Ultimate South Island Adventure
4.7 from 4483 reviews
Peggy M
All my expectations were exceeded. Claire and Emma were excellent guides and so much fun. They were caring and encouraging when challenges presented themselves. Always knew they had my back. The van was comfortable and the daily schedule allowed for a lot of activity even on days we travelled far. Each day a new challenge and beautiful vista. New Zealand and Active Adventures do not disappoint.
| January 1970
Great Walks of New Zealand
4.7 from 128 reviews
Trudi H
Trip of a lifetime! Did my homework and made all the right choices! Our guides took the best care of us and went above and beyond to make sure our needs were met! DK and Natasha are very special and enjoyed DK’s stories along the way! The hotels were very accommodating and the food was delicious! We had some special moments with the Dusky dolphins and we couldn’t have asked for better weather! I am so grateful to have done this all inclusive hike, thank you so much!ðŸ™
| January 1970
Yellowstone in Winter
5 from 26 reviews
Elizabeth B
The scenery was magical and our guides were excellent!
| January 1970
Yellowstone in Winter
5 from 26 reviews
Kyra H
The trip to Yellowstone was a great mix of wildlife watching, amazing scenery, and winter activities. Our two guides, Steve and Kathy, did a great job of letting us know what each day's agenda was going to be and that we had what we needed to have a wonderful day. It ranged from watching wolves and bison, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, to relaxing in a hot springs pool. They made sure everyone's needs were attended to and had options from which to choose. I really enjoyed all the different activities and the comradery that developed among our group. Thank you for an excellent adventure!
Please keep my review anonymous
| January 1970
Yellowstone in Winter
5 from 26 reviews
Lynn Y
A mother&daughter trip in the snow
We had so much fun…
Was it really 20 below??
| January 1970
Ultimate South Island Adventure
4.7 from 4483 reviews
Kevin N
New Zealand is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The Active Adventure guides make sure we saw a lot of this beautiful country. It was active which is what I wanted, but not too much.The bus was great. Lodging was varied and fun. We were well feed. Elise, our head guide was so accommodating and knowledgeable. She is a superstar.
It was one of the best trips I have ever been on. I will be back to New Zealand someday. I will also use Active Adventures for another trip somewhere.
| January 1970
Ultimate South Island Adventure
4.7 from 4483 reviews
Thomas C
We had a great trip to New Zealand! The guide leader, Elize, was very knowledgeable and managed to keep us moving along at a good pace while also keeping us safe and having a good time. Her assistant guides (Lisa, Kayla, and Holly) were all very helpful as well. The hikes were very challenging, particularly the hut-to-hut, but gave us great views of this beautiful country!
| January 1970
Ultimate North Island Adventure
4.7 from 337 reviews
Paulette S
As a single woman traveling on my own I was a little nervous about fitting in wth 13 other people, most of whom were married couples or women traveling with a friend. I soon realized that I was among a wonderful group of very friendly and supportive people. On the first day of our trip we were greeted by Greg and Emma, our Active Adventures guides. I was so impressed by them from the start of our trip until the very last hour when the holiday was over. Greg possessed great driving skills and knew the alternate routes to avoid washed out roads on the way to our first destination. They both took great care to make sure that we felt confident about the terrain we had to climb and were patient and relaxed with those of us who were walking a little slower than those who were up front. By noon every day we were at a hilltop or a park with a beautiful view, eating a tasty lunch prepared by Emma.
Our first walk, through Waipoua Forest, set the tone for the rest of the trip. Our Maori guide, Mary Pi, showed us the largest and oldest living kauri trees, weaving facts and folklore into her heartfelt talk. Her deep respect for Mother Nature and her Maori ancestors left a deep impression on all of us, an impression of respect for the Maori people, their culture, and flora and fauna of New Zealand.
Highlights include Hiking Cape Brett ; how awesome to walk the ridge of a mountain that rises out of the sea, and be able to view
the Pacific Ocean on both sides of the trail!
Many of the other hikes included cascading waterfalls, such a beautiful sight!
My favourite place to stay was at Creel Lodge on the Tongariro River. All the cottages were nestled into a verdant landscape of beautiful shrubs and trees, including an especially large tree over-arching the outdoor picnic area where we enjoyed our celebratory dinner together on our last evening of a wonderful holiday.
