Sunvil overhauls Latin America programme

Highlights include a luxury Galapagos cruise, a private camper journey across the world’s highest and largest salt flats and a chance to visit one of the planet’s most diverse national parks. The operator is also introducing a new month-long South America “grand tour” spanning Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Brazil.

The operator says the programme offers its widest range of immersive holidays and experiential tours to date.

New for 2018, the 10-day “Culture and Unwind” tour of Colombia – which is still largely unexplored by UK visitors – takes in Bogota, the Andes and the tropical Caribbean coast.

Sunvil’s itinerary also includes a tour of Villa de Leyva, a 16th-century Spanish colonial town, a visit to the country’s Arabica coffee plantations and exploration of the Unesco walled city of Cartagena, where Spanish, African and Caribbean cultures collide.

Tours start from £2,650pp based on two sharing, including accommodation, private transfers and guided tours, with non-stop flights from Heathrow to Bogota.

Elsewhere, new to Sunvil’s programme is the Playa Cativo lodge on the shores of Costa Rica’s Piers Blancas National Park – some 35,000 acres of tropical forest bordering the Pacific coast, featuring diverse wildlife from howler monkeys to toucans and scarlet macaws.

The boutique hotel offers ocean and rainforest views, a freshwater swimming pool and farm-to-table dining thanks to its organic farm.

A seven-night stay at Playa Cativo with bed and breakfast accommodation, return flights to Gatwick and transfers starts from £2,499pp, based on two sharing.

Also new for 2018 is a seven-night Galapagos cruise from £6,054pp (two sharing) traversing the archipelago’s 19 volcanic islands, and including a Patagonia cruise and two Antarctic voyages.

Sunvil is also offering a private tour of Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni salt flats in a deluxe camper, with a guide and cook, starting from £1,150pp (two sharing) including full-board accommodation and other transport.

Its grand tour – comprising nine nights in Peru, two in Bolivia, six in Chile, seven in Argentina and six in Brazil – costs from £8,675pp (based on two sharing), including return flights from Heathrow via Amsterdam.