Tucan Travel Reviews and Feedback

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A selection of reviews from previous travellers

Cape to Gorillas - 2013

Having completed tours previously, Nikki is possibly the best tour leader I have encountered. She displays a clear enthusiasm for the places we visit and experiences we have, plenty of knowledge about each place. Nikki has also been good at taking us to companies that aid communities with their proceeds. Nikki is an excellent cook, every meal was superb and the meals varied. The food was one of the highlights! Again, clearly enjoys cooking which translates well.

Cancun to San Jose - 2012

To whom it may concern,

I would like to let you know about a trip I did June-July 2012. It was such a great trip that I feel you should be made aware of it. Please advise me if I need to email anybody in particular.

The positive experience I had on my recent tour is totally due to my wonderful Tour Leader, Mr Neil Williams!! I could not have asked for a better Tour Leader and tour. He honestly made the tour what is was and it was the best one ever! The whole tour depends on the tour leader, his interaction with each individual traveller, his knowledge of the countries and places we visit, his awareness of his surroundings, his social skills and his ability to make the whole experience unique and wonderful for every traveller. Neil is this person!!!!

Firstly, I would like to say how safe I felt when travelling through all of the countries we visited. Neil was always aware of his surroundings as we travelled independently through all six countries some of which are very dangerous. He talked us through each travel day and what we were doing and what we were to expect. This was greatly appreciated.

As a single female traveller I always felt very comfortable knowing that Neil was there and totally aware of everything around him.

He went out of his way to see that we all made it home safely from dinners and nights out, having to do multiple trips himself in the process. Even after more than a half a day on local transportation on some occasions, he never tired or lacked enthusiasm or alertness.This really helped me relax and enjoy my trip, trusting that Neil would get us to each destination safely.

It is to be said that Neil has such an amazing personality. He is kind, friendly, compassionate, knowledgeable, thoughtful, sincere and lots of fun. He has an energy and charisma that most people envy.

Neil interacted brilliantly with everyone of the 16 passengers that joined our tour, from the 19 year old, first-time overseas traveller to the newlyweds and everyone in between. I was fortunate to witness many a moment, having travelled for 6 weeks on the tour, when he was enjoying conversations and getting to know each one of us. He truly enjoyed meeting everyone and you can see this by the level of what he gave back in return.

Neil went over and above what I was expecting a Tour Leader would offer. Apart from organising the travel plans, transport and locations, he made daily plans to include every passenger for meals out, cultural activities and entertainment. I can honestly say that we all had the best time in every location and I never tired of the fun activities that Neil suggested. He had numerous suggestions for each location which accommodated for everyone tastes. He would arrange each activity with ease. Neil has a wealth of knowledge about each country from its people, politics, cultural events, food delicacies, animals and fauna.

He also has the ability to encourage people to try new things and pushed me (in a good way) out of my comfort zone so I tried new and exciting things! I will be forever grateful to him for this as it enhanced my entire experience. He also made note of the birthdays and made special dinner plans with a gift, decorations and cake to celebrate the day. This was so lovely and thoughtful as I was the first one to celebrate my birthday on the tour. It was so unexpected but so appreciated as it can be a very lonely day away from friends and family. I would have to say it is one of the best Birthdays I have ever had. I felt so special thanks to Neil's kindness and thoughtfulness.

It was great to travel with so many wonderful people and to have a Tour Leader who helped us all to interact and bond. I have come away with so many new friends and this is due to Neil's ability to make everyone around him immediately feel happy and at ease. I am an outgoing person and don' t find it difficult to socialise but there were some passengers that were shy and I saw that they got so much more out of the trip as well because Neil encouraged them to join in the activities and interact with others. He did this in such a subtle way that they were not even aware he had. It was really nice to see how he cared for each of the passengers and truly wanted each person to have the trip of a lifetime!

Neil also provided support for some travellers who were more nervous with the surroundings they were in and the countries with which we travelled. He was patient and showed true support, compassion and understanding, always giving the passenger what they needed and knowing what it was that they needed. He is a true people person and a great leader.

