Tucan Travel

( 18 Reviews )

Activities: Tours
Location: Multiple Destinations
Location: London

Tucan Travel were adventure travel specialistz with over 30 years experience offering good budget tour options at unbeatable prices, from one week to three months in length!

Tucan Tavel were an award-winning Adventure Travel tour operator operating small group tours. Their Worldwide Adventures were for those aged between 18-65.

Tucan offered over 400 itineraries online with tours to Latin America, North America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Antarctica. Tucan also had a global reservation team with offices in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

The transport on our tours was chosen to best suit the region. In Africa and Patagonia you would have travelled on-board custom built overland trucks, whilst many of our other tours used local public transport to get you from A to B. This included public buses, overnight trains and regional flights. On our Adventures for 20s & 30s in South America you would have travelling purely on-board our overland trucks.

Tucan Travel also had a dedicated Tailor-made department creating bespoke itineraries in Latin America and Asia with 3-5 star accommodation on offer for those that appreciate their creature comforts. You could have choosen your desired dates as well as any specific itinerary highlights that you would like to include.

Some of their most popular tours include the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda and seeing Chichén Itzá in Mexico.

Tucan Travel have now stopped operating.

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A bit of everything!

I have traveled with Tuscan a couple times and always enjoyed it. A small group means you get to know people who are like-minded and usually from several countries. Our guide was fantastic- very knowledgeable, proud of his country and accommodating to needs. This was a two week trip which makes a classic circle around the island. You will see stunning temples and archeological sites, do some amazing hikes, tea plantations, see animals, a bit of shoppping, and the beach. For me, the highlights were climbing Sigiriya, World’s End, train ride to Ella, seeing a leopard and elephants (among other animals) in the wild. Galle was a nice town to explore. Hotels were great. The food was a bit boring overall. The people were very nice! The last day had too many activities really as we returned. I would recommend this trip to anyone interested in this lovely country!

By: Jen Hodge
Nationality: Canadian

South East Asia Loop Bangkok to Bangkok

Absolutely fantastic tour.

By: Fiona
Nationality: Irish

Wats Up Cambodia Review

I was very happy with my Tucan Travel tour. Our tour leader Aaron was very informative but at the same time happy to give us some space to enjoy our time as we wanted ourselves. Aaron was also very helpful whenever I pressed him on tips for travelling outside of our alloted tour itinerary which im very appreciative of as I would be alone after the tour ended.

My complaints are very few but if I had to pick any, I would say that I would have appreciated a dated itinerary upon booking the tour. Having to contend with guesswork around the "Day 1 / Day 2 ....etc" set up even after purchase made visa application quite stressful for someone who had never had to purchase a visa before. The result was that I paid 80 pound sterling for a paper visa, just to be one day off and was forced to hand over 50 US dollars to correct my mistake. I had previously contacted Tucan Travel about visa application as I was generally a bit flustered about it and although I was replied to I was still sort of left floundering. Ordinarily I'm sure this would be fine but 50 US dollars was a fair chunk of my money and I was fairly distressed losing it.

The second complaint is no fault of Tucan Travel but rather just an observation of tour life. I joined the tour as quite a large group of people my own age left (early 20s). The people that remained were mid twenties to mid thirties and it was quite clear that the previous group and this older group did not always mix well. Although I was totally new to the group, I did feel that sometimes being younger left myself and another young newcomer rather ostracized. We were associated with the bad taste the last people had left. Sometimes our age difference became a defining factor between the 20s and the 30s. I dont know how this could be combatted in the future as it was probably quite particular to our tour and whatever drama had ensued before I arrived. However maybe a games night or something would help? Something to mix people up a bit? Otherwise it was great !

