Top Central & South America Unique Experiences

RSVP to the biggest party in Monteverde with this nocturnal tour of the area's famed wildlife by moonlight, when nearly 80 percent of Monteverde's mammalian residents come out to play. Join a guide who will help you spot animals such as two-toed sloths, reptiles, and more as they come out after dark.

Get hands-on experience preparing some of Peru’s most iconic dishes and shopping at a local market during this Lima cooking class. First stop by the market to pick out fresh meat and produce, discovering the incredible diversity of ingredients in Peruvian cuisine. Then head to the kitchen choosing to prepare a choice of fish, chicken, beef or vegetarian dish like ‘Ceviche’ learning the necessary steps in fun, relaxed atmosphere. Your cooking excursion also includes round-trip hotel transport (for most areas of Lima), professional chef instructor, snacks and either lunch or dinner.

Learn how to prepare chocolate desserts in the country that does it best during a 2-hour workshop at the ChocoMuseum in Antigua. Learn all about the chocolate making process from cacao bean to candy bar. Afterwards, with the help of an instructor, prepare your own creations. Take home 120g of your handmade desserts to share with friends or, more likely, devour all on your own.

Antigua is known for its jade, and while you can pick up everything from earrings to jade sculptures in the local market, it's much more fun to carve your own special piece to take home. With the help of a jade-carver instructor, learn how to fabricate your own piece that you can display as a necklace or bracelet charm or on a keychain.

See a totally different side of Lima away from the usual tourist highlights during this visit to one of the city’s shantytowns. During your exploration, visit a local kindergarten, offering a chance to challenge the prevailing myths about poverty and the people it impacts. Best of all, a portion of your trip purchase goes to helping the community and its residents. Your tour includes round-trip hotel transport from Barranco, Miraflores, and San Isidro.

Indulge your sweet tooth and discover the secrets of La Fortuna's best chocolate. This small-group tour starts out in an organic cocoa plantation where you'll see the cocoa flower and trees, as well as the cocoa bean fermentation and sun-drying process. Afterward, in the ranch, you can roast and grind the cocoa beans and also, ultimately, make your own chocolate bonbons.

Experience Medellín from the perspective of someone in a wheelchair with a MATT device. You will be part of a social transformation through inclusive tourism. In our educational tours you will learn about the places, but you will also become aware of and experience the challenges of accessibility, connecting not only with your experience, but also with the story of your guide, who is a person with reduced mobility. At the end, you will have more clarity about inclusion and exclusion, universal design, and about the Matt device and the impact that we have achieved and that we want to reach. Join the movement!

Take a journey through the traditions of Mayan spirituality as you experience a 2-hour traditional fire-cleansing ceremony with a guide in the Sacred Caves of Lake Atitlan. Step inside these mystical caves, used by local Mayans for many centuries, to observe the performance of this holy and powerful ritual by a local shaman. Listen as your guide explains the history and traditions behind the ritual and provides insight into the Mayan calendar system. Before you leave, you’ll have time to admire the gorgeous views of the lake down below.

Mendoza is Argentina’s largest wine region and famous for its Malbec, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines. On this small-group tour, enjoy an intimate wine tasting experience as you explore local wineries and vineyards. Sample a variety of Argentine wines during expert-led wine tastings and indulge in a gourmet wine tasting lunch with five courses, each paired with fine wines.

Discover the sounds and sights of the rainforest after dark on a night hike. Follow your guide along an easy trail and watch out for bats, nocturnal birds, and mammals rustling in the treetops and on the forest floor. Search for red-eyed tree frogs and glass frogs, among other species. Then enjoy a traditional dinner prepared on a wood-burning stove before returning to your hotel in La Fortuna.

Mindo, known for its coffee and chocolate production, sits just off the main road between Quito and Esmeraldas. On this chocolate-centric tour, get a behind-the-scenes look at the chocolate-making process from bean to bar at a small-batch factory. Taste fresh fruit straight from a cocoa tree and finish with a tasting of several varieties of chocolate.

Discover Chile’s capital through the eyes of a local on this custom-made Lokafy walking tour. Skip the typical guided tour and instead connect with a Santiago local who will show you around their city like a friend and introduce you to the neighborhoods that they know and love. Along the way, gain an insight into Chilean culture, cuisine, and everyday life; find out how to get around in the city; and receive recommendations on where to eat, drink, and shop.

