Tucan Travel Reviews

Name: Tucan Travel
Rating: 4.00

4.0 Rating 257 Reviews

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South America Express Excuse the length - hope it is of value to someone. An introduction - we are a couple in our sixties with quite a bit of recent travel experience. We went on the South America Express tour (adventure tour) of 26 days from Rio to Lima departing Rio on November 8, 2016. Went on an African adventure tour a couple of years ago (different company) so had something similar to compare this tour with. First point - we did not find Tucan very forthcoming with any additional information. What is in the brochure/website is about all you will get. They told us we would receive all the information we would require for the tour 30 days before the tour began, but it arrived about two weeks before, and turned out to be just a rehash of the brochure! They told us they couldn't tell us in advance who our tour leader would be or any of the accommodation during the tour. Having read some of the reviews relating to tour leaders, this was a concern. Also, we found out during the tour, that Tucan basically uses the same accommodation in all the places we stayed (or no more than two different venues), so we could have been given the accommodation information in advance, with the qualification that things can change at the last minute. This was a complaint from other members of the tour as well. This information can help travellers plan activities on the tour (regardless of the help that tour leaders may/may not provide) as you can find the accommodation's proximity to points of interest and what specific facilities it provides. Second point - we asked Tucan to organise a taylor-made add-on into the jungle at the completion of the adventure tour. This was done extremely well, with all transfers and information really well organised and presented. Just a shame that the same attention to detail is not given to the main tour. Third point - coming from Australia, it was important to organise visas in advance, particularly for Brazil. This added a significant cost to the trip. Also, another additional cost can be the injections and medications (malaria tablets and altitude sickness tablets). More of the hidden costs of travelling! Fourth point - if you are considering this tour, and wondering which direction to travel, we found that the more physically demanding section (Bolivia and Peru) came at the end of our tour. However, whichever direction you choose, we would recommend extra days at the beginning and end - both Rio and Lima are worth it! Fifth point - consider carefully what clothing you take. Although our tour was at the end of Spring/beginning of Summer, it got very cold at times. On the Altiplano it got down to below freezing, and some of the days were very cold as well. There were laundries close to our accommodation in many of the places we stayed, but didn't always fit in with our schedule. In La Paz we got back from an activity after the laundry had closed and we had to leave the following morning before it opened. Would recommend good quality, lightweight, quick-dry travel clothing. Sixth point - luggage. Tucan makes a big deal of what luggage you should have on the tour. As a result, we bought two-wheeled with handle, soft woven-nylon bags which included a backpack harness. We didn't once use the backpack capabilities - wheels were able to cope easily with all terrain we encountered. It is certainly easier towing 20kg than carrying it on your back! All up on our total trip we had 15 take-off and landings and only finished with a small cut on one of the bags. More solid bags may have saved a couple of our more delicate purchases, however, and would not have been an issue on the tour. We also had a travel backpack each. Seventh point - safety. Having read the travel warnings about many of the places we were visiting, we must say that not once did we fell threatened or concerned about our safety or our possessions. One member of our group had a camera bag stolen in a restaurant in Rio, but this was before the tour actually started. Eighth point - altitude sickness. We would recommend taking tablets and making sure that you adhere to the recommendations when at altitude. Members of our group were affected in different ways and at different times - regardless of age and fitness levels. Persevere - don't let it spoil your trip. Ninth point - additional activities. Certainly consider what additional activities you would like to do on the tour. We would certainly recommend - Iguazu Falls boat trip (forget about trying to stay dry; try to organise a water-proof camera); white-water rafting in Mendoza (an absolute blast); tour to Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar when in Santiago (long day but worth it, plus it gets you out of Santiago's smog); Death Road in La Paz with Gravity (Wow!!); chocolate making in Cusco (how sweet it is!); Magic Water Circuit in Lima (was a great way to finish our tour). The tour itself - having read quite a number of Tucan reviews, so much of the success of a tour of this type, depends on the tour leader. We could not have been happier with our leader, Manny. Although the youngest person in our tour group, he had you feeling very confident about his commitment and ability from the outset. He had outstanding language and communication skills, as well as excellent knowledge of all the places we visited. On arrival at a new destination, we had a very informative orientation walk (with our maps) so felt relatively confident proceeding on our own. He was always available for help or advice, and even when we had free days, he usually accompanied all or some of the members of the group to different points of interest or on additional activities. He is definitely a "foodie" and recommended different restaurants/cafes in all the places we stayed. As a result our group normally ate together, with Manny, at one of his recommendations - although this probably added quite a bit to the budget. However, with one exception, all the restaurants were excellent. He was invaluable in organising taxis, and could provide a very good idea as to how much a particular trip should cost - we are sure this saved us quite a bit on the trip. Discovered Manny's work ethic early in the tour when, going to the front desk of our accommodation at Iguazu Falls after midnight to pick up a DVD of our days boat trip under the falls that I had forgotten to collect, found Manny at the desk organising our itinerary for the following days. We began our tour with 12, plus Manny - which was a good sized group. Three left the tour in Santiago with another two joining there. We had a very friendly, easy-going group which did lots of activities together. Overall, the accommodation was as expected for an adventure tour, and as was explained by Tucan. Once again, any particular problems were sorted out by Manny immediately. There was no tea/coffee making in any rooms; no room west of Mendoza had a fridge; hot water was not always available all the time; lifts not in all hotels (it's hard work carrying bags upstairs at altitude!). Although it's not clear in the information, breakfast is included each day. However, sometimes we had quite early starts and even Manny wasn't able to organise anything before we left - but generally we were able to get something fairly soon afterwards. You can't get to see all the things in South America in the time we did without a lot of flights. However, Manny was generally able to get us through check-in together quite quickly, usually jumping the queue (which sometimes contained other tour groups). Don't be surprised to not be sitting next to your partner for the flight! The tour itself was very spectacular - seeing so many iconic sights and discovering lots of unexpected gems. Yes, some days required a lot of sitting in some form of transport, but there was always plenty to see, or possibly catch up on a little sleep. The bus trip over the Andes from Mendoza to Santiago was brilliant - some amazing scenery and roads - and they even feed you all the way! 4WD's in Bolivia were all part of the adventure, as was the accommodation there and dealing with the altitude - photos from this section are wonderful (especially when viewed from sea level). There are things that Tucan can do better but, overall, I would certainly recommend this tour. We would have loved to have done Patagonia as well but the length of the tour was a factor. If we can help any potential fellow travels with information regarding this tour, we would be happy to oblige. Remember, it is an adventure tour - go with the flow and enjoy the experience!

