Active Adventures — Attraction in South Island

My first experience with Active began with an Everest Base Camp trek in 2017. The experience was favorable enough for me to book two adventures with them for March and April of 2023. All aspects of Active’s performance was unfavorable. Perhaps the reason was a merger with Austin Adventures, but here is a summary of negative experiences (with many left out):

*I was initially offered two $500 credit, one for each trip, during a sale. When the invoice was finally prepared they claimed it could be used for just one of the treks. *Due to the merger they were having difficulties with the travel wallet. I called seeking help. The man that answered denied any system problems and suggested that I get some help from some younger people in the household. Later that evening I talked to another rep who confessed that there were serious system problems going on and encouraged me to keep trying. *After confirming my trips and hounding me for final payment, they called me a day before Christmas to ask me if I could start the first trek a day early. I said no, but they did otherwise and forced me to change a lot of plans that had already been inked. In my discussions with the representative he called me a Fool three times for not buying travel insurance to cover me from such things. Active blamed the host country, Bhutan, (a fictional holiday) and airlines for the change. The reality I learned was Active combining two tours into a larger group. *My son who joined me on the first Trek did not have his promised airport transfer nor did I upon arriving at the Kathmandu Airport. *Our initial hotel reservation was botched. Another guest on the Trek was assigned to our room. *Our otherwise experience guide had no Bhutan experience and unfortunately kept us in the dark on important details. *Because of the merged trips the backend of the Bhutan trip was also changed which impacted our plans between trips. I had to scramble for weekend hotel accommodations in Kathmandu. *The next trek, Annapurna Base Camp, resulted in many more unpleasantries. Though I had paid, as did my brother in law who joined me for a single supplement, the three males on the trip, were required to share tight accommodations when there was no shortage of rooms in the tea houses. After the two other men were evacuated due to illness, I was forced to share a room with the two female guides. *One of the guides was on the trek to learn the Annapurna Trek. Up front she made it clear she was there only to experience the trek like a guest. Even when there was an emergency situation (which caused the evacuation of two) she refused to take charge. *A Tea House served us spoiled food that caused illness in everyone except the local guide and porters and the non working guide. By the way the non working guide was always first to grab the limited menus at the Tea Houses. *The lead Trek leader did not manage our time well. For instance, on layering or removing layering stops, she frequently picked a spot that was not accommodating. Worse when rain was imminent I stopped to put on my rain gear. She made the entire party stop to wait for me. When everyone was slightly wet she stopped again for everyone to put on rain gear. *After the two other men left I was the only one of my gender on the trek. At breaks I would indicate that I would catch up. She was obsessed with herding us like cattle. I really do not like to state to other adults that I need to pee. *On the evaluations I stated that senior management should correspond with me. I ultimately received an e mail. It was not apologetic, but I was thanked for my honesty.

I must say that the local Nepal guide was exceptional as were all the porters. I learned that they are generally not captive to Active and serve as sub contractors. My two take always: Try to go direct for Bhutan and Nepal guide services. Make sure you are not dealing with a broker or middleman for the activity. My second take away is that if you had a favorable experience with Active A in the past it will not...

I just returned from the 14-day southbound Rimu trip to the South Island of NZ. The accommodations were excellent in small lodges in remote areas with the exception of Queenstown (a huge hotel called the Crowne Plaza), the trip was extremely well organized, the food was very good, and the itinerary was comprehensive, covering many spectacularly beautiful areas, again with the exception of Queenstown, which was crowded and commercial. I would recommend spending at most a few hours in Queenstown but not 2 nights.

My favorite place was Milford Sound. It is astoundingly beautiful and the chalets in Milford Lodge were luxurious.

Our 2 guides were disappointing to me. They were ages 25 and 27, were in their second year as guides, and they were not professional guides. The guide who drove was a safe and careful driver, but neither guide had much knowledge or passion about NZ wildlife, history, or the environment. Both told us that they were working so they could go backpacking on their own, and that few guides remained with this company more than 2 to 3 years.

Most disturbing to me, one of the guides called me aside the day before the backpacking trip, and told me that this will be the most difficult thing, mentally and physically, that I have ever done in my life. She said the wearing of a 60 plus liter backpack and hiking boots were “mandatory” and “non-negotiable.”. (I had previously stated that I have been a barefoot runner for years and that the hiking boots were cumbersome for me and had caused me to stumble, and that the required gear fit in my 36 liter Osprey backpack.). Then she asked me if I still wanted to go. I said I was going to try my best to complete the hike, (which I did). Three of the 7 hikers had decided to complete only the first afternoon of the hike, and they had to pay for a hotel.

The next day just before starting off, the guide told me my backpack was heavier than everyone else’s and she proceeded to take everything out of my pack until she got to my minimalist trail running shoes. She said the shoes were why it’s heavy and she threw them on the ground and directed me to leave them in the van. (The shoes weigh very little, and the literature recommended bringing trail runners in case the hiking boots got wet.)

While the second day of the backpacking, in particular the rock climbing, was more taxing than described in the literature, this backpacking trip was not the most difficult mental or physical experience in my life.

Also, neither guide provided instruction on climbing technique. Fortunately, a fellow backpacker instructed me on how to climb and how to effectively use the hiking poles.

While the trip was well planned and organized, I would not use Active Adventures again because the guides were not professional guides and I felt...

My family has traveled on three trips with Active Adventures. All were well organized and led by excellent guides. Unfortunately, our 4th planned trip with them in Nov 2022 to Machu Picchu ended before it began because of a fatal collision on the LIMA airport runway which closed the airport for 2 days, caused all airlines to cancel all flights, and made it impossible for us to get to Cusco in time for the Active trip.

While the cancellation of the trip was not their fault, Active was unsympathetic to our insurance saga and ultimate loss of the entire $20,580 prepaid to them. Our customer loyalty - spending tens of thousands of dollars with them on three previous trips and referring friends to travel with them - was completely snubbed. The company was unwilling to offer even a nominal reimbursement, or discount on a future trip to encourage us to return. We were told that all funds had been committed to the trip; the issue was entirely between us and our insurance company. Period.

This tragic event fell under the Force Majeure provision of Active’s cancellation policy, though we did not learn that Active cancelled the entire trip until about 6 months later. While our family was forced to cancel a few days prior to our meet-up date, we had no idea if other guests were able to make it – if they had arrived prior to the accident or were traveling domestically. Thus, we assumed that our late notice cancellation was the reason we were not entitled to any refund. We filed a claim with our insurance company, but they would not cover because this very unusual circumstance was not specifically listed as a covered benefit. We appealed since the circumstance was not specifically listed as an exclusion to coverage either, but to no avail. (How do you fight an insurance company owned and underwritten by a company worth over $800 billion?). So, we lost all prepaid expenses.

Given the circumstances, it made sense to me, then and now, that Active Adventures would have already paid their employees and some reservations for the trip. However, I would hazard to guess there were some expenses that they had not yet paid (for example, restaurant meals) and some expenses where a refund to Active would have been possible (for example, some accommodations). For instance, we were to arrive in Cusco a day before our group meet-up, so we separately booked the same hotel for one night. When we had to cancel it, the hotel offered us a full refund. Furthermore, Active would have made a profit on the trip as expected. And yet, after canceling the trip, Active was not willing to act in good faith and offer even a penny to us for our loyalty to them.

Active Adventures’ arrogant attitude towards us was surprising, disappointing, and repugnant, and thus the reason for the “1”...