The Gringo Trail

It all started in the early 2000’s when good friends Chad Carey and Greg Carter shared a passion for everything Latin American and a frustration over the inflexibility and lack of value in the travel modes available to visitors to South America at the time. Over a few beers at a boat race, whilst in London, they decided it was time to do something about it.

Chimu, the Latin America and Polar Specialists were born. We offer fully flexible, guaranteed itineraries to Latin America and cruises to Antarctica and the Arctic. We don’t use the word ‘specialist’ lightly: we truly know what we are talking about. We don’t stretch ourselves across the globe, but instead keep our focus on Latin America and the Polar regions making our knowledge unbeatable. We invest heavily in recruiting staff with top knowledge of these destinations – our Destination Specialists have either lived or travelled extensively in Latin America and the Polar regions - and ensure their knowledge is contemporary and relevant with regular field trips and training.

You can choose from over 400 itineraries or pick and choose elements to build your own unique experience. We know each Latin American country and each Polar vessel by heart and will work with you to determine which ships, hotels and activities are best suited to your needs. Whether you’re planning on going solo, as a couple or with the whole family, our styles of travel cater to all ages and travel styles.

From your initial enquiry until your trip ends, you will be assigned a personal Destination Specialist who will offer a full service for your travel needs: we can book flights, insurance and any ancillary travel required to complete your journey. We even have our own offices in Latin America so there is always someone available to assist while you are in country.

We live by the ethos LIVE FOR TODAY and one of our trips will allow you to do just that.

We are generally ideal for couples or small groups of people wanting to visit Antarctica and get independent advice on the best ship to take them there. We're also experts in preparing tailor made trips around Latin America for couples and small groups. Most commonly our clients are 50-70 years of age are open minded to learning and where possible learning as much about the enviroment and cultures in the areas that they visit.