Loved our whitewater rafting trip with Kade at the Colorado Adventure Center! We were doubly…read moreprepared to stay safe because they explained all the safety instructions before getting on the bus and before getting on our boats. As a former educator, I get it! Paying attention is hard and staying safe is important, so thanks for the double prep. It paid off because nobody in our boat fell out and we had a blast! At first Kade was all business, but as we traveled through the rapids, he got more personable. He did a great job being the responsible leader of the group of 4 boats and taking care of us in his boat. I highly recommend taking a trip with the CAC!

We had a great time on the intermediate rapids trip. Our guide Amy was the BOMB! Highly recommend!read more

I am disappointed in Colorado Heliops. My son started their…read moreflight school 1.5 years ago. The Rocky Mountain Regional Airport is very busy and my son was having a hard time feeling confident to speak to the air traffic controllers. I asked if a flight instructor could arrange for my son to go with him into the airport's control tower to see how hectic their job was in comparison to my son talking into the headset. They said they had no arrangement for that. Unfortunately, my son took a break from his training. I pulled my $1900 out of his account when they told me it would not secure his place he went from 6th on their list to a 150th.

I spent over $40,000 and 2 years of my life at this school. The instructors told me to leave after…read moreI got frustrated about not making progress here. They told me that I do not have the skillset to become a pilot and that I should not fly. However, instead of falling on my face, I immediately finished my private helicopter rating in the third busiest class D airspace in the USA. I was finishing college in Denver, and did not want to switch schools and move cities. So, as HeliOps is the only rotorcraft flight school within 6 hours of Denver, I had to fly or drive 6+ hours to and from flight schools to finish my helicopter ratings. I have now finished all my ratings needed to be hired in the industry and have received a total of 4 job offers even before completion of my commercial rating. The instructors at HeliOps are manipulative and do not seek to create qualified, competent pilots for the industry. They say that you are the only one not making progress here (even though almost all students who have stayed at HeliOps to complete their ratings have up to 100 extra hours over minimums, or left and excelled at other schools). Another phrase they like is that students at this school end up with higher hours because they hold them to a higher standard than other schools do. However, students end up with higher hours because there is enough time left between when a student learns a skill (for example, an autorotation) and the next time they fly, so that their skills perish and they have to learn the skill again. Once that skill has been re-learned, it has now been 3+ weeks since the other maneuvers have been practiced and they have to learn those skills again. There are so many skills to be learned in order to pass a checkride that training can take almost an unlimited amount of time if a school is not focused on getting students past a checkride. I have used the same examiner for my instrument rating that HeliOps uses for all their students. They lie about the difficulty of the checkride, what items will be on it, and what the examiner will be looking for in order to justify the fact that they make many students repeat lessons tirelessly. The instructors of HeliOps have told me and many other students to see an aviation therapist/psychologist. If you go here, remember this review when they tell you to see one. To add insult to injury, a previous male Schweizer 300 instructor has been SEXUALLY HARASSING ME through Facebook Messenger. This HeliOps instructor has asked me to allow him to do sexual things to my friends and I, and when I did not comply with his request, he told me to go F*** myself. I write this review with the hope that at least one person will be kept from the pain and financial drain that I have been a victim of through attending flight training at HeliOps. Do not go to this school.

He would stop the bus in front of a building, start a story and then abruptly say that: "But if you…read moredo come for the full tour, You will learn the full story ." What? Please, dont start a story with a single intention of saying we can't know the ending until we come back for your tour. Thats just... no. Otherwise, a fun experience.

I've done this twice now. Loved each time, and always make my family do it with me when they get…read moreinto town. It's a great way to Show off boulder and get many laughs in. This is not your average borring tour experience. 10/10 would recommend. I've done during snow in December and August. Snow and sun. Do it!

Austin is a FANTASTIC TOUR GUIDE. He was so very patient with our group of 5 over-60 years old…read morewomen. He clearly explained how to use the e-bikes and helped us reroute our tour due to the rain. He took us on beautiful bike paths. I highly recommend Colorado e-bike Tours!!! Ask for Austin to be your tour guide!! A+++

The guys at The Boulder Trek Store are AMAZING ! They go above and beyond to make sure my bike and…read moremyself are always satisfied with their work. Devon the store manager is an incredible person. Very caring of his staff and his customers. Couldn't ask for a better bunch of guys to take care of all your bicycle needs

I've been on countless safaris in Kenya and Tanzania, and me and the two friends I was traveling…read morewith randomly stumbled upon Breakdown Safaris while in Iringa trying to plan a trip to Ruaha National Park. Since we'd been on so many safaris before, we know what we want and expect out of a safari - and Fanuel and Kathy exceeded our expectations (and we were only their second clients!) Comfortable refurbished land cruiser with no maintenance issues, picked us up from our hotel RIGHT on time (you don't really expect that to happen too often when you're on East African time), a few breaks for tea and lunch (they even brought hot water, tea/coffee, mugs, plates, silverware, hot napkins, etc. - everything was thought out to perfection), reasonable price, help with planning other aspects of our trip/recommendations, and an overall awesome safari where we didn't feel rushed. A lot of safaris we feel the pressure to spot an animal, take a few pictures, and then move on to make sure you get through the whole park. But Fanuel and Kathy did what only good guides do - they took notice of what WE wanted.. which was to enjoy the animals that we did see (you can't expect to see everything, it doesn't matter how "good" the guide is). Also, Fanuel is super knowledgable about the animals, especially birds, and he won't ramble on about information if you're not listening. Like I said, both Kathy and Fanuel were really perceptive - it was about what WE wanted to learn about the animals and about what WE wanted out of the whole experience. 5 stars! :)

Dave was a wonderful tour guide through the Rocky mountain tour. He made extra stops every time…read more someone yelled out that there was a deers or Elks to see. He was knowledgeable and provided lots of information. Lunch was perfect, sandwich, chips and water. Made lots of great stops. On the drive back to Denver we hit traffic and hard rain. He handled it well even with the long day.

