Leo Cuesta
I'm the founder and president of Uncharted Earth, an adventure travel company that specializes in lesser known and relatively undeveloped travel destinations. We seek out unspoiled nature destinations and authentic experiences to give our customers exceptional adventures that go way beyond typical tours.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"Mountains, rainforests, tropical islands and volcanoes; hiking, snorkeling, diving, climbing, kayaking and mountain biking. Anything active in a beautiful and unspoiled nature setting. We also specialize in interacting with indigenous people and immersing people in traditional culture. "
How did you get involved in travel?
"I've always loved nature-based travel. As a kid I couldn't wait to escape the city to spend weekends at my dad's farm or longer vacations in the mountains or by the sea. I'm a professional dive master and also love to go climbing, hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, skiing, kayaking --- pretty much any active endeavor done in nature. In my mid twenties I decided to make a career out of my passion for nature and adventure. I went to business school then worked for adventure travel companies in the US and Colombia before setting up my own adventure travel company. "
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"In 2011 I had a new company and also a new dog that I adopted. I wanted to explore some very remote islands in the Philippines, accessible only by very long rides in a small boat, braving big waves in the Pacific. I couldn't find anyone to leave my dog with so I had to bring him with me. It was a fantastic trip to some of the most spectacular islands in the Philippines that few people have ever been to, and I had my big white fluffy dog with me riding huge waves, exploring caves, camping on pristine beaches and snorkeling coral reefs. You can read about the adventure here: http://www.uncharted-earth.com/en/community/travel-stories/babuyan-islands-reconned/ "
Leo's favorite itineraries and travel advice
Top itineraries and travel advice
Palawan's exotic geography and diverse vegetation are exceptional in a country that already has its fair share of awe-inspiring sights. This six-day adventure will have you...
Trek through the Philippines' Cordillera and marvel at its natural and cultural heritage. Discover famous rice terraces, quaint villages, sacred waterfalls and rivers, extensive...
On this eco-friendly tour, you will get to swim with wild whale sharks in a protected and responsibly-managed environment. Considered the best place in the world to see the...
Recent trip reviews for Leo
Trip of a Lifetime
the United States
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Feb 13 - Feb 18, 2023
My best friend, my dog, and I took an unforgettable road trip through California, all thanks to our incredible travel specialist Leo! From the planning stages to the actual trip, Leo's attention to detail, expertise, and personalized touch truly made this trip one of the most fun and special trips I've ever been on :)
We traveled from Santa Barbara to San Francisco up the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at the most beautiful beaches along the way! One of the highlights of the trip was our... read more
Hi Olivia,
Thank you for your wonderful review and photos and I'm glad you guys had an awesome time in California! Thanks for working with me for your trip and I hope to arrange another adventure for you in the future!
PS: Nice tattoos!
Leo, was a pleasure to work with from start t...
the United States
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Apr 23 - Apr 29, 2023
Leo, was a pleasure to work with from start to finish. He provided excellent ideas, listened to our input and planned a great trip.
He even sent specific directions with suggestions on what to wear and weather updates.
We had a couple snags along the way (which is expected when you travel) but Leo was attentive and helped us determine the best possible outcome.
If planning a trip is to stressful, let Leo do it for you.
We highly recommend him and Kim Kim. read more
Hi Robyn,
Thank you for your detailed review and great photos. I'm glad you had a wonderful trip. It was a pleasure working with you and I look forward to helping you with another vacation in the future!
Wow! What a stunning honeymoon adventure!
Philippines
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Apr 11 - Apr 20, 2023
Wow! What a stunning honeymoon adventure! Thank you so much to Leo for organising a truly memorable adventure of a lifetime! El Nido and Coron were spectacular spots and our guides, Rich and Jhonas, were brilliant hosts too! We will definitely be back! read more
Thank you for your great review Chris! I'm very happy that you and Naoki had a wonderful honeymoon in the Philippines! It was a pleasure for me and my team to show you a bit of our country and we look forward to taking you on another adventure in the future!
Amazing Trip in El Nido!
Philippines
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Dec 4 - Dec 8, 2022
My time in El Nido was amazing, and it was all thanks to Leo and the staff at Uncharted Earth! Leo took care of everything and answered all my questions and concerns in such a timely fashion and patient way. I was super anxious about traveling to the Philippines alone for the first time, and because Leo organized everything for me, I was able to enjoy my time there without having to worry about all the little details. El Bacuit Tours was also amazing, and the tour guides who work for the... read more
Hi Dorothy,
Thank you for your wonderful review and I'm glad you had an amazing time in El Nido! It's great to hear that you were happy with all the guides and hotel staff and loved the islands!
Thank you choosing to do this trip with us. It was my pleasure to put it together for you and I look forward to organizing another great vacation for you in the future. My company also specializes in Colombia and the Western US --- please keep us in mind if you ever consider visiting those amazing places!
