The Explorer's Passage Reviews 35

What a trip of a lifetime!!! It was such an amazing adventure! Jeff planned the perfect trip for us & the materials & calls leading up to the trip were super professional & helpful.
The people, the food, the land, the history… wow. I learned so much and had such an amazing time! Our guide for Cusco, Machu Picchu, & Rainbow Mountain was top-notch - his personal stories, command of the trails, and knowledge of the culture & history were amazing. Everything was beyond my expectations - it was a beautifully curated trip.

Date of experience: April 13, 2025

Working with Jeff to customize a trip to Patagonia for 5 was really enjoyable, easy and affordable! Jeff listens, asks insightful questions, responds thoughtfully and quickly if done either by Zoom or online. He found a way to include all we wanted to do and seamlessly put it together never making our travel plans and hikes seem like they were jammed together; it gave us downtime for reflecting on such incredible sights and sites. We are fortunate to have connected with Jeff and plan to use his services and network providers again.

Date of experience: March 18, 2025

Jeff and his crew went above and beyond in helping us plan an amazing trip to Patagonia. I had younger children, and he was able to work around some of our restraints and concerns. Their company made every effort to make us feel safe and give us an itinerary that the entire family could enjoy, while staying within our budget. Every hotel, restaurant recommendation, car transfer, and guide that they connected us with was excellent and worked out seamlessly. I would absolutely trust them with any vacation in the future and plan to travel more with them. I was blown away by their organization and thoughtfulness throughout the planning, and even after the trip! Additionally, they were always readily available for questions and would respond very quickly. They were amazing!

Date of experience: April 08, 2024

I booked a last second trip to Costa Rica a week before leaving. The team allowed me to pick all of the different activities I wanted to do, and they arranged everything. The trip was amazing. The team at explorer passage made it super easy, all I had to do was wake up in the morning and meet the driver in the lobby and the rest was all taken care of.

I decided on the last day to extend my trip and they immediately arranged for accommodations and activities. I highly recommend using this company as they are very organized and made traveling extremely easy and stress free.

Date of experience: January 13, 2025

I wasn't sure if I was being realistic in trying to pull off what one might consider as an almost "last minute" trip to Santiago/Chilean Patagonia (W Trek) but Jeff assured me that it could still be done. With meticulous planning and attention to detail, the designed trip itinernary was flawless, and to date, it was the trip of my life-time. Thank you Jeff and TEP!!

Date of experience: December 15, 2024

I want to start by saying I took my 78 year old mom to Costa Rica for a trip before she is not able to do so in the future.

I wanted to go and have excursions and things for us to do. However I really didn't want to do a lot of planning.

I googled and explorer's passage came up w a lot of experience w planning trips to Costa Rica. I told Jeff 5-6 things I wanted to do and he made up a 7 day itinerary for us that was packed w things to do but not exhausting.

I will say that the trip was incredibly smooth and it was 95% due to Jeff's planning of the trip. We had transportation scheduled for every day and they were there without any issues before they needed to be.

I highly recommend Jeff and explorer's passage.

Date of experience: November 26, 2024

We had the most amazing experience trekking in Peru. Explorer's Passage helped us create the most incredible itinerary and our every request was incorporated into the trip. Jeff was knowledgeable, informative, collaborative and so responsive during the trip planning stage! Explorer's Passage has all the details covered and they can give you the best team of people for the most adventurous treks. We were so impressed with every person on the trekking team in Peru. Not only were they really good at their role, but they also worked beautifully as a team to give us the most amazing experience. and The care and pride they took with every single detail made every day that much more memorable. The food was delicious and plentiful. The logistics of transportation, camping and trekking was impeccable. Peru was the trip of lifetime for us and we would love to organize another amazing adventure with Explore's Passage.

Date of experience: September 29, 2024

We can't say enough great things about our experience with Explorer's Passage. From start to finish Jeff and his team in Peru made it the trip of a lifetime. We travelled with our 3 teenage children and Jeff prepared all of us well in our pre-trip meetings. From the moment we landed in Lima, Jeff's team was there to help us with everything from checking in at the hotel and the airport and providing us with amazing guides at each destination. Our guide Wilbur in Cusco and along the Inca Trail certainly lived up to his nickname as the G.O.A.T! His knowledge of the history and culture was outstanding- there wasn't a question he couldn't answer! The staff of chefs and porters were equally impressive. The food was better than we have eaten in many restaurants and they did everything they could to make us comfortable. We will definitely recommend Explorer's Passage to anyone thinking of travelling to Peru and any other adventure destination. We've already started looking at other trips through Explorer's Passage and can't wait travel with them again!

Date of experience: August 01, 2024

Jeff and crew both in the States and Nepal were fantastic. I went in April of 2024 to Everest base Camp. I am 70 and a very experienced hiker. I like to be prepared. Jeff and his staff answered my many questions promptly both by email and phone calls. t
The staff in Nepal was exceptional. My guide Peru and Asst. guide Sedrue (sp) were absolutely the best. They waited on us in the tea houses and every time I went to put my pack on one would run over and help. I was very prepared for the hike and had no issues with altitude or exertion. Everything was well planned and carried out. One note though. The weights can be confusing on what porters carry and what you can take on flight to Lukla. It all worked out but be sure to know weights and if they are given in metric or standard. The porters were also incredible. These people are truly superheros ( do yourself a favor and buy them Snickers ever once an awhile :). Enjoy the entire trek. It's the journey not the destination. Hope this was helpful and thanks to Explorers Passage

