DMC TOOGO PROFILE

My name is David Roa, and I am the Product Manager at Chaska Tours, a Colombian DMC specializing in custom trips throughout Colombia, with a focus on nature, culture, local experiences, and tailor-made itineraries. We have over 20 years of experience designing and operating tours throughout the country for international travelers, primarily from Europe and North America, with a strong presence in German-speaking markets.`

An Essential Tip for Traveling in Colombia

My top recommendation for anyone traveling to Colombia is to keep an open mind, but also to plan carefully. Colombia is a very diverse country and offers countless possibilities: nature, culture, cuisine, archaeology, cities, communities, mountains, jungles, rivers, and coastlines. That’s precisely why it’s important to clearly define what you want to see and experience in the country, so you can make the most of your time there. Leaving room for surprises is part of the journey, but having a well-thought-out itinerary makes all the difference.

What I Like Most About Colombia as a Destination

What I like most about Colombia is its enormous versatility. It’s a diverse, welcoming destination with many different ways to be discovered. It caters very well to different types of travelers: those seeking nature, those interested in culture, foodies, those who prefer community-based experiences, or those who simply want a comprehensive first glimpse of the country.

A Standout Experience or Product

We have many experiences that we enjoy, but speaking from a personal perspective, one of my favorites is a visit to the Cerros de Mavecure in the department of Guainía. It’s a destination of lush, remote, and uncrowded natural beauty, where Amazonian and Orinoco landscapes converge alongside indigenous communities, rivers, and imposing rock formations unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

For travelers interested in nature, local culture, and lesser-known destinations, Mavecure offers a truly powerful experience. It has that unique blend that, to me, perfectly embodies Colombia: natural beauty, rural charm, cultural diversity, and a genuine sense of discovery.

I’d also highlight San Agustín, which is where we live and where our agency is based. It’s home to one of South America’s most important archaeological parks and a key region due to its cultural, natural, and water resources. We know it firsthand and love sharing it with our travelers and friends.

Before implementing Toogo, one of our main challenges was to better organize the company’s internal management. At the time, we were handling many quotes and processes using Word and Excel, which worked to a certain extent but was starting to fall short as our operations grew.

Toogo has helped us centralize costs, increase agility in quoting, standardize processes, and gain better control over operations—from the moment the customer arrives at their destination until the end of their trip. In a sense, it has allowed us to organize the company around a clearer, shared system.

We started working with Toogo about seven or eight years ago, and I think it was a very wise decision. It was something the company needed at the time, and it helped us sustain our growth.

Toogo is fully integrated into our daily operations. It’s a vital tool for us. We use it across different areas of the company, from creating proposals to managing trips.

It also serves as a communication and collaboration tool for the team. In our case, it’s not just software for generating quotes, but a platform around which much of our daily work is organized.

Something we really appreciate about the Toogo team is their approachability. The relationship doesn’t feel like one with a large, distant, or overly technical software company. We’ve always felt that they take a very friendly, warm, and familiar approach.

For a company like ours, that makes a huge difference. We feel that there are real people behind the system, willing to listen, support us, and understand the reality of a DMC.

Two years ago, I moved to San Agustín, after first arriving here many years ago and discovering Chaska Tours, which today is not only my company but also part of my personal history.

It’s been a huge change: I went from a fairly nomadic life, traveling between different places in the Americas and Europe, to living in a small town surrounded by mountains, archaeology, nature, and community. Last year I bought a house, and now I have three dogs and two cats. It’s been a massive life change—sometimes chaotic, but also very beautiful and very much in line with the place I now call home.

My advice for other DMCs would be: build your own identity and stay true to it. It may sound simple, but I think it’s very important. At Chaska Tours, we have a fairly well-defined personality; we’re a down-to-earth company, a bit alternative, deeply connected to the local areas, and with a unique way of working.

I believe that in tourism, as in life, it’s important to learn, listen, adapt, and build relationships with others—but without losing sight of who you are and the values that have brought you to where you are today.