife -- from mass elephant movement at Amboseli under the backdrop of Kilimanjaro, to baboon families at Lake Nakuru, to leopard hunts at Maasai Mara to intimate encounters with the Maasai people all surpassed my very high expectations. Thank you, Acanela and Dennis!! read more

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Had conversation with agent named Ashley online. She was suppose to send pictures of their Nile boats and send further information on Egypt tour, she never followed through. Sent questions on 2 other occasions asking about pictures and no one answers inquiries. Maybe it's the Holiday season and they aren't manning their site - whatever case, they should let potential customers know. In our case we will be looking elsewhere for our Egypt trip. read more

My Acanela experience in China was truly Amazing! A trip of a lifetime. Everything turned out to exceed my expectations. The accommodations were fabulous, 5 star. The food was to die for. Our guide was very knowledgeable with an excellent command of English. All the tours were fantastic with plenty of time at each venue. Overall, Acanela Expeditions exceed my expectations in every way! read more

We had just finished the Peru + Amazon Extension tour purchased through Acanela Expeditions which sells for $3,800 for a seven day trip plus $1,600 for the three day Amazon Extension Trip. Acanela Expeditions was by far the most disorganized travel agency I have ever purchased a trip through. The staff members had no interest in the actual person purchasing the trip they seemed to only care for the bottom dollar. From purchasing our trip, Erin barely communicated with us on trip details. The trips itinerary was then passed to Kelly who was EVEN worse at communicating details to us. Two weeks before our trip, she changed our hotel reservation in the Amazon to a different lodge and did not mention to us that that activities outlined in our original itinerary (which sold us on purchasing our trip) had changed to due to a new hotel reservation. THEN, getting back home we had tried to communicate with the Acanela Expeditions team and have received little to no correspondence. After numerous emails to the generic operations team, Jeremy finally responded with a "I've been off the grid for the last few days and am just getting around to this email"... To further elaborate on why you should not book with Acanela Expeditions for the Peru + Amazon Extension trip: * Our entire trip was based off an itinerary from Ayni-Peru (ayni-peru.com). Our guides were all from Ayni-Peru and our trip was essentially subcontracted through this company. From more research on this company, they were MUCH cheaper than what we had paid for through Acanela. Acanela is not an actual travel agency in this situation; they are the booking agent. * Multiple excursions fell off our initial itinerary which was what sold us on our trip through Acanela to Peru. The first one was the horseback riding that is on they website; this would have been fun but, instead we went for a long bus ride. We were excited to walk through the Salt Pools at San Maras; this is NOT allowed for any tourist/guide. We were suppose to be at the top of Machu Picchu before the sunrise; but, the buses start after the sun rises. We were suppose to spend an afternoon in Aguas Calientes at the Natural Hot Springs, this did not happen--they booked us a train almost immediately after we finished up at Machu Picchu. * The meals that we purchased with our trips were the worst; it would have been better to do some exploring to find better restaurants. Another item that was bothersome was that we were not provided water throughout our trip which is the norm in most other trips when booked with travel agencies. * We found out on Day Four that our day excursion to the Llama Blessing was actually to an Alpaca Blessing, minor detail but also misleading. We also found out that this location was higher than Machu Picchu and Cusco at approximately 4,200 meters (14,000 feet). Driving up the mountain side was challenging and uncomfortable because our ears were popping. It took until the Amazon trip to hear again and be comfortable. I feel that this could have been mentioned before we arrived on our trip. * Upon arriving to Puerto Maldonado, we saw our name on our "guides" marker board. Got on the bus with other tourists and were told that we need to unpack at the lodge's bus stop and had twenty minutes to place our belongings in the lodge provided duffles. Our ride to the lodge was then one hour by bus and one hours by boat. Our Acanela itinerary stated we had a thirty minute bus ride to our lodge. We then arrived at our lodge and found out that the activities that were in our Acanela provided itinerary was not offered at our lodge. These activities sold us on our trip purchase--we were excited to do the canopy bridges and zip line in the jungle, fish on an Amazonian Lake, see a pineapple farm, and other amazing excursions. We didn't see/do any of that. We had also found out that day that our room was three walled and one wall was open to the jungle. This was fine on our second night after we were able to get rid of the possum.. Overall, DO NOT BOOK WITH ACANELA EXPEDITIONS. The agency does a good job with being a subcontractor in the travel agency world. Their current staff seems to be more concerned with booking trips for Social Media "Influencers" (it's literally on the bottom hyper links on their website). The staff is also rude, unorganized, uncommunicative, and overall unprofessional. For the price of this trip, we could have stayed longer and seen more sights. Their marketing is also very misleading--you will only do the Llama (Alpaca) Blessing and go to a Machu Picchu on the standard seven day trip. Acanela Expeditions only markets to the Social Media Influencer groups. Acanela should spend more time taking care of existing customers with proactive communication and thoughtful organization to get these customers as return clientele. read more

My husband and I enjoyed an amazing trip to the Galapagos Islands via Acanela Expeditions. From start to finish, the team at Acanela was very helpful, even extending a promotion code so we could get all our ducks in a row before booking. The accommodations and excursions were incredible and I would recommend booking with Acanela again in a heartbeat! read more

My friends and I booked the recently added Moab trip and had a terrible experience. Long story short I've spent a year looking into aCanela, reading reviews, and ensuring I would have a great experience with them. My boyfriend and I booked the Peru trip, but with the global pandemic we decided to trade in our down payment for a trip to Moab. Our group spent over $3500 for this trip and traveled hundreds of miles to get to Utah. We arrived to a campsite at check in that was not fully set up nor as described. We had a very candid and nice conversation with the operations lead at the site about being disappointed and he did his best to walk through solutions. After thinking for over two hours on what to do, we decided not to pursue the trip and asked for a refund. At that point he brushed us off and his mentality changed. He said he would need to talk to the home office and couldn't do so until the following day. We then found out more operations people were joining the trip, including the CEO herself. Why wouldn't he just have us wait to talk to her? We understand aCanela is a small company and a majority of the staff attend the trips, but they haven't been quick to get back to us with a resolution. I messaged the CEO on Instagram with no response. I then left a comment on one of her photos and she kicked me off her page. This is highly unprofessional. I am a highly traveled individual and have attended numerous tours with many different companies, but I have never been treated as poorly as I have with aCanela. Do not use this company. read more