Imagine swimming with caiman!  Maybe.  Piranha? No way! Travel crumbles stereotypes and beliefs.  For me, one belief crumbled was the danger of swimming with piranha, the feared aggressive carnivorous fish of the Amazon, fish with razor-sharp teeth that can rip flesh and devour prey in a matter of seconds.  During my first trip to the Amazon in 2001, on a hot, sultry day exploring in a canoe, our guide, Max, who continues to guide my groups to this day, encouraged us to hopt into the water and cool off.  As protector of my group, I was incredulous as I asked, “Are you sure it’s safe?  Aren’t there piranhas in these black waters of the Rio Negro?”  READ MORE

The Brazilian Pantanal – the best place on Earth to find jaguars in the wild!  A wildlife paradise! The most spectacular river and wetlands sunsets ever! The Pantanal, the world’s largest fresh water wetlands, is found in the southwest corner of Brazil and is teeming with exotic wildlife. We provide the opportunity to explore deep into the Pantanal via small boat, in the back of an open-sided safari truck, and hiking.  As we discover local flora and fauna, we also learn about the life of the pantaneiro, the cowboy of the wetlands, how he and his family live with the ebb and flow of the waters. Local cuisine is always fresh and tasty. READ MORE

Ghana – an illustrious nation on the Atlantic coast of Africa is a spectacular display of culture in its arts, cuisine, music, dance, and hospitality at the same time, a conflation of diverse language, geographical and historical backgrounds who effectively combine indigenous governance with partisan democratic dispensation. Located in West Africa between Côte d’ Ivoire and Togo, Ghana has sixteen administrative regions and 54 language groups who speak English officially. READ MORE

Cuba…“Es complicado.”  “Tranquilo, Vannetta, estas in Cuba, tranquilo.”   The two most common phrases I hear almost every day in Cuba.  It is complicated and difficult to understand at times, even for the locals.  But..relax.  Chill. In this complicated, beautiful, vibrant country, we experience the best Cuba has to offer in the way of cuisine, visual and performance arts, history, flora and fauna, and time – time to savor every sound, taste, smell, sight, and touch – time to develop friendships, chat, smoke a cigar while sipping locally distilled ron, while you sit on the portal of your casa particular with your new Cuban family after a pleasant evening meal with them. READ MORE

This unique program will include sites and activities chosen by you!  It can be as long and as in-depth as you wish, to locations you choose. Areas you might want to consider include Valladolid, Merida, Calakmul, Kantemo, Tulum, and Chichen Itzá. 

We can provide an overview of the most popular ex-pat communities of the Yucatán and others that few consider, but are wonderful, safe communities in which to live. Merida, Campeche, Valladolid, Izamal, and Progreso are just the beginning! READ MORE