Top Australia & the Pacific Luxury Nature Trips & Packages 2025/2026

What travelers are saying

"Horrible horrible customer service! Or should I say non-existent?! As a world traveller, I have encountered all types of crappy, parroting, cookie-cutter, idiotic answers from customer services over the last decade; however, I have never EVER had a company ghosting customers let alone one whom we have paid tens of thousands of Euros! The pre-booking phase was just fine and smooth, the laid-back attitude of welcoming on the ship without x-ray machines and asking for passports was amazing. But the nice part ended there. The meals, lectures and general service was mediocre at best. The more important thing is the missing of Kvitoya, which was the main point of the cruise for us. Basically the captain did not want to go there, they used the weather as an excuse because the way the expedition leader put it was: “It would be very uncomfortable and we'd be missing a day and a half of activities.” ! So it wasn't that the weather made it impossible, it was a “choice” by the captain. Mind you, it's no longer possible to visit Kvitoya from January 2025 on due to new regulations, so there is no way to make up for this. So it is a huge huge loss for us. Then, comes the worst part. They wrote a logbook with NO MENTION of missing Kvitoya at all! The only place you find Kvitoya in the logbook is in the name of the voyage! Incredible... Then of course comes the even more incredible part: As Kvitoya was the highlight and the main reason why we booked this voyage, we asked for a partial refund. Mind you, the cruise without Kvitoya is much cheaper than what we have paid for. And what did they do?? They basically did not answer at all! After two weeks, I wrote reminding them our request. We were told that we'd be getting an answer, but within 6 weeks. So we waited six weeks, nothing. 7th week, still nothing. In the end, I wrote again and got an apology from the reception desk “for the inconvenience”! Still 5 more days passed and the Arctic Director deigned to answer. It probably would have been better if he hadn't! It was an indignant answer saying how rightful they were, how it took time to “investigate” (as if they're investigating a murder case!), that the trip was overall successful apart from not getting to Kvitoya (Duh! That's the point of the voyage, it's in the name: “Around Spitsbergen and Kvitoya”), apologizing “nevertheless” (implying there was no need for an apology but he was still apologizing!) and offering us a 20 % discount on a future trip stating specifically that it was valid only for “non-discounted” voyages, that is basically trying to sell us yet another trip which would get money in their pockets, not compensating us the least! Not even offering the difference between the voyage without Kvitoya, that is the one we paid for and the one we got. I naturally replied with a refusal of their offer, and legitimately criticized the response. Well... It's been a week now and no answer. So basically, we are ghosted! Never in our lives did such a thing happen that the customer service did not get back to us after 2 months, not even with small companies let alone a company who has charged tens of thousands euros! And being ghosted??! STAY AWAY from Oceanwide! It's easy to be a good company when things go fine. The calibre and quality of a company shows in the proactive way they solve problems and Oceanwide failed miserably on this!"