Exceptional Experience
Philippines
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Nov 18 - Nov 27, 2022
We had the most memorable first time in the Philippines thanks to Kim Kim and the wonderful staff from Unchartered Philippines. We get to Manila and Ana picked us up and toured Intermesos. She was nice, sweet, informative. The next days we spent in Palawan starting with Rich in Puerto Princessa for one day then 4 in El Nido. You can really tell the passion and knowledge Rich had about the country, Palawan. He was personable and friendly. The drivers were great and our tours with Mike and his... read more
Hi Janice,
Thank you for your review and I'm happy your family had a wonderful time in the Philippines! It was a pleasure for us to show you a bit of our country and we look forward to taking you on more adventures in the future!
Utah National Parks -Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Arches, Canyonlands + Lake Powell and Grand Canyon
the United States
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Oct 30 - Nov 13, 2022
Leo was amazing in putting together a seamless and unforgettable national parks trip. He was super communicative and came up with a flexible plan that allowed us to get some remote work done during our time away as well, as he arranged unique weekend guided tours and self-guided hikes during the week. He understood our goals with hiking and came up with trail options that matched the technicality and difficulty level we were looking for. The guided tours were so much fun and we had really... read more
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for your great review and I'm very happy you guys had an amazing trip! The parks in Utah and Arizona are some of my favorite places in the world and I'm glad that you guys had a great experience visiting them.
Thank you for working with me on this trip. It was a pleasure for me to help you put it together and I look forward to organizing another adventure for you in the future!
Everything was great.
the United States
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Nov 4 - Nov 8, 2022
Everything was great.
The tours were excellent. I was a little late to the ATV tours in Sedona because I did not have enough time to drive from the airport to Sedona.
The grand canyon was impressive.
The antelope tours were great but very busy.
One note: communication was very challenging when we were trying to finalize all the details because Leo was in a remote part of the world and had very bad service.
Hi Edward,
Thanks for your review and I'm glad you had a great trip! Thank you for working with me on this trip and I hope to organize another adventure for you in the future!
Wine country and more..
California
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Sep 20 - Sep 25, 2022
We had a fantastic trip through Napa Valley, Monterey and San Francisco. Leo helped us plan outings such as a day long ebike tour through the wineries, horseback riding on the beach and a hike through the redwood trees. He was so responsive to our questions and great to work with! Thank you, Leo! read more
Thank you for the wonderful review and photos Kirsten! I'm glad you guys had a fantastic trip! Thanks for working with us and I look forward to putting together another great adventure for you in the future!
We had a great time on our trip! Our vacation...
the United States
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May 20 - Jun 4, 2022
We had a great time on our trip! Our vacation guide was very well put together and was full of information. We really appreciated not having to worry about bookings.
Hi John, I'm glad you guys had a great time! Thank you for working with me, it was a pleasure helping you put together your trip. Thank you for your review and for sharing the wonderful photos of your Southwest adventure!
I made the mistake of indicating that I didn'...
the United States
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May 28 - Jun 5, 2022
I made the mistake of indicating that I didn't have a budget but I didn't intend that to mean I have no budget at all. I meant that I wanted to see what the hotel options were and choose the ones I liked best taking into consideration cancellation policies and location. I ended up in two *very* expensive hotels unnecessarily in my opinion. I have shared all this with my travel expert.
Hi Marion,
Thanks for sharing your photos, looks like you had an amazing trip! Thanks for working with me to put it together and I hope to organize another trip for you in the future.
Terrible planner - no local knowledge
the United States
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Jun 1 - Jun 18, 2022
We had a prior wonderful experience with KimKIm on trip to Morocco. Because of that we selected KimKim for our trip to Alaska.
Our planner went to Alaska once as a child, and lives in Las Vegas. He has no local knowledge. Examples:
1- What'd you know about Sitka we would like to go? "I do not know much".
The plan we are given takes ferry booked leaving Wrangell to Juneau arriving 3:45AM two days later.
We then book a one day return flight from Juneau to Sitka the for the day we... read more
Hi Richard and Carol,
Thanks for your review. It sounds like you had a great Alaska trip except for the Wrangell-Sitka-Juneau portion where the planning could have been much better. That is my fault and I apologize for not catching the fact that your ferry’s route had it going to Sitka before Juneau. There are two ferry routes from Wrangell to Juneau, with the other one going directly with only a stop at Petersburg and not making the very out of the way trip to Sitka. I thought that you... read more
California road trip
California
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Mar 30 - Apr 9, 2022
Leo gave us an excellent itinerary for our California road trip. The hotel choices were always in a convenient location and the details in the hiking trails was appreciated. Links to google maps were provided. We spent time in Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Sequoia, Monterey & Carmel.
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip Carolynn! Thanks for working with us and I look forward to arranging another adventure for you!
