About Us

Our Founder

When at 5 years old Argentine-native Alejandro Varrente received stitches in a tiny Patagonian town for trying to cross a mountain stream with his brother, little did he know that he would return to the region time and again, haunted by the beauty of SouthAmerica’s wilderness and that same desire to explore the vastness of the area. After a brief time living in the US working in the Travel Industry and with now over 15 years of experience exploring the sub-continent from the Pacific over the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean and from Northern Brazil to the Southern tip of Patagonia -where he owns a second home- he decided to found Breaking Trails and share his experiences with discerning travelers avid to visit South America.

“My goal is for people to visit South America avoiding the usual tourist traps and exploring the area through meaningful local experiences meeting real people. Being on-site allows us to test every hotel, activity taste every meal and wine we recommend enhancing the travelers experience significantly”

He is also a nature and wildlife lover, having visited India and Africa many times. His wife, Lucila and kids Catalina and Benjamin are now part of the Breaking Trails Testing Team, trying new properties, restaurants and finding hidden gems to share with the world.

Breaking Trails has recently been awarded the Top Zicasso Travel Specialist Award for the second time since 2012.


In mountaineering, to break a trail is to lead the party into a new undiscovered path through a forest, up a mountain or into deep snow. At Breaking Trails we believe that everyone should have that feeling of being the first one to gaze at a stunning landscape or feel the wind in his face when reaching a lake shore, so we made it our goal to help travelers feel that every sight they witness, every path they set foot on, every forest they smell they are the first ones there, experiencing it for the first time.

Breaking Trails specializes in highly personalized journeys to South America, created for discerning travelers who expect the highest level of service and attention to detail, tailored to their interests, schedule and preferences providing true insider access to meaningful local experiences with a focus on nature, wildlife, art and culture.

We offer a varied portfolio of tours, walks, treks and expeditionary voyages to the area’s most astonishing spots. From the biggest metropolis to the most remote destinations in Patagonia, from the hot and humid rainforest of the Iguassu Falls to the perennial ice of the glaciers we help our clients hike the Inca Trail in Machu Picchu, Peru, horse-back ride in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, drive along the Atacama desert across the Andes and through the Puna to Argentina’s northwest region for a taste of its distinctive Torrontes wine, fish the crystal-clear rivers and streams of the lake region in Argentina, relax at a unspoiled beach in Fernando de Noronha, ski the high Andes in Mendoza and Portillo and enjoy an après ski Malbec, meet the penguins on an expedition cruise to Antarctica or get to know the private art collections (and the artists themselves) in Buenos Aires along with its remarkable museums and European heritage while riding a bike along the city’s bike paths, dance with the locals at a samba concert in Rio and enjoy its unique nightlife sharing a few caipirinhas.

We understand that a good night sleep, a warm bed and a succulent breakfast are the key to making the most out of the day’s activities. For that reason, we only work with a few handpicked properties with character and soul while trying to avoid huge impersonal hotels.

We use a mix of luxury accommodations and boutique hotels and depending on the destination even luxury tents similar to the ones in African camps.