I've worked with Malia for over 10 years sending over a dozen trips to as many different countries! I can't imagine ever working with anyone else: she is compassionate, visionary, and committed to global learning. Her passion is that people are changed by travel and she lines up her itineraries to maximize that opportunity. She has fostered deep relationships all over the world and draws on very real experience with NGO's, tour guides, and personal experience. I'm grateful for all the unforgettable trips she's planned for me including Rwanda, Peru, Iceland, Argentina, Turkey and Thailand! She has a heart of gold that everyone who works with her invariably ends up experiencing! read more

Traveling with Malia was an incredible experience. She is in touch with you very early in the process and is there to assist with any issues that might arise to the end. The trip she arranged had a little bit of everything: city, cultural immersion, education, fun, adventure, great food, and more. Malia is loving and kind, but an absolute professional as well. I would travel with her again in a heartbeat. read more

I have taken three trips with Altruvistas and all three of them have been incredible. Malia's extensive knowledge and heart informs itineraries that combine the best of typical tourism with a desire to educate and inspire the participants and give back to the local economies of the countries we visit. I can honestly say that I have learned so much more from these trips than any others I have taken and have had the most beautiful and fun experiences. I would pretty much blindly follow her anywhere. read more

Malia is awesome! There was a last minute cancellation for double room to single that I would have had to come up with an additional $1000 or so and Malia worked out the situation. She went above and beyond my expectations! I will be traveling again for sure! read more

I've been on three two-week trips planned by Altruvistas over the past five years (Peru, Israel/Jordan, and Argentina) and all of them have been exceptional. There is something really special about having every detail planned for you, and the itineraries are amazing! You'll meet with people and organizations you'd never find on your own and those experiences will leave an imprint on you for forever. Malia finds incredible tour guides who are knowledgeable and kind, and she's responsive to any questions or concerns. Without hesitation, I'd give Altruvistas my highest recommendation. read more

Had such an amazing time in Argentina with AltruVistas tours! The experiences were extraordinary with expert curation by Malia! She takes the time to personalize your trip and does an excellent job making the visit memorable and fun. I cannot say enough about what a fantastic time I had on this wonderful trip to Argentina! read more

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MAlia provides superb service! She is highly knowledgeable, world traveler, calm, great listener and navigates travel challenges with ease. I just completed a wonderful trip to Argentina under her guidance. read more

Since our Growing World Wellness trip to Cuba in 2014, I have recommended Altruvistas to many friends traveling to Cuba and around the world. Malia took the time and care to create an itinerary that would meet our many requests and make a few dreams come true along the way. Traveling in an ethical and respectful way, meeting with and benefiting the local communities has changed the view of each of our trip's participants. Trust is a big deal to me and I feel so comfortable suggesting Altruvistas - even my mother has traveled with them and still raves about the trip to her friends! I've heard very positive and very satisfied reports from those who were on our trip and decided to create their own adventure within their professional and personal groups. The positive ripple of this ethical travel company continues to nourish all involved. I will work with them again ASAP! read more

I went on a trip with Malia of Altruvistas to Cambodia and Laos during the Summer of 2014 and it was the trip of a lifetime! I didn't have much prior travel experience and she made it very easy, managing all the logistics from the Visas to the meals, to each day's events. This was so important as I was a traveling in a place where the language and the customs were so very different than my own. Everything was meticulously taken care of, I just needed to simply show-up with an open mind and enjoy the trip. Malia's long time travel experience and knowledge of global affairs made my trip educational. A highlight was our visit to the Landmine Museum in Cambodia which profoundly effected me by deepening my awareness of what had been done there. We connected with nature and culture, from visiting reserves for endangered species to climbing steps to sacred sites. Personally, Malia is very kind and considerate which helps ease any of the normal traveling experiences that call for more patience. I highly recommend working with Altruvistas. I am excited to be traveling with them again in 2015, this time to Cuba. read more

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In March of 2016 I led a group of faculty and staff from my University on a professional development trip to Cuba, with the assistance of AltruVistas. I chose this service provider based on the philosophy of the company, as well as a personal recommendation of Malia Everette, the CEO. Malia bent over backwards to help us craft a trip that allowed us to accomplish every one of our stated goals, and they were ambitious! We met with amazing people and had fascinating encounters in Havana, Camaguey, and Santiago de Cuba. Because of situations outside of their control, we had a bunch of hassle around accommodations, which left a bad taste in some folks' mouths. Even though moving from hotel to hotel was incredibly annoying and time consuming, I'm so used to the complexity and difficulties inherent in Cuban life that I was very surprised about the vehemence of their reactions. In my mind, this was all overshadowed by the incredible visits with Cuban women: intimate conversations with artists--some in their own homes, filmmakers, business owners, educators, Afro-Cuban specialists, health care workers, historians, architects, and so much more. We had wanted to focus on women & race relations in Cuba, and what we could learn about diversity and inclusion from their institutions and apply to our own. It was an eye-opening and deeply moving experience, for which I thank AltruVistas. You rock, Malia! read more

