Things to do in Douro Valley, Portugal: Douro River Cruise

This region in Northern Portugal is packed with incredible natural beauty. Besides, from hiking in the Douro International Natural Park to wine tasting and leisurely boat trips, the area offers experiences for all tastes.

With spectacular natural views, great architecture, some jaw-dropping train rides, along with boat, kayak, and hiking trips, this area needs more than a day or two to visit it.

Douro region Portugal

DOURO REGION PORTUGAL: YOUR NEXT TRIP DESTINATION

The Douro Valley is among the most stunning places you´ll ever visit. We know it for sure because the wine culture and the tradition here have created a landscape unlike anything we’ve ever seen in this world. Moreover, some of our favorite (and soon yours as well) viewpoints in Portugal are located in the Douro Valley and after getting here you´ll see it with your own eyes.

Taking guided tours in Douro Valley

By choosing a guided tour in the Douro Valley, you will experience a different kind of trip and will have plenty of photos and memories that will make you want to return. Our guides have many fantastic stories to tell you about the place and great spots to show you. All along the way, you will find many spectacular views and places that you will fall in love with. After all, any Douro Valley tour will awaken your taste for good wine and for a beautiful landscape.

SOME MUST DO´S IN DOURO VALLEY

There are always many things you can try when visiting a new place, but among the best things you can do when you are in the Douro Valley are the following:

  • Go back in time by visiting old villages

  • Discover the place by boat

  • Visit the Parque Natural do Douro

  • Hike through the Valley’s old paths

  • Kayak the Douro River

  • Visit one or more of the museums

  • Taste the World-Famous Port Wine

  • Visit one or several of the Oldest Quintas in the area

  • Harvest the grapes during the “Vindimas”

  • Take a train trip

BOAT TOURS IN NORTHERN PORTUGAL

Does sailing the Douro River in a boat tour sound like a good idea? Then jump in and enjoy a privileged view of the valley with its famous and unique vineyards, some amazing terraces, wine farms and the refreshing water of the river.

A boat tour here gives you the opportunity to sail through a stretch of the Douro River that cannot be seen from the main roads. Moreover, you can stop to take a refreshing dive in the waters of the river.

Douro River cruises

Douro River in Portugal: perfect for taking a cruise

Douro River is settled in the Iberian Peninsula and it flows for about 550 miles coming from Northern Spain through Portugal. A great part of this river in Spain is not considered navigable. This is the main reason why the river cruises on the Douro River take place mainly in Portugal and some on the far western part of the river in Spain.

Douro river cruise in Portugal

Douro River flows from north-central Spain all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Many years ago, the Port wine was floated down the river to be cellared in Porto, but nowadays you can see cruise boats of all shapes and sizes along it.

One of the best things to do in Douro Valley is to take one of the Douro River cruises that you can combine it with a wine tour & tasting at a vineyard in the area.

The views from the boat are simply stunning

Vineyards of Douro Valley

WHY CHOOSE BETWEEN DOURO RIVER CRUISES

A river cruise along the Douro River is the perfect way to see some amazing landscapes form Spain and Portugal.

Besides, among the activities you can do in the Douro Valley, the cruises are between the most popular ones. Many of them include lunch on board or the possibility to take a refreshing bath in the waters of the Douro River.

The perspective you will have about the vineyards and the wineries in the region cannot compare with the one that you have when on land.

A Douro River cruise means a lot of discoveries, small pleasures and relax. Chances are that you’ll be dreaming about that Douro magic sail long after you get home.

Douro region Portugal

Float on a Douro Valley River cruise

If you want to know closer one of the largest rivers in the Iberian Peninsula, the Douro River, along with its magnificent surrounding landscapes, the best way to do it is by boat. For this to happen, you have various alternatives, like short mini-cruises, one-day or several day cruises and even cruises on hotel boats that have accommodation included.

Douro River cruises give you the chance to stop and visit several spectacular cities and villages that are along the route.

Most cruises in Portugal depart from Porto and one of the most popular stops is the picturesque town of Pinhão. A must-see attraction here is the railway station, which has some amazing ancient tiles on its walls.

