From Panama to Patagonia, Blue Parallel’s Luxury FIT Tours Offer Exclusive Adventures

Luxury FIT tour company Blue Parallel has been guiding travelers on epic adventures in Latin America for more than 20 years. Bespoke tours of the Mediterranean, the Arctic and Antarctica were added over time. 

The company is known for its private itineraries, which provide insider access and immersion opportunities; examples include a private meditation with a renowned local shaman on Blue Parallel’s Machu Picchu tour, and gathering with Sami people in Sweden’s Lapland.

Emmanuel Burgio, founder of Blue Parallel, spoke with TravelAge West about the company’s early years and how his team works with advisors. 

You launched Blue Parallel back in 2003. What brought you to take on such an endeavor?

A little about me: I was born in the Netherlands, but grew up in Cannes, France. My mother is from Austria, and my father is French, but he was born in Tunisia from Italian parents. So, I have this international background.

I went to university in London, studied economics and got a job in investment banking in New York City after that. I lived there for a few years, working crazy hours, and eventually I needed to take some time off.

We are a good fit for the traveler who's looking for that insider access — who's looking to be picked up before immigration in Athens, who's looking for something very unique. This is where we excel.

I decided to see and experience the world for about a year. I backpacked around Australia, South America and Southern Europe. It was an awakening for me — a real wake-up call. I had an offer to go back to the bank I was working for, but I remember going to an internet cafe in Cape Tribulation, Australia, and sending a message to my ex-boss saying I wasn’t going back. And that is where the Blue Parallel story started.

That’s a serious pivot, from banking to travel. What was your first tour offering, and who came?

It was kind of a grassroots approach at the beginning. Our first destination was Machu Picchu, and our first product was essentially long weekend getaways for my ex-bosses, who were busy and short on time.

We took them to see the ruins of Machu Picchu and Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, kind of in an express fashion. Then over the years, we expanded our footprint throughout South and Central America, always with a focus on UNESCO World Heritage sites.

We were fortunate, because in the early years we got contacted by Bobby Haas, who just passed away last year. Bobby was well-known in the financial world, and he partnered with National Geographic to create an aerial photography book [“Through the Eyes Of The Condor: An Aerial Vision of Latin America”]. It was kind of a philanthropic project; Bobby hired us in the early years to help him capture Latin America from the air.

What did that entail, and how did it help Blue Parallel?

It was a fascinating three-year project that helped us grow our footprint within South and Central America. And about 12 years ago, we decided to expand our reach further, developing a few destinations within the Mediterranean. We aimed to create a product there that had the same ingredients as our successful Latin America trips.

What are those ingredients?

We focus on privacy, exclusivity and insider access. We create outdoor adventures that are once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We have connections with national park directors, politicians, business leaders, art collectors and Olympic athletes, to name a few. So, depending on the interest of the travelers, we are able to open those doors.

We have connections with national park directors, politicians, business leaders, art collectors and Olympic athletes, to name a few. So, depending on the interest of the travelers, we are able to open those doors.

Eventually you expanded to the Arctic and to Antarctica. Tell us about that growth.

Bobby Haas reached out to me about another project — an aerial photographic project of the Arctic, over regions that are north of the Arctic circle. We did it, but at that time, I did not find “luxury ingredients” [in the destination], whether it was accommodations or yachts that would be a good fit for FIT clients. But when I was researching the region just prior to the pandemic, I saw that the pieces were now there. We officially launched Arctic offerings after the pandemic.

What does a typical booking look like? Or, what can an advisor expect from the process?

Exclusivity and privacy are key, and a booking could be a couple, a group of friends or a family. It could be a multigenerational family.

Usually, an advisor reaches out to us and tells us about their client. For example, maybe a family group has traveled to New Zealand and to Vietnam and now they're thinking of going to Patagonia.