Best 10 day California family road trip!
California
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Mar 25 - Apr 3, 2022
I can’t thank Leo enough. We had the best family vacation yet to Northern California and the coast. He took so much time get all the details, where to eat with fabulous restaurant picks, order of how to see the National Parks. (Sequoia and Yosemite) Fabulous reservations. Everything went seamless. I don’t think I will travel without an agent.
Hi Amy,
I'm so happy your family had such a great time! It was a pleasure helping you put together your trip and I look forward to arranging another great adventure for you guys!
PS: Awesome pics!
Leo arranged one of my best vacation week. N...
California
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Oct 17 - Oct 21, 2021
Leo arranged one of my best vacation week.
Not only he is knowledgeable about local hidden trails but also all other adventure activities.
I highly recommend Leo for west coast destinations.
Hi Lynn,
I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation! Looking forward to more fun adventures with you when you're back in Vegas!
Overall the trekking was very well organised ...
Philippines
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Feb 8 - Feb 15, 2020
Overall the trekking was very well organised with excellent commumication leading up to the trek itself. The rice terraces of Ifugao were truly amazing and better that I expected. Loved the villages and the warm welcome we received throughout our journey. Our guide Marvin was very friendly and led us through well, and has a superb knowledge of the local area, the environment, its people and its customs.
We had to make some initial route adjustmenst due the poor weather and track... read more
Hi Dennis, thank you for your review and I'm glad you had a great adventure! Thank you for choosing to travel with us and we hope to go on another trip with you in the future!
Hiking in Ifugau
Philippines
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Feb 8 - Feb 15, 2020
If you are looking for an adventure then book yourself the Ifugao Villages Trek.
Forget the telephone and fl-yin rescue teams. You depend on your buddies and the locals.
We combined our trip with a trip to Sagada. (8 day tour including travel to and from Manila.
Our tour guide Marvin is a local and answers all questions regarding the Ifugao region.
Unfortunately the day we arrived in Sagada all tourist attractions got shut down due to the covit-19.
Marvin took us back to Banaue where we were... read more
Hi Armin, thank you for your review and I'm glad you enjoyed your trip! Thank you for choosing to travel with us and we hope to go on another adventure with you in the future!
Philippines Ifugao and Northern Palawan tours
Philippines
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Dec 29 - Jan 1, 2020
Leo helped me plan 2 great adventures in the Philippines. Highly recommend!
Ifugao Trek: Jody was an AMAZING guide for the Ifugao trek. Very knowledgable, personable, genuine, fun, and kind. He went out of his way to make sure we got the experience we were looking for while also being safe. We had such a good time we would love to bring our parents back to share this awesome experience. One of the best tour guides we had, that is now a friend .
Northern Palawan Tour: Jhonas was very... read more
Hi Joleen,
Thank you for your review and I'm glad you enjoyed your honeymoon trips with us! It was a pleasure having you as our guest and we hope to go on another adventure with you in the future!
JoyB
Philippines
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Jan 8 - Jan 23, 2019
I wasn’t sure what to expect as this was my first trip to the Philippines and my first experience with kimkim. The trip more than met my expectations and frankly, I was blown away. Leo from Uncharted Earth kept in touch, answered my questions, and made and adjusted arrangements quickly and graciously. He sent photos, bios and cell numbers for everyone I would be guided by in the Philippines so I knew who was supposed to be meeting me. While in the Manila area the guides, Don-Don, EJ and Jhon... read more
Thank you for the detailed review Sara, my team and I are all very happy that you had such a wonderful time with us! You were a great guest and we hope to go on another adventure with you in the future!
Law Family Tour
Philippines
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Dec 27 - Dec 30, 2018
Our trip was wonderful..Our drivers Ana and John were excelkent .Friendly and amazing druving skills and patient with our regular stops. They were wonderful to accomodate another person in our tour at the last minute.Marvin our guide was good and found great restaurants fir lunch Hillside Inn in Batad and Misty Inn in Sagada were both charming and served delicious food.
The terraced rice fields and Echo Valley were amazing and despite the long drive well worth it.Abother trip off my bucket list.Thanks Leo for your help and advice
Carina Law
Hi Carina, thank you for your feedback and I'm glad you had a wonderful trip! It was a pleasure for my team to show you a bit of our country.
We also do tours in Colombia, another amazing country. You might want to consider that for your next vacation!
Thank you for traveling with us and we hope to take you on another adventure in the future!
Active
Philippines
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Aug 8 - Aug 12, 2018
Johnas was WONDERFUL. Thank you for a wonderful trip. Everything was handled expertly.
Thank you for your review Blair, I'm glad you had a great trip despite the less than perfect weather! Thanks for choosing to travel with us and we hope to go on another adventure with you in the future (we also do trips in Colombia, you might want to consider that for your next vacation)!