Some other fascinating stops are the village of Bitetos or Régua.

Immerse yourself into the Douro Valley life

Harvest the grapes during the “Vindimas”

River boat tours in Douro: try a different experience

If you want to take a short trip, one of the most popular is the one that includes sailing along the six bridges of the Douro River. Don´t miss the chance to admire the architecture of the bridges or the wonderful sight of Porto as seen from the Douro River. These images will stick with you for a long time.

CATCH A BOAT TRIP ON DOURO RIVER FROM PORTO

The cruise boats that leave from Porto are passing through the beautiful stepped slopes of Port wine terraces so you´ll encounter here one of the most impressive rural landscapes you´ll ever see.

Porto has a charm of its own that is even more appealing due to the boats that are floating in the water beside it. If you want to know a bit more about this marvelous city, take a peek here.

Porto is also home to an extraordinary culinary scene, as it counts with numerous food markets, trendy cafes, some elegant dining rooms and of course traditional taverns.

Pop between the best Douro River cruises

Compared with other known European river cruises (like the Rhine, Danube, or Seine), Douro is placed right in the middle of a UNESCO-protected site. Along the way, you can see the stunning Quintas, the vineyards, the best-known Douro Valley Wineries, and at the same time enjoy as you breathe, rest, relax and dream…

Douro River cruises

Sail the Douro River with us

If you want to get lost in one of the most unspoiled corners of Europe, give yourself the pleasure to slide in the most incredible river cruise on the Douro in Portugal. Enjoy the wonderful sights and be ready to be amazed.

Join us to experience one of the most amazing cruise you can have in Portugal!