Otherwise, having a tour meant that my entry into Asia (and my first time leaving europe) was totally stress free thanks to Aaron's impeccable knowledge of the trail. It was a great way to gently adapt to a totally foreign environment until a point where I felt I could pick up myself. For this reason I'm glad I picked the Wats Up Cambodia tour as I did want to have my own freedom to travel as I pleased. But Tucan Travel was perfect for showing me how to safely and economically travel around Asia... also I met some great people!

Thanks Aaron!

By: Stephanie Brennan
Nationality: Irish

Beautiful Balkans

Great Experience! First and foremost, our tour leader Magda was outstanding! Always went above and beyond to ensure everyone was enjoying themselves and their needs were met. The tour was well balanced as we traveled to 7 different countries in 15 days. We didn't once feel rushed and had about 2 full days in each destination. I would have to say as a budget minded traveler, this was ideal as fit the $2000 range.

I would certainly travel with Tucan again!

By: Eric
Nationality: Canadian

Tucan Lima to Rio

Absolutely amazing!!! Our Tucan crew became a family on our 2month tour and thats because our guide and driver brought us all together. Most importantly they learnt what we all wanted out of experience and asked our opinions to ensure every part of the tour was exactly what we all wanted. Their advice was spot on and the tour showed us so many amazing places that we never would have made it to on our own and some we didn't even know of. The camping and bus option is a fantastic way to see so many hidden gems. Highly recommend.

By: Becky
Nationality: Australia

View All Reviews

Tour of South East Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam)

Pros:
Accommodations were a pleasant surprise. From my research I expected hostels and not hotels.
Tour guide, I had the pleasure to travel with Laura. She was very knowledgeable and helpful about anything and everything.
Price was quite good and especially if you get it during sales periods.

Cons:
Their booking staff was rude and not very helpful. (The person I dealt with apparently quit sometime after so they might be better to deal with now). They also don’t have very much knowledge about the actual trip. A lot of the things they say are just speculations. And unfortunately there’s no way to get in touch with the local tour guide before the tour.
Price can change and there’s no help on their end. You have to pay or cancel the trip.
Tour description and itinerary were very vague. A list of hotels and type of transportation would be very helpful but are unavailable.
Not very many included activities.

Overall
Would suggest to others. Do you research on the optional excursions and pricing. Expect to have a new person as guide (quite likely).

By: Alex
Nationality: Canadian

Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand Tour

What an amazing tour! I had never travelled across the Pacific and was eager to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of Southeast Asia. This was my second time using Tucan. The tour group was small, only 6 in total! Our tour leader was a real character, but he got us where we needed to go. Some of the hotel rooms were not up to western standards of cleanliness (bugs, hair, dust), but I was able to change rooms upon request. Apart from the overnight train ride (I had a cold so that didn't help!) the accommodations were comfortable and convenient. I was able to see so much in such a short amount of time - beautiful coastlines and temples, and also learn a lot about the struggles of the Vietnamese and Cambodian people. It is a trip I will not soon forget! Some of the local/public transportation was rough (no bathroom stop for 2.5 hours...) but the flights were quick and easy. The staff at Tucan Travel have also been amazing - they are quick to answer questions and walk you through the process before the trip. For a budget tour company they are well organized, professional, and trust worthy.

By: Lindsay
Nationality: USA

Best Group Tour I've Ever Done

I did a two week group tour around Peru starting from Lima, heading to the Amazon Jungle, Cusco, Machu Picchu (bucket list!), Lake Titicaca and back to Lima. I've travelled on large group tours before and always felt a little lost. I loved that the Tucan Travel tour was a small size and wasn't as overwhelming as other tours I'd been on.

The accommodation was basic, clean 3-star, which is exactly what I'd expect from an adventure tour company. They were all in great, central locations making it easy to walk out the door and explore each place in my free time. My favourite accommodation was in the Amazon Jungle as it was an eco-friendly cabin we stayed in where the power shut off at 10pm forcing you to rest and soak up the natural surrounds.

