This is our 2nd Caravan Tour which started in Rapid City on June 6th & ended ten days later in Salt Lake City. Mike DeAngelo a retired park ranger guided us through the Badlands, Yellowstone & the Grand Tetons. He had daily readings, good jokes, inspirational videos, and really made our trip special. Our group of 43 had varied interests & fitness levels & Mike managed to cater our activities to everybody . Ray drove a luxurious motor coach along rural roads. He got us through bad traffic jams, managed to park in some tough spots and always had a bottle of icy cold water on hand. When he wasn't driving the bus, he was cleaning the windows, emptying our garbage, and filling his basket of snacks. Like our previous tour, Caravan took care of our luggage, tickets for attractions & whisked us from place to place. Hotels, many meals & tours were arranged. Pointed out were things not to miss & they were missed the first couple of times we came through these parts unescorted. read more

See all

Simply put, this was a terrible tour. Up every day too early and the days were too long. By the time we arrived at our hotels, nothing was open. Most were too far away from anything, We were told to "take an Uber or cab" if we wanted to explore. Lunch stops were too long, would've had more time to explore. By the time you got to the hotels you were too exhausted. The Hotel in Vermont was the worst. First they put us in a room with one bed, while they had plenty of 2 bed ones. Only one restaurant was open by the time we got there, it was good but way too expensive. All the shops were close but were closed by the time we got there. Place was run down and rooms had alot of damage. The "breakfast" was a joke, not even continental. Newport was one museum (with a rude staff) and a long lunch stop. Mystic was barely 2 hours. Both were in one day. The lunches were not included, that was stated and expected. However, we always stopped in small towns with not much choices. All were expensive and weren't grab and go. How about a fast food joint? Rest stop? 7-11, etc.? Our tour guide Lynn was not terrible. Talked way too much about her personal life. She talked way too much as well. She mentioned her final tip at least 4 times, very crass and rude. Never really led any of our the tours besides on the bus, mostly dropped us off and picked us up. She changed alot of the tour to her liking, we bypassed alot that would have been more interesting. Saying " this place is great, but we don't have time" or "you can come back to see it". That's why I'm here now. We also had to leave early the last day beacuse 2 people out of 48 had an early flight. Tour started all flights after 12pm, she inconvinced the entire bus for 2 guests. We were all dumpped off at 9am at terminal A at Logan, most had fights out of other terminals and were told we can walk, or catch a free shuttle, or "tour Boston one last time". Not stated in the tour description. I could've caught a much earlier flight home. There were also alot of older people on the tour, including my father. She refused to adjust the tour to their needs. Everything was a long walk with few choices. Long days with short rest. Positives (reason for the one ) Our driver Joel. Joel was witty, funny and very nice. He is an excellent driver and was and always on time. He knew more about the destinations than Lynn. We met very nice people from all over the country, in particular many fine southern men and women. They were the best part, friendly and funny, lots of fun and laughs were had. Boston, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, Plymouth were the highlight. Portland was nice as well, but we should've stopped in Kennybunkport as well. The final hotel in Ogunquit was beautiful and tge town was a close walk, right on the ocean, wish we had more time there. Simply put, i will never use Caravan again. Our first tour our west they were awesome, accommodating and our tour guide Tom was great. We had a few hiccups, but they were dealt with. Very disappointed read more

great trip with Caravan to the Grand Canyon , Bryce and Zion National Parks with many other cool stops along the way! our guide Peter was fantastic and the bus driver Bob did an excellent job job and a great guy. read more

Caravan Tours - This is myself with our tour guide Peter at Bryce National Park. - Travel Services Near Me

Locations, excellent planning, wonderful hotels! Tour guides are superior and all guests on each tour we've been on are kind and friendly!

