Comparing nature tour packages is hard because the packages often look similar on the surface but differ in important details, such as:
- What’s actually included: lodging, meals, park fees, transport, gear, and guide services may or may not be covered. Some companies don't include park fees and they can add up, especially in Africa.
- Quality differences: two tours may both say “guided wildlife experience,” but one may use expert naturalists and small groups while another does not. Some use experienced top-notch guides, while others might use summer hires from college or less experienced guides. Top guides normally get paid more, so they won't be on budget tours. Also, it helps to know about "behind the scenes" information if possible. A while back, I asked a friend of mine who owns a lodge in the Amazon about a new lodge I had heard about. He said it was probably the most attractive lodge in the area, but their guides had been fired from other lodges.
- Different activity levels: some are easy scenic trips; others require serious hiking, paddling, or camping. See if most of the time is spent riding in vehicles or if you actually get out and go to remote places where more physical exertion is involved
- Accommodation standards: “eco-lodge” or “rustic stay” can mean very different things. An eco-lodge can be a luxury 5* facility or it can be a more basic, less opulent one that just abides by "green standards"
- Season and wildlife timing: the same destination can offer very different experiences depending on the month. Certain times of the year may be considered "prime wildlife viewing season" so the operators and hotels might charge higher prices than they do when there are normally less animals to be seen.
- Group size: small-group tours and large bus-style tours create very different experiences. More people create more noise which scares away more animals. And if you're looking for birds or other wildlife in a forest setting, it's more intimate and beneficial if the guide only has to gather a few people around to get a peak at a species.
- Itinerary depth: one package may spend more time in nature, while another includes lots of transit or non-nature stops.
- Hidden costs: tips, equipment rental, flights, insurance, and optional excursions may not be in the listed price.
- Conservation and ethics standards: not all operators have the same environmental practices or wildlife interaction rules. While feeding or "baiting" wild animals might lead to more dependable sightings at a location, it's highly unethical and offensive to some people. Some might not be so adamant about leaving the environment they way they found it.
- Vague marketing language: terms like “adventure,” “immersive,” or “sustainable” are often not standardized. What 1 person considers and adventure might not be what others consider an adventure. Standards that one company may tout as being sustainable, might mean that they help to sustain the company, but maybe not the environment.
- Different pricing for what appears to be the same thing: Many times, tour companies don't operate their own tours. Instead, they will work with a local company that actually operates the tour and provides the guide, then the tour company adds an escort and raises the price to pay for the expenses of the escort plus their salary. I've known several local companies who operated tours for large companies. They would sell the tour to the company at one price, then that company would offer it to their clients at sometimes double or triple their cost. I had a doctor who was a photography buff and he told me that the chose to do a Galapagos cruise with one company because they promoted having a professional photographer on board. When I investigated, I noticed that a local company operated that cruise and provided the photographer and they charged less to the people who booked directly with them. I suppose sometimes it's nice to have an escort to herd people around, but it's the guide who actually leads the trip.
RSS Feed