All my best wishes to Greg and Emma. You were so kind and so much fun. I miss you!
| January 1970
Great Walks of New Zealand
4.7 from 128 reviews
Richard M
Good, really enjoyed it
| January 1970
New Zealand Biking Adventure
4.7 from 312 reviews
Scott Q
This trip was amazing. New Zealand is a postcard at every turn. Franz Josef glacier hike and Milford Sound are not to be missed. The cycling is awesome...everything from scenic expanses to heart pounding narrow cliffs...all postcard perfect.
| January 1970
Great Walks of New Zealand
4.7 from 128 reviews
Jacqueline M
This adventure was close to perfect. Brilliant guides (Koru & Kate), amazing places, beautiful weather, wonderful hikes. If there were problems they wwere dealt with with no dramas. The whole trip ran very smoothly. An excellent trip & I have already recommended Active Adventures to friends & family. However, the booking process through Luxury Escapes was a nightmare. Through them, we paid for a holiday that didn't exist. We tried many times to contact them without success. Formal complaints were lodged, with no adequate response. We asked for hotel bookings before & after, which never materialized. We booked independently in the end. Such a stressful process. Do not book through Luxury Escapes, go directly to Active Adventures, who are very good.
| January 1970
Ultimate Galapagos Islands Adventure
4.7 from 1376 reviews
Don K
I was very impressed with the quality of the food, accommodations and tour leaders. Pepo was an amazing tour lead for this trip. His lectures were easy to understand and I learned a lot about the underwater and above ground wildlife. He did a wonderful job pointing out sharks, sting rays, turtles and other sea life while on our numerous snorkels. It was awesome spending the entire week stepping around sea lions and iguanas. The tortoise breeding preserves were impressive to see. The entire group found the food on this trip to be outstanding. The food was healthy and the bowl of very fresh fruit that was served with most breakfasts was delicious. The oceanfront hotels were very good. This trip went very smooth with the amazing help from Puedo (Paulo?) who coordinated all the background details of moving our luggage and coordinating all the transportation. Everything seemed to flow seamlessly due to his effort, the drivers and other help. I would easily recommend this trip to anyone who wants to experience the Galapagos Islands.
| January 1970
Ultimate South Island Adventure
4.7 from 4483 reviews
Stephen O
Excellent, the trip of a lifetime!
| January 1970
Ultimate South Island Adventure
4.7 from 4483 reviews
Elizabeth E
This was a great tour of many of the gems of the South Island. The guides were fantastic (and we had a lot of them!). It was well-organized and a good sampling of a lot of different activities. High points in my trip were hiking in Punakaiki Rainforest in a downpour, Mel and I jumping in puddles, learning about edible and medicinal plants from Mel and Shannon, hearing Bell birds while hiking to Lakehead Hut, being presented with strawberries dipped in dark chocolate after dinner at Lakehead Hut (on the first day we were all asked to name our favorite food as a "getting to know you" exercise--that was my answer), the view of Franz Josef Glacier, seeing glow worms in the forest in Franz Josef with Mel, the spectacular views from the top of Rocky Mountain, Milford Sound (every bit of it!), hiking near Aoreki Mount Cook, the stars at night in Mackenzie Country, swimming in Lake Pukaki. In addition, I made some good friends on the trip. Some things could be improved, however. In particular, there was no established covid response except that when one member of the group tested positive, he and his wife quarantined for seven days, which was appropriate. Unfortunately, some members of the group responded by ostracizing other members and it got quite ugly. The guides were at a loss as to how to deal with this and it did put a pall over the group. I think that more communication regarding the accommodations would have helped set expectations realistically. All the accommodations were adequately clean and comfortable, but other than Kaikoura Lodgings, which were really wonderful, they weren't what we expected for the money. Also, we didn't realize how much driving would be involved. Setting realistic expectations from the beginning would help ward off disappointment later. Overall, it was still a wonderful trip and I'm so glad we went with Active Adventures.