He was a wonderful support to me after I had a big fall down some stairs. He offered me first aid and dressed my wounds and once we knew that the injuries were at most severe bruising, offered me the most comfortable seat when travelling for the next few days so I could rest and the discomfort I felt was at a minimum. He, yet again showed compassion and concern. He also comforted me by offering his shoulder so I could have a bug cry as I was in a lot of pain initially. This was so appreciated and unbelievably nice.

I honestly can say that any traveller who has Neil as their guide is so fortunate as in my mind he is the best you can get. I would definitely do future tours if I was promised that he would be the Tour Leader

Magical Mexico (ZMA) - 2012

I recently completed the central american mexico city to cancun tour (zma) and I just wanted to send an e-mail to express my gratitude for such an incredible tour and holiday. From the beginning of booking, everything could not have gone smoother. Whenever asked a question, the guys at head office in London would reply swiftly and even check each others e-mails to reply when the person I had contacted was on annual leave. This should have assured me right from the start, but to be honest I was still a bit anxious about my upcoming travels. I may add that I did the trip from cancun to San Jose with a competitor company of Tucan , 5 years ago, but unfortunately this tour did not leave me with the best experience of Central America.

On arrival to Mexico City I was greeted with a full pack of information and tour details of trips, buses,maps etc. for me to go through. This made me feel very welcome and was very informative. following this and meeting our very vibrant and heartwarming tour leader,any nervous butterflies were soon abolished.

Despite very different ages, nationalities and personalities, Bec's was very professional (more than I certainly would have been at times) and always came across as heartfelt and encouraging. Her attitude clearly demonstrates a passion for what she does and Central America, which is very addictive. Not only did Bec always have an 'open door policy' ensuring she was always around to ask any questions, but she was continually checking up to see that individuals were ok and touching base, trying to make sure we were all getting as much out of our trip as we wanted. Her help even stretched as far as assisting me after the tour with knowledge of how to get to my next destination on my own and checking up to see that I got there safely. This is beyond anything someone could ask from a tour leader and I really want to extend my thanks to her for all her help.

The use of local guides at each attraction was priceless as this meant we had masters of the area in knowledge and not just a jack of all trades with a bit of knowledge. It also meant that I was able to learn as much about the attraction and culture as humanely possible. It was amazing to see how passionate and knowledgeable each person was.

The hotels were very (and in most cases more than) reasonable. Having a nice,clean and safe place to go back to each night was great. They were also very well situated.

Without going into much further detail, I can just add that this is certainly a trip I would recommend above all others to my friends. I would not second guess or haver to do a tour with tucan and especially with Bec's again. Thanks for a fantastic experience. Wishing you the best of luck for all future trips.

Regards

Nikki

Scenic Cancun to San Jose (MCJ) - 2012

I was on Scenic Cancun to San Jose (departing 30 Jan 13) and had such a good time I stayed on longer through Costa Rica, could not imagine leaving.

Our tour leader was Bec Nicholls, who was just an amazing burst of positive energy. She was helpful & so good at dealing with any problems anyone had (and it was a large group of 19, with ages ranging from 23 to 75) even when the issues were so trivial and people were infuriating (my opinion) she never visibly lost her cool, her local knowledge was excellent, appeared to be on good terms with all locals and spoke fluent Spanish so she was able to connect well with locals and her group.

Bec had great skills at arranging transport & getting everyone motivated to be on time we never missed any transport, even going out of her way to book additional excursions for people which were not part of the tour such as a submarine in Roatan.  Bec was friendly, vibrant and kind hearted and I truly hope Tucan realise what a treasure they have in her. We had 4 birthdays on tour and Bec went out of her way with cake, candy and piñata’s to ensure it was a special day for the birthday person.

The hotels used were better than I had expected, even a few unexpected deluxe surprises, but all were in good locations, had ensuite facilities, with air conditioning, an occasional bonus fridge and most importantly clean bedding & towels. The locations visited on the tour were best of the best and never felt I was not getting my monies worth, I more felt the tour was under sold!

I would recommend this tour to any age group looking for an adventure of a lifetime to tick off bucket list items, maybe some you didn’t know you had.  It's best to arrive a few days before the tour starts and ends to relax, get used to the time zone change and suss out the arrival/departure locations.

There were a few tears on my departure, I have made a life long friend out of Bec and other members of the tour. I would not think twice about another Tucan experience or jumping on any other tours leaded by the one and only Bec Nicholls!

