Andy Dare — known to everyone as Bear, or Oso in Spanish — is a larger-than-life character with a remarkable backstory. A former Yachtmaster Offshore captain with an impressive 150,000 nautical miles under his belt (more than seven times around the globe), Bear retired to Cusco over a decade ago. These days, he channels his adventurous spirit into photography and proudly takes on the seasonal role of Father Christmas.
A long-time friend of Amazonas, Bear never misses an event and is always on hand to capture outstanding photographs for our social media and website. He is also the second official member of the Cusco Yacht Club (after Paul), sailing the shores of Lake Huaypo from our base whenever the wind allows.
Bear wears many hats — including trusted dog walker and sitter to Neo, our Adventure Dog, whenever the office team is away. He is a firm favourite with our porters, having spent 18 months during Covid helping distribute monthly food parcels to remote porter villages. In fact, some still believe he was the LATA Foundation that funded the donations.
Kind, passionate, and endlessly generous with his time, Bear is loved by everyone on the team — essentially one of the staff, whether he admits it or not.