No prior experience is required on this small-group bioluminescence kayaking tour from Puerto Jiménez. After a magnificent sunset, watch the water light up with glowing microorganisms with every stroke of the paddle as you maneuver over calm waters with your guide. You can even dive in for a swim to see what the bioluminescence looks like from within the water.

If you’re looking for a coffee tour that will deepen your knowledge and expose you to interact with local communities off-the-beaten-path, this is for you. The tours take place in the community of San Miguel Escobar in the outskirts of Antigua (20 or 30 minutes) where the coffee growers will lead you through their fields, explain the work behind cultivating coffee, walk you through each processing step from bean to brew, and finish the tour by joining you for a coffee in their home. Along the way, you’ll learn more than just the process behind coffee--you’ll have authentic and transparent conversations with small-scale producers to hear firsthand about their obstacles, triumphs, and goals as coffee growers and experience their persisting enthusiasm and dedication to the coffee industry.

Discover San Jose’s hidden delights with this unique evening tour of the Costa Rican capital. Get up close and personal with the nightlife in San Jose, starting with the Morazán Park where you'll learn post-colonial Costa Rican history. From there, gain an appreciation for San Jose’s historical architecture, with a walk by the Metallic Building, then on to Spain Park for a fantastic view of the Yellow House (now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Continue to charming Barrio Escalante, one of the oldest residential areas in San Jose.  Finish the night with a tasty traditional meal (and wine or beer) at a gourmet Costa Rican restaurant.

Take this chocolate-lovers workshop and learn how to make your very own chocolate from start to finish. Learn about the chocolate-making process with this hands-on experience beginning with the cocoa tree and finishing with your very own chocolate creations. Discover the history of cocoa in Peru and learn why it is one of the top chocolate producers in the world.

Find out what’s bubbling in the typical Guatemalan kitchen during this 4-hour cooking class near Lake Atitlan. Spend your session gaining a hands-on understanding of three Guatemalan dishes, discovering the blend of Mayan and Spanish colonial flavors that give this Central American cuisine its unique taste. You’ll finish class by enjoying a tasty lunch of the dishes you prepared, and recipe book to recreate the dishes in the future. Optional upgrades featuring private lessons and visits to the market are also available.

Taste the delicious diversity of Peru’s thriving cacao industry during this 2-hour chocolate-making workshop at Lima’s ChocoMuseo. Learn about every step of the chocolate-making process, including roasting the beans, removing the husk, grinding the nibs and refining the paste in a ‘melangeur.’ You’ll then get to create your very own chocolate with your choice of ingredients, leaving with a delicious handmade dessert. This chocolate-making workshop includes all necessary ingredients, a chocolate drink tasting and a handmade chocolate souvenir.

Immerse yourself in the culinary culture of Rio de Janeiro during a small-group cooking class. Learn about the flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques specific to Brazilian cuisine from your instructor. Upgrade to include a market tour to discover Brazilian ingredients, spices, and souvenirs. Then, get your hands dirty as you learn to prepare several authentic recipes while sipping on an unlimited caipirinhas. Enjoy a true taste of Rio and explore local culture beyond the restaurant scene.

Discover the art, history, and culture of the Paraisopolis favela on a private tour in Sao Paulo. This authentic half-day excursion is perfect for travelers who want to explore the city’s second-largest favela respectfully and safely. With your guide, you’ll meet local artists whose works represent the favela and its residents. You’ll also learn about locally-led social projects that work hard to improve life for people in Paraisopolis.

Learn about the wine making process from vine to barrel on this tour of the Bodega Renacer winery in Lujan. After going behind-the-scenes in the vineyards and cellar, head to the tasting room for a guided tasting of four classic wines. Upgrade to include premium wines directly from the vats and barrels, plus limited-edition varietals.

Adventure awaits in Jaco. Make unforgettable memories during this half-day tour combining off-road ATV action, zip lining, a hike to a waterfall and a deliciously authentic lunch in a quintessentially Costa Rican setting.

When you come to Costa Rica, you want to see and do it all! Make the most of your time during this action-packed half-day ATV tour from Jaco. Hit the trails and climb up into the mountain rainforest for spectacular panoramic views and a waterfall swim. Relax and refuel with a deliciously authentic lunch before continuing on for more nature immersion and adventure before returning back to headquarters.