If I could more than 5 stars I would. We found this company by accident but glad we did. We were treated like a king and queen. This trip took us out of our comfort zone. Did so many things we normally would not have. I even got sick on the trip and missed a few things. The guides took super care of me, went to the pharmacy and got what I needed (even though did not know what they were looking for). I have recommended to many of our friends. And truly hope to travel with them again. read more

WOW, wow, wow....! I cannot possibly rate this trip and this tour company highly enough. This was our third trip with Gondwana (the first two were to Tanzania and Rwanda) and once again, this trip did not disappoint and far exceeded our expectations in every way possible. I am a seasoned traveler and some of my most special, endearing, beautiful travel memories have been on Gondwana trips. The company is built on impeccable ethics, fair and honest business practices, transparency, top-notch staff and seamlessly planned interesting, meaningful and exciting adventures. Being in Fairbanks in the fall season was magical; and in one week we were treated to so many diverse and fun activities and had the opportunity to connect with locals on a personal level and learn about life in Alaska. Seeing the spectacular Northern lights, visiting with the reindeer, interacting with the sleigh dogs, and sharing dinner with a local family were some of the highlights for us. Our Alaskan guides Greg, Ryan, and Laurie would not have been more enthusiastic, eager, personable, energetic, informed, fun and positive people to spend the week with. The local connections that Gondwana has made added to the personal, intimate and genuine experiences for our group. If you have ever considered being a participant on an organized small group tour, look no further; it doesn't get any better than Gondwana, a company that genuinely cares about guest experiences. Tours are well planned with so much attention paid to details, leaving guests with beautiful memories and an imprint on our hearts that will last forever. read more

This adventure was outstanding. Our guides were extremely knowledgeable, accommodating, kind and helpful. All the hotels were the best and the food was incredible. The kayaking to a Glacier was magical but best of all was the seaplane to Katmai Park for 2 days of bears!!! Lots and lots of bears. It was a trip of a lifetime. It exceeded all my expectations. read more

Gondwana Ecotours - Just one of my many, many bear photos. We loved our Gondwana Ecotour adventure - Tours Near Me - Homer, Alaska

I went on safari in Tanzania with Gondwana in February 2018. Jared was very accommodating and helpful, and our local guides were extremely knowledgeable and genuinely great people! I felt safe during the entire trip, and was able to focus on the majesty of Africa, its people and wildlife. Our day with the Maasai was an unexpected highlight of the trip. It truly was the trip of a lifetime. I can't wait to return to Africa and would love to take another trip with Gondwana! read more

Alaska tour, Janet our delightful, knowledgeable & excellent guide, Nicole our Aurora spotter, diligent, dedicated and (amazingly) delivered. Great daytime options: Museums, dogsledding, curling, remarkable antique car Museum (1913-45??) with several one of a kind cars, with matching costumes, mostly dresses. Both cars and outfits totally remarkable and beautifully presented and preserved. Unexpected treat. Fun restaurants. Moose & calf visits to our lodge. Museum, farm, reindeer, dogsledding guides were excellent--very committed to their craft--it was a privilege to have them share their passion, their life & livelihood with us. A real taste of Alaska & nature. However note this is NOT an E ticket on a Disney ride--there are no guarantees. If you want to tick all your boxes, find a Virtual Reality film to watch. read more

Just got back from a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska with Gondwana tour guides. It was an amazing experience. We saw the Northern Lights one night as our guide Janet stayed up monitoring when the aurora might appear and we all got outside to see a green dance in the sky. It was amazing! The dogsledding/reindeer walk were both tremendous and the educational portion of the trip was also very interesting. I reserved a special trip to Denali and Jared and Jake made sure that everything was taken care of. Fred, our day guide was funny, informative and a delight to be around. Both Fred and Janet make a great team! I will plan another trip with Gondwana Ecotours for next year! read more

Gondwana delivers! We chose the Northern Lights tour with them because we like small groups. After looking over their website and all the detailed information they provide about the activities, lodging and guides we decided to book the tour. Jared and Jake email you directly and make sure you know they are available to answer any questions or concerns. They email you detailed information on what to pack, what type of camera works best to photograph the aurora, what to do when you arrive in Fairbanks, etc. The guides were awesome and so easy to be with that along with a group of congenial fellow travelers we were sorry to part when the tour was over. The activities were fun and interesting and it seemed like everyone we met had really interesting backgrounds and stories. Do not hesitate ... book a tour with Gondwana! read more