What travelers are saying

"Horrible horrible customer service! Or should I say non-existent?! As a world traveller, I have encountered all types of crappy, parroting, cookie-cutter, idiotic answers from customer services over the last decade; however, I have never EVER had a company ghosting customers let alone one whom we have paid tens of thousands of Euros! The pre-booking phase was just fine and smooth, the laid-back attitude of welcoming on the ship without x-ray machines and asking for passports was amazing. But the nice part ended there. The meals, lectures and general service was mediocre at best. The more important thing is the missing of Kvitoya, which was the main point of the cruise for us. Basically the captain did not want to go there, they used the weather as an excuse because the way the expedition leader put it was: “It would be very uncomfortable and we'd be missing a day and a half of activities.” ! So it wasn't that the weather made it impossible, it was a “choice” by the captain. Mind you, it's no longer possible to visit Kvitoya from January 2025 on due to new regulations, so there is no way to make up for this. So it is a huge huge loss for us. Then, comes the worst part. They wrote a logbook with NO MENTION of missing Kvitoya at all! The only place you find Kvitoya in the logbook is in the name of the voyage! Incredible... Then of course comes the even more incredible part: As Kvitoya was the highlight and the main reason why we booked this voyage, we asked for a partial refund. Mind you, the cruise without Kvitoya is much cheaper than what we have paid for. And what did they do?? They basically did not answer at all! After two weeks, I wrote reminding them our request. We were told that we'd be getting an answer, but within 6 weeks. So we waited six weeks, nothing. 7th week, still nothing. In the end, I wrote again and got an apology from the reception desk “for the inconvenience”! Still 5 more days passed and the Arctic Director deigned to answer. It probably would have been better if he hadn't! It was an indignant answer saying how rightful they were, how it took time to “investigate” (as if they're investigating a murder case!), that the trip was overall successful apart from not getting to Kvitoya (Duh! That's the point of the voyage, it's in the name: “Around Spitsbergen and Kvitoya”), apologizing “nevertheless” (implying there was no need for an apology but he was still apologizing!) and offering us a 20 % discount on a future trip stating specifically that it was valid only for “non-discounted” voyages, that is basically trying to sell us yet another trip which would get money in their pockets, not compensating us the least! Not even offering the difference between the voyage without Kvitoya, that is the one we paid for and the one we got. I naturally replied with a refusal of their offer, and legitimately criticized the response. Well... It's been a week now and no answer. So basically, we are ghosted! Never in our lives did such a thing happen that the customer service did not get back to us after 2 months, not even with small companies let alone a company who has charged tens of thousands euros! And being ghosted??! STAY AWAY from Oceanwide! It's easy to be a good company when things go fine. The calibre and quality of a company shows in the proactive way they solve problems and Oceanwide failed miserably on this!"

What travelers are saying

"Our 8th OU tour was to Switzerland. We visited many sites in Switzerland, Austria and also a quick stop in Germany. O.U. takes all the stress away by using outstanding Tour Directors who handle everything. Our T. D. Kiara was fantastic! She worked flawlessly throughout the tour, even when we were stuck in Zermatt after a flood. I highly recommend O.U."

What travelers are saying

"Our 8th OU tour was to Switzerland. We visited many sites in Switzerland, Austria and also a quick stop in Germany. O.U. takes all the stress away by using outstanding Tour Directors who handle everything. Our T. D. Kiara was fantastic! She worked flawlessly throughout the tour, even when we were stuck in Zermatt after a flood. I highly recommend O.U."

What travelers are saying

"Our 8th OU tour was to Switzerland. We visited many sites in Switzerland, Austria and also a quick stop in Germany. O.U. takes all the stress away by using outstanding Tour Directors who handle everything. Our T. D. Kiara was fantastic! She worked flawlessly throughout the tour, even when we were stuck in Zermatt after a flood. I highly recommend O.U."

What travelers are saying

"Wilderness Travel is the BEST company to choose for the Galapagos Islands! We went as a family of 7 and every expectation was blown out of the water. Their team in the office quickly and thoroughly answered all our questions leading up to the trip (and we had a lot), and once we arrived we felt like we had the islands entirely to ourselves! Obviously, the animals were incredible (I was able to see everything on my "wishlist"), but the trip leader is really who made this a once in a lifetime trip. Fernando was kind, patient, funny, and an encyclopedia of knowledge (of course I've forgotten 90% of what I learned already!) He would give short "presentations" at the end of most days explaining the history of the islands, the geology, evolution, Darwin, and how modern politics affect tourism (for better and worse), which added a whole other dimension to our experience.. The boat crew was also magical. We were welcomed with tea and hot snacks immediately after returning from snorkeling excursions, fresh juice and fruit after walks in the sun, and feasts every night with a shocking amount of variety in meals. We were also traveling with a young child and the staff was extremely helpful (even offered babysitting during dinner) in making our trip as easy as possible. We were on the boat "the Passion" and there was a wonderful outdoor dining table that we ate at almost every meal, giving us nearly 360-degree views of the islands as we sailed to the next destination. It's one of the nicest yachts I've been on -- multiple different areas to lounge, a big screen TV/movie area, spacious bedrooms, and there was even a HOT TUB on the top floor! We would go back again in a heartbeat!"