Tucan Travel 4 star review on 11th January 2017

Dave Adams

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 2 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Rajasthan is wonderful, but Tucantravel is not. Do not book with Tucantravel. Tucantravel explicitly states on their website what is and isn't included on this tour. One thing included is breakfast every day. However, when we arrived in India, we were told that some breakfasts weren't included and some trips weren't included, so we had to pay for them ourselves. I had a printed out dossier from the company clearly stating that all breakfasts were included and that certain excursions were included, but our tour guide said that the dossier was wrong and "that's how it's always been." I understand that tours can change slightly, however, you can't simply make people pay for something and then tell them they're not going to receive it without refunding them. That's dishonest and false advertising. When I got home, I emailed the company to tell them that some of the included things were actually not included. A month later, I got this response: http://imgur.com/a/2wgxS. Basically, they said I was lying and refused to acknowledge that we hadn't received everything the tour said we would. The line from this letter that is particularly worrying is the following: "The Amber Fort in Jaipur was not visited as it was closed due to a security issue. The guide purposely did not explain this fully to the group because he did not wish to worry his clients." ?!?!?!?! Tucantravel thinks it's ok to simply not tell the group when there is a security issue? And guess what... this was also not true. The Amber Fort was definitely open, and we visited it ourselves (transportation set up by our guide, paid for by us, and entry fee paid for by us. Proof: http://imgur.com/a/TcYDz So basically, Tucantravel is lying about the Fort being closed, because I clearly went there. And, they think it's ok, because "there was a security issue we didn't want to tell you about" How on earth is that proper safety etiquette for a tour company?!? I want to stress that Rajasthan is a wonderful place to visit. Go there, but there are plenty of more honest companies you can use who actually fulfill what they promise on their dossiers.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi Robin, Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback and we are so pleased you enjoyed Rajasthan. Your tour leader was informed that the Amber Fort was closed on the day you were scheduled to visit the site due to a bomb threat in the area. He chose not to tell the group of the reason for the site’s closure to not upset or scare you and instead, he arranged a guided tour of the City Palace and entry to Jaigarh Fort to compensate you for not being able to visit the Amber Fort that day. The combined cost of these alternative sites ended up being more than the cost of entry to the Amber Fort. We believe that the following day, the Amber Fort was open to the public again, deemed safe by security in the area. We have been in communication with your tour leader who has assured us that you received all meals that were included in your itinerary. We are sorry if there was any confusion over these. Thank you again for leaving feedback and we wish you all the best in your future adventures Kind regards Jess @ Tucan Travel

