South America Express
Excuse the length - hope it is of value to someone.
An introduction - we are a couple in our sixties with quite a bit of recent travel experience. We went on the South America Express tour (adventure tour) of 26 days from Rio to Lima departing Rio on November 8, 2016. Went on an African adventure tour a couple of years ago (different company) so had something similar to compare this tour with.
First point - we did not find Tucan very forthcoming with any additional information. What is in the brochure/website is about all you will get. They told us we would receive all the information we would require for the tour 30 days before the tour began, but it arrived about two weeks before, and turned out to be just a rehash of the brochure! They told us they couldn't tell us in advance who our tour leader would be or any of the accommodation during the tour. Having read some of the reviews relating to tour leaders, this was a concern. Also, we found out during the tour, that Tucan basically uses the same accommodation in all the places we stayed (or no more than two different venues), so we could have been given the accommodation information in advance, with the qualification that things can change at the last minute. This was a complaint from other members of the tour as well. This information can help travellers plan activities on the tour (regardless of the help that tour leaders may/may not provide) as you can find the accommodation's proximity to points of interest and what specific facilities it provides.
Second point - we asked Tucan to organise a taylor-made add-on into the jungle at the completion of the adventure tour. This was done extremely well, with all transfers and information really well organised and presented. Just a shame that the same attention to detail is not given to the main tour.
Third point - coming from Australia, it was important to organise visas in advance, particularly for Brazil. This added a significant cost to the trip. Also, another additional cost can be the injections and medications (malaria tablets and altitude sickness tablets). More of the hidden costs of travelling!
Fourth point - if you are considering this tour, and wondering which direction to travel, we found that the more physically demanding section (Bolivia and Peru) came at the end of our tour. However, whichever direction you choose, we would recommend extra days at the beginning and end - both Rio and Lima are worth it!
Fifth point - consider carefully what clothing you take. Although our tour was at the end of Spring/beginning of Summer, it got very cold at times. On the Altiplano it got down to below freezing, and some of the days were very cold as well. There were laundries close to our accommodation in many of the places we stayed, but didn't always fit in with our schedule. In La Paz we got back from an activity after the laundry had closed and we had to leave the following morning before it opened. Would recommend good quality, lightweight, quick-dry travel clothing.
Sixth point - luggage. Tucan makes a big deal of what luggage you should have on the tour. As a result, we bought two-wheeled with handle, soft woven-nylon bags which included a backpack harness. We didn't once use the backpack capabilities - wheels were able to cope easily with all terrain we encountered. It is certainly easier towing 20kg than carrying it on your back! All up on our total trip we had 15 take-off and landings and only finished with a small cut on one of the bags. More solid bags may have saved a couple of our more delicate purchases, however, and would not have been an issue on the tour. We also had a travel backpack each.
Seventh point - safety. Having read the travel warnings about many of the places we were visiting, we must say that not once did we fell threatened or concerned about our safety or our possessions. One member of our group had a camera bag stolen in a restaurant in Rio, but this was before the tour actually started.
Eighth point - altitude sickness. We would recommend taking tablets and making sure that you adhere to the recommendations when at altitude. Members of our group were affected in different ways and at different times - regardless of age and fitness levels. Persevere - don't let it spoil your trip.
Ninth point - additional activities. Certainly consider what additional activities you would like to do on the tour. We would certainly recommend - Iguazu Falls boat trip (forget about trying to stay dry; try to organise a water-proof camera); white-water rafting in Mendoza (an absolute blast); tour to Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar when in Santiago (long day but worth it, plus it gets you out of Santiago's smog); Death Road in La Paz with Gravity (Wow!!); chocolate making in Cusco (how sweet it is!); Magic Water Circuit in Lima (was a great way to finish our tour).
The tour itself - having read quite a number of Tucan reviews, so much of the success of a tour of this type, depends on the tour leader. We could not have been happier with our leader, Manny. Although the youngest person in our tour group, he had you feeling very confident about his commitment and ability from the outset. He had outstanding language and communication skills, as well as excellent knowledge of all the places we visited. On arrival at a new destination, we had a very informative orientation walk (with our maps) so felt relatively confident proceeding on our own. He was always available for help or advice, and even when we had free days, he usually accompanied all or some of the members of the group to different points of interest or on additional activities. He is definitely a "foodie" and recommended different restaurants/cafes in all the places we stayed. As a result our group normally ate together, with Manny, at one of his recommendations - although this probably added quite a bit to the budget. However, with one exception, all the restaurants were excellent. He was invaluable in organising taxis, and could provide a very good idea as to how much a particular trip should cost - we are sure this saved us quite a bit on the trip. Discovered Manny's work ethic early in the tour when, going to the front desk of our accommodation at Iguazu Falls after midnight to pick up a DVD of our days boat trip under the falls that I had forgotten to collect, found Manny at the desk organising our itinerary for the following days.
We began our tour with 12, plus Manny - which was a good sized group. Three left the tour in Santiago with another two joining there. We had a very friendly, easy-going group which did lots of activities together.
Overall, the accommodation was as expected for an adventure tour, and as was explained by Tucan. Once again, any particular problems were sorted out by Manny immediately. There was no tea/coffee making in any rooms; no room west of Mendoza had a fridge; hot water was not always available all the time; lifts not in all hotels (it's hard work carrying bags upstairs at altitude!). Although it's not clear in the information, breakfast is included each day. However, sometimes we had quite early starts and even Manny wasn't able to organise anything before we left - but generally we were able to get something fairly soon afterwards.
You can't get to see all the things in South America in the time we did without a lot of flights. However, Manny was generally able to get us through check-in together quite quickly, usually jumping the queue (which sometimes contained other tour groups). Don't be surprised to not be sitting next to your partner for the flight!
The tour itself was very spectacular - seeing so many iconic sights and discovering lots of unexpected gems. Yes, some days required a lot of sitting in some form of transport, but there was always plenty to see, or possibly catch up on a little sleep. The bus trip over the Andes from Mendoza to Santiago was brilliant - some amazing scenery and roads - and they even feed you all the way! 4WD's in Bolivia were all part of the adventure, as was the accommodation there and dealing with the altitude - photos from this section are wonderful (especially when viewed from sea level).
There are things that Tucan can do better but, overall, I would certainly recommend this tour. We would have loved to have done Patagonia as well but the length of the tour was a factor.
If we can help any potential fellow travels with information regarding this tour, we would be happy to oblige. Remember, it is an adventure tour - go with the flow and enjoy the experience!