I took a tour sponsored by AltruVistas and Malia Everett in Nov. 2014 to Argentina and Chile. It was the worst vacation experience I've ever had. Do NOT use this touring company. It was a trip from HELL!! No stars! read more

I closed out 2015, by joining group of 45 adventurers on an AltuVista sponsored 10-day people to people focused tour in Havana, Cuba. The price was reasonable, program itinerary appeared comprehensive, and hotel accommodations were to be at the historic Hotel National on the Malecon. Even still, I was anxious about the trip because I generally don't like group travel. Our interactions as a group began with, a series of orientation conference calls, scheduled in advance of our departure thus giving us a chance for introductions, trip itinerary issues clarification, discussion of expectations and for Malia to answer more questions. The sessions allayed many of my group travel anxiety, I thought - so far, so good. Miami was our group assembly point. We departed via charter flight for Cuba, cleared customs in Havana, registered at our hotel without problems and once the welcome orientation reception was finished, I began to really become more excited about what was to follow. The ground transportation provided was comfortable fully supporting our multifaceted daily schedule. Our tour guides were, knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. Our daily itinerary & meals conformed to the tour as published. Every aspect of the tour gave evidence careful planning, thus resulted in precise execution. Malia and her staff were very conscientious, professional and attentive to our needs.   The array of knowledgeable guest lecturers, artisans and musicians with whom we interacted during visits to their homes, galleries and/or studios was outstanding. On a very personal note, one of the highlights of the trip was the visit to the home, of a noted academic/activist, by a small group of us, to discuss historic and contemporary issues related to gender and race in Cuba. Just great!!! We had a rich introduction and overview of Cuba's history, culture and contemporary challenges faced by its people. Another unique feature and highlight of our tour was the New Year's Eve dinner/dance, with live and varied Cuban entertainment, held at a local restaurant organized, with a large group of Cubans. There were some needed schedule adjustments which our group made with ease and felt benefited by the changes. The tour was truly exceptional. I commend and will highly recommend AltuVista to others and will use their services again personally for other future travel. read more

I have worked with Malia Everette - the founder of AltruVistas - for almost 10 years in different capacities. I had the great good fortune of working with her as a logisitical partner in developing an ethical travel program to the Ecuadorian Amazon for the non profit organization I worked for. Malia and AltruVistas have a tremendous network of experienced professionals in many countries, and the program and facilitation that was provided us was excellent. I was able to focus on the participants instead of the logistics after having developed the itinerary with AltruVistas and the trips were a great success. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to partner with such a company - and such a terrific service provider. AltruVistas made our Amazon Adventure Journeys more than possible - they were a great success. read more

I have recently traveled to Costa Rica on a trip organized by AltruVistas. It was an incredible trip filled with new experiences and amazing sites. Malia did a wonderful job of infusing education, culture, and excitement. Our guide on the ground, Ricardo, did a great job of introducing us to the local environment. We stayed in both hotels and Eco-lodges throughout the 12-day trip. Between the accommodations, cultural lectures, and tourism-based activities, the trip was above and beyond my expectations. Our trip to Costa Rica was well planned, enjoyable and worth every penny. I would highly recommend AltruVistas for those looking for a unique and in depth travel experience. I personally am looking forward to my next trip with AltruVistas. read more

Amazing travel company! I was able to experience a trip to Costa Rica with fellow peers from school. Trip was organized by Altruvistas and it was quite amazing! I had such a wonderful and eye-opening experience that I hope others can experience through a trip that they provide. Malia is a smart and knowledgable woman when it comes to organizing these trips to countries that have a thriving force in the ecotourism setting! We had a wonderful guy by the name of Ricardo, who was one of the most knowledgable guides that I have experienced in a tour/traveling setting. The country itself was quite magnificent and hope to visit again soon. Thank you Malia & Altruvistas and hope you take another wonderful trip in the near future! read more

I continue to be very impressed with the trips and experiences put together by Altrivistas, but also by the mission of the company. Traveling without damaging the earth and being respectful of the countries, people, and cultures is so important. Thank you for providing a vehicle for doing so. read more

I know that Altruvistas founder Malia Everette has tons of experience leading trips all over Latin America, but I can speak from experience that she knows Cuba better than anyone. Under her wing, we arrived with all the key travel advice, tons of local connections, and the best itinerary ever. Traveling with Malia is like returning home! read more

