Chile Luxury Ruins & Archaeology Trips & Packages Tours & Trips

What travelers are saying

"I worked with Garvey to plan my dream trip to Patagonia. It was a two-week trip, we started in Buenos Aires, took the Australis cruise through the Tierra del Fuego fjords, visited Torres del Paine staying at the Explora Lodge and ended the trip in Santiago. All of the guides that Garvey arranged for excursions were excellent. Garvey managed the travel logistics between the different locations so that our experience in South America was seamless. Overall Lost World Adventures was a great travel agent for us. I had worked with this company previously for a trip to visit Angel Falls in Venezuela and hike the Machu Picchu trail in Peru, which was also fantastic."

What travelers are saying

"First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfortable and happy (MTSobek tour guides are independent contractors. Tomomi also works for other Adventure/Tour companies) Secondly, Japan is beautiful, clean and the Japanese people are very welcoming. The hiking in the national parks was amazing. It could have been a truly five-star experience if MtSobek had not cut corners so egregiously. The website said (at the time) group tours are 5-22 people. The tour gets canceled if the minimum is not met. When I paid there were TWO other people booked-a mother and daughter duo. Shortly before our departure date I called to see if the tour would be cancelled. I wanted my money back but Mt Sobek was “pleased to say that the trip would not be canceled”. In other words, I could not get a refund. At the last minute a guy named Matt signed up so there were four of us. Five days into the trip Matt left and took a train back to Tokyo. I said to him “You realize Mt Sobek is not going to refund you”. He said, “I don’t care, Mt Sobek scammed us.” With tax, the tour costs $11,645 for 13 nights. For that price there is an expectation that the accommodations Mt Sobek chooses would be decent and clean. We all fully expected a ‘traditional Japanese experience’ which often means no private bath and 8 out of the 13 nights we slept on futon mats on the floor. However, Mt Sobek consistently booked us in the cheapest Ryokans (hotels) in each area in which we travelled. Most of these hotels were unclean and very out-dated. One Ryokan they booked us in was listed on a hotel website for $40 USD/night when there were much nicer accommodations nearby for $100 USD/night. (The Japanese yen is way down, the luxury Park Hotel in Tokyo was $200 USD/night. A comparable hotel would have been about $800/night in Austin.). We were the only people staying in several hotels that accomadated many more people. The most egregious example of MtSobek’s booking the cheapest rooms is when we were booked at a large traditional ski lodge at the base of a spectacular mountain. It was beautiful on the website but had two very different wings. One wing was modern, clean and beautiful with simple beds. The other wing was very old (similar to a cheap Motel 6 that had not been updated since the 1970’s). The carpet and bathrooms were disgusting and like many of the Ryocans where we stayed the futon mats seemed as though they had not been cleaned In 30 years. Only after our tour guide checked us in did we realize we had been booked in the cheap rooms. I asked Tomo why. Immediately someone from MtSobek reached out to me and said, “gosh, I’m sorry you did not realize you were going to have a traditional Japanese experience”. Really? “Traditional” experience depends upon one’s budget. In the US, “traditional” to some people may be the Marriott, a Motel 6 or the Four Seasons Hotels. We were paying for a Marriott experience and received the one-star Motel 6 experience. Upon arrival in Tokyo I expected to be met at the airport by a driver (as many tour companies do). However, several days before our arrival dates in Tokyo, MtSobek sent an email telling us how to locate taking a city bus from the bustling Tokyo airport. That is interesting if you do not speak Japanese. MtSobek cleverly uses great photography and elaborate descriptions of the national parks and the hiking while using terms like “traditional Japanese experience with tatami-mat sleeping” to disguise sub-standard accommodations. At one point we were looking on-line at the very hotel where we were staying and did not even recognize it from the website pictures. The hiking was amazing. The group size was disappointing with just the three of us. I would absolutely recommend a hiking tour through Japan, just not with MtSobek."

What travelers are saying

"Unknowledgeable and don’t communicate. Stay away unless you want letting down last minute."

What travelers are saying

"Unknowledgeable and don’t communicate. Stay away unless you want letting down last minute."

What travelers are saying

"My group of 23 patrons arranged an 11 day trip to Hawaii which also included a stay in San Francisco and Grand Canyon. Of those 11 days, 3 of them were arranged in such a way that our airline flights were booked in afternoon and nothing was arranged for the morning. When we inquired about these gaps in the schedule, we were informed that we should “just relax on those days”. We were never informed of check in times so we were often rushed in the afternoons. We arranged several excursions through your company at great expense but none of them were arranged correctly. Most days comprised of a Burger King lunch or preordered tacos. What happened to the “delicious cuisine” we were promised? We requested a trip to the Shiv temple. All we got was to see the outside because your company didn’t bother checking to see if appointments were needed to tour the inside. We were told there would be whale watching but no arrangements were made and when we inquired about that, we were given a ridiculous amount of excuses. We arranged for a trip to Napa valley. Once again your company failed to check on your requirements and didn’t make reservations, therefore we couldn’t tour any winery and just spent 20 minutes walking around outside. I am absolutely disgusted with your company and after spending thousands of dollars with you, I expected an elaborate vacation. I would have been better off arranging my own flights and hotel and having the hotel concierge arrange our excursions. We will never use your company again and we will be sure to publish this exact email on social media."

What travelers are saying

"Unknowledgeable and don’t communicate. Stay away unless you want letting down last minute."

What travelers are saying

"So well organized and put together. From the moment we got on the plane to Africa everything fell into place just as we had hoped. Wonderful sights of animals in the bush, wonderful camps with excellent food, guides who were outstanding. We have returned many times and it is always the same. Sharing it with the children was not to be forgotten."

What travelers are saying

"Unknowledgeable and don’t communicate. Stay away unless you want letting down last minute."