Tour Operators - Tucan Travel

Hi there. I work for Tucan Travel and I'm writing in response to the concerns expressed by Arigirl. I would like to reassure Arigirl that we took her complaint very seriously. As you would expect of any professional company, any allegation of inappropriate conduct is investigated thoroughly and properly. In order to protect the feelings and privacy of Arigirl I will not comment on the specifics of this complaint however I will say that it is clear to us that there were misunderstandings on both sides, most likely due to cultural differences and differences in communication styles. We have spoken to the guide concerned to get his point of view and have informed him about Arigirl's feelings about this matter. We have not had any other complaints about this guide or his conduct. The Trekking the Atlas tour covers areas of Morocco which in general receives few western visitors and local people have a more conservative style of dress and personal expression than western people. It is important for travellers to take this into consideration when travelling to Morocco and other parts of the Middle East. Morocco is an amazing country with beautiful landscapes, a fascinating mix of cultures and an amazing depth of history to explore - I hope that travellers will continue to enjoy this tour and this exciting country. Thanks, Cat.

The Tucan charged us £62 for a twin room for 2 person for extra night in Lima! we could book the same room online for less than half the price!! It is not completely unexpected to incur some sort of handling fee or mark-up when booking via a tour operator (although some might actually expect preferential rates) but when I was asked on the spot when booking on the phone whether I wanted to book an extra night through the tour operator I was assuming that the extra cost would be reasonable. I do not find a mark-up of over 100% to be that reasonable. the extra night in the hotel prior to departure. I understand that the difference in price might not necessarily be going into your pockets and might more be a question of the internet booking operators negotiating better rates with the hotel than you have done yourselves, but whatever the explanation it is disappointing.

My experience with Tucan Travel is that they are shoddy operators. We spent a month travelling through South America, most of it was booked before leaving(thankfully, we only booked 3 days with Tucan). Tucan travel refused to tell me which hotels we would be staying at as I wanted to leave contact details with my family, and any wonder why. We were assured they would be 3 star, nothing could be further from the truth. At one hotel the taxi driver had to drop us off two street away, so we had to carry our suitcases,as the road was not drivable. The tour guide should not be in the industry. For example,she took us to a restaurant, we only felt like a snack so we ordered chips and a drink (which we had to pay for). The owner of the restaurant was not happy about this, and in front of us, had stern words (in spanish) with the guide. We could make out enough that we should have spent more money. The guide did not give us the courtesy of telling us what the problem was. Our experience with other tour operators in South America was great. We even stayed at a B & B that provided far superior service. If you are looking at a tour operator in South America, DO NOT USE Tucan!

I just wanted to say how very much both Ben and I enjoyed our tour with you. Mostafa, with his deep knowledge and love of Egypt and that dry sense of humour, is an absolute gem, and put us total newcomers at this sort of holiday at ease as soon as we met. The group dynamic was very much set as there were 7 people who were continuing from another tour who had gelled so well they had solidified (nothing wrong with that, just an observation), so the 4 who were just starting could well have been at a disadvantage. Of course it was present - it had to be - but Mostafa was miraculous at integrating each and every one of us, including old grumble guts here and his slightly autistic child. In fact - the group brought him out of himself wonderfully, and I saw things in him I had not seen before: quite incredible. Anyway - 125% satisfaction and enjoyment from the Daveys - and we are even thinking about doing another with you! Very many thanks to both you and Laura for putting up with my silly questions pre-tour, and to you all for designing such a well run, flawless, tour. Special thanks to Mostafa for being, well, Mostafa, without whom it must surely have been somewhat different. Must go and unpack, but I wanted to give you my thoughts now! With very best wishes - till next time, Andrew.

I travelled overland from Cape Town to Dar Es Salaam with Tucan Travel Budget Expeditions last year and had the time of my life! Excellent guide and driver, fantastic truck which was the envy of all other trucks, and I made brilliant friends. Be prepared to muck in with the cooking/cleaning though!

I travelled on the Trekking the Atlas tour in Morocco, which began in Marrakech and hiked its way through the Atlas to Mt. Toubkal. I found the hiking to be wonderful as well as the culture and the scenery. I was extremely disappointed by my guide's inappropriate sexual advances towards me. It made the trip very uncomfortable. Post excursion, I wrote a letter to Tucan Travel about this incident. Unfortunately, they did not take any responsibility and made it seem as though I was a naive tourist. So, if you are a woman and do not like to be sexually harassed on vacation, I would not recommend this trip.