Date of experience: April 09, 2024

When my friend and I decided to try and book the "O" Trek in Torres del Paine, Chile we knew that three months before leaving was a bit late. This was confirmed as we spoke to some sources from the net. When we found Explorer's Passage, Jeff was very up front on the difficulty. He started working on our request and reported back promptly on issues and choices. We were prepared to face less than what we wanted. Ultimately, after what I think was a lot of effort on his and his teams part, they returned with what we hoped for. We were very happy with the arrangements made on our behalf - everyone of the connections went without a hitch - the drivers who picked us up were on time or early enough so the hotel let up know they had arrived. Each of the people we interfaced with on the journey were helpful and always met our expectations. Of Jeff's people, Sarah Horton took very good care of us, patiently answered email inquiries (getting back with some of our detailed questions about showers, food and opening/closing times).
I have a very good friend that wants to do the trip and will send him Jeff's contact information. I know it will work out well for him!

Date of experience: January 18, 2024

We used Explorer's Passage to help coordinate our trip to Chile - specifically the activities in and around the W-Trek in Torres Del Paine. Every detail was handled expertly, we were informed and advised perfectly, all the tickets were sent before departure and Explorer's Passage really made the trip a very easy, simple adventure by handling all the sticky logistics.

Date of experience: February 28, 2024

Jeff and Carly did a great job organizing our W Trek trip in Patagonia! We were a group of 10 traveling together and making all the transportation arrangements, lodging and meal reservations, etc., on our own would have been very tricky. I feel like their services were an incredible value and well worth it!

Date of experience: February 19, 2024

The whole team at TEP is so helpful and went out of their way to ensure we had an amazing experience on our Patagonia trip. They were extremely knowledgeable on the area including hotels, restaurants, hikes and activities. Our trip process was completely seamless including multi-day trekking with permits and transfers around very remote regions. I cannot recommend them enough!

Date of experience: January 22, 2024

This trip was perfectly planned and executed with helpful advice and documents from Explorer's Passage including packing lists, tickets/transfers and daily descriptions. The travel; air, bus, pickups from bus stations and airports was perfect. The logistics of getting to Torres Del Paine Nation Park and hiking the W Trek can be daunting but Explorer's Passage made that part easy. The routes planned and executed gave this father/son duo a trip of a lifetime. Explorer's Passage had our backs so we really never worried and just enjoyed the hiking, sights, and the great outdoors. Having visited 55 countries I have a lot to compare to and this was the best trip of my life.

Date of experience: January 11, 2024

Jeff and his team were fantastic...I shared with them that I was looking for an AR experience and I want to indulge but also get close to nature and the outdoors and hike. He put together a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience to Buenos Aires and then Patagonia. I knew nothing about South America...he prepared me and everything about my trip was great. It went smoothly and I felt prepared, safe and it was amazing. Everything was fantastic.

Date of experience: December 16, 2023

This company has been nothing but AWESOME!! Jeff and Carly really paid attention to what I was wanting out of our trip and catered it to us. Their attention to detail and follow through was on point. They were there to answer all questions and made sure we were having a great time. I highly recommend and we will be using them in the future as well. Thank you both :)

Date of experience: December 25, 2023

Our family just returned from a 6-day trip to Peru curated by The Explorer’s Passage. We had a magical time in beautiful Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu, Peru, thanks to Jeff and Carly, who worked with us every step of the way. So much thought and care was put into the selection of our hotels, suggestions about where to eat and what to do, getting us prepared for our hike on the Inca trail, and of course putting us in the care of our guide extraordinaire, Neptali. We made some amazing memories on this trip, and cannot wait to use the services of The Explorer’s Passage as we plan our next adventure! A special shout-out to Marissa for introducing us to The Explorer’s Passage :)

Date of experience: December 18, 2023

After researching the locations and activities most important for our Costa Rica trip, we found Explorer’s Passage. Never having traveled with guides or having someone doing the planning we found ourselves in paradise! Jeff was knowledgeable of the areas and offered additional suggestions for activities. He was prompt with communication and took care of every little detail including our vegetarian diet. Our guides in Costa Rica were outstanding, informative and so willing to share information. While on our trip the communication continued to be sure we were happy and there were no glitches. Everything ran like clockwork from start to finish. We thought this would be a once in a lifetime trip but find ourselves planning our next adventure with EP. An outstanding company in every way. “Pura Vida” is truly a way of life in Costa Rica.

Date of experience: November 29, 2023

Our family of six worked with Jeff and Sarah at The Explorers Passage to plan our visit to Machu Picchu, specifically the Inca Trail Express. TEP is an invaluable partner in handling all logistics including permits, transportation, entry passes, accommodations, itinerary and most importantly a local guide. Our guide, Neptali, was the absolute BEST and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with him. He made all the difference. Jeff and Sarah provided all the pre-trip support and guidance to ensure our trip was a success, and on-the-ground support if needed. They went above and beyond to make recommendations for our time in Cusco too. Our trip was flawless thanks to their organization. Our experience with TEP exceeded all expectations. We highly recommend using them for your next adventure!

Date of experience: November 25, 2023

My wife and I just got back from Patagonia after completing the W Trek that Explorers Passage had arranged for us. From our first contact with Jeff Bonaldi to our last transfer, our experience was stellar. Jeff guided us through the rather complicated logistics and was very responsive to concerns before and during the adventure. His focus was always on how to make the adventure memorable not on the bottom line for his company. I rarely write reviews but felt compelled to do so because our experience was beyond 5 stars. While we are still able, we will plan another adventure trip and we will use Explores Passage without a doubt!

Date of experience: November 14, 2023