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Mission Statement

Adventure Life is committed to providing quality small group tours that have a positive impact on the local culture and environment. Groups are rarely larger than twelve, and each tour is designed by the company's founder with the goal of providing a fun and exciting holiday, while creating a better understanding between travelers and our wonderful hosts.

Everyone acknowledges the two sides of conservation – ecological and cultural – but little attention is paid to the latter. Adventure Life believes it is critical that local people be made active partners in developing a local tourism industry. Money generated by tourism should stay in the community. This means hiring local guides, staying in locally owned hotels, and using the local transportation infrastructure – issues that have been at the heart of our travel philosophy from the beginning.

Background Information

After spending a few years living and working in Ecuador, Adventure Life Journeys founder Brian Morgan decided to return to his native Montana. Armed with a masters in economics from the University of Montana and a list of contacts from his time abroad, Brian set about filling the void that he saw in the Latin American tour market.

From its inception Adventure Life’s philosophy has centered on small groups, handpicked native guides, and locally owned accommodations. The initial trip offerings were focused on cultural immersion, and while the most popular tours today still have a heavy cultural emphasis, also on the roster are single and multisport adventures and ecological discovery tours.

In the beginning Adventure Life consisted of Brian, his cell phone, laptop, and a simple tri-fold brochure of his trips. Today, the tour catalog is a glossy, 48-page affair. The staff of twelve full-time employees in Montana and numerous country coordinators abroad is rounded out by an assortment of part-time interns, bookkeepers, office dogs, and of course, the cornerstone of Adventure Life, the wonderful guides.

South American Tours

Adventure Life's South American tours are steeped in Andean culture, and strive to introduce people to the area as travelers rather than tourists. They offer tours from 7 to 17 days long, ranging from quick visits into the jungle to comprehensive overland journeys. Classic sites like Machu Picchu are on the roster, along with off-the-beaten path adventures (expedition kayaking in the Amazon basin). While these tours are affordable, they spare no expense when it comes to finding the most exceptional local guides to lead their trips.

Central American Tours

The attractions of Central America are as varied as they are many: white sand beaches, lush rainforest, coral reef teeming with life, towering volcanoes, limestone sinkholes and spectacular caverns, vine-covered Mayan ruins – a multisport adventurer’s heaven.

From the rugged to the relaxing, our adventures in Central America feature small lodges, naturalist guides, and a wide taste of what the region has to offer.

Multisport Adventures

At Adventure Life they realize that people are looking to squeeze more variety into their limited vacation time. To that end, They have put together a number of multisport adventures that keep the blood pumping through miles of spectacular scenery. Costa Rica and Belize are well known for the myriad activities available there, and their itineraries there include sea kayaking, spelunking, and more.

Far from the standard Peru circuit, Adventure Life's Manco Multisport trip combines mountain biking down the Andes, hiking in cloudforest, whitewater rafting, Manu Wildlife Center in the Amazon, and a short hike along the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Similarly, on their Mayan Multisport tour in the highlands of Guatemala, clients explore lush cloudforest, peddle past stately volcanoes, and kayak across the azure waters of a deep caldera lake before spending the night with friendly Mayan hosts. The trek on their Ecuador Adventurer multisport adds an extra incentive – at the end of the trail are the thermal waters of Papallacta Hotsprings.

Local Focus

Exploring with a guide from the local area creates an intimacy that’s just not possible with a North American guide. Many trip leaders are tri-lingual, speaking not only Spanish and English, but often Quechua or, in the case of Dolores Ratzun in Guatemala, Tz’utujil. That means that whether travelers are in a rural village or browsing the Sunday market, their guide can create an immediate rapport with the locals and share the interactive experience with the adventurers.

While using local guides helps shape a profound and memorable experience, it’s just one of the ways Adventure Life strives to introduce their clients to Latin American culture. Adventure Life is one of the few North American companies that offers homestays as part of their tours. In Peru travelers have the opportunity to spend the night with a family on the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, and in Guatemala the hospitable K’iche Maya families of Totonicapan open their homes. They also have local coordinators in each country of operation, adding a personal touch as well as added security should travelers have an emergency while abroad.

Story Tips & Ideas

1. Homestays: A few Of Adventure Life's tours offer travelers the chance to spend a night or two with local families. The Highland Discovery and Mayan Multisport tours in Guatemala both spend two nights with families in the village of Totonicapan, while guests on our Inca Pathways or Panoramic Peru trips spend a night with the Quechua people of Lake Titicaca’s floating islands. These homestays of just a night or two might be rustic, but they provide profoundly memorable and sometimes enlightening experiences.
2. Amazon Adventurer: This 8 day trip in Ecuador includes expedition kayaking down the Shiripuno River in the Amazon Basin. Paddling through Huaorani territory, travelers stop to meet these fascinating indigenous people, and learn about medicinal plants from a native Huaorani guide.
3. Earth Family Fund: Building on the success of Adventure Life's Helping Hands volunteer and aid program at the San Vicente de Paul Orphanage in Quito, Ecuador, Adventure Life founder and owner Brian Morganhas created the non-profit Earth Family Fund (EFF). EFF, still in its infant stages, will provide financial and volunteer assistance to local communities throughout Adventure Life’s countries of operation.
4. Turtles and Rainforest: This hands-on trip in Costa Rica is great for families. Groups of no more than 6 guests stay at Pacuare Nature Reserve, helping researchers tag and measure the giant leatherback turtles that nest nearby. Travelers also help dig up the turtle eggs and rebury them so poachers can’t find the nests. Combined with a whitewater rafting trip and a few days at a remote rainforest lodge, the Turtles and Rainforest trip is a perennial favorite.
5. Manco Multisport: Bike down the slopes of the Andes towards the Amazon jungle, ride the wild whitewater of the Kosñipata River, hike through endangered cloudforest, and get close and personal with the wonderful wildlife of one of the world's greatest rainforest reserves - Manu National Park. Afterwards, take a charter flight back to Cusco and trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. A tremendous adventure in the Andes and Amazon of Peru.
6. Patagonia by Sea: Board the intimate motor yacht Cahualla for a truly unique exploration of the Northern Patagonian fjords and the charming island culture of Chiloe. Far from the beaten path, guests visit small fishing villages only accessible by sea, explore fantastic temperate rainforest and isolated natural hotsprings in Pumalin Park, and enjoy the freshest seafood and delicious meals along the way.
7. Mayan Multisport: A different adventure awaits travelers each day as they explore lush cloudforest, peddle past stately volcanoes, and kayak across the azure waters of a deep caldera lake. Guests are steeped in local culture as they share in the daily lives of our Maya hosts, who graciously open their homes to guests for a night. Some time is spent exploring the colonial city of Antigua before bidding farewell to the natural and cultural treasures of Guatemala.

Memberships

International Galapagos Tour Operators Association
The International Ecotourism Society
America Outdoors
Adventure Travel Trade Association
International Mountain Explorers Connection
Leave No Trace
Better Business Bureau