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Les Shelton
May 7, 2025
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My wife Lauri and I just returned from 10 days in Spain. We were lucky to have worked with Samuel Rojo and Paloma Benty from Carameltrail. They both provided us with great recommendations on what to see and how many days in each city we needed. They were excellent in providing Really knowledgeable guides for us in Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona and Malaga. Also, I became ill during our last few days in Malaga and they were on the phone providing us with medical advice, changing our rail tickets , making sure all of our drivers were able to meet us and help with our luggage. The concern they had for us was wonderful! We would highly recommend them to anyone traveling to Spain who would like to travel independently of a large group. Again , Thanks to Samuel And Paloma Les Shelton and Lauri Vinick
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Fay Minert
May 26, 2023
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What a fun way to travel! Samuel and his staff planned our visit to Spain and it was perfect down to the last detail! Our transfers were worry free, with drivers picking us up at every location and taking us back and forth to the wonderful activities they had planned for us. We really got to know each city through bike and segway tours, food and walking tours, cooking classes and a flamenco show. Everyone was kind and friendly, accommodating minor changes with grace and answering all our questions. We’re so looking forward to traveling with you again, it was such a pleasure! Thank you!
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Michael Dougherty
July 4, 2025
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Carameltrail travel specialists were absolutely fantastic! Samuel did a great job of helping us plan our trip. They coordinated everything from hotel reservations, transfers, tour guides, car rental and train trips. Paloma provided excellent assistance during our stay. She helped us out when we got lost driving, making train schedules and even finding medical service. We would highly recommend them for your travel needs.
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Tony Vettese
October 20, 2022
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Samuel and Paloma put together an outstanding trip for our family of 5 adults. We put the itinerary together with Samuel who had tremendous knowledge of places, guides, transport, restaurants and experiences. They looked after us throughout and responded instantly to any requests or concerns. An absolutely great travel experience.
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Annette Guarisco Fildes
June 27, 2025
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What a perfect trip planned for us by Angela and Paloma at Carameltrail. We moved around a lot and they handled it all without a hitch. They took the time to learn what we wanted, from fun in Barcelona to walking the El Camino trail for a spiritual experience. The tours they arranged were fantastic with expert guides who shared so much about Spain’s treasures. They answered any questions we had before or during promptly and with just the info and choices we were looking for. They are very professional and talented. Use them for a trip to Spain!
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Greg Schertz
April 7, 2026
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We had an absolutely fantastic trip to Spain and Morocco, with every detail handled by Carameltrail, specifically Angela, and then also Paloma during the actual travel. We loved working with Angela, going back and forth to fine tune our itinerary. She asked the right questions to make sure the itinerary matched our preferences for tours, hiking trails, photo ops, types of lodging, guides, etc. She handled every detail to perfection, making hotel reservations, plane and rental car reservations, drivers... everything! The lodging they set up for us was spectacular and memorable with unique and friendly boutique hotels. And when we had questions during the actual travel, Angela and Paloma were always available, at all hours!!! They even surprised us with special tips during the travel so we were able to enjoy some of their local favorite eats and activities. We highly recommend Carameltrail and will use them again!!
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Loren Howley
April 1, 2025
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Outstanding travel organizer! They listened well; capably planned our trip based on our interests, energy levels and budget; organized and arranged all the details of our journey; stayed in touch and graciously helped us when we needed to make changes during our trip due to weather or other circumstances; efficiently arranged for activity refunds when appropriate; and were always pleasant and helpful. Highly recommended!
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Wayne Cole
June 16, 2025
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This is the second time we have dealt with Samuel and Paloma, and both have been exceptional. They were in constant contact with our guides, making sure nothing went wrong. If we decided to alter plans in the middle of our trip, no problem. I would recommend them to all.
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ever carbonell
June 3, 2025
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I took my 2nd trip with Caramel Trail recently and it was an outstanding experience (just like the 1st time). Caramel Trail's attention to detail is second to none. Every step of our trip was meticulously planned and every driver and tour guide was well organized, knowledgeable and friendly.
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A. Jackson
February 28, 2024
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We had an absolutely exceptional trip to Madrid, Spain. Samuel from Caramel Trail did an extraordinary job planning every detail from the moment we arrived until we left, we enjoyed the quality of service they provided and had an amazing experience. If you're traveling to Spain don't hesitate to get in touch with this excellent company.
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Raviender Bukkapatnam
September 23, 2022
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This is by far the best experience we have ever had with a travel agency.. Travel agency does not quite do Samuel and Paloma justice. They are a concierge level team that attended to our entire families requests to create a most perfect experience in Spain and Portugal. Their attention to detail, knowledge of the entire country, and choosing only the best hotels, services, tour guides is impeccable. We give the highest recommendation possible.