Posted 8 years ago

“We travelled throughout South America in January 2016 visiting Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina & Brazil finishing the Rio carnival for a total of 30 days. We travelled with Tucan Travel on their South American Express group tour & have the following comments on our experience. We knew we had 7 flights within South America but had not realised in addition the amount of coach journeys (most 8hrs long) to get around the country. Instead of taking the bus journey of 10 hrs( turned out to be 16 hrs for the group due to border crossing ) from Santiago to Mendoza we booked a flight which took 55mins leaving us a full day in Mendoza. mornings leaving at 5.20am & often missing breakfast due to the early starts so would highly recommend taking snacks with you all the time as it is hard to plan timing of food stops or whether you will like the food. • Tour leader inexperienced affecting quality & trip experience – Danea did not instil confidence in any of our group that she knew her job as a tour leader. She was often hesitant in manner & came across as lacking confidence in dealing with issues that arose or making decisions. We as a group were also concerned about information been omitted due to inexperience of our tour leader which became obvious when we saw the level of interaction & detailed information been provided by Heidi, who has 12 years tour leader experience, exclusively to her own group. Heidi spent all her time looking after her own group exclusively & her group kept to themselves & even though we observed her & her group in hotels, our groups were very separate. It was obvious by their actions that each tour leader took responsibility for their group only. Danae admitted this was her 1st time out of Peru, that she was only a short time a tour guide. Our expectation was that Tucan should have ensured a fully qualified, professional guide for our tour which would have taken away the worry we experienced about the logistics & details on the trip. • 4x4 land cruiser conditions for 3 days– 1) Fitting 5 to 6 people in each cruiser, the two back seats are v small & cramped, suitable for small children only definitely not fit for adults whose legs were cramped. Health issue in cramped conditions, possible clots in legs due to long drives in cramped position. 2) Seats behind the driver were only 2 seats but 3 people were expected to sit with the 3rd person sitting in the middle on a crack which is part of another seat, not suitable or comfortable for long days traveling. 3) Some seat belts were not working. 4) The handholds above the doors were only available at 3 doors so people in seats with no handholds were thrown around when off road which was quite a lot of the time. • 4x4 Basic share accommodation same gender rooms not provided. One of the nights at the basic accommodation we were sharing a room which had 6 people (4 male, 2 females). Your own information states "Travellers will share rooms with other group members of the same gender" http://www.tucantravel.com/travel-styles/dossier/adventure-tours • Altitude sickness tablets should have been strongly recommended. For everyone to start taking a few days before the trip as this trip is 12 days at high altitude (up to 5000m) from Cusco to Santiago. Many individuals on our trip were very unwell which hampered their experience of the trip. • Two separate Tucan groups competing for available resources. Our trip had Two Tucan groups of 16 people each in the same location at the same time for 80% of our trip. Staying at the same accommodation, requiring transportation (whether coaches or planes) in these countries means trying to find decent facilities & transport for 32 people. As our group of 16 was nearly always 2nd leaving everywhere to the point we were told we were not meant to be the “2nd class (inferior) Tucan group as Heidi’s group from our assessment got to the accommodations before us so hot water was used up before our group arrived. Heidi’s group rooms in Igazu hotels were in the refurbished part of the hotel with our group in the old grim part of the hotel ( ants in shower..). In the Don Raul San Pedro del Atacama hotel when we arrived after a hard day driving over the mountains the only Tucan booking at the hotel was for Heidi & her group, our groups accommodation did not exist. Luckily for us as we arrived for once at a hotel before Heidi’s group & as her rooms were Tucan rooms we took them, Heidi’s group had to be accommodated elsewhere in town. Transportation vehicles that Heidi’s group had available were better quality than ours which we could see with our own eyes. The above information is the reason for the ‘2nd class comment to us from our tour guide to try to say to us that our group were not an afterthought when this tour was been put together by Tucan trying to manage two groups of 16 people at the same places. We should have had equal treatment & quality on our trip to Heidi’s group which all of our group felt was not the case. All of our group felt the same way, the majority of our group members having experience of travelling with other group tour companies to other destinations in the past. All of us will not be traveling with Tucan again & would not recommend them as a company.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 years ago