Great tour ... busy, busy, busy but you see so much of New England! Hotels are really nice & the sights are great ... I love this part of the country read more

We had an absolutely terrific September Caravan tour of the Canadian Rockies + Glacier National Park in Montana. July wildfires destroyed our schedule leg to Jasper, but Caravan found us some excellent accommodations and activities in and around Canmore. Our tour guide, Amy and our Driver, Dave were wonderful. The guides can make the difference and they sure did. read more

Caravan Tours - Canadien Rockies - Travel Services Near Me

Amazing trip to the real west. Badlands, Yellowstone, Mammoth Springs, Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments. Trip down the Snake River from Jackson Lodge. Little Big Horn , Devils Tower, Grand Tetons , we just saw everything we could pack in 8 days. Not a vacation but a great adventure!! High praise to Cheryl K with Caravan a tremendous, Harding working tour guide and Orlando the exceptional driver. This man could maneuver that bus like it was toy. Safety first. Bison not buffalo! read more

Just got back from Costa Rica, with Alejandra Guevara as our tourguide and Rollo as our busdriver. This was a wonderful trip and I credit it all to Alejandra! Her knowledge, her eloquence of sharing that info, we had a few health issues crop up with our fellow travelers, she handled it with expertise and empathy. Having the layover of three days at the Barcelo Gamble Resort was a nice touch to relax and enjoy the resorts amenities and be off the bus for a bit. Good staff, welcoming and helpful, good food,and lovely grounds were found there. We were cautioned this was not the usual resort and it was older, it was fine. They only issue was the rooms could have used a deeper cleaning and we had to ask for face cloths and towels each day to have enough. That was minor compared to the experience we had traveling in this wonderful country. I would recommend this Caravan trip to all who want to travel to Central America. We were well taken care off, superior customer service. read more

We loved our Yellowstone Rushmore tour. We saw such beauty and never felt rushed. Our bus was comfortable and accommodations were excellent. We were on "animal watch" and our driver would pull over or slow when anyone called out "left or right". I never expected to see so much wildlife. I will definitely consider another Caravan Tour. read more

Reasonable way to travel. Pros and cons with a motorcoach tour; however, Caravan almost always has some unexpected stops that break up the trips. read more

My husband and I went to the Canadian Rockies from June 17-25 We had an amazing trip Our tour guide Amy was so knowledgeable and our driver Dave did an amazing job driving and getting our suitcases from point A to point B. We really appreciated not having to take our suitcases to our rooms from the bus and then back to the bus when we left our hotel. The breakfasts that were included were awesome and the dinners included in the tour were delicous. We loved the itinerary The Canadian Rockies speak for themselves as they were incredible and memorable along with all the scenery and tours. Seeing all the wildlife was an awesome experience. We will keep in touch with our wonderful bus friends too!! Well done!! Thanks Christine and Jim D. read more

Fantastic tours at a very affordable price point. The support from the office in Chicago when anything goes amiss is fast, efficient and memorable. Their efforts to please their tour passengers over the years has helped build their tremendously-loyal following. read more

The Halifax/Maritimes tour with guide Duncan was great, and the stops very scenic and interesting especially the Alexander Graham Bell Museum and Anne of Green Gables highlights including the stage musical in Charlottetown. We missed a night at the Halifax Marriott and full day's touring due to the global cybersecurity problem, and were very disappointed in compensation we received. Beware of the insurance offered as missed parts of the tour are NOT covered and, despite being told Caravan would compensate us for 2 days, the check received was extremely small, an unfortunate ending impression after a lovely trip. read more

This has been my third Caravan Tour and my husband has celiac and a shout out to our tour director Tom who was truly concerned about his restriction in advocating this situation as well as giving us advice and tips on the trip. Also Joel our bus driver with a spotless bus and getting us to our destinations timely. A great group of people. I have made friends on other trips who I still have but this group is special. Thank you so much Tom and Lisa frim the BROMLEY Market and caravan for a great dinner. Your friend Laura Bisignano read more

First time tour with Caravan and was not disappointed. After waiting 3 years for our tour to get available post COVID it was great to finally get on the road. The tour hit a lot of the highlights through the canyons and parks and was as enjoyable and relaxing as a tour could be. 2 nights per hotel stay gave us time to explore on our own and chose our meals at our times. We only had 27 people on the tour so the bus was wide open and all the on/off/luggage/"trading post" breaks moved quickly due to the smaller group. A big shout out to our guide Captain Kirk who filled us in with great info on upcoming stops as well as knowing when to give us quiet time with either a movie or music on the bus. His humor, sense of adventure and openness made him fit in with our active and fun group and saying goodbye was difficult for all of us. Will definitely consider a tour with this company again. read more