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Ronald Husdon
October 27, 2025
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Last year we did Spain and Portugal with Caramel Trail. This year we did Morocco. They provided us with a guide and a driver for every day we were there and some wonderful hotel accommodations and various local experiences. We had a great time and Caramel Trail is simply the best.
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Natalia Perez
May 31, 2023
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We had an amazing time. We visited Morocco last week for 10 days. What an experience! Samuel, Paloma and the entire team were great. We visited Fes, Marrakech, Essaouira, and Casablanca. I definitely recommend, the Sahara and the camel ride!
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Abby Silbert
March 23, 2024
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I cannot say enough about our experience with Carameltrail! They arranged a trip that completely met our desires, tastes, and budget, and constructed an itinerary that allowed us to enjoy every minute without having to think about where to go, what to do and how to get there. It was no thinking, just doing!!! It was PERFECT!!! The attention to detail, follow up, checking in, and things booked for us were incredible! The hotel choices were AMAZING! The tour guides/locations were FABULOUS! And the experiences, including a Tapas Tour and a Cooking Class, were AWESOME!!! I actually want to travel to another location that they work with solely for the reason that they provide services there! I could not be happier with Carameltrail! They provided us a trip that we will never forget!!!
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kashyap kansupada
May 28, 2025
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Thanks to Caramel Trail, we had a memorable and stress free visit to Spain!! The venues, docents, and experiences in Seville, Granada, and Madrid were all top notch. Would not change a thing. We appreciate their attentiveness throughout our trip as if they were with us the entire time. Out only disappointment is that we couldn’t use the Carameltrail team for all our trips abroad :) Thanks, Angela and Paloma, for orchestrating a magical trip!
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Julius Green
September 22, 2025
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Our vacation was outstanding and camel trail was very responsive to all of our needs. We planned together and everything worked out perfectly. I will use them when we go anywhere they cover. 5 huge stars. May even ask them for references for areas they do not cover. Also all our guides agreed with the excellence of this company.
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Susan McCully
October 7, 2025
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We had such a wonderful time on our trip with CaramelTrail. We had wanted to walk/hike throughout Northern Spain, studying the culture, visiting wineries, tasting pintxos and tapas along the way. Samuel and Paloma were able to provide all of these opportunities. Both drivers and guides were so helpful, knowledgeable and fun to be with. We highly recommend using Caramel Trail as a travel agency.
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Pamela Johnson
June 7, 2023
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Just returned from an amazing trip to Portugal! It was our second trip planned by Carameltrail. Paloma and Angela put together a trip that satisfied all of our desires. We also used Angela for our trip to Spain and Morocco. I highly recommend Carameltrail and Paloma and Angela for your next trip.
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Gary Blackledge
July 26, 2023
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Recently, my wife and I enjoyed our second trip planned with Caramel Trail. In 2019, we had an amazing trip to Spain. More recently (June 2023), we enjoyed a trip to Portugal with my wife's family. Just like our trip in 2019, Caramel Trail went above and beyond to make each and every experience 5-star! Our hotels in Porto and Lisbon were extraordiary and centrally located, which were very important to us. We had an array of tours, gastronomy, and wine tasting experiences and every guide and driver that we had were exceptional. Caramel Trail also made sure to set us up with outstanding restaurant reservations to make sure that we enjoy the delicious, authentic, and local cuisine of these great cities. After using them for two separate and incredible trips, I cannot recommend Caramel Trail enough!!
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Linda Pettes
May 17, 2023
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I had the most amazing time in Spain Caramel Trail design the trip just for us. It met all our needs and more. If you want to customize a trip for Spain, Portugal, or Morocco, Caramel Trail is the place.
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Chris von Boetticher
August 29, 2025
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Our family of 4 (2 adults and 2 teenagers) just returned from wonderful trip to Portugal and Spain (Lisbon, Porto, Santiago, Ribadesella and Bilbao) expertly planned and supported by Angela and Paloma at CaramelTrail. We enjoyed all the hotels, private guides (including for city tours, cycling, kayaking and hiking), rental cars, transfers, and restaurants that were organized for us and greatly appreciated the on the ground support throughout the trip. I would highly recommend CaramelTrail for similar trips to Portugal and Spain.
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Michelle Varhol
October 3, 2025
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Booking our trip with Carameltrail was a no-brainer after our first trip to Spain. It was an incredible trip. This time we traveled to beautiful Portugal. They created a custom itinerary that perfectly balanced sightseeing, culture, and relaxation. Everything was so well organized—transfers, tours and accommodations all went smoothly. We loved how they included authentic experiences, like a guided food tour in Porto, a day trip through the Douro Valley wine region, a stop in a small historic village and time to relax along the Algarve coast before heading to Lisbon where we enjoyed a city tour that was custom to what we wanted to see. We ended our trip with an amazing day trip to Sintra and Cascais with a sailboat trip back to Lisbon-definitely a highlight and a perfect way to end our trip. Each recommendation felt thoughtful and tailored to what we wanted out of the trip. What impressed us most was their attention to detail—they provided tips on local restaurants, hidden gems, and even other sights we might want to see if we had extra time. We never once felt stressed; we could just enjoy Portugal’s beauty and culture. This trip was unforgettable, and we definitely recommend Carameltrail for your next adventure!