The tour guide was an Australian who spoke fluent Spanish and was currently living in Cusco so was very familiar with local customs. He was extremely helpful and knowledgeable of the country. We used a variety of transport modes to get around from local buses to planes. There was plenty of opportunity to experience a variety of the local cuisine as well.

I also did a private tour in Nazca with Tucan Travel before my group tour started. The lady who showed me around was a local Nazca woman who had excellent knowledge of the area's history. She was very accommodating for me as I had arrived late, was extremely jet-lagged and very hungry. She helped me find an open restaurant for dinner that first night upon meeting her and gave me incredible insights the next day as to the area's culture.

Every employee I've come into contact with at Tucan Travel has been incredibly friendly and experienced in their field. I believe I had an authentic experience (as much as what I could on tour) in Peru all thanks to the effort that Tucan Travel goes through to organise itineraries and hire quality staff.

By: Melissa
Nationality: Australian

Tucan did not disappoint

From enquiry to flight home Tucan Travel were great.
Despite only having limited time for our holiday Tucan arranged the itinerary to meet our needs so we could see what South America could offer in Peru, Argentina & Brazil.
Everything went fully to plan, with the Tucan rep also able to reunite me with my camera charger which I left in a transfer car.
100% recommend Tucan.

By: David Ebbs
Nationality: British

Lima to Rio

I just finished up with Tucan and was extremely happy the tour. We started in Lima and drove down to rio in a big yellow overland truck.

It was one of the best trips I’ve done so far. It covers all aspects action, adventure, culture, history ect. The tour guide was fantastic, she was fun, relatable and the food that she cooked was amazing. The truck driver was one of the most caring and switched on blokes I have ever come across. They both are very passionate about what they do.

The only criticism I do have is the bus didn’t have air conditioning and on a 35+ degree day it’s a killer. Apart from that the truck was always clean and had everything you needed to make the trip enjoyable.

Highly recommend!

By: Joel
Nationality: Australian

TucAsia

29 days of Asian adventure - Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos - and a great crew of crazy people mad my Tucan tour an unique and unforgettable experience.
When you go on a low budget trip you habe to be aware of the standard you will be transported and accommodated, which was totally fine with me. Long bus and train rides are included, but you get the chance to see the beautiful countryside outside the bustling cities.
And yes the beds are sometimes not the greatest, but you'll sleep like a lamb after hot hot heat hours exploring the great spots in Southeast Asia.
I loved this trip, especially because of the group. Some tracks are not meant to be travelled alone. Especially going to a suoer different culture for the first time.
Everything was greatly organised and ran smooth, no major issues or problems, just one month fun!
Our leader always gave us options to choose from either where to go for food or for adventure. And the little insider tools of the most local spots were awsome!
The only thing that was negative to me is the tipping situation. If my leader made a great job, I am mire than happy to tip, but if like to decide myself if I want to and then how much I would like to give. So maybe Tucan can work on this advice /recommendation in their itinerary.

Still highly recommended though!

By: Kat
Nationality: German

Great experience, basic tour

I did a 10 day tour of Patagonia. The tripnitself was amazing, out Tucen tour leader and driver were fantastic - very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. But it was apparent that a lot of things were done "on the cheap" on the tour to keep costs down. The food provided during our three nights camping in Torres del Paine was essentially slop and was a huge disappointment. I could only stomach one meal and even then I had to wash it down with a lot of liquids. It was clear to me why this tour was so much cheaper than tours offered by other companies
One of the guides on this part of the tour (not a Tucan employee, but an external guide) made some very inappropriate comments and suggestions to me which made me feel very uncomfortable. I later became aware that he had done the same with another female traveller. I mentioned this to my tour leader at the time and also reported this in my feedback to Tucan after the tour. It took Tucan 2 weeks to acknowledge my feedback and when they did I received a rather disappointing response which essentially said that they wouldn't do anything about my situation, but would ask their tour leaders to keep an eye on that guide in the future.

