North America Wildlife Viewing Trips & Packages Tours & Trips

What travelers are saying

"Wonderful 7 days southwest camping trip, very well organised. Awesome tour guide, going beyond his duties to get everybody happy. Highly recommended."

What travelers are saying

"I made a reservation last Thursday (11/16/2023) for a trip to Iceland from 12/02/2023-12/07/2023 and then I was told that I can’t have my refund back. When I called on last Thursday (11/16/2023) to place my reservation, the agent (Kathy) I talked to stressed about she "cannot" guarantee that I will be able to go on the trip. Before I provided the payment information, I specifically asked if I will be able to get the refund because the trip is coming up so soon. The agent ensured that I will be able to get a full refund back within 60 days if I decided to cancel the trip. I was also told that I am basically on a wait list and someone will contact me once I can go on the trip. No one contacted me about whether the agency was able to process my information at all, so I've been left in the dark about this trip since the beginning. I called the help line this morning (11/20/2023) around 9:00 Eastern Standard Time to cancel my reservation. I was informed by the agent that I will not be able to get my full refund back since it's too close to the trip date. Basically I was told that Kathy gave me the wrong information, so I will have to pay the cancellation fee. The only reason I provided my payment information is because Kathy specifically stated that I will be able to cancel the trip and receive a full refund. I've never been so frustrated with a traveling agency. I made sure to ask this agent regarding the refund policy twice before giving her my payment information, and she still couldn't provide me with the correct information. It's unbelievable that such a big traveling agency cannot uniformly train their employees with the correct set of information."

What travelers are saying

"Wonderful 7 days southwest camping trip, very well organised. Awesome tour guide, going beyond his duties to get everybody happy. Highly recommended."

What travelers are saying

"Tour is advertised as an "active" tour. However, YMT sold the tours to seniors and others who were unable to walk more than 1/8 mile, unable to navigate stairs or had to walk with the aid of walkers. As a result, 80 percent of the "explorations" were to visitor centers, look out points, stores or washrooms, that were within 100 feet or less of the bus. This tour should be categorized as "relaxed". A big disappointment! The bus driver was friendly and accommodating and drove us safely from one site to another. He sold water to the guests in small bottles for $1 each. I think YMT should be more conscientious of the environment and at least offer bottle refills, especially since the guide practically demanded that each person drink one gallon of water per day. The tour guide was marginally knowledgeable about the area and spent too much time telling us about her private life and friends. She led one hike, but talked mostly about how the rains had changed the landscape. One day she left two guests at the hotel and wanted the people on the bus to take responsibility for not letting her know that people were missing. We were encouraged to find hikes to take on our own, which I felt compromised safety, especially when we had an hour or so to "explore" - there was no safety or backup plan, especially if something untoward happened on a hike. She opted out of taking us to the sunset tour of the Grand Canyon telling us that it was raining and we wouldn't be able to see anything. So a couple of us went to the site on our own and it was possibly one of the best experiences I had on the entire tour (and not a drop of rain!). I often felt bullied into purchasing lunches or meals "offered" by the guide, who made it sound like there were no other options. It was difficult to listen to her brag about how well she was doing and how happy everyone was, when many people were complaining that the tour was not what they expected - mostly because it was too active!!! The accommodations were mostly good - a couple of anomalies (one with a plugged sink and no hot water for a shower, another with a pervasive bad odor). The excursions offered at the time of booking were mostly unavailable later (except for the over-priced meals). Another disappointment because I booked the tour partly because of one of the excursions offered at the time of booking. I would not recommend this tour, because I don't think it is advertised correctly."

What travelers are saying

"Wonderful 7 days southwest camping trip, very well organised. Awesome tour guide, going beyond his duties to get everybody happy. Highly recommended."

What travelers are saying

"Wonderful 7 days southwest camping trip, very well organised. Awesome tour guide, going beyond his duties to get everybody happy. Highly recommended."

What travelers are saying

"This was out first trip with KE and part of a longer stay in China. We had a fantastic time and the trek was the highlight of our extended holiday. The scenery was stunning and enhanced by the heavy snow fall we got at second camp. Whilst unexpected, the tour leader was able to modify our schedule and we completed the trek by staying at the second base camp for an extra night. We had active and passive acclimatisation and didn’t suffer from any altitude sickness. The days were relatively short in terms of walking but that was good as it left time to adjust the schedule when the unexpected happened. Whilst walking poles are listed as recommended, we think they were essential. Also make sure you have a good quality thermal sleeping mat as it is cold at night. The only negative is the use of single use plastic which is common throughout China. In summary a fantastic adventure and the panda bears are very cute too!"

What travelers are saying

"they are 'fair weather friends' I did not receive so much as an email advising of changes in the cancellation policy, discovered when I contacted them to cancel. I now receive automated emails/msgs as I attempt to work through this. The email states I may contact them on 31 July to discuss the matter!....4 months away. I'm absolutely stunned by how shoddy this outfit is....who knew?! Out of pocket $4000. Expect I'm not the only one."