See all

My sister and I just returned from the Grand Canyon Tour and it was just phenonomal! Our tour guide, Peter ,and bus driver, Bob. were the best with giving us history of the sites we visited, restaurant facilities in the "stops", accommodating any request or issue that arose and a bit of humor! This is our 2nd trip with Caravan and both trips were A+. (We went on the New England Tour the second week of October and the trees were just breathtaking with color). Many thanks and we made many, wonderful memories with the other people on the tour. The scenery on this trip just got better as the trip progressed. We even had one lady on the trip traveling alone at 89 so anyone can do as much or little and still enjoy all the beauty of this part of the country. read more

Mexico's copper canyon tour - It was a very disappointing tour by Caravan. I would not recommend this tour to anyone. The booklet says it is a 7 hour bus ride from El Paso to Creel where the train departs. In reality it was a 12.5 to 13 hour bus ride. It was very uncomfortable and we did it all in one day. Food was well below average , there was no options for Vegetarian food , it was was very bland and poor. They did not even have a welcome dinner on the first night in El Paso. Hotels were nice. The train ride was very uncomfortable where the heating was not working and our Executive class coach had very dirty windows where we could not see the Copper canyon from our windows. Restaurant selection was average and in many cases they provided cold lunch boxes on the train ride. Overall this trip was not worth it ... our guide was average . read more

Great group of people on the bus. We were told to sit by family/friends on first day because there would be a rotation on the bus throughout the tour. This allows family to remain together as the rotation occurs. After the first rotation we were put in the back away from our family?! Other groups seemed to remain together? There were people who always got the very back because they needed two seats. Unfortunately, one of which was coughing so much that other passengers were constantly offering cough drops. She refused and said she had them. Adding to the problem, she wouldn't wear a mask. Halfway, she felt too sick to continue and supposedly tested negative. Asymptomatic or just not showing yet, she went home. Since we were in the back during most rotations, we both tested positive when home. Fortunately, my other family, who we should have been with were never stat near us are fine. Our first Caravan tour was on a very nice bus. On this tour the bus was run down, less quality/functionality. Some seats were broken and many seatbelts didn't work. Sadly this is our last trip using Caravan. Save up some money and splurge on a better company. read more

I requested 4 travel brochure 9 of my friends were interested in 2 tours you offer. The Grand Canyon tour as well as the New England Fall Colors tour. We wanted both this fall. I sent the brochure request 2 months ago. We were coming from different parts of the country. None of us received brochures. I called Caravan 2 days ago and was told there were no brochure's for 2023 tour season and probably no brochure's for 2024. For those of us that took the time to request your brochure. Caravan should have been courteous enough to have email us, letting us know there were no brochures coming. I called today to reconfirm as to the status of brochures for your 2024 season. I spoke with Lydia she informed me that we are now in the digital age and could have to book online. The have traveled on your tours, the reason I have is because of your beautiful brochures, that I can read and study at my leisure. Making plans with friends from all parts of the country to meet for these tours. To now have to go online to look at, study & decide while front of a computer screen for 9 people, is disappointing to say the least. Good Customer Service, I don't think so...... read more

We have traveled on most of Caravan Tours over the past few years covering the National Parks out West, the Canadian Rockies, Nova Scotia. Costa Rica, and Guatemala. We have been very pleased with every aspect of their tours. We had to cancel a tour to Panama in March 2020, and they immediately refunded our money with one phone call. The Covid-19 caused our cancellation. Would highly recommend their company. A great value. read more

We went on the Costa Rica 8 day tour with tour guide Lyly and driver Rolo. The hotels were much better than I expected and the food was too. You get a very good buffet at every meal so they can feed that many people without delays, and there was always a good selection of high quality food. The tour was well organized and went to many great sites. If we had gone on our own we would have spent many times more for the same trip. read more

