Rating foreign tour companies that customize tours
Yvonne Richter of San Diego, California, wrote (Jan. ’14, pg. 29), “My husband, Juergen, and I like to take customized private tours, and we prefer to use tour companies and guides that are local to the destinations. I would like travelers to write in about foreign tour companies and guides they have used for private tours, including as many of the following details as possible:
“The name and contact information of the foreign tour company or private guide (location, phone, email and/or URL). A rating from 1 (poor) to 10 (great) plus an explanation of the rating. The itinerary used. Length of the tour (number of days/nights or what fraction of a day). When the tour took place (month/year). Approximate cost of the tour, and what was included. Plus any special or noteworthy experiences of the trip, both positive and negative.”
We printed a number of responses last month, and we have more below, mostly on trips in Africa, and more to come. Each includes a rating from 1 (poor) to 10 (great), for example, [6].
If you are an ITN subscriber with info to share about your experience with a tour operator or guide based outside of the US who provides customized local tours or arrangements, write to Rating Foreign Tour Companies That Customize Tours, c/o ITN, 2116 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818, or email editor@intltravelnews.com. Include the address at which you receive ITN. Photos are welcome.
I took a fabulous 23-day trip to MOROCCO, April 9-May 1, 2014, with Travel Exploration Morocco (Residence Yacout, Gueliz 40000, Morocco; phone +212 6 18 88 26 81. The company has a US office in Brooklyn, NY; 800/787-8806 or 212/465-3244,).
I’ve traveled far and wide, often independently, and have used other excellent travel companies based overseas, and this was the most outstanding experience I’ve ever had.
Owned and operated by an American woman, Alecia Cohen, and her Moroccan husband, Hossaine Amiri, this company runs private tours only. After reading the myriad overwhelmingly positive reviews of the company on Tripadvisor.com, I began communicating with Alecia many months before my trip,
While she offers a wide variety of suggested itineraries, all can be customized, which was what appealed to me. I wanted to be involved in the planning process and craft a trip that would meet my expectations along with the diverse interests of my three companions.
Over the course of countless emails and a very long phone conversation, none of my many questions were ever too small or too large for Alecia. She always responded thoughtfully and comprehensively, offering her constructive opinion when needed but respecting my wishes. She consistently replied to my emails within hours. I was impressed!
Our itinerary included a night in Casablanca at the beginning and end of the trip, one night in Rabat, three nights in Chefchaouen, five in Fes, one night in Merzouga, one at a tented camp in the Sahara, one in N’Kob, two nights in Skoura, four in Marrakech and two in Essaouira.
Excluding international airfare, our 23-day tour cost $8,700 per person, significantly less than what we’d have paid for a generic group tour with one of the big companies.
Included was lodging in gorgeous and unique riads, all breakfasts, six dinners, a private driver and 4x4 Land Cruiser for the entire trip, bottled water, nine private day tours led by expert licensed local guides, all entrance fees and kasbah guides, a cooking workshop, a food tour and a camel trek.
Our Berber guide, Tahar, was an excellent driver, played CDs of great Moroccan music for us in the car and countless times waited patiently when we wanted to take photographs.
Tahar enabled us to have many experiences that made this trip even more special. He’d stop along the road to chat with camel herders, nomads, people tending fields and children playing, which gave us opportunities to meet these people and learn about their lives.
He took us to his favorite spice vendors in the souks to buy saffron and cumin, and in the Sahara he wrapped our heads with turbans. Spontaneously, he took us on a short detour to see Clint Eastwood’s new movie being filmed in a town.
One time Tahar surprised us with a trip to his home to meet his family and enjoy a delicious fish tagine lunch that he prepared, himself. We had our hands painted with henna designs by one of the young women in the family.
More than our translator and cultural guide, he became our friend and trusted companion. When it was time for us to leave Morocco, I felt like I was saying good-bye to a member of my family.
Throughout our trip, Alecia stayed in regular contact with us. Once, in the middle of the night, when one of my friends had a medical emergency, Alecia responded with immediate assistance and stayed on top of things for many hours until the problem was resolved.
We were especially delighted to have had the opportunity to have dinner with her in Marrakech, where she shared many fascinating details of her life as an American woman living in Morocco.
This trip was wonderful beyond my expectations. I’d be happy to respond to anyone who might want to contact me through ITN. [10]
Chris Beebe, Solvang, CA
My husband, R.C., and I were not the first ITN readers to find and recommend Ibrahim Morgan (Cairo, Egypt; phone +20 122 347 6343), and I’m sure we won’t be the last. Lonely Planet also recommends him.
