The first country I ever visited in Latin America was Belize and I was hooked from the moment I arrived. I spent six months in this warm, safe and proud country and fell in love with not just the country and its backwater feel, but its people as well. Being English speaking made it easy to travel, although I did start to speak some basic Creole. However, I knew that if I wanted to get to know the rest of this awe -inspiring continent I would have to learn Spanish.

So, my next stop was Guatemala where I taught myself Spanish. I lived with a local family for two months, during which time I didn’t speak a word of English. I remember well that their son Ramon found me a constant source of amusement as I struggled with pronunciations and will be forever grateful for their encouragement and patience.

Over the next four years I led small group adventure tours from Guatemala all the way down to Patagonian Chile and was constantly put in my place by the sheer size and beauty of everything I saw. Trekking around the spectacular 6,000 m volcano of Cerro de Pili Acamarachi in the Atacama Desert in Chile, you cannot fail to feel small. A tiny part of a massive universe.

As French novelist Gustave Flaubert once said: “Travelling makes one modest – you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world”.

The kindness of all the people I’ve met on my Latin America travels is extraordinary. People feed you, pay for things and proudly show you their local customs. I remember spending time in a deserted town in Suipacha, Bolivia where a local weaver; a woman dressed in her own colourful woven clothing, encouraged me with a warm smile to give it a try. There were many times such as these where local people made me feel not just welcome, but one of their own.  And this meant that I felt at home in Latin America, wherever I was.

One of my stand out memories was when I was setting up Latin Odyssey and wanting to offer something a little different.  I remember being in a lonely corner of north-west Argentina, a small town called San Carlos, searching for some unique white water to raft. I stumbled across a remote rafting station.  I met the owners who asked me to stay the night and after a few too many beers they decided to take me on a five day journey across some of the most remote rivers I have ever encountered. This ended with a three day rafting expedition down the Bermejo River which forms the border with Bolivia.

This secluded river, accessible only by entering Bolivia through an unknown border crossing was devoid of human life.  It was an impenetrable jungle and the river was our guide. Nights were spent sleeping on the few sandy banks we found and the days were spent rafting or carrying the heavy raft over the most dangerous of rapids. All the while we felt like we were being watched by the unknown sounds of the wildlife that lived there.  My rafting guide’s hospitality and generosity was incredible.  They took me into their homes, showed me a unique part of their world, never asking for anything in return and left me with an experience that will last a lifetime.

As you can see, my enduring love for Latin America is driven by the welcoming, generous and proud nature of its people. This is why Latin Odyssey has always searched out the very best local guides; because it is the knowledge, wisdom and love of their homeland which will help to make your holiday there so memorable.
I hope you find the beauty and adventure that I have in Latin America.

Latin Odyssey’s founder, Mark Rolfe, travelled solo for five years hitch-hiking and pitching his tent across four continents.

He then became an Expedition leader for the next six years throughout Europe, Africa and South and Central America. This experience gave him unrivalled product knowledge of South and Central America and a true appreciation of the local culture, people and wildlife.

Following this Mark established ‘Latin Odyssey’ in 2003, knowing that this intimate knowledge of the continent would enable him to create extraordinary travel experiences for other spirited adventurers.

Latin Odyssey has now been creating luxury, tailor made holidays to South and Central America for over a decade.

We are (and always will be) a boutique travel company with a team that takes enormous pride in what we do. Latin Odyssey’s high customer satisfaction score on Trustpilot is testament to this and why many clients come back time and again to travel with us.

Latin Odyssey Ltd has been trading since 2003.  We are 100% committed to protecting our customers financially and have all the necessary insurance and bonding to ensure you have peace of mind when booking with us.

Latin Odyssey Ltd is fully ATOL bonded – All monies paid by you for the air holiday package shown are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL No. is 11480. For more information see the ATOL website or our booking terms and conditions.

Being ATOL protected means if Latin Odyssey Ltd ceased to trade, you would receive your holiday exactly as we have described to you, meaning that you can relax from the moment you book with us, as you are protected.

No exchange risk – Even if significant currency fluctuations occur in the months prior to your departure, your holiday price will not change. This has always been our policy and will remain so even in these unsettled times.

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