See all

We just returned from Caravans New England tour. Our bus driver John was the best ever. Maneuvered the bus like it was a Volkswagen. We saw many beautiful sites and enjoyed our hotel stays. With that said, the negatives. Our tour director Lynn was very knowledgeable on her personal history which she shared daily, but the history of the places we saw and visited was terribly lacking. She was very unorganized and when explaining anything jumped from one subject to the other so much that when her explanation was complete you had no idea what she just described. Very disappointed. Be aware, this tour requires A LOT of walking to see things. Caravan should make this known in their tour description. Several of the hotels were either in remote locations leaving you with only one option for meals, or far enough away from other choices that you'd have even more walking to do to reach any of them. We passed by MANY beautiful places that we would have loved to have had time to at least snap a picture, but again our tour director would either confuse you on what side of the bus to look out on, or we'd be past the site when she'd say "and to the rear of the bus is...". Overall we saw places we'd never seen before and enjoyed the group of people we were traveling with but not sure we'd ever choose Caravan again. I called Caravan to ask if they sent out surveys and they said no, but I could send them my thoughts. I did so and requested a response. I waited several days with no response so I called them. The lady I spoke to said she'd look up my email and make sure the proper people received it. That's the last I've heard from them. Not a good first impression. read more

Our family (senior, my wife, & 2 sons in their twenties) took the Costa Rica Caravan Tour in Jan 2018. We were extremely pleased with our overall experience. 5 Stars: - tour guide, Karol, was EXCELLENT. She was informative, organized, pleasant, funny, and helpful. We were lucky she was our guide. - Each day, a list on the bus door showed where all tour members were to sit for the day. Very fair to move people around from front/back and left/right. - check-in at hotels was SO EASY. Karol informs everyone of their room # prior to reaching hotel. When you arrive, you tell them your room #, they give you your key and that's it...NO WAITING or paperwork! Checkout was just as easy. Luggage is taken care of. - Caravan staff picked the family up at around 10 pm at the airport. Transfer was smooth. - two 5* hotels (Marriott and International). Really enjoyed the Marriott, but didn't have time to really enjoy the latter as it was the night before leaving. Cons: - large group of 45+; however, well organized by Caravan & Karol. Also helped that group was punctual. Bus was comfortable for this large group, and a washroom was available for emergencies. - some hotels were only 2 or 3 stars - Bada (or under renovations - Magic Mountain), but they had other advantages (e.g. location), which were much more important to us. - yes, there were many early mornings, but it's often good to get an early start due to the weather or crowds later on. Didn't find the days excessively tiring. - lots of time on the bus, but nothing you should be surprised about. read more

Caravan Tours - View of Arenal Volcano from Rm 708 (2nd floor) Balcony - Travel Services Near Me

The Caravan team was super organized in planning my trip- a 10 day tour of Costa Rica. I traveled during the month December courtesy of my Wheel of Fortune experience and had a most memorable time in this natural paradise. They were a pleasure to plan with and were A-mazing from start to finish. They offer a variety of all inclusive tours in natural paradises throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, and more. Prices are affordable and you can opt to price your trip according to the "Value" dates price table and occupancy rate. Fantastic accommodations, dining, and service. Great for friends, families, coworkers, and colleagues. If you're single and want to travel, you'll enjoy the privacy and alone time you crave while getting a healthy dose of interaction... you'll be in good company on this trip. Caravan gets my stamp of approval- highly recommended. read more