Hi Caroline, Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. You raise many issues and I will try and comment on as many of them as possible, however I know that our Customer Relations Manager is currently investigating your case. Transport The tour you took through South America was designed with as many flights in as possible in order to limit the number of long travel days and make as much use of your time as possible, giving you more time in the exciting destinations the continent has to offer. Despite this, your tour still covered vast distances in a relatively short period of time and it is impossible to travel from A to B without long bus journeys and early starts sometimes. The early morning departures in particular are chosen to allow you to enjoy your destination as much as possible and the long bus journey between Santiago and Mendoza is meant to be one of the most beautiful in South America. When the road is open, we always take this route rather than flying as the views are exceptional and not to be missed. The 4WD’s we use on the Uyuni Salt Flats sit 8 people comfortably. This is the best way of driving over the salt pans and covering the huge distances required. Accommodation The accommodation we use varies throughout the trip but we always try and use hotels with the equivalent comfort of a three star hotel. Your tour included one night in basic, multi-share accommodation on the Uyuni Salt Flats. This accommodation was clearly described in your itinerary and we choose these style of hotel due to the lack of affordable options in the region. We have never had any complaints about this accommodation before as it is clearly described online and part of the authentic travel experience we advertise. If you had any other issues with your accommodation, we always recommend raising it with your tour leader at the time so that they can work with the hotel to make changes. We block book hotel rooms and services up to 12 months in advance and the hotels we use are used to accommodating up to 36 of our clients at any time on some popular tours. There was one incident where half of the booking was lost but the hotel admitted responsibility and found somewhere of a similar standard for the rest of the group to stay very quickly. We are unable to control which rooms the hotels use and a lot depends on other guests Your Tour Leader Throughout your tour, your tour leader Denea was assisted by a much more experienced tour leader, Heidi who was running the tour alongside yours. Denea also had the support of our office in Peru who she was in contact with on a daily basis. Denae had plenty of experience that qualified her as a tour leader. She has been working for Tucan Travel for several months now and before that, ran tours for a volunteer company for over a year. Other As a tour operator, we are unable to provide medical advice. We always recommend that you visit a doctor before travelling, particularly if you are worried about altitude sickness. Altitude sickness can affect everybody in different ways so it is important that you understand the illness and take whatever precautions you are comfortable with depending on your doctor’s advice. I am sorry that you feel that you would not travel with us again and we wish you all the best in your future travels. Kind regards, Jess @ Tucan Travel

Posted 8 years ago

“A very unprofessional company, who once have your money, don't particularly care for your needs and concerns. They hire the wrong people for the job and have terrible equipment (old trucks that break down etc). Worst holiday I've ever had and I wish I never booked with Tucan Travel.”

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Posted 8 years ago

“Prior to travelling I was not told I would be joining a tour which had started 2 weeks earlier. THe tour leader could not speak the local languages and therefore we had some difficulties during travel. The accomodation and transport was very budget compared to other tours and the higher price.”

