4.7 Stars (336 reviews)
Excellent, the trip of a lifetime!
Ultimate North Island Adventure, January 1970
4.7 Stars (1139 reviews)
The trip surpassed my hopes! Exceptional guides, a wonderful itenirary that could be flexible to our advantage, a great group and food and places to stay... Unexpected fine weather didn't hurt either. We were blessed.
Patagonia Hiking Adventure, January 1970
4.7 Stars (1725 reviews)
Excellent, the trip of a lifetime!
Classic South Island Adventure, January 1970
4.7 Stars (1139 reviews)
I'm not one to write long reviews, but don't take that as any indication that the trip was not fantastic, for it surely was! I think pretty much every aspect of it was great. The guides were fantastic - always prepared, very knowledgeable and experienced, and very personable and outgoing; could not have asked for better guides (Alvaro - love ya', man!). The accommodations were good, especially those where Active had a choice in selecting them (e.g. hotels). In other words, once you are on the W-Trek, Active doesn't have much control over the Refugios. One was so-so and the others were good; none were awful. And the food at all of them was decent and plentiful. Other accommodations were excellent. And of course, the scenery was fantastic. We were lucky and had mostly good weather, other than the famous Patagonian winds, but that just added to the adventure. I am very pleased in my choice to go with Active Adventures, as were those in my group. I would definitely use them again, and have already recommended them to a friend who has recently booked a New Zealand trip with them. I am sure she will not be disappointed! Great company, great guides, great itineraries, and love that they take care of so much of the logistics.
Patagonia Hiking Adventure, January 1970
4.7 Stars (1139 reviews)
An exhilarating, rewarding experience in ALL respects: guides' (both of the main leaders) leadership; scenery; unique, satisfying physical challenges; surprisingly good food; clean, high-class accommodations; close camaraderie among fellow travelers; a great learning experience. Both our main leaders, Gustavo overall and Marcello on the "Experience" portion, were excellent guides , with great respect for the group members without being pretentious or inappropriately friendly . They were always responsible and had an excellent knowledge of the natural and cultural environment
Patagonia Hiking Adventure, January 1970
4.7 Stars (1725 reviews)
I actually do not even know where to begin except that my journey to New Zealand with Active Adventures brought me incredible joy and was so much more than I had anticipated. My son and I were on the Tui trip and from the very beginning, our guides, Katie and Ash, were absolutely the best in providing information about the South Island and answering all our many questions about our gear, meals, what to best wear and many other things. However, the best part of Katie and Ash were their incredible passion for their homeland, their unbridled optimism and encouragement and their wacky sense of humor which kept us laughing through our hardest hikes and throughout the day! Our accommodations were absolutely wonderful especially staying in Makorara in our quirky and comfortable A-Frames. Even our stay in the Siberia Hut which we chose to do was an opportunity that I shall never forget. Staying overnight, not only did we get the chance to hike the valley to Crucible Lake but at night, the heavens opened up and we were able to gaze upon the Southern Cross and a magnificent Milky Way! From flying into Aspiring National Park, the jet boat ride and biking the west coast along the Tasman Sea, the sights were spectacular! More importantly, the group of people that we were with were some of the best folks to be with. All of us share our time and stories together which made our trip even more special. Because of the global pandemic, it was very sad to have cut our trip by three days but we all understood, that safety and getting back home was our first priority. It is my hope that one day, I can return to New Zealand to continue my journey and it will be once again with Active Adventures!
Classic South Island Adventure, January 1970
4.7 Stars (1725 reviews)
This was our first time to New Zealand and had heard so much about the gorgeous scenery, we wanted to experience it's beauty first hand while we were still able bodied! My husband and I have very different fitness levels, so, I purposely picked this trip for the variety of activities and it was a good fit for both. It was down right enjoyable touring and experiencing the scenic land, not sweating all the small stuff! That being said, there are so many details and our leaders Greg & Alicia, made all the planning and tour look effortless! They were the friendliest, most knowledgeable, highly skilled and entertaining leaders one could hope for! We would highly recommend Active Adventures to anyone and we will most definitely look to them again for future travels!
Classic South Island Adventure, January 1970
4.7 Stars (4482 reviews)
The Rimu trip is an amazing adventure on so many levels. First of all, Dan and Sal were the most phenomenal guides ever and they were part of what made this trip so incredible. They went above and beyond in every facet of the trip; I have never seen two guides work so hard and work together so well. I was hoping this would be a great way to experience New Zealand and it certainly was. Every aspect of the trip is laid out beautifully with adjustments made when weather doesn't cooperate and, again, Dan and Sal - along with Active Adventures office - worked the details out to make it all flow so well. The South Island is absolutely stunning, the activities were great fun and some of them were challenging (i.e. 3-day pack-in, pack-out to Angelus Hut) and I loved every minute of it. If you are traveling to New Zealand, take the time to do this trip; one week is not enough time. I also have to give a shout-out to our group - we had so much fun together and would love to do another Active Adventures trip!!
Ultimate South Island Adventure, January 1970