Western Europe Nature & Wildlife Tours & Packages Tours & Trips

What travelers are saying

"This was their July 22 Cruise “Delights if the Danube” Absolutely awful company, great at taking your bookings and money but it then ends there. We paid a premium rate for what they listed as “Delights of The Danube” river cruise. They changed our ship, so we did not get what we paid for, and no pool as we originally specified. The drinks in the drinks package had very little choice. One draft beer is all that is available, and that is pretty poor as it is, you can’t even buy bottled beers or any other draught beer as that one is your only choice. Wines at meal times are either red, white or Rosa, no choice, just those three.The ship they put us on “boasted” a new wine bar, it didn’t serve any wines or beers at all the entire week, it wasn’t even stocked or manned, but it did have a kettle and tea or coffee !!!. The trips ashore are advertised to deceive you, this is appalling. Some of the trips are over two and a half hours each way on a coach, and the shorter ones are rushed, don’t be fooled by their misleading advertising. The train journeys are an absolute nightmare, even though we booked first class there and back. You have to rush between connecting trains while dragging your luggage with you, and the connecting times are tight, we felt so sorry for those less able who were severely stressed. On part of the journey we were told that 1st class was not available, we were put in filthy overcrowded carriages, with our luggage carriages away, and professional thieves operate on these trains. Some of our fellow passengers, on our cruise, were robbed on the way to the cruise and the way home. Great Rail offered us the paltry sum of £30 compensation for this. Once we got on the cruise we were excited, but that quickly changed, we spent the first two days moored up overlooking an industrial estate, yes an industrial estate, that’s what Great Rail advertise as a “Delight of the Danube”. When we complained and asked why are we on an industrial estate,we were told “because it’s cheaper than mooring up in a city or town”. We complained to the reps on the cruise, as did numerous others, only to be told that they don’t actually work for Great Rail, they are sub contracted free lancers, and that we would have to take it up with Great Rail upon our return. After numerous phone calls and e-mails we have been offered a derisory amount on one of their vouchers, which only benefits Great Rail, why would we want to go back with such an incompetent company? The communication with Great Rail is appalling once they have your money, be warned. Overall I have to say that Great Rail are appalling, amateurs playing in a market they simply don’t understand, their advertising is very misleading, that’s putting it politely!! The tone of their responses are arrogant, they simply ignore many of the points raised, and they honestly don’t seem to care, they are all image and no substance."

What travelers are saying

"Great company offering some truly amazing adventures. I did the "Introduction to expedition skiing and camping in the arctic" trip in January 2019. We encountered the coldest day of the winter (-41°C) so there has to be some changes to the original plan, as it's not ideal camping conditions. Kasper was flexible and managed to keep a fun and interesting schedule. He's also very experienced/knowledgeable and good at sharing his knowledge. It was among the most memorable trips I have been on, and I would definitely come back again. I strongly recommend any of their trips!"

What travelers are saying

"Recently completed our second walk with southwest walks. Again everything went well. Landscape was beautiful (even in the pouring rain), people on the walk/hike with us were all fine folks, and nothing I have ever known was like the care and attention we received before the trip. They make travel as painless as possible and take care of all the details you might want them to. We were well cared for [and very well fed] throughout."

What travelers are saying

"Overall very good experience. Reservations were made and places were as advertised. There was a daily itinerary with more than you could do every day, so it was up to you to pick and chose, depending on your inclination and interests. This is not a "guided tour" where you just show up and all decisions are made for you, but an "interactive" vacation. It allowed us the flexibility to change the type of activities depending on the weather or if a certain type of activity was not turn out to our liking. An overall great way to see Iceland."

What travelers are saying

"This trip was fantastic from the accommodation, experiences, food and company. Albatross Tours think of everything and provide you with a very magical and well organised tour. We loved the flexibility of #mytime and were able to pop in and out of the organised activities as we wished. Maritza our tour guide (or Tour Mum) was amazing and made sure she was always one step ahead of us all. Our fellow tour companions became our tour family! I couldn't recommend Albatross Tours highly enough for all your travel experiences."

What travelers are saying

"A fabulously run tour company, offering top-notch cultural itineraries. We just returned from Vivaldi in Venice, where the program was excellent in every way."

What travelers are saying

"I would recommend Cultural Crossroads to anyone interested in experiencing the nature of a place and it's people rather than just ticking a box on your travel checklist. Small group size and excellent planning and execution by the company owner, Carrie McDougall, as well as her ability to address and resolve issues quickly helped to make my first overseas solo tip a most memorable experience. The local guides were knowledgeable and personable as well as friendly and fun. I had a great trip and would not hesitate to use Cultural Crossroads for future travel."

What travelers are saying

"I always wanted to meet orangutans in the wild. Going with AW to Indonesia was the way to do it. We had great local guides, delicious food, and magical experiences. Everything was taken care of. The diverse group of women made the time even more enriching. I started as a solo traveler, but within a day I had 14 new friends. I can totally see traveling with AW again."