I recently traveled to Cartegena Colombia in support of ECPAT U.S.A. AltruVista organized our journey and it was absolutely amazing! Malia, from AltruVista, scheduled visits with various foundations pertinent to our mission and took care of everything...the hotel, transportation, meals, etc. It was an amazing experience where we didn't have to worry about the details but rather could focus on the main reason for our visit! I would recommend trips organized by AltruVista to anyone...especially if Malia is the coordinator! read more

I have recently traveled on a trip to Costa Rica organized by AltruVista. It was such a memorable trip. Malia and the tour guide are amazing. The tour guide was very informative and knowledgeable about the destinations we are going to. Favorite thing about the trip: -Seeing the children from tortuguero in all smiles with the presents we brought for them to use in school. -Waking up at 5am to see the sun rise and enjoying the Costa Rican breeze. -Being in the waterfalls during a spiritual ceremony I would use AltruVista for another trip I plan in the near future. read more

I've taken a number of trips to Cuba with AltruVistas (four since 2011) and each visit was very enjoyable and enlightening. We got to explore many facets of Cuban culture -- from meeting with amazing visual artists to visiting dance studios and listening to a great fusion music concert in a private home. We had wonderful guides, a good balance of culture, politics and art, and knowledgeable guest speakers. The talk with the city planner of Havana was a huge highlight, as was our visit to the rehearsal of a local ballet troupe. Malia has great warmth and clearly feels at home in Cuba, which definitely loves her back! Hoping to go again later this year! read more

For our first trip to Cuba, our middle school chose to go with Altruvistas. It was one of the best trips I have ever taken, in my 15 years traveling with middle schoolers, it was impresive to see how everything was coordinated and catered to this age group. I look forward to traveling with Altruvistas in the future...this company listens and works to make sure that your experience is meaningful and rich in cultural awareness! read more

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I just returned from a Cuba tour organized by Altruvistas that was sadly marked by chaos. Our group's hotel reservations were reportedly not honored, causing us to change our 2-star, sub-par hotels daily after our second day. Even our Cuba guide and driver had no idea where we were staying most days. Our itinerary, organized in conjunction with a university, was unreasonably tight in light of the disruptive logistics of hotel changes, transport to multiple lecture venues, and predictably unpredictable activity schedules in Cuba. I am a seasoned international traveler, accustomed to all sorts of adjustments, vagaries of developing country logistics, etc. Nevertheless, this trip reflected a new level of chaos that I can only attribute to Altruvistas, which accepted several additional participants just a few weeks before our departure, leading to revised itineraries, charter air travel plans, and likely the hotel shifts, including failure to honor the single supplement I paid on our last night. To make matters worse, not one word from Altruvistas during or after the trip. I would not recommend Altruvistas anytime soon to anyone. Despite all, I learned a lot, enjoyed the trip and look forward to returning on my own without the chaos and bloated cost of an "organized" group trip. Much of the benefit was due to our intrepid Cuba guide (through Amistours). read more

WOW! I've been on tours of well-known and long-established organizers and have always been pleased. But there was something about the personal touch and the flexibility of this company, thanks to the creative and resourceful leadership of Malia Everette, that made this adventure particularly special. In late July, my wife and I joined, in San Sebastian, Spain, other AltruVistas visitors with whom we share an appreciation of the music broadcast by KCSM, the San Francisco area jazz station. The nearly week-long program of great music enabled us to experience performances by a number of well known and new talent. One of the highlights was the less-jazzy but heart thumping last ever public performance by Joan Baez. We watched the sun casting early evening light on one of the world's most beautiful beaches, and joined the thousands of people in the audience who jumped to their feet, keeping Joan playing and singing long after she had taken what was meant to be her final "thank you and good night" bow. Among the tour's extra pleasures was a visit to the historic "Basque Country" where, spread across the gorgeous hills are the grapes grown for Hiruzta wine--which, of course we tasted and enjoyed--and a visit to Bilboa, the charming, historic town where we toured and marveled at the spectacular architecture of the "Guggenheim," among the most appreciated contemporary art museums in the world. All that and a little education about the lives of the "Roma" people and the technique of a prominent Flamenco teacher. And we never could have imagined a more congenial group of strangers with whom to enjoy the week. Wherever you're going next Malia, sign us up! read more

No Stars!! I went on a trip to Argentina and Chile with Altruvistas and it was the worst travel experience I have ever had. Poorly planned, horrible lodging run by squatters, undependable transportation and awful food. The agenda did not remotely resemble the tour experience. BEWARE of this tour operator read more