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Posted 8 years ago

Hi Stuart, Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback here. Most of our tours are modular meaning they are one long tour made up of many sections. This allows travellers to pick and choose the start and finishing location that best suits them. Many travellers also enjoy this style of tour as it allows them to meet more people than they normally would when travelling for longer durations. As there are so many languages spoken in South East Asia, it is very difficult to find tour leaders who speak all of them but our tour leaders are assisted at all times by members of staff in our head offices, ensuring smooth journeys so I'm sorry if you experienced some difficulty. We choose locally owned accommodation based on location and cleanliness and transport depending on what is the most convenient and accessible at the time. There is often a big variety in standards and I'm sorry if this didn't meet your expectations. Despite all of this, I do hope that you choose to travel with us again in the future. Thank you again, Jess @ Tucan Travel

Posted 8 years ago

“We did the Costa Rica tour. The accommodation was often extremely poor, we would rate most 1-2 star. This was not clear when we booked. We did ask to have a list of hotels or types of hotels prior and was told it was not possible. The tour guide for the first part of our trip was terrible, giving little advice and only taking us to particular tour companies, rather than others that had the activities we wanted. We felt like the guide was receiving kickback for her selected places, including the restaurants we were taken to. The guide for the second part of the trip was fabulous and made all the difference. The advice on how spending money you would need was also way underestimated.”

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Posted 8 years ago

Hi Tracey, I’m very sorry that your tour of Costa Rica did not meet your expectations. We always try and provide as much detail as possible in our brochure and on our website to give clients an idea of what to expect. The hotels we use in Costa Rica are the equivalent in comfort of a 3* hotel and we do not provide lists of hotels prior to departure as they are subject to change at short notice. Our tour leaders in Central America are more experienced than in any of our other destinations. They have incredible, first-hand knowledge on the many activities that can be done and know which companies to recommend based on their health and safety records. Our tour leaders also try and choose restaurants suitable for all client’s tastes and budgets but it is not compulsory to attend the group dinners. Should you wish to leave any further feedback, please email feedback@tucantravel.com Kind regards, Jess @ Tucan Travel

Posted 8 years ago

“I just wanted to say that I can't explain how disappointed I was of this tour. Some people ruined my tour. 32 people is probably too much especially when most of them are from the same country. 25 australians, 6 british, I was the only one swiss and a bit older (30), I was isolated. That was not my first tour, I did one with an other company and it was not like this. That was the worst human experience. At least we had a great tour leader and driver. There is no chance that I'll book a tour with Tucan again neither to recommend it to my friends or family. I have the feeling that I've lost my money and my time.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Helen, Thank you for your feedback. Obviously, we are not able to ensure that you will get on with everyone on your group tour. That is something that is outside of our control. We are also not able to limit the number people from one particular nationality. We do however offer you the chance to find out the ages and nationalities of those already on the tour at the time of booking. Group Tours are excellent opportunities for single travellers to meet new people, make new friends and discover places with the support of others. We find that connections are often made deeper and faster than they might be in your everyday life and we are sorry that you did not have this experience on our group tour. While the majority of our Budget Expeditions (18-35's) average at about 24 passengers per tour, our group tours into Rio Carnival do tend to be full. This only adds to the party atmosphere and the experience of heading in to the biggest carnival celebration in the world. For further feedback on your tour, please email feedback@tucantravel.com Kind regards, Jess @ Tucan Travel

Posted 9 years ago

“Tour leader ill prepared. Was late on number of occasions. She had little background knowledge of places visited. Lot if time wasted waiting for transport. For example, we left one place at 6pm and hung around approx 3 hours before we boarded next bus which we were on over night. One very very poor hotel. Thankfully only there one night.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

Hi Marion, Thank you for your feedback. The tour leader for your Tango & Samba group tour is incredibly experienced having done close to 10 of these group tours before taking your group in to Rio Carnival from Buenos Aires. The tours we offer are Adventure Tours which use public transport to get from A-B. We prefer to use this as it offers the same experience locals have of travelling through their countries and gives our travellers the opportunity to speak to them. Sometimes, this can result in delays and slightly longer travel times than when travelling by private transport but we believe that this is all part of the experience of genuine adventure travel. Kind regards, Jess @ Tucan Travel