What travelers are saying

"My Mother and I planned this trip for 11 months, we were celebrating our 40th & 60th birthday together. We arrived to Paris on Monday the 26th. I had requested 2 extra nights so we would have some time to adjust after traveling. The company decided to book a tour for us the second day after being asked not too. We arrived to our hotel in a disgusting part of Paris and quite a ways from the sights. Even our taxi driver (the one the company hired) told us this part of Paris was unsafe, especially for women and at night. It took 35mins to get from out hotel to the eiffel tower by car. Our room was so not great, it faced inside looking at a wall. That's considered 4 stars? The staff however was amazing and helpful. They even warned us to not be out at night as the area wasn't the most safe. I let the company know and they said that guarantee the area is safe and central to the sites. 80% of our hotels were not as advertised but the "or similar" ones. Had we gotten the one as shown on the advert, we would have been in a beautiful area, with lovely shops and restaurants. (We went by the hotels we should of had, and all had availability) Fun fact, we had been put right across from the train station, yet none of the transfers were out of this train station, but another 30min Uber ride to a different train station. I contacted customer service over 15 times on this trip about various issues and each time they ignored what was happening and used some lame excuse as why they couldn't help. For example; One tour in Beaune required that we make our way to a winery on a friday morning. We asked the front desk to help us when we couldn't get uber/bolt to work( heads up, they don't have that service there, except sometimes on sat/sun) they also do not have a taxi service available during the week. All 5 of the front desk staff, looked at us like we were crazy. They all tried so hard to find us a way out there besides walking 5miles to get there in 90° weather. They kept saying we're not sure why the tour company keeps saying there is a way out there by public transit, but there isn't. I called customer service.. they argued with me several times over the matter. They sent me info on taxi services that didn't exist there, bus schedules that were for children's bus routes for school and told us that walking was an option. Sadly, we missed the tour. I was shocked. I asked for a phone call from a manager.. I still have yet to receive one even after asking repeatedly. Another fun fact, Discovery Nomads books tours for you that have to paid when the tour is over, as with the walking tour of Paris they arranged for us. The guide himself was amazing, but the only way the guide makes money is by us giving him money at the end. Weird that a company who charges me for tours, made me pay for a tour on site. Not to mention, buyer beware, when it says you get to see the Louve, they mean look at it. You'll have to buy a ticket to go inside. As well as Versallies, where it says a day at Versallies, they mean a couple hours at best. We got there at 2, the tour was 2hrs. and it closes at 6pm. O no time to see the home and gardens. That's not even half a day. I let customer service know that too. They ignored me. We missed a train due to it being delayed and then cancelled. I tried to call customer service again for help, this time no answer. Unfamiliar with what to do, we rebooked a train and paid over 250 euros for it. I let the company know and their reply, it says the train wasn't cancelled so we can't help you. Yet here we were with about 12 other people who also had to rebook a train. Had we had help from the company at the time, we could have just switched our tickets to the next train. But alas, no help from them just excuses. Overall I spent more time trying to figure out how to get transport from A to B, emailing and calling them, spending over 800 euros in transport just to get to train stations and tours, and not to mention the awful train schedules they had us on. This trip was a complete nightmare. I wanted this trip to be amazing for my mother and I, and all we wanted to do was come home. I will never use this company again, and I will share this horror story with others as much as possible to warn them of using Discover Nomads."

What travelers are saying

"This was the first organized tour my husband and I have ever joined, so we were not sure what to expect , but it turned out to be the best vacation we've ever had. The scenery and food were amazing. We stayed in beautiful hotels. Most of the riding was on paved bike paths so we hardly ever had to deal with car traffic. Our leaders, Andrea and Martin, were funny, informative , and so helpful. We are already planning to go back to Italy with VBT this summer."