Caravan Tours.... Sedona, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Bryce, and Zion. This is our 6th Caravan Tour and 1st in the USA and we had a fun trip with enjoyable sites and plenty of coach time. Hotels are satisfactory for the cost but expect parking lot or rear views from your room. Most days start with luggage out at 7:00 and a departure at 8:00 following the complimentary breakfast. There was considerable traffic in Sedona accompanied with lots of people. Our 20-person tour group stayed in the Maswik Lodge at the Grand Canyon and we had complimentary breakfast there and dinner at the Arizona Restaurant. The Arizona is quiet expensive if you are on your own. We were lucky and spotted 4 California Condors at Bright Angel Trail. Monument Valley was fun while riding on the back of the seated pickup with our Navajo Indian guide who sang songs to us in her native language. I'm still trying to figure out why we stayed at Lake Powell since there is little to keep one occupied. We did take a boat trip to Glen Falls Dam, however. Bryce Canyon is interesting with spectacular views of the "hoodoos" but pales in comparison to Zion where we walked the Riverwalk Trail and the Grotto Trail. during the Zion adventure we stayed for two nights at the Fairview Inn in virgin, Utah. The hotel is very nice but located 30 minutes from Zion NP. There are no convenience stores within several miles and the nearest restaurant is over a mile away. The Fairview does not have a restaurant that serves lunch or dinner. God only knows why Caravan did not book the group at Springdale just outside of Zion and full of hotels and restaurants. Our trip ended in Las Vegas with a quick trip down "The Strip", and the group was deposited at the airport at 10:30. We chose to rent a car and drove south to Primm to see the Bonnie and Clyde "murder car" at Buffalo Bill's and returned to see Hoover Dam. Caravan trips are fun and certainly worth the cost. Our trip was $1695 and we went in early May before a cost increase...and, the summer crowds arriving. read more

My husband and I just completed our second tour with Caravan. This time in Panama. The hotels were first class, the activities great and the food in the Buffets good. It would have been nice to have had ala carte once. Gererado our guide was knowledgeable, friendly and made certain we had a great time! Alexander our bus driver was a man of few words even in Spanish. I'm bilingual. He took very good care of us and drove very safely in a country where road signs, stop signs and lights are just a suggestion! I definitely would recommend this tour just bring your bug repellent and sun screen. read more

See all

Since my previous review from 2 years ago, we have joined Caravan to Yellowstone/Mt Rushmore (September 2010) and Guatemala (January 2012). Our guide for Yellowstone was fantastic and made the trip remarkably informative. Staying at Old Faithful Inn was great too. In Cody, WY, Buffalo Bill Historical Center is a MUST see...I don't like guns, but the museum exhibits are awesome! We had a great time at Bar J Chuckwagon Suppers. Great trip! For Guatemala, it was much more relaxed than Costa Rica - much of the trip was about the Churches (a bit too much for me) and Mayan Ruins (Tikal was AWESOME). The market in Chichicastenango was fun and interesting. Caravan REALLY had the tour guide explain the do's/don'ts regarding food - they really discouraged us from trying street food and such (in an attempt to make sure all were well on the trip). Very good trip. If anyone needs more details, just email me. I got 1000s of pics, but haven't even tried sorting them yet. What I said previously still holds true now - most travelers are friendly 50 and over folks. Good amount of travel on coach. read more

Caravan Tours - Costa Rica was AMAZING Easily the most wonderful vacation we have taken so far! The tour was enlightening, fascinating, informational and relaxing. Our tour guide, Lauren, was wonderful. She kept everything organized that made us feel relaxed and like one big happy family on our coach bus. The hotels and resorts we stayed in for all super nice. The food every evening at dinner was phenomenal... And the lunches were good too although some commented that rice and beans seemed to show up a littlewe too often. One must remember that rice and beans is one of the Staples in Costa Rica :-) We saw so many different kinds of Wildlife, flowers, and foliage. We learned about Costa Rica's concerted effort to retain the natural surroundings and encouraged sustainability. The cost for a 9 day tour is comparable to a similar length cruise but you are not responsible for any fees or tips (other than the Coach driver and main Tour Guide) nor any of the excursions planned by the Tour Guide. If you're looking for easy, relaxing and high-quality, Caravan Tours - Costa Rica is am excellent choice :) read more

See all

Very poor way to run a 70-year-old company. Been on several trips which were outstanding but the service now for U.S. trips is pathetic. I'm tired of having to check daily to see if they have updated the 2023 schedule. Websis still showing 2022 and when you call the agents, they are short with you because they don't know what's going on either. read more