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Mike Gosline
June 16, 2022
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Caramel Trail is amazing! We've taken two trips that the Caramel Trail team organized and they've both been perfect. The first trip in 2017 was six weeks in Spain and the second trip in 2022 was six weeks in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. Both trips were excellent. Samuel and Paloma know how to take care of every detail to ensure a great experience is had by everyone. They really work hard to ensure an amazing trip and it shows. I feel very lucky that we found them to help us plan unforgettable vacations.
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Deanna Polito
August 4, 2023
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Caramel Trail provided us with a fantastic experience for our honeymoon! They planned every detail of our trip, making sure to include us in the planning process. The activities planned and suggested by Caramel Trail were all wonderful, and the suggestions on how to spend our free time were much appreciated. Everything in Spain and Portugal was amazing, and we're hopeful that we will get to use Caramel Trail again for future trips!
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Jeff Farlow
October 28, 2025
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We worked with Angela and the team at CaramelTrail to plan our trip to Portugal and Spain, and they were absolutely fantastic. When our outbound flight was canceled and we lost a day of travel, they quickly and seamlessly adjusted our itinerary so we didn’t miss a single activity. Throughout the trip, there were several moments where we needed to make changes, and they patiently and efficiently handled every request with zero added stress. They were incredibly responsive to our preferences and even introduced us to a few experiences we wouldn’t have found on our own, which ended up being some of our favorites. I’d highly recommend working with them to create a trip that’s truly tailored to your vision.
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Don Werner
April 15, 2024
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We just returned from our third trip to Spain and Portugal. Carameltrail has planned all of them and they've all been amazing. We had friends with us who had never been to either country before. It was so nice to know that all the guides, hotels, and activities that Carameltrail uses and plans for are top notch and provide excellent service so that our friends would have just as amazing a time as we've had before. Samuel and Paloma never disappoint! We could not be happier that we found Carameltrail. They think of every detail and are so great to work with.
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Janine Prestegaard
December 6, 2024
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100% Confidence in Angela and Paloma. They created and executed an amazing 9 day trip for my family of 9 to travel from Barcelona, to Seville, to Cordoba, to Malaga, and then Granada. Angela was so patient in the planning process. Listened to our objectives, created a plan, and then updated it many times until we thought it was perfect. And, it ended up being more than perfect. Once we arrived in Barcelona, Paloma took the lead and was available 24/7..immediately responding on WhatsApp. At every turn, transportation was top notch. Great drivers and great vehicles. Hotel at Malaga was 5star...exactly what we needed...a warm, cozy LHW oasis after a long week situated perfectly in a dynamic walkable city. All the activities they arranged were either super fun, super delicious, or super cool. Site seeing, food tours, bike tours...the guides were also so easy going, relatable, and accommodating. They always had the best restaurant recommendations...no need to question them. Every reco was perfect. We would recommend them 100000%.
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M.A.D. #2
November 16, 2022
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My wife and I recently returned from a two week trip to Spain which was arranged for us by Angela Vigil Martinez and Carameltrail. It was a fantastic vacation from beginning to end. Angela helped us plan out the itinerary and arranged for all our drivers, guides, train reservations, and hotel accommodations. We had several pre-trip telephone calls and emails during which Angela carefully listened to our interests and provided us with many excellent recommendations to plan our itinerary. There were a lot of moving parts, but, despite this, everything worked out seamlessly. Angela was in constant contact with us throughout the trip and incredibly responsive to any minor problems we had. We would definitely use her and her agency for future travel, and are recommending her to our friends. She made this vacation an excellent experience.
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Gregory Lippard
January 12, 2026
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Angela and Paloma are the best. This is the second time we've used them and have also referred many friends to them. Their meticulous attention to every detail is incredible. Thanks for the memories!!
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Brooke Carroll
December 28, 2024
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Samuel of CaramelTravel organized four day-trips for my family during our 2-week visit to Spain: two in Barcelona, one in Madrid, and one in Toledo. For each trip, our tour guide was excellent! The guides were experts in the topic of the day and the region, friendly, helpful, and kind. In planning our trip, Samuel offered many options and worked with us to create just the right excursions. During our trip, Paloma stayed in close contact, ensuring that we had a resource in case we needed anything. I can't speak highly enough about our experience with CaramelTravel- the service was outstanding! Thank you!

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