By: Charlotte
Nationality: British

Tucan in colombia

Tucan operated a very interesting trip across Colombia. Stayed at central, locally run hotels. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. Orientation tours in each city. Free time too to explore at your own pace and given ideas how to spend your time. Would recommend tucan to travel with

By: Daniel
Nationality: British

Tucan Adventures in Peru

I am a travel agent so finding the right company for the right destination is highly important and I can't recommend Tucan Travel enough for adventure trips in Peru! My recent trip was a fast tracked blended experience of both brands but it was the perfect combination to get a feel for both styles of travel. The local tour leaders are incredible and truly made the trip. The value for money was excellent and i was really impressed with the standard of accommodation!

By: Emily
Nationality: Australian

Fantastic company

We travelled with Tucan over June/July of 2017 and did southern africa. It was amazing and they were so helpful with everything. We really felt like we saw the best of africa during these 19 days and it was a trip of a lifetime. I would definitely recommend these guys, for their knowledge, planning and overall price.

By: Melissa
Nationality: Australian

Tangos, Deserts and Incas

I went on a month long tour through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. We covered a lot of ground and saw some beautiful cities in the time we had. Some of the accommodations were particularly basic. My stay in Buenos Aires particularly left me with many bug bites. The overland truck was a great way to travel, since it made costs very reasonable and were able to appreciate the diverse landscape.

The local fee is something that still confuses me and many others on tour. It can be stressful to have to carry that much cash, specifically in American currency (which is a hindrance for foreigners) and I'm not quite sure where the money goes. The food we eat on the road is basic and often just not what I would ever want to eat. I'd prefer to be allowed to do my own shopping for food instead.

The cities that were chosen for our stay, at times seemed unnecessary. We spent more days camping in random towns where there is literally nothing to do and less time in bustling cities. Our tour guides recommended we paid a bit extra to stay in one particular city and take a day off from camping and I was so grateful for this change. The extra cost was only about $10 and was incredibly worth it.

Overall it's great for budget travel, but perhaps look into other tour companies beforehand. They do have many routes that other companies don't, so that might be a big deciding factor for you.

By: Charlotte
Nationality: USA

Delta and Deserts!

I did a Delta and Deserts tour with Tucan Travel back in February. It was an amazing trip, over landing from Zambia through Botswana, Namibia and finishing in South Africa, so pretty epic!

We had great tour leaders and driver, fun loving and knowledgeable about the places, people and wildlife we were meeting along the way.

I had a fantastic group, a real mix of nationalities and ages which made the trip even more special for me.

I was completely blown away by the beauty of Africa, and the tour was well paced, a couple of long drive days but the rewards were always worth it. The Tucan 'truck' was a very social space and the leaders encouraged us to move seats, socialise and play games to get to know the group.

Stand out highlights for me were the walking safari and mokoro canoes in the Okavango Delta and watching the sunrise at Dune 45 in the Namibian desert.

Three weeks, four countries - this really is an epic trip!

By: Aneesa
Nationality: British

I would definitely recommend a tour with Tucan to anyone

I booked a 12 day adventure tour of Patagonia with Tucan where I saw extraordinary landscapes and experienced something different every day, from the setting and climate to the activities and culture, and this tour certainly packed it all in.

Our guide was knowledgeable, always catering to our needs and organised plenty of group meals outside of our activities to get to know the group. We were always constantly made aware of the implications and risks for the activities and on the bus, mainly to protect us.

The experience and excursions on this tour provided endless fun and incredible memories which will be cherished, it was almost faultless. Although the experience paid for itself, we did struggle at times to work out where our 900 pounds was going towards. The hotels were often basic, the food on drive days was simple and the adding the rest up still left a large amount unaccounted for. Depending on your budget, this may not be the company for you.

Despite some limitations, this tour was *cringe* once in a life-time. To be able to remove the hassle and stress and just enjoy the ride was incredible.

By: Emily
Nationality: British