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Samuel B.
June 14, 2024
We booked directly through their website for the best price and service. We had a wonderful full day private tour to the Salinas, including pick up from our hotel, driver and an expert guide. We hiked, saw Alpacas, Llamas, Vicunas, flamingos, and more, had a fresh picnic lunch with vegetarian options, hiked through some typical Peruvian villages and farms, then returned home in time for dinner. Highly recommend.
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Taz June 06, 2024
Terrible customer service! They don't deserve the 1 star. The tour company agreed to pick me up at the airport at 2am, but I hadn't realized that there was going to be maintenance at the airport and it would close overnight. So, I booked into a hotel closest to the airport. Later, I realized that my hotel was in the street next to where the minibus would begin the pick-ups. However, at the last minute, the coordinator informed me that the driver wouldn't pick me up as he said that the street was closed for maintenance. I checked with hotel and there was no closure. Also, how was the street closed when he could get out with the minibus? I offered to meet him outside on the street, walk to the pick up, etc., but every option to meet with him for the tour, they refused. I anxiously sat up until nearly 5am waiting while the driver drove past me to pick up other people all over Arequipa. Gloria, the coordinator, kept telling me to find a way to get to downtown and catch the minibus. It was a terrible last-minute inconvenience, I couldn't speak Spanish, the hotel clerk couldn't assist me and after 2am, I had no way to get a cab or find any public transport. I was frustrated and anxious as I had specially booked a 1 day flight to Arequipa just for the tour, so I couldn't miss the tour as I had to fly out the evening again. Gloria was not helpful, made empty promises, and in the end, I had to take a cab and meet the minibus about 20mins away. Afer waiting for 3hrs, I finally boarded the minibus just before 5am.
The tour guide onboard spoke very little English. He explained and chatted long in Spanish and after every 30-60mins or so he would say a little in English...clearly not even half the description he gave in Spanish. We missed most of the explanations as by the time he translated what he was showing, we had driven far past the area. He would explain everything, in Spanish, when we got off the bus, us English speakers would have to remind him to translate where we were and what to look out for, so we missed a lot of time exploring as he would only explain to us when we were off the bus, while everyone else was walking around taking photos. He failed to inform us of how much time we had so we would always be chased to get done. Also, while explaining in English, when Spanish tourists interrupted him with more questions, he would abruptly stop explaining in English so he could chat with the Spanish tourist for long periods. It was like he was looking for an excuse to not have to speak English and just wasted our time standing around waiting. He made us English speaking people feel very left out, uncomfortable, unwelcome and like we were bothering him due to his terrible customer service. Worst ever tour guide, bus driver, and coordinator.
Even worse, was the flithy bus which, had about 20 flies, and without proper aircon/fans/heating so our windows stayed misted and we struggled to see out most of the time. People complained about the bus smelling and the flies, but the tour guide tried to cover up by saying that it is normal. Airport, cab, hotel and outside I never saw any flies...only swarms of them in that filthy bus! Also, the bus driver was very inconsiderate as people were trying to catch a nap as people were picked up from 2am in the morning and dropped off late the night when we returned, yet he had music playing loudly during these times.
I noticed others complaning, about a year before, about the lack of English being used, their and lack of communication logistic problems, but I thought that by now it would have improved. Nope! If you don't speak Spanish, like to be messed around with logistic issues at 2am, stand around for 3hrs, spend a day in a filthy minibus, not be able to see out of a permanently filthy and misted up window and consider breakfast to be a roll, 2 small cubes of cheese, a tablespoon of jam and a quinoa drink after 7hrs on the road then, go for it. Also, they don't allow you to eat onboard the minibus so we were starving inbetween. I vowed to never book another tour with them again.