We were scheduled to go on a Caravan tour leaving May 31st, 2020. Because of the coronovirus we decided to cancel. When I called the representative was very gracious and helpful. They refunded all monies to our credit card in a timely fashion. Unfortunately we have not used their services yet but we are looking forward to booking with them when circumstances change. Hopefully we will be contacting you soon! Thank you for great business practices. read more

We just returned from an amazing 8 day tour of Costa Rica. The amount of wonderful birds, animals and diverse plants we saw, blew us away. The tour guide Cinthia and our driver Mario were incredible. At no time were we late or did we break down. The value was extraordinary. How does Caravan do it? Willa and Hillel S. read more

I have gone on 2 of Caravans Tours. Grand Canyon and Yellowstone/Mt Rushmore. Grand Canyon tour was absolutely amazing. We had a great guide, the hotels were great, good food,and beautiful sights. The Mt Rushmore one, the hotels weren't as good. One was bordering on run down. Our guide and driver were AWESOME. I was SO AMAZED how Caravan went "above and beyond" when our flights were delayed and we arrived 24 hrs late. The tour group had left to see the sights and we thought we missed out. .we were wrong. Caravan hired us our own local guide who took us out for the day. And Caravans tour leader(Joe) left a message at the front desk at the hotel to call him and he caught us up to speed at what we missed at the welcome briefing. Joe was a great guide, he was entertaining, informative and funny. I will definitely be taking another trip with Caravan! read more

We just got back from our second Caravan Tour. In 2020 we went to Costa Rica. This year, we went to Panama. Both tours were fantastic. I highly recommend both of these and Caravan. I love that all their tours have a highly knowledgeable tour guide and a great bus driver. You stay at lovely hotels and eat delicious food. I also love that everything is included in these tours other than your air fare. The meals are buffet style, so you can try a little of everything and go back for more of your favorite items at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The excursions are fantastic. You see some extraordinary things and learn a great deal about the culture of the country and the various cities/communities you visit. They also have some wonderful entertainment one or two nights of your trip. The people on these tours have all been very friendly and fun to be around. We are already trying to decide which Caravan tour we want to do next. read more

Used this company for my recent 10-day Costa Rica trip and I must say... I was really impressed! Although the clientele was pretty up there in age - we were the youngest ones in our group of 44 people - I had a lot of fun! Of course, Caravan can't control who signs up for their tours, and we became friends with a bunch of them... so it all worked out anyway. - Hotel Choices - since we toured the country (San Jose, Torteguero, Arenal / La Fortuna, Puntarenas), we stayed in 4 different hotels and they were all great - from the views, cleanliness, service, accommodations and location. - Food - Breakfast, lunch and dinner was included every single day - most of the time, buffet style, but the food was always fresh (like the fish, veggies and fruit) and offered a variety of flavors for even the pickiest of eaters, ehem, like me. - Service - Our tour guide, Anita Monge, was very sweet, knowledgeable of everywhere we went, spoke clearly in English and very accommodating of people's needs. She always gave us a head's up on landmarks to look out for so we didn't miss anything while we were on the bus, boat or even at the hotel. She made sure we packed the right things and told us what to expect each day, gave us options if we decided not to go on the tour that day (like when we decided to ZIPLINE instead - WOOHOO!!!) and even made sure our transfer service was at the hotel so we make it to the airport on time for our departure flights - as early as some were. Anita really made sure every single thing was covered. Our bus driver, Rafa, was awesome and managed to squeeze our huge-ass bus through the smallest streets and mountain side roads. - Landmarks we visited were great. We really got a feel of almost every aspect of Costa Rica, we went to places I never heard of or would have never considered - from the bustling streets of San Jose, the beautiful rainforest and rivers of Tortuguero, the volcanoes at Poas and Arenal, the shopping at La Fortuna and Sarchi, Baldi Natural hot springs, churches, banana and coffee plantations, butterfly farms, cloud forests... the list goes on and on... - Timeliness - Every single time that was quoted was met... if we went to a specific location and were to be met with the workers to give us wrist bands or whatever, we never had to wait... they were the ones waiting for us to arrive with big smiles and cocktails or refreshments in hand at most venues. If you don't mind being on a luxury, air-conditioned, seat-reclining bus (Note: bring Dramamine!) and following a daily itinerary, I highly recommend this tour. Thanks Caravan! p.s. No, I don't work for the company... just a very happy customer! : ) . read more

