Pura Aventura

A tailor-made holiday specialist for Latin America and Iberia

Pura Aventura is a UK travel company, based in an office "by the sea in Brighton," that designs and sells tailor-made holidays in Central and South America, Portugal and Spain. It is not a day-tour operator: its trips are multi-day itineraries built with local partners, and the homepage says "Our itineraries are built in partnership with trusted locals," adding "Treat these as inspiration; our destination experts will work with you to create the perfect trip." The destination menu lists Antarctica, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador & Galápagos, Peru, Portugal and Spain, with the Azores, Osa Peninsula and Patagonia named as regions. Prices are shown in pounds sterling per person, and the site has separate UK and US versions.

The About page tells the origin: "a chance meeting of a Brit, a Spaniard and a Basque in Torres del Paine National Park," with first journeys in Patagonia in 1999. "Over the past 25 years, we've expanded from Patagonia to more of Central and South America, Portugal, and Spain." The team page describes an "ever-expanding network of guides and partners" and says the company keeps "long-term, direct relationships with local experts" to "remove needless middlemen." The site presents the holidays as delivered on the ground with those local hosts, guides and lodges; it does not describe guides employed by Pura Aventura itself.

Sample itineraries and prices

The homepage shows sample trips with a per-person price and a length:

• Caribbean to Pacific: Costa Rica's Hidden Highlights, £4,300 pp for 19 days, marked "Bestseller!"
• Walks, Villages & Flavours of the Aracena Hills (Spain), £1,400 pp for 8 days.
• Argentina: Salta to Mendoza Road Trip, £6,950 pp for 20 days, marked "New!"
• Rio & Beyond: Brazil's Hidden Highlights, £6,900 pp for 15 days.
• Chile to Argentina: Hidden Highlights of Patagonia, £6,500 pp for 17 days.
• Azores Island Hopping: Whales, Wine & Volcanic Wonders, £2,950 pp for 10 days.
• Ultimate Peru: Incas, Andes & Amazon Rainforest, £5,500 pp for 14 days.
• Alentejo's Rural Walks & Coastal Trails (Portugal), £2,300 pp for 9 days.

The menu sorts holidays by type: Family Adventures; Food, Wine & Culture; Multigenerational Trips; No-Fly; Special Occasions; Walking; and Wildlife Wonders. Menu teasers point to Costa Rica's "Seasonal highlights, from breaching whales to nesting turtles," Spain's "Spring walks, summer family fun, autumn strolls & winter sun," and a coast-to-coast Costa Rica journey "in Kate Humble's footsteps."

How the trips work

Because every holiday is tailor-made, the sample itineraries are starting points rather than fixed departures. The company says it listens "carefully to your interests and needs, then weave together tailored adventures," and promises "someone on the other end of the phone," whether you are still planning or "need an on-the-ground tip once you're abroad." It describes its style as "inch-wide, mile-deep," focusing on a handful of destinations, and says clients stay in "incredible small scale accommodation" with "genuine local connections" instead of "Corporate hotel chains, Instagram hotspots, and scripted smiles." A "Share your holiday plans" link starts the planning.

Sustainability is central to the pitch. The homepage says the company "was born with the vision of a kinder, more considered way to travel," sharing "often less-travelled places in a way that protects and benefits the environment and the people who live there." The site describes its Travel Positive program as "a sustainability initiative described as 'one of the travel industry's most ambitious' by The Independent," says it has been a "Certified B Corp since 2020," and says it co-founded Travel by B Corp.

What the trips look like on the ground

The press page is the best guide to the kind of places the company sends people. It lists a National Geographic Traveller feature on how "volcanic soil and Atlantic isolation" shaped Azorean cooking, a piece on Boipeba in Brazil with "wheelbarrow porters, kaleidoscopic reefs and not a single car," a Brazil adventure "within two hours of Rio de Janeiro," and a family break in the Azores with "Volcanoes, whale-watching and thrillseeking rib rides." Costa Rica gets several stories: what its indigenous communities teach about conservation, the food of its Caribbean communities, a cloud forest search for the quetzal, and Kate Humble's guide to a Costa Rica "that feels wilder, gentler, and quieter."

The careers page describes the trips as "one-of-a-kind itineraries that can only be created when you really know a place," and says its clients "tend to head for the awe-inspiring corners that others overlook." It also says the company has "won numerous industry awards," without naming them on that page.

Protection, reviews and contact

The header lists "Feefo Platinum 5-star rated" and "Fully ATOL and ABTOT protected." The careers page adds that the company is regularly featured in "the Financial Times, Wanderlust and National Geographic Traveller," and the press page lists National Geographic Traveller stories on the Azores and Costa Rica and a piece quoting "If you want to truly get under its skin and meet the people that call Brazil home, look to Pura Aventura." Contact is by phone on +44 1273 676712, with lines open "Mon - Fri: 9:00 - 18:00 GMT" and closed at weekends and holidays, when the site asks customers to email instead.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The homepage, About and press pages do not set out booking conditions (the footer links to Terms & Conditions): they give no deposit, payment schedule, cancellation scale or list of what the sample prices include (flights, meals, guides, park fees). Nor do they give group sizes, which fits a tailor-made model, and they give no fitness or age guidance for the walking and wildlife trips beyond the family and multigenerational categories. Anyone comparing companies will need to ask for them before committing.

The strengths are clear. Pura Aventura has decades in its core destinations, publishes indicative prices and lengths for its sample trips, carries ATOL and ABTOT protection, and backs its sustainability claims with B Corp certification. It suits travelers planning a longer trip to Latin America, Portugal or Spain who want an itinerary built around them, families and multigenerational groups, and anyone who wants wildlife, walking and small lodges rather than a coach tour. It is not the place to book a single day activity or a fixed group departure.