We used him to plan our entire trip to EGYPT and JORDAN in April 2011 (July ’11, pg. 14), but we used him as our personal guide only in Cairo and Alexandria. He was head and shoulders above any “ordinary” guide. His English is as good as that of a native speaker.
His planning and concern for us was exceptional. He found us wonderful meals and answered many questions about cultural issues.
Not including meals (except on the boat in Upper Egypt) or tips, our 3-week trip cost us $11,400, land only. We regretted not spending the extra money to have him also accompany us to Upper Egypt. [10]
Donna Pyle, Boulder, CO
In 2009 I contacted Donna Duggan of Maasai Wanderings (P.O. Box 14035, Arusha, Tanzania; phone +255 [0] 755 984 925) to arrange a private family safari and scuba trip in TANZANIA. It took until September 2012 for my husband and me and our two adult children to coordinate our schedules. Ms. Duggan was patient and kept in touch.
I asked her first for the standard safari itinerary and then modified it to include a special visit with a hunter-gatherer tribe and a hot-air balloon ride over the Serengeti at dawn (a must!) as well as a stay at a beach resort on Zanzibar. She was very easy to work with.
We had an 8-day safari plus six nights in Zanzibar and two in Dar es Salaam (not including arrival and departure days). The cost was approximately $14,000 for four, with internal air, our own vehicle, transfers, all meals, safari park entrance fees, an additional medical evacuation policy and a contribution to a charity Ms. Duggan supports.
Excluded from that price were international airfare, trip-cancellation insurance, tips, diving, some meals in Zanzibar and all meals in Dar.
We only stayed overnight in Dar, as we used award miles and that was the departure city that was available. Otherwise, it’s a big city with a beach and just a few things to see and do, and it’s reportedly dangerous.
The visit with the Hadzabe tribe required a specialized guide (small extra fee) and was truly one of the most fascinating adventures.
I give Ms. Duggan 10s for service, response time, the outstanding variety of accommodations, the guide, our driver and the vehicle. I highly recommend her services. [10]
Phyllis Bismanovsky, Mountain View, CA
Dorobo Tours & Safaris (Box 2534, Arusha, Tanzania; phone +255 57 2300) is owned and operated by three brothers: Thad, Daudi and Mike Peterson. They grew up in TANZANIA as American missionary kids and have built a well-liked tour business catering especially to people who take customized tours.
Their Tanzanian guides rate among the best of those with whom we have traveled. (Hillary Clinton chose Dorobo to see this part of East Africa.)
For our 18-day tour, July 27-Aug. 12, 2013, we gave Dorobo a list of things we desired. In addition to lots of animal sightings, we wanted to visit a hospital, a church, a school for girls, a rural medical clinic and a location of the Heifer International project.
(Heifer International provides young female goats, heifers, camels, rabbits, etc., to approved families, along with training in proper care of the animals, at no cost. These animals are serviced by males of the species, and each first female produced must be given to another impoverished family, after which any additional offspring can be used or accumulated as desired. On this visit, we ended up visiting the rural community of Kitumbeine, where camels were provided.)
Dorobo made a couple of suggestions, including two nights of rustic tent camping and a stop at a center for challenged adults, where recycled material is made into beautiful art.
All this was incorporated into our tour, along with game tours in four major parks and ample time to visit with the native population. As shoppers, we came home with loads of hand-crafted items, some of which we watched being made.
We have traveled with Dorobo twice, and our small groups of 24 (in 2003) and 12 (2013) consisted of people from the age of 10 to 70-plus. The lodges we stayed in were clean, safe and comfortable and surrounded by breathtaking beauty. The food was excellent, and the service was worth a nice tip.
The cost of our 2013 trip was $5,450 per person, including air from Minneapolis. [9]
Linnea & Mark Holmer, Algona, IA
I have used Arusha Fortes Limited Tours & Safaris, or Fortes Safaris (Plot No: 173 DD, Sakina P.O. Box 1364, Arusha, Tanzania; phone +255 27 2506 094), for my four trips to TANZANIA, the first time in 1994. Fortes, which also has an office in Mwanza, creates customized tours within Tanzania and can arrange transportation from neighboring countries.
Two friends and I took a 10-day safari, June 22-July 1, 2012, arranged by Aruna at their Arusha office. The cost of all hotels, most meals and a guide and vehicle for safaris in the Ngorongoro Crater (one day) and the Serengeti (nine days) came to $2,322 each. In addition, Fortes booked our flights to Uganda ($575 each, round trip) and the shuttle from Nairobi to Arusha ($25 each).
Fortes is unique in that it does all-day game drives. We never tired of watching the endless migration in the Serengeti.