Many thanks for the great tour Tucan!

Joliene

Magical Mexico & Honduras to Panama City - 2012

My tour guide was Amaya Solas.  I cannot speak highly enough of Amaya.  She is one dynamite tour guide. 

Amaya, was extremely professional, informative about every aspect of the tour (Mexico City through to Panama).  She was always willing to involved herself in every part of the tour, even when she should be having some downtime.  I sound like a broken record, but Amaya MADE the trip.  All passengers on the tour would say the same as I.
Being from Spain, obviously her Spanish was second to none, but she always ensured we knew what was going on, and even taught us some words to help us get by.  And the dancing! In Nicaragua, she taught us how to Salsa (mind you, I was still terrible at it!), and then took us out to local places to practise with them.

Initially, I was only booked on the Mexico City to Cancun trip.  I wanted to experience a few tour companies so I could report back to the office about the pros/cons of each.  In Cancun I picked up another tour operators tour which was to take me all the way to Costa Rica.  Well I lasted not even a week, before I was in contact with the office and asking them to get me off the trip.  I was still in contact with Amaya and another Tucan tour guide named Bec Nicholls (who I met in Belize, whilst on my other trip).  They were fantastic.  Such easy going girls, who obviously love their job and are very good at it.  So I left my other tour, and rejoined the Tucan tour in Honduras!!!  My decision to rejoin the Tucan trip, was in no small way due to Amaya and her natural ability as a tour guide.

I know I can't say enough, but I thought you should know that you have 2 wonderful tour guides.  I have told the office that Tucan Travel are the best tour company to sell in Central America.  And no doubt, South America and beyond.

Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity rejoin the trip.  I loved every minute in Central America and hope one day I will make it back there.

Adios Amiga!!  And I hope you back a winner tomorrow in the Cup.

Kind Regards

Allison Phillips

Coast to Coast (SCW) - October 2012

We were very happy with our Tucan experience on the Coast to Coast from Rio to Lima (July to August) – in large part due to Rich Anchante’s exceptional organisational skills and also to his exemplary attitude to ‘customer service’.  Rich took care of the group as if we were family.  Rich is a great asset to Tucan and, I believe, would be great in marketing the South American experience to Australians.

Attached photos include one of two friendly Tucans (Brazil) and one of the master Tucan (Bolivia)!

Many thanks

Bryan and Robyn Cummins

Cuzco Tailor Made tour - August 2012

Thank you for organizing our ‘rescue’ on Friday August 3rd when arrangements for our day tour to the Sacred Valley went wrong.

We have nothing but praise for the Cusco tourism organizations who went out of their way to help us and make sure we were not left stranded by the side of an unknown road. In particular the representative of Americana was amazing in her helpfulness, as was the taxi driver she arranged for us and then the Spanish tour bus who allowed us to join them in order to get safely to Pisac where the bar owners were also welcoming and understanding of our predicament.

We were expecting to eventually find our tour bus in Pisac so it was a welcome surprise when Zac informed us that a guide was on his way and within 1 minute Edwin arrived at the bar to take over and sort out our confusion. The rest of the day spent with Edwin and Paul the driver was FANTASTIC. Their care of us and the information imparted was excellent. Our day ended in a perfect manner with our confidence restored.

Thank you for looking after us so well and sorting through our problem. We appreciated our delicious lunch and especially Edwin’s care for our well being, his excellent knowledge and his great English and Paul’s safe driving.

It was an unexpected surprise to also be provided with a private guide today for our trip to Machu Picchu. This was a very smooth day with our pick up from the hotel on time as promised. Our guide at MP Mrs Gloria was also a special person who like Edwin had excellent knowledge, impeccable care for us and great English. We have really appreciated the extra things you have done to make sure our experience has been memorable – in a good way!

We have only praise for Tucan arrangements in general and the guides and drivers we have met so far. Enrique and Pedro in Lima have been welcoming and supportive and our first day tour in Cusco with Emilia who was also caring and knowledgeable was an excellent introduction.

We will have no hesitation in recommending Tucan as a travel company who really do look after their customers.

Sincere thanks

Jackie and Kevin Nelson

Ballestas  - August 2012

I recently had the most wonderful pleasure & adventure travelling Peru to La Paz on one of your tours.

Whilst the sights and experiences were remarkable I feel compelled to acknowledge two of your employees who really made it so special. Our guide Mari ( Marika ) Stone and driver Jono Fisher and from the pre-departure briefing it was obvious that both knew what was needed to make the trip so special. Their confidence, competence and genuine concern for our well-being was inspiring and I thanked them at the time.

Too often we are quick to criticize and complain and slow or negligent to praise when it is due hence this email.

If Mari and Jono are representative of the quality of your employees I will certainly be taking another Tucan tour probably next year and possibly to Central America.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Goldring.

Gorillas to Falls (FGV)  July 2012

I have been associated with the travel industry here in Australia over the past 30 years.my partner and I  recently did a Tour with Tucan and had the best time. Started in Nairobi on 02 July 2012. We had a fantastic trip, we saw Gorillas in Rwanda, elephants, baby Rhino's Giraffes, Lions, hyenas,wilderbeast and lots of other animals. Out of all the vehicles we saw doing the same type of trip, we felt as though we had the best vehicle for the this long trip. We had a great tour guide Tanya Bertoncini with the driver Josh. We also had Sarah Field & Timon who were both training, they will go a long way with their tours. All the staff were excellent and full of knowledge.

Kind Regards,

Martin Woodward

February 2012 – Vietnam and Cambodia (SEDA)

I've recently completed the 21 day Adventurous Angkor tour of S.E Asia. Firstly I'd like to compliment Tucan on an absolutely incredible tour which I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. The second and main point I'd like to make was how amazing the tour leader Pedro was (which I believe the rest of the group will agree with). At the start of the tour I had problems with my passport, so for obvious reasons was pretty worried, Pedro went out of his way to help me with the problems and got it all sorted before we left Hanoi for Hue.

This was just the start as Pedro's enthusiasm was breathtaking, constantly cheering people up and making them laugh during the long travels during the day and night (often playing guitar, singing and even doing a fire show which was breathtaking). What made Pedro even more impressive were his time management skills, the group were never late for a train, bus or boat ride but more importantly were there with plenty of time so the group could get ready but also take the beautiful scenery in.

Pedro made nights out incredibly fun but was also firm in his explanations of the dangers in certain areas such as a road in Na Trang which was infamous for the muggings of tourists after nights out.
The biggest compliment I can give Pedro though is the fact, that after being with him for just over 3 weeks I consider him a friend. He is truly a gem for Tucan Travel and I can say this as I have done multiple tours with the company. 

P.S make sure you keep the man as he will only shine at other travel firms if let go!

Yours Sincerely, 

Simon Jones

January 2012 – Vietnam and Cambodia (SEDA)

Greetings

It is with great pleasure that I write regarding my recent trip with Tucan and Pedro. Our group of 9 travelers spent 22 days with Pedro and all came away with broad smiles, full camera cards and excellent memories. From the start Pedro's concern about our safety was evident. He wanted to ensure that we all had fun and adventure and yet be certain we remained aware of our surroundings.

As we moved from location to location we were especially grateful that Pedro (and not us) were making all the travel arrangements. The time we had to explore and play was well used and well appreciated. His recommendations for optional tours were excellent and it became quite evident how valuable these recommendations were when some of us ventured on our own without Pedro's recommendation and returned less than satisfied. Pedro even took care of our mistakes by arranging for a refund.

What I admired the most about Pedro was his ability to work so well with such a diverse group of people. Our ages ranged from 24 to 60 and our interests were equally diverse. Yet Pedro ensured each of us got the maximum from our vacation. He was flexible and arranged for a private bus when we expressed our desire to have additional stops en route and I would encourage him to continue this practice. He ensured our dietary needs were met and was flexible to food sensitivities and requests. He happily shared his local knowledge and again we encouraged him to continue this as it makes it much for interesting for us.

This cannot be an easy job, but Pedro excelled. Given that this was an "adventure" tour and that we wanted to experience Cambodia and Vietnam as close to the locals as possible Pedro met the mandate.

Thank you for the great trip.

Kind regards,
Maureen A. Whelan