| January 1970
New Zealand Walking Adventure
4.8 from 387 reviews
Andy S
We so enjoyed our walking adventure on the South Island. The scenery was spectacular, and our guides Emma and Greg were just amazing. The small group tour format is perfect, and the activity level was just right for our family. Would highly recommend to anyone, it truly was a trip of a lifetime!
| January 1970
Ultimate North Island Adventure
4.7 from 337 reviews
Janet G
Excellent, the trip of a lifetime!
| January 1970
Ultimate South Island Adventure
4.7 from 4483 reviews
Judith G
The trip was just amazing from the very beginning to the final group hugs at the end. Jess, Jacob (and Ken) were simply wonderful - full of enthusiasm about the scenery, the places, the wildlife, and nothing was too much trouble. They went out of their way to make sure everything was perfect and added lots of little extras to make it just that bit better. The accommodation was lovely, though maybe the mountain hits were a challenge, the food was simply wonderful and the general atmosphere was just great. I loved every minute and would recommend this trip without hesitation.
| January 1970
Ultimate South Island Adventure
4.7 from 4483 reviews
Andrea K
This tour delivered more than it promised ! Trip leaders Brogan and Nic were so thoughtful, hard working, informative, personal and just a joy to be around. They obviously love what they do. The hiking was EPIC ! Great, challenging and rewarding. I loved that we did several backcountry routes that were not highly travelled with other tourists. We were exceptionally lucky with the weather (I know AA is not responsible for the weather) so we never had to bring out our wet weather gear. The accommodations were fantastic and the food was amazingly healthy and abundant, prepared and presented with care and attention. We hardly knew the leaders were working but their tremendous efforts were noted. I loved that there were a mix of ages and travel experience on this adventure and just encourage anyone who thinks they will relish the challenges to go on this trip. Be prepared for a good pace, being pushed to your limits, but with abundant rewards at every turn.
| January 1970
Classic South Island Adventure
4.7 from 1726 reviews
Jim M
Beautiful location. Guides were excellent, flexible and very attentive to details.
| January 1970
Ultimate North Island Adventure
4.7 from 337 reviews
Judith G
Despite having to cancel some activities owing to flooding in Auckland a couple of days before it began, this was a great trip and one I shall remember for a long time.
| January 1970
Ultimate Galapagos Islands Adventure
4.7 from 1376 reviews
Kd K
Visiting the Galapagos Islands is truly extrordinary. So much to see and learn.
| January 1970
Ultimate South Island Adventure
4.7 from 4483 reviews
Michael V
Excellent, the trip of a lifetime!
| January 1970
New Zealand Walking Adventure
4.8 from 387 reviews
Randy M
Our NZ Walking Adventure was an optimum combination of immersing in the natural beauty of the best of the south island, plus learning about the flora and fauna, and history and culture of the country. On top of that, the meals and lodging provided was excellent. While there were days we wished we could have walked even further, all-in-all, we agreed that we had selected the best level trip for our abilities, and I think most in our group had chosen correctly as well. Grateful for Kim and Jessi. They were a great team and were very considerate of individual needs.
| January 1970
Ultimate Galapagos Islands Adventure
4.7 from 1376 reviews
Ann V
Well I can tell you I really had no idea that I'd be waking up to the barking of sea lions, dropped into an "aquarium" to snorkel, walk up a volcano, see a Sea Turtle eye to eye or truly say I've been swimming with sharks but this trip delivered that and more. From the choices of the restaurants to eat in to the quality of the equipment at our disposal this trip, this group and especially Pablo with his incredible knowledge I cannot say enough. When I really did run out of gas walking up Sierra Negre there was an option to just sit, enjoy the incredible beauty around me and relish in the fact that I did actually walk up a volcano. The thrill of swimming at Kicker Rock and seeing not a few but dozens of hammer head and black tip sharks was something I'll never forget. Everywhere, and I mean everywhere we turned there was another moment to capture! Though travelling in the "rainy" season we never saw any and that made the trip even more spectacular. Sunsets on Isabela and Floreana were unbelievable and to know we were there, really there on the Galapagos Islands seeing, sensing and being one with all we saw and did. I can't say enough about Pablo, Paulo and all the team who looked out for us and made the trip such an experience. Thank you!
| January 1970