We also visited a Maasai village, a school and a fishing village. Fortes’ guides (I’ve used three of them) all were excellent, informative and accommodating, and office staff was extremely patient, helpful and professional.
At one point, we were unable to get to one of our Serengeti hotels due to flooding. Fortes was able to locate another hotel and later returned money to us, since the cost of the alternate hotel stay was less than that of the original. [10]
• In 1991 I spent three weeks in Irian Jaya, now called West Papua, in INDONESIA. I returned in June 2010 with a friend. On both trips I used a local Dani guide, Okale Huby (Jln. Bhayangkara Barak Penerangan, No. 14, Wamena, Papua, Indonesia; phone 0813 8019 8733 or email okalenemhu@yahoo.co.nz), with whom I had kept in touch over the ensuing 19 years.
Shared by the two of us, the total cost of our 5-day trip was $1,900, including a round-trip flight from Sentani to Wamena, five nights in a hotel (with breakfast daily), car hire and all activities. The flight to and from Denpasar, Bali, cost an additional $465 each.
Okale can arrange for transportation throughout West Papua, including the southern Asmat territory, and can organize treks through the mountains to visit isolated tribal groups.
On our 2010 trip we stayed primarily in Wamena and the Baliem Valley. Okale met us at the airport in Sentani and flew with us to Wamena. In the ensuing days we visited numerous villages, where we were treated to a mock battle, traditional dancing and, in one, lunch (we skipped the traditional pig roast). We also saw the mummy in Jiwika, visited several markets and a school and toured a cave.
As always, flights within West Papua were unreliable. When our Wamena-Sentani flight was canceled, Okale was able to use his “pull” to get us a flight on a cargo plane.
Okale speaks very good English and, as a native of West Papua, knows a great deal about the country’s history as well as the sights to see around Baliem Valley and the highland of Papua. If you prefer to “go native,” he can arrange for you to sleep in a hut. [10]
Lynda Howland, Pittsford, NY
My wife and I used the following tour companies and guides for a trip to Southern Africa in 2013.
• To help plan portions of our trip to NAMIBIA and several days in SOUTH AFRICA in October, we used Uyaphi Safaris CC (150 Main Road, Muizenberg, Cape Town, 7945, South Africa; phone +27 [0] 21 788 3580).
This family company does all the countries in Southern Africa. They were responsive, provided great suggestions and made all the reservation details for less than I could have done over the Internet.
They made the tour to our specifications. There were several hotels we wanted to stay at which they had not done business with before. No problem. I trusted this company to offer suggestions that were good for us and not just what they could benefit from. Uyaphi Safaris CC were excellent. [10]
• To handle certain lodging details and routing from place to place on our 24-day self-drive adventure throughout NAMIBIA, Uyaphi Safaris CC recommended Namibia Tracks & Trails (14a Sam Nujoma Ave., Swakopmund, Namibia; phone +264 64 416820).
Namibia Tracks & Trails helped us choose and book accommodations, suggested activities, provided vouchers and a detailed day-by-day itinerary and directions and offered in-country assistance, if needed.
The cost was less than what I would have paid reserving accommodations over the Internet, myself, and their service cost nothing. (They get kickbacks from the hotels to cover their costs.)
They were very good and would have been a grade 10, but I found their directions had several errors that were irritating. If you use them, just verify the specific directions furnished in their booklet. [8]
• In arranging our 10-day gorilla-and-chimp trip in UGANDA, Brovad Tours & Travel (Plot 1, P.O. Box 9174, Colville St., Kampala, Uganda; phone +256 414 237 477) did a perfect job.
This tour was just for the two of us but was inexpensive compared to many small-group tours. Brovad furnished an excellent guide and a good 4x4 vehicle and suggested a great itinerary getting to and from Uganda’s “gorilla zone.” The places we stayed were comfortable and safe.
The sights that were built into the gorilla and chimp treks were great and a real bonus. [10]
• For three weeks in MADAGASCAR, Jenita Jaozandry of Madagascar Natural Tours (Antananarivo, Madagascar; phone +261 34 15 000 30) not only was our private guide, he arranged our transportation, suggested accommodations and details and made all our reservations.
I did a lot of research before contacting Jenita, and he worked with my desires and entered his own suggestions. He also brought in specialists when needed, like our boatman and cook for a segment of our adventure.
His arrangements were very reasonably priced, and he worked to keep our expenses in line while maintaining our comfort and safety.
Jenita loves wildlife and was excellent, and he also solved problems that occurred while we traveled in the rough infrastructure of Madagascar. [10]
I welcome any questions about any of these trips or companies; email kerry@swcp.com.
Kerry Brock, Santa Fe, NM