Posted 9 years ago

“Loved the tour - landscape and scenery was spectacular... but I was very disappointed with the lack of experience and knowledge of the tour leaders on the Moreno tour I took in Nov 2014. It was the tour leaders first time taking this tour in Patagonia and it showed. It was fairly frustrating when the tour leaders couldn't even recommend treks or optional activities as they had no or limited experience due to the fact they had not done it themselves persoanally. This is believe this falls back on Tucan Travel and internal staff training - not good enough, particularly when we have all paid good money to undertake this trip! It felt like they were still on training as they were scoping out hotels, restautants for their next trip. Some info was also out of date such as prices for activities (Eg.train ride at Ushuaia quoted at $290 pesos and if one way would be half of that but trip was $380 pesos regardless of one way or round trip!), terrain on treks, visa info etc. Additionally there was no itinerery or outline of the trip given to travellers by the leaders (one for all to view on the back wall of the bus). Communiction from the leaders was also limited and most days we didn't really know how long the day was so was hard to pack food etc. Spanish was also limted by the leaders so sometimes was difficult at restaurants etc. Catering at Torre Del Paine was not the best, very bland - too much bread, both for breakfast and lunch. Much better if breakfast was eggs, omletts and lunch rolls rather than rolls for both meals. Dinner was lovely though. Staff at the campsight were rude at times, turned lights off, locked us out the dining room and withheld food portions. Tents in Torres del Paine were new but inappropriate for the climate/conditions. Strong winds would blow up underneth the tent flaps so was very cold even with layers of thermals, socks, beanies and using the sleeping bag provided. Thankfully the leaders allowed us to us blankets they had persoanlly purchased on the last night. The local leader in Torres del Paine was irresponsible at times - didn't take responsibility for the group and at time would clash with the Tucan leaders. He would walk far up ahead then wait for us to catchup regardless of how the group were doing. The group was mainly made up of people aged between 62-72yo, only 4 of us were under 40yo so we helped the oldies as best as we could. Overall I felt like we were on a training trip for the leaders... yet paying full price. One disappointed traveller. Sorry Tucan - lots to improve on!”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Melissa, Thank you for your feedback. I am very sorry that your tour did not match your expectations. Our tour leaders are trained to a very high quality however, sometimes it is impossible for tour leaders to have visited every destination we operate in and to have done every hike or optional excursion. Group tours in Patagonia operate only during peak season and due to this, we often find that prices for things change when the region opens up again for tourists in early November. On top of this, we also try to limit the amount of paper we use and so try not to print itineraries for each passenger where possible. Torres del Paine National Park is one of the highlights on this trip and I am sorry that the facilities were not of the standard you were expecting. The weather in Patagonia can get cold and we always try to prepare our passengers for this as much as possible in our pre-departure information. We do not offer the opportunity to upgrade to hotels and many clients opt to do so. Kind regards, Jess @ Tucan Travel

Posted 9 years ago

“I had a nice trip to Columbia, great landscape, interesting atmophere and nice people. But I would expect more from an organized group trip. The guide had no real interest in the tour and didn't really know the places we were going to and wasn't even intereted in getting to know them.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Kathrin, Thank you for your feedback. It is very important that our tour leaders are of an excellent quality and we invest heavily in their training. We have taken on your feedback on this tour leader and will be investing in further training for them. For any further comments, get in touch with feedback@tucantravel.com Kind regards, Jess

Posted 9 years ago

“Sub-standard hotels spoiled this trip.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Helen, I am sorry that the standard of accommodation on your tour did not meet your expectations. We prefer to use 3* hotels and guesthouses owned by locals rather than western chains and the facilities and standards can vary depending on the region and even the time of year. We are keen to hear more about your accommodation however. Please email feedback@tucantravel.com with more information. Kind regards, Jess @ Tucan Travel

