Viva Expeditions Reviews 

Reliable friendly helpful staff people on the ground

Great trip. All guides were knowledgeable and friendly. The touring in the Atacama desert was supposed to be with a group but it wasn’t - the one on one with a guide for multiple days was very intense!

Pick up’s on time. Our names displayed on arrivals except once in Peru where the guide did not hold our name and my wife spotted him while walking past. Hotels in prime locations and perfect. All the flights booked perfectly. Seriously I loved how Viva organised this trip for us.

Viva Expeditions were a dream to deal with. Any concerns were dealt with quickly. Their experiences were sheared and they produced our adventure that was truly amazing. As one of our much traveled partners said, "the best holiday ever"

Viva expeditions provided a unique experience through maintaining a high standard throughout the entire trip, in all facets of the offering. Arrangements were clear and easy to follow, the entire trip was very professional.

The local guides we had in Mexico were friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about their area. They were prompt at picking us up each morning and helped us with check in at the next hotel or airport.
We saw and did a wide range of activities. If there was anything we didn’t want to do then we weren’t pressured into doing it. All the guides had good English.

Of course the stunning locations Buenos Aires, Iguazu, Rio de Janeiro.

Excellent local guides at each destination;informative, patient, good personality.

And well done Viva agent Beke Grossman at Albany NZ

I booked a 19-day cruise on board the Ocean Victory to Antarctica, South Georgia, and The Falklands through Viva Expeditions. I greatly appreciated Viva Expeditions for: (a) keeping me mind, based on an enquiry made a couple of years ago, when an attractive discount became available on this cruise, as I could not afford the regular pricing; and (b) for expediting the whole booking and ticketing process, including Q&A. Thanks!

Fabulous and well organised tour of Ecuador, Colombia and Central America. Our 2 month trip ran very smoothly. Great communication throughout the planning process and the trip itself.

Viva helped us book our Antarctic cruise and were responsive to any queries we had.
Pia took over our booking seamlessly when our initial agent moved on.
Everything went smoothly during our expedition so we are delighted with the experience. Thanks.

Viva really delivered!
From the first conversation about our trip, they truly got us and tailored the places, Chile / Argentina hotels, dinners tours and the Australis Cruise to build a truly memorable experience. They and their in-country people were very responsive, and nothing was too much trouble. Would highly recommend them for their knowledge of the locations, attention to detail, and in-country connections.

We recently returned from Viva Expeditions' Signature Rio to Buenos Aires Tour, which we experienced in reverse—starting in Buenos Aires, continuing through Iguazu Falls, and finishing in Rio de Janeiro. While I was initially apprehensive about the trip due to unfamiliarity with the region, concerns about language barriers (I speak neither Spanish nor Portuguese), and questions around safety, I’m thrilled to say those worries quickly melted away.

Each destination exceeded expectations. Buenos Aires was vibrant and elegant, Iguazu Falls absolutely breathtaking, and Rio de Janeiro both energetic and stunningly scenic. At no point did we feel unsafe—on the contrary, the locals were warm and welcoming, and the cities felt as safe as any major international hub.

The organisation of the tour was seamless from beginning to end. Each transfer, guide, and tour component was executed with precision. Guides and drivers were consistently early, fluent in English, and exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable. The "hand-offs" between different parts of the journey were smooth and gave us complete peace of mind throughout.

The hotels chosen by Viva were a perfect mix of comfort, location, and style:

Loi Suites Recoleta in Buenos Aires was charming and well-located in a lovely neighborhood.

Mercure Iguazu Hotel Iru offered a serene jungle setting with modern comforts.

PortoBay Rio Internacional in Rio provided unbeatable views of Copacabana Beach and great access to local sights.

We were fortunate to have excellent weather throughout the trip, which only enhanced the experience.

Some standout highlights included:

The Buenos Aires Highlights tour and the unforgettable Fogón Asado dinner experience – a true culinary delight.

The Parque das Aves bird sanctuary in Iguazu – a peaceful and engaging visit.

The full-day Corcovado & Sugarloaf tour in Rio – breathtaking views and unforgettable photo ops.

All in all, this tour delivered in every way. It was a well-curated, culturally rich, and perfectly-paced introduction to South America. We returned home with wonderful memories, a new appreciation for the region, and gratitude for Viva Expeditions’ attention to detail.

Highly recommended!

Viva Expeditions organised my trip from start to end including flights, hotels, local transport to and from accommodation. The trip was well planned. Enjoyed the whole experience and made new friends.

My expedition to Antarctica and beyond was well organised by Viva Expeditions. The whole journey went to plan, and I enjoyed everything. Pia did an excellent job organising the expedition and kept me well informed on everything.

The tours, guides and experiences that Viva arranged for us in South America all exceeded our expectations. We had a great time and saw and experienced some amazing things in South America. When we went to leave and one of our party had their passport stolen at Santiago airport, Viva and You Travel Bethlehem (our NZ Travel Agent) went above and beyond in their support of our party. Viva had no hesitation in providing a car with driver who could interpret English/Spanish for us in dealing with the necessary people in order to resolve our situation. Way to go Viva! Even the NZ Embassy were impressed with the level of support that you gave us. Thank you.

Absolutely the best experience of our lives. The great, professional, and kind staff made it even better.

We loved all the walking tours chosen for us in Costa Rica by Viva. Some accommodation was amazing and some not so great. Transfers between towns was not always reliable. We were told to be contactable by WhatsApp but no-one ever contacted us and when we tried to make contact most were not contactable via WhatsApp so we felt a bit out on a limb by ourselves. However most were issues we resolved and it didn’t take away from what was a fabulous trip in Costa Rica. We believe Viva should market this destination far more than they currently do.

We had such incredible guides in each country; Bryan in Santiago, Alexandra in Uruguay, Gabriella in Buenos Aires, Emmanuel in Iguazu, Mariana and Wilcelia in Rio.
Every experience was unique and each guide was just so passionate about their own city. Each guide also arrived at least 15 minutes sooner than the advised meeting time. Magic days were spent with these people.

This was for a booking on behalf of my clients :-)
I love working with Viva Expeditions as they make the whole process seamless.

This was the feedback e-mail from my clients 😊

"Omg. It was the best. Fab company that met us and gave us tours. Hotels were amazing. Loved the whole thing. Would highly recommend."

There were some uncertainties when I left NZ regarding a booked excursion. This was unclear also as if included or not. The itinerary came in 3 different documents and was not correct a couple of times on what was included and what was not. I made the original booking 1year ahead of time and my original travel adviser left the company before the final itinerary was put in place which may have caused some issues. Otherwise I enjoyed my holiday, saw the northern lights and found a new appreciation for snow filled cold destinations. Claudia