The agent is then going to be put in touch with a member of our customer care team who is familiar with Patagonia, who has been there with Blue Parallel and knows the destination and the product inside and out. They will then have a conference call so that we get a very good understanding of the profile of the family, including the interests of each member of the group. We would then check availability, put a custom itinerary together and price it out.

Some clients have done more homework, and some just kind of give us the key to the car. On average, couples and families are traveling anywhere between one week to 20 days. Our travel expert is the point of contact for the advisor every step of the way, from the first phone call on. We'll provide the travel advisor with almost daily updates as the trip occurs as well, via the on-the-ground guide and the customer care expert. Then there is a post-trip debrief call. It’s a very hands-on approach. 

Blue Parallel recently launched products in the Azores, in Basque Country and on the Pacific side of Panama. Can you share details on one of those?

Let’s look at Panama. We already had a product in our portfolio in the destination, focusing on the Caribbean side, where you have the San Blas Islands, a very unique archipelago still governed by an Indigenous community, the Kuna. It looks like paradise: crystal clear waters, white sand, coconut trees. It's completely untouched, with no electricity and construction. On our product there, you take a small private plane from Panama City, and when you land on a remote landing strip, there's a catamaran waiting for you. This isn’t a luxury yacht, but for some it’s appealing to be off the grid like this.

So, we were looking for another type of offering, something for a different crowd. I started spending some time on the Pacific side of Panama, and I found some great options. There’s a beautiful property that belongs to the Prince of Liechtenstein, who is married to a Panamanian. They are happy to receive guests when they're not using it. So, this is one option that could be a great fit for a family. It comes with their horses, a tennis court, a soccer field, two private beaches. 

Then, I really enjoyed my stay on Isla Palenque, where you have a number of casitas right on the beach. You might take a shower outside while looking at howler monkeys, and then you just go for a dip in the ocean. Then there are islands nearby where we take our guests on a private boat so they can have a nice picnic and go snorkeling and so on.

[But clients might start] in Panama City, where they’re going to see the canal in a VIP way, see historical highlights in the old part of the city and experience the flora and fauna of national parks just outside of the city. Then we go to the islands.

RELATED: Visiting Panama City? Where to Eat, Where to Stay and What to Do

Another incredible property option is called Isla Secas. It’s an archipelago that was acquired by a hedge-fund businessman with a passion for fishing. He bought 13 islands and has a fleet of boats that are specialized for sport fishing, and he built his own house on top of a cliff on one of those islands. Then, he decided to build small villas, with panoramic views over the archipelago. It's a boutique property now, and a top-notch operation with scuba diving instructors, fishing instructors, the best chef, a doctor on property and a small private plane that takes you to and from the archipelago to Panama City. 

What are your top-selling destinations?

It’s ever-shifting. I would say traditionally Patagonia is at the top, and other destinations where you have access to nature and where you don't have to be surrounded by the masses. Prior to the October 7th attacks, Morocco was one of our top destinations. This year Iceland is one.  

What else should advisors know about working with Blue Parallel?

We partnered with Virtuoso about 12 years ago, around the same time that we launched our Mediterranean product. And ever since then, we've had really great success. We have developed and enjoyed long-lasting relationships with a community of travel advisors who understand what we do; they understand that our product is really niche.

We are a good fit for the traveler who's looking for that insider access — who's looking to be picked up before immigration in Athens, who's looking for something very unique. This is where we excel. Once clients are on the ground, everything is private. In each destination there will be a host or a guide, there will be a personal driver, there could also be a chef and a waiter, who might prepare gourmet picnics. It is always in private — no group tours, no joining other people. The only exception is in the Galapagos, if clients book cabins on a boat instead of chartering their own boat.

Advisors can learn more about Blue Parallel in our monthly webinars, which we have been hosting for years. Every month we showcase one of our destinations and one of our products in it. This enables us to connect with the travel advisor community, and the meetings are recorded and available on our travel advisor page. Our commission rate is 12%, and more information on that is there as well.