Caravan Tour to Panama and Panama Canal - good value, well run tour Caravan trip to panama, trip advisor review by Leib Lurie 2013-1-24 Caravan has been around for 20 plus years, but is a newcomer to Panama, this is only their third year in the country. They are well known for trips to the US west and Costa Rica, with a reputation for low cost tours. After a few early web promoted logistic fumbles, I'm pleased to report that they have gotten it right. Overall 4 stars out of 5! This year, they will take more than 60,000 people on their single itinerary- an 8 day tour (including travel days) to see the country. The value is very good, we paid less than $1400 per person for doubles, (january is high season), and $1600 for my daughter as a single. They all but insist on $99 to add trip insurance; which covers a lot for the cost. Airfare is NOT included, they recommend you book your own. I found Caravan hard to reach, no email contact published! and limited Chicago time hours. Although we received a great pre-trip packet, they lost our return flight email. I'm web savvy, but evidently their typical travelers are not. The tour includes airport transfers and all upscale accommodations (four nights at all inclusive resorts) and all meals from arrival through departure morning; fully guided tour with many side excursions and a few shows thrown in. The only extra costs were the standard tour director and bus driver tips ($12-15 per day pp total recommended). Our driver was a master at negotiating traffic and tight spaces, and always ready with sanitizer (a nice touch) and bottles of iced water. Our guide, Bernard, is a Panama native, who knows the country, it's culture, background, history, the canal, and logistics very well. His English was excellent, and he was more than accommodating, although the group size of 44 is much larger than we are comfortable with. Such size all but mandates ubiquitous buffet feeding at most hotels. At age 58, traveling with my wife, daughter, son and his girlfriend, we were much younger than average, which skews 70 plus. But we made some great new friends! Our favorite tour operator, Overseas Adventure Travel has a 16 person group size, offers Panama over 14 days, and costing almost three times as much, with a number of meals on your own. Caravan tips daily tour guides, whereas OAT usually suggests an extra $5 a day for theirs, and OAT offers several added cost side trips. Caravan included everything. We were impressed. The highlight for us was the time in and around the canal. A half-transit from Pacific to Lake Gatun on 100 year old wooden yacht originally built for JP Morgan, with an enthusiastic guide was well done. The canal is truly a marvel of engineering. We had a private dining room in the canal discovery center - with third floor private deck view of the locks- practically eye level with several huge ship's superstructure as they entered the locks. Another view at the Colon side was equally spectacular from shaded deck with dedicated guide describing the action. We saw an illustrative 3D film, and another featuring historian David McCollough, author of the epic tome, "Path Between The Seas", which is well worth the read before coming down. The only gripe was that we heard much of the same information three or four times. But Panama is much more than the canal. A trip to a private zoo, situated on the wind swept hill in the caldera cone of 2500 foot (dormant) volcano highlighted the breadth of native wildlife. A night tour at our rainforest resort found Capaberas foraging, a tour of the orchid nursery and butterfly house was equally educational. On a jungle cruise on lake Gatun we saw four kinds of monkeys up close and personal, as well as a crocodile and many birds. We liked a trip to a native Indian village, where a small group of Emberra showed costumes, family life, crafts, dancing and music. Although we had several shopping opportunities for native crafts; they were short, low key, affordable, and we didn't feel pressured or pushed. (Unlike many tours, nor were they the fake markets built by the cruise ship lines in other Caribbean stops!). The pace was easy and relaxing, with plenty of afternoon free time for swimming, spa treatments or walking beaches. The Wyndam beach resort had free liquor and a huge swim up bar and many secluded lounging areas in the compound. sailing, kayaking, horseback riding and zip line tours were available for a fee). It also had four restaurants adding variety and fun. The logistics of the trip were flawless. Airport transfers, Check-ins, check-outs, luggage, meals, tours, etc. we're all fast, smooth and seamless. We never had to wait, nor felt rushed. The rooms were great. Marriott courtyard in Panama adjoined a huge mall with 400 stores from a grocery ($7.00 rum) to Prada. All hotels had great free wifi, although one was free only in lobby. Skype worked well. Flights... Copa aIrline is the most common to get to P read more