We had the good luck to have Michelle, possibly Mary as our guide for the Rocky Mountain National…read morePark tour. The 'possibly Mary' part is a joke. When I said I'd write this up on Yelp, she said her name was Mary. She met us at the flagpole outside of Union Station right on time. One of our party was late and therefore we got a little late start. Once on the road, we got a little history of Denver in general. Informative. We stopped along the way in St. Vrain. Small town. We stopped at a general store for a potty break and of course to purchase. It smelled delicious in there. Sausage, baked goods, etc. Once in the park we had lunch. Turkey sandwiches from the Farmers Market. Good eats. We drove to different spots in the park. Fall colors at the end of their peak, but still gorgeous. We saw many elk. It's rutting time and it was interesting to watch the males steal the women from each other. The elk 'bugle' is kind of neat and creepy. Returning to Denver we were taken through Boulder. Quite the bustling city. It was a great time. Michelle had her iPod filled with various playlists. Most enjoyable. Thanks, Michelle. 10/06/21 Today we tour the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak. Our tour guide is Jim, a really laid back and just all around cool guy. We are being transported in a Mercedes Sprinter. Very nice and roomy. We travel through Colorado Springs, see the city and the Air Force academy. The first stop is the garden. Beautiful oxides formations of all shapes and sizes. The fun part was watching a family climb one of these large rocks. Actually, it looked like dad teaching the two kids and mom snapping pics. The kids were no older than 5-8 years old, but they were climbing little monkeys. It was mom making me nervous as she backed up to take the pics. Didn't want to see her topple over the edge. From here we go to Pikes Peak. What a difference in scenery and temperature. The garden was warm at about 75, while the peak was about 38. At the top there is a cafe where you can purchase drinks, food and the best thing of all - daily baked cake doughnuts. Cinnamon sugar or chocolate glazed. 'Chocolate glazed' doesn't do them justice. The icing is thick fudge-like and just awesome. When we checked in at the entrance gate, the ranger said we wouldn't be able to go to the top because of pending weather. But when we got to the point she said we could not go beyond, there was nothing to stop us so we went to the top and doughnuts. Yea!! But mother cold and windy, making the temp feel even colder. But beautiful views. Of course the obligatory souvenir shop is attached to the cafe. Ha, ha. Fun, fun. Jim got us to the top!

Jessica was awesome! Curated the perfect route for us and met us at the trail head with great, new…read moreequipment and a positive attitude! Can't wait to do it again.

Took the e-bike tour with my mom and a friend and it was even better than we expected! I have very…read morelittle biking experience but the pedal assist bikes were super easy to get used to and the guides were very helpful and encouraging the whole time. Got to see some really cool sights and hear some neat history!

2 years ago, on the dawn of June 6th, we crossed the English Channel onto the beaches of Normandy,…read morejust like they did 75 years earlier. Except it wasn't just like they did. While we enjoyed good weather and the freedom and time to reflect on their Rendezvous with Destiny, they had faced torrential rain and life-threatening obstacles as they ran towards the artillery exploding around them and bullets flying at them; many cutting into their brave young bodies and souls. Though our experience on the beaches was very different from the Allied Forces, Brian DeToy summoned his unique ability to take us back in time to imagine what it was like for them. His military experience, research, education and love of history equip him to set the stage in every facet and mood and bring it to life. One place in particular where he did an exceptional job was upon entering the American Cemetery. As visitors were nonchalantly streaming in, Brian pulled us to the side and spoke solemn, focused words that were appropriate for revering the site and honoring, in a personal way, those who had lost their lives and were buried there. It will always be with me. Sheryl's many strengths include her meticulous administrative and organizational skills, as well as graciousness and the patience of a saint. She handled every detail beautifully - and there were many! This was truly a life-changing trip for us - our favorite - the trip of a lifetime!

Having just returned from Essential History Expeditions' February 2023 Vietnam tour, I cannot say…read moreenough good things about it! As a retired Army general, I was hoping to better understand the Vietnam War, which shaped my training and the Army which I served in from 1979-2016. I also looked forward to viewing my Dad's experience as a military advisor in 1962-63 & 1968-69 in a new light after seeing the terrain. Brian and Sheryl delivered that and more. Our tour traced the major political and military struggles of both the French and American wars, and helped to understand the Vietnamese point of view at every turn. Their approach, which incorporated both Brian's historical expertise (honed by his PhD and 12 years teaching at West Point) along with assigning voluntary "character backgrounds" presented by the tour participants, encouraged not only study in preparation beforehand but also a collaborative discussion of the issues in the long struggles of the Vietnamese people. Sheryl's precise planning and use of 5-star accommodations made the trip luxurious throughout, with meals, 4 internal flights, 12 bus trips, and a 2-day opulent boat excursion into Halong Bay all handled seamlessly. One of the best travel experiences of my life!