2 independent reviews for Colombia small group tour
Reviews for Colombia small group tour
Ellen Cohen review 24 Feb 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The most memorable part of the vacation was the free day several of us opted to spend at the hotel on the beach in Santa Marta--instead of trekking in the Tayrona Park. I didn't appreciate that the hotel does not have hot water and we were not warned ahead of time or in any of the literature before the trip. But the setting was relaxing and regenerating.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Make sure you ask if each destination has hot water in the hotel. Also, there is not good coordination between the UK and USA offices. The UK office kept reminding me that it was time to make my final payment, yet I had done so. When I asked USA office why the UK office didn't have my payment, the agent said "well, you can look at your credit card and know that it was paid". And the USA agent didn't have the information that I had paid. In this day of instant transfer, both offices should have coordinated. I finally received acknowledgement of my payment from the UK two days later.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Not particularly. We had to buy bottled water, so there was a lot of plastic bottle wastage. I had brought my own water bottle, hoping that they would provide a tank of water for us to refill (other tour companies do this) but that did not happen. I had asked the USA office if we would have to buy bottled water and she said I might want to bring my refillable bottle--but did not commit herself.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
It was a congenial group and we all got along very well. And the Colombian people were kind and went out of their way to help out whenever I had a question or problem. That made the trip for me. The tour guide did not take advantage of the time in the bus to provide us much background on culture and customs and history--basically he just informed us of logistics. I had to ask when I wanted more. Also, I was disappointed that the guide did not use the microphone more than twice (in the bus). And it was frustrating to walk around with the tour guide and the local guides, since only those close to the guide could hear what was being said. On other tours, we were given "whispers", a personal earphone for each person that was connected to the guide's microphone and we could hear everything said during walks.Christine Hallam review 27 Jan 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Cocora valley scenery and walk, climb and views from the top of El Penol and coffee tour at the Hotel Combia.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Be prepared for slow journeys as there are lots of vehicles on a poor road system.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It benefited the local people as local tour guides were used, who were generally good for each part of the trip.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Generally good. The hotels were of a good standard, there were varied and interesting things to see and do and the tour leader was competent.Holiday Reviews
You can trust Responsible Travel reviews because, unlike many other schemes, reviews can ONLY be written by people who we have verified have been on the holidays. In addition, we don't run these holidays ourselves - our only interest is giving you the best independent advice.
