Meet Us!
We are a small company bringing you unique, active trips that connect you to landscapes and communities in Latin America. From our home office in Evergreen, Colorado, we develop and run our trips with our partner companies and local guides in Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Peru. Founder John Watson started Aventouras to build on his previous travel and experiential education work in Belize, Vermont, and Colorado, his extensive travel throughout Latin America, and his environmental work with the National Parks Conservation Association, World Resources Institute, Conservation International, and others. Jennifer Ryan works out of the Evergreen office running trip and office operations, marketing, and everything else that holds the company together. Brian and Lisa Mullis (not pictured) provide expertise in sustainable travel and marketing design from their office in Oregon, and Samson the black lab makes sure we don’t spend all day inside.
Our partner companies and local guides across Central and South America make our trips unforgettable. We can’t list them all here, but below we highlight a few of them.
Cristobal, Peten, Guatemala
Cristobal is our guide on the three day trek through the Peten jungle to the incredible Mayan ruins of Tikal. Cristobal lives in the tiny Mayan community of Cruce dos Aguadas in the biosphere reserve, and has been instrumental in bringing community-based tourism to the region. Along with extensive knowledge of the forest he brings playful exuberance to the 30 mile trek, as when on a recent trip he stopped along the trail and quickly demonstrated “mayan clothes” to the group.
Hector, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador
Hector is one of the guides at Yachana Lodge in the Ecuadorean Amazon rainforest. Yachana has been called the best example of true ecotourism in Ecuador by the author of the Lonely Planet guide. The beautiful lodge is on the banks of the Rio Napo, a two hour motorized canoe ride upstream from Coca, where we fly into from Quito. Hector, who grew up in a tiny community nearby and has an intimate knowledge of the rainforest, takes our groups on rainforest walks, night hikes, and a dugout canoe float down the Rio Napo.
Maria Isabel, Cuzco, Peru
Maria Isabel is one of our guides in Cuzco, Peru, the ancient city of the Incas. Cuzco is our base for exploring Macchu Pichu and the Sacred Valley on foot, by bike, and white water rafting. Maria is an expert on the ruins just outside Cuzco, where we spend our first day as we acclimate to the high elevation.
George “Chino” Coleman, Punta Gorda, Belize
Chino Coleman was born and raised in Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District, Belize and guides our trips to the Sapodilla Cayes in southern Belize. He was formerly a fisherman and then went to college in Belize City. He returned to Punta Gorda and started working as a guide with some training from our local partner, TIDE Tours. He has now been guiding for six years and leads sea kayaking, snorkeling, and fly fishing on our trips to the beautiful and remote Lime Caye.
Juan Carlos, Antigua, Guatemala
Juan Carlos is one of our guides in Antigua, Guatemala, and loves leading hikes up Pacaya, a volcano located just outside Antigua. The hike is about 4 hours, with an elevation gain of about 1600 feet. We stop for a picnic lunch on the way down at a spot very close to where this picture was taken, with a perfect view of both the volcano and the surrounding mountains and countryside. Juan Carlos also enjoys showing off his beautiful hometown of Antigua, a lively city of colonial architecture, vibrant streets, and shops, restaurants, and museums—all of which we explore in between volcano hikes and kayaking the nearby Lake Atitlan.