In place of the reindeer ranch and curling with the locals, my 71 year old mother was offered cross country skiing and snowmobiling. I asked if the snowmobiling was for sport or for a kind of mellow tour. I was told speed and sport. No snow machine tour was offered. No trip to the university was offered, a visit to someplace called The North Pole was. Sounds hokey and touristy, not at all similar to a reindeer ranch. No partial refund was offered. No credit towards another trip was offered. The moment he said, "I'm not losing money just because you want to TOUCH a reindeer." is the moment I knew I would not give him one more cent of my money nor subject myself to anymore patronizing behavior. These are outright lies Jared, and you know it. Shame on you. Also, every single one of the places we were meant to sleep HAS NO CANCELLATION FEE. I checked with everyone. read more

My husband and I just returned from the Northern lights tour. We had and absolutely fabulous week. We had started with a travel agent who provided many adventures but it was left up to up to fill in the additional time and to get from one place to another. With Gondwana we were picked up and taken from adventure to adventure in comfort. We had a wonderful schedule of events and the timing was perfect. The guides (Fred and Janet) were very accommodating and informative. We learned a lot about life in Alaska. Nicole the northern lights guide spent hours watching the skies and informing us when the lights were visible and very helpful in making sure we could film the event to remember at home and to share with family and friends at home. The web page where we could post pictures to share was so much fun and we all really enjoyed have these pictures to take home. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone interested in Alaska and what it has to offer. read more

My contact for this tour was exceptional. She really went above and beyond to help me have the experience I was seeking on my trip and worked on my behalf to connect me to incredible people. If it not had been for this person I am not sure I would have taken the trip. She called me to understand my interests and then matched me with an ecolodge based on my price and hopes for the trip. She was incredibly communicative which was really helpful since I was traveling to a new country and there was so much I did not know. I trust her completely. The guide and village she connected me with in Ecuador was incredible. I was happy knowing that the ecovillage directly benefited the indigenous community that ran it and everyone I met was generous with their spirit and incredibly knowledgable. My guide personally sought out a shaman that he trusted and was present during my meeting with the shaman to make sure everything went well. At the end of the trip my guide took me to the airport and when my flight was canceled he stayed at the airport and advocated on my behalf to help me get rebooked. I have incredible trust and respect for everyone I met through Gondwana and can not recommend them enough. read more

I just went to Alaska in January 2020 to see the Aurora Northern Lights with Gondwana Ecotours. What I found is that the Aurora brought me to the trip but it was the rest of the tour that made it really, really special. I put this trip at the top of my list for favorite trips and I have taken about 100 trips. The tour guides were both wonderful and took such good care of us all. The lodge was beautiful and very clean. The pictures we took of the Aurora lights with the lodge in the background looked like it came out of a hallmark movie, breathtaking. The excursions that came with the tour were so much fun and gave me a taste of Alaska life. I loved them all so really difficult to say what my favorites were. We went dog sledding (and yes interacted with the friendliest dogs), hung out with reindeer, visited a farm where the owners treated us like family, went into natural hot springs, we were taught how to play the Olympic curling sport and lots more. Thank You Gondwana for the best time ever. I am recommending you to everyone I speak too. read more

My son and I went on the Northern Lights tour out of Fairbanks. It was a great mother/son trip. During the nights we were blessed to see the Northern Lights 5 of the 6 nights (unusual but lucky for us). Our night guide was great to wake us and to help with photography. Our days were spent on activities around Fairbanks and our guide and planner were fantastic to help personalize for things that interested us. Our group had 11 total so it was a great size. The lodging and meals were enjoyable. I can't say enough good about our guide Fred and how Jake and Jared were great to help us with activities that were important to us. I would highly recommend this trip. read more

My girlfriend and I went on a two-week Tanzania safari with Gondwana as part of a 3-month trip traveling across southern Africa. We went on a few other safaris over the course of our travels, but Gondwana was far and away our favorite. The biggest difference was the local safari guides. Noel and Vumi are incredibly knowledgeable, had great senses of humor, and were generally just a pleasure to be around. Combined with the overall organization and support from Jared and his team, I would highly recommend Gondwana to anyone looking for an amazing safari experience! read more

I took the Northern Lights Tour on Oct 22nd with this group. Everything about it was amazing! I was a little concerned when I first booked because they seemed like a new company and I couldn't find a lot of reviews. But I've been traveling for over 30 years and I would say this is the best tour experience I have had. Both Jared and Jake were hands on - and were very responsive on email to any concerns I had. Once I arrived in Alaska, everything and everyone was awesome as well. Fred and Janet (husband and wife tour guides) were beyond amazing and completely knowledgable about Alaska