Just returned from Caravan's Grand Canyon Tour. What a terrific experience and value! There's virtually nothing we would have changed. Accommodations were very comfortable, meals provided were okay, with excellent meals at Zion. All the parks - Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Bryce & Zion were stunningly beautiful. The itinerary was well planned and paced. But the trip was exceptionally fun, inspirational and informative because of our guide - Mike D! His enthusiasm, insights and humor made the trip an adventure to remember. This was our first bus tour, and we will definitely be doing more with Caravan. read more

I just returned from the Costa Rica Natural Paradise tour and it was MAGICAL! From the moment I arrived, I felt Caravan staff could hardly wait to share their country. Our tour guide, Cinthia, gave so much information about the country, the people, and set us up for successful events every day! Her enthusiasm and love for her country was contagious! Every day I felt was a the best day ever, filled with so many new sights, sounds, colors and animals. Then the next day would be even better. I was "lost in time" there, being completely immersed in the activities. The food was amazing, making sure we had bottled water. The rooms were first rate, I have never stayed at such nice resorts before! From the moment I called to get information until I arrived safely home, I felt Caravan Tours was an excellent choice! I have been telling all my friends! read more

See all

We just returned from our trip to Costa Rica with Caravan - wow - amazing!!! We went with our two children (13 and 14) and have to be honest - we were bummed when we realized they were the only kids on the trip. Out of over 65 people (two busses) - the only kids. But after the first night -we never thought of it again. All the people on the trip were great and we did so much stuff that it really did not matter. Caravan has us busy the whole time. I agree 100% with other reviews I had read before we left... for the price of this tour - there is no way you can pass it up. It includes EVERYTHING and if you were to try to pay for it on your own it would probably cost you double! Highly recommend this tour. It was educational for us and our kids, interesting, exciting (we were up close with monkeys, birds, lizards, etc....) Suggestions if you are traveling with kids: 1) There are a couple hours bus rides throughout the day and though they do a great job adding in stops so you can get off the bus and stretch your legs... make sure you take along snacks, books, video games, etc.... things that will keep them entertained. Our tour director did tell us a lot about Costa Rica along the way which kept the kids entertained too. 2) Venture out to dinner at least once. There are a ton of buffets on this tour and though the kids did not mind it - I started to get a little tired of buffets - I wanted to be served at some point so day number 5 we went off on our own at the hotel and ate at a separate restaurant from the group. My husband did not even mind because we barely had spent a dime the entire week. 3) At the attractions - do the hardest options they have. For example, at the hanging bridges, there are three options - a 1.5 hour hike, a 45 min hike and a 15 min hike. If your kids are old enough - always go for the longest/hardest option. Most of Caravan's assessment of how hard the hikes are are based on senior citizens, which is fine but for families with kids - you can definitely handle the hardest ones. Overall - this was one of our top 5 trips ever. Every one of us loved the entire week. If your kids are old enough - I suggest getting the two room option. It was nice to have our own bathrooms and two separate rooms to relax in. Costa Rica is a very safe country and Caravan only puts you up in the safest areas and hotels. read more

This is the best way to see the canal and Panama No need to get a cruise ship through the canal This is the best way Constant variety, huge quantities of great food, great hotels in the best locations. Comfortable, educational, safe, fun trip Our tour director Pedro had to be their best as was our driver Hansel Take this tour, it was better than described read more

I just returned from Caravans Costa Rica tour. All I can say is ask for Paul Valverde to be your tour guide. He was Fantastic!!! This tour is the best and the price is very reasonable. All activities and all meals are included. I had a very memorable vacation read more