Posted 9 years ago

“I not informed that I was to participate in cooking, cleaning and set up of camp prior to my trip. I found the quality of the food fairly poor. Example: the bread was often days old and once was even mouldy. Little variety of choice for breakfast and fruit supply was almost non existent. The leader knew very little about the country, customs etc so when we had a question, we were often left with no answers. This defeated the purpose of the trip. Our leader was sleeping most of the time while driving and made clear that she was not a guide. I've done quite a bit of traveling and overall this has been my worst experience.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Jessie, I am sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your Tucan Travel Overland Tour. Our group tours in Africa are advertised as being semi-participatory and many people enjoy the atmosphere and community spirit around the campsite of cooking and cleaning together. Our tour leaders receive significant training and support in order to work for Tucan Travel so it is disappointing to read that you felt that your tour leader did not perform to the best of their ability. Previous feedback on this tour leader has been of a consistently high standard however we will ensure that they receive further training in the areas you mentioned. Please do get in touch with feedback@tucantravel.com if you have any further comments. Kind regards, Jess @ Tucan Travel

Posted 9 years ago

“I have Just returned back from a mexico tour. Positive points: -Information pack was provided -bus transfers were excellent (mostly in a private van). -tour leader was friendly. Negative Points: -Our tour leader unfortunately for us stated he had no interest in Mexico's history however was looking forward to our tour as he was able to watch the world cup throughout it. -Was reluctant to answer basic questions about mexico (even though he had done the same tour around 6 times). -Most towns we visited were for short period of time 1-2 days which was fine however our tour leader failed to show us any of the attractions leaving the group to walk around aimlesssly trying to find what he had recommended and on many occasions we were unsuccesful at finding them (whole reason we chose to do a tour so we would not be trying to use our poor spanish to find towns attractions). -group dinners were very expensive -Not having a central american tour leader really made all the difference. I feel I paid over one thousand dollars to follow a young foreign guy who spoke spanish to help me catch my bus. Overall I was disatisfied with this tucan tour. I have been on several tours throughout the world where local tour leaders have always been used. I hope this feedback is taken onboard and I want to encourage the company to employ local people (or atleast people with a vast knowledge of the country and with a passion for the people and the country).”

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Posted 9 years ago

“Just back from a Tucan travel from Lima to La Paz. I am writing this to,let others over 65 that this isn't for them. Shoddy accommodation - jungle accommodation was good - couldn't use shower in La Paz - staying on Lake Titcaca with locals puts one out of comfort zone. Not enough detail in itinerary - nothing about a 7 hour and 10 hour public bus ride. Tour guides should ensure that one has lunch before 3.00pm. Enjoyed Machu Puchu due to a wonderful guide Margot. As I suffered breathlessness she was a great help. For those wanting a little more comfort got to other travel guides. Denise - August 4th 2014”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Denise, I am glad you enjoyed Machu Picchu and the Amazon Jungle and sorry to hear that the overall experience did not live up to your expectations. This tour is advertised as an Adventure Tour, with mid-range accommodation which is more basic in remote areas. We don’t give specific travel times but the tour dossier advises that there may be long travel days and we balance this with non-travel days. We are regularly joined by adventurous over-65s that have a wonderful time, but if you were looking for greater comfort I agree that perhaps this tour was not a good fit for you. All the best, Becca @ Tucan Travel

Posted 9 years ago

“I have to say poor as obviously you have not paid any attention to my review when i first came back from my trip. No one so much as responded so why do these servay. I object to our transfer being 60.00 each way X2 and partner X2. The cost was 4240.00 when I found out a cab fare would cost 20.25 X2 bing no more than $50.00. I would still like to be reinbursed!!”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Marie, I apologise for not responding sooner to your concerns regarding transfers. Your private transfer in San Jose was $59 per car each way for up to three people. This is more expensive than using public transport as it provides the security and reliability of a fully private service. In our pre-departure information we also give advice on how to make your own way to the joining hotel, giving our travellers the opportunity to make an informed choice on how they wish to travel from the airport. Please rest assured we are not attempting to scam anybody. Your tour dossier has the information below on how to join your tour independently: Making your own way If you would prefer to make your own way to and from your hotel, there is a reservation desk for taxi services at the airport. They offer a set rate for taxi carriage from the airport to certain destinations within the city. The rate should be US$22-$25 (San José airport is roughly 17km from the city centre). You simply purchase a taxi voucher to the required destination (give them the name of the hotel) and present it to the driver. There is no cash transaction between the client and the driver, and these services are generally safe and reliable. There are also public buses to the centre. These buses make regular stops directly in front of the airport. Buses cost 210 colones (approximately US 50 cents), and depart every five minutes. The bus will take you to a terminal located at the western end of San José. This is within walking distance from the city's main public bus terminal, the ‘Coca Cola Bus Terminal’. Taxis are readily available from here and should cost roughly 1000 colones (approx US$2.50) to the hotel. As you booked through a travel agent I am not sure if you received this information or not, but it should have been included in your pre departure tour dossier which is freely available on our website: http://www.tucantravel.com/tour/dossier/costa-rica-encompassed/cer. I hope that helps to clarify our transfer services. Kind regards, Becca @ Tucan Travel

Posted 9 years ago

“Quito to Rio - 9th Nov 2013 trip... tour guide (Amanda) and bus driver (Ritchie) - abysmal.”

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Posted 9 years ago

“I recently completed the Southern Africa loop with tucan. Overall the trip was ok but I think it's important to share some of the frustrating parts so other travellers can make an informed decision before booking because I wouldn't have booked had I known. The chores (cooking, washing up and truck cleaning) dominate the trip. After many long full day drives you get no time to relax as you have to clean up after or cook for 25 people. Cooking can take up to two hours and washing up has to be done by another group. Some camp sites have amazing pools but if you're cooking or cleaning you don't even have a chance to swim. While I don't mind helping out I don't go on holiday to spend most of my free time doing chores especially when some people don't pull their weight which caused a lot of friction in the group. I think tucan really need to consider hiring a cook like other over landers do to reduce the amount of work for passengers. The cost would be minimal but it would make a huge difference to the experience. The other problem with camping is we stayed in very isolated sites with absolutely nothing to do and no where to walk to the majority of the time. This meant a lot of wasted time sitting around in the middle of nowhere when I wanted to be out exploring Africa and meeting locals. We had two different tour leaders. The first was pretty good and gave us lots of information. The second was pretty useless and spent all the time in the front of the truck away from the group. Overall, I would have preferred to pay a bit more money and go with a different company as my main memories of Africa will be cooking and cleaning.”

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Posted 10 years ago

“The tour guide showed favoritism to certain members of the group. It was a pattern despite we were with her in different tours and different group. She did not have deep enough interest in the members, other than doing her routine duties. WE were kind of on our own other than having he transportation and accommodation arranged by Tuncan. Had better experience with other group tours elsewhere.”

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Posted 10 years ago

“We had a tour guide who had never been to the places we were going to. He told us nothing about the places we arrived to or the optional activities. The accommodation was rarely centrally located. At one point he took pleasure in two passengers believing they had missed their train. We felt there was no advantage in using a Tucan tour and we would have been better off traveling independently.”

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Posted 10 years ago

“Whilst the tour that was individally tailored for us sounded great it all fell in a huge heap when we arrived at our first destination to find the whole trip was in disarray. We had thought that communication was not great and scarce beforehand but realised to what extent it was lacking once we arrived. No flights were booked and the representatives were reluctant to help and when they did their solution was outrageously expensive and unsuitable. Some of the itinerary needed to be altered as it would have been completley futile going with their plan, e.g. to fly to a location and arrive too late in the day to see the main attraction and then leave at 8.30 am the next morning before anything opened. What was the point of all that expense and frustration? I would not use Tucan again and I definitely would not recommend any of my friends or acquaintances use them.”

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Posted 10 years ago

“Bad timing for review writing. Just received 28 days notice my sumac south America trip leaving 15 June 2013 may be cancelled. I say may as the two emails I received from. Louisa gentles are utterly confusing. Hope that when I next here there will be clarity... Ideally there will be a trip too.”

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Posted 10 years ago

Tucan Travel is rated 4.0 based on 257 reviews