Amazed this tour still ran with just 3 people! Aldo gave us a fine tour with a balance of Mayan sites and other interesting stops: boat ride to view wildlife, cenotes, thermal springs, chocolate production. Lots on history and contemporary politics too. I especially enjoyed walk through the jungle with biologist who identified mushrooms, plants, trees in the jungle. The hotels were more than adequate. At one, the howler monkeys came very close - their loud calls/roar were startling, incredible. Aldo was warm, easy going, humorous. Definitely recommend him as a very knowledgeable guide!
The tour operator provides me with the opportunity to see and experience the best of what many places have to offer, without the hassle of independantly looking for things to do or the expense of booking hotels etc. The tour(though fast pace at times) is good, however the highlight of my trip was the time spent at the Niagra falls. I am unable to express through words the feelings of joy and amazement while there. I would definitely recommend the boat ride into the falls. Larry(I.e the tour guide) and Leo(the bus driver) worked well together and were very personable and attentive to our needs. Larry is very organized and strived to be as detailed with all aspects of the tour. Alternatively, there are some aspects to the tour that should be amended. There are some travel days that are extremely too long(I.e. DC). 11 pm(having being up and on the road from 7:30), is far too late getting back to the hotel. Also the 2 hour stop in downtown Detroit should be assessed as there's not much to do there therefore, lots of time are being spent sitting and waiting for the return of the bus. Another issue I had was the fact that expat did not make sufficient effort in ensuring that the food stops tended to the needs of the vegetarians on the bus. The welcome dinner at dicks and the stop at cracker barrel did not account for the vegetarians, therefore leaving fast food as the most prominent food selections. This information was requested prior to the trip, so I'm of the view that this should have been sufficiently accounted for. Also, we were very disappointed with the "thank you token(I.e. a key chain)" received at the end of the trip. I understand that the US tours are fairly new, however, the operator, as a company is not new. In fact, I have been on a european tour with the company and we received a bag full of items branded with the tour operator's name....with the most important to me, being the passport book with stickers. I was really looking forward to getting a passport with stickers
Cycling Cuba - Fantastic! What an amazing way to see Cuba! I loved every second & Freddy, our guide, was so knowledgeable & clearly passionate about Cuba, that it really added to the experience. The group was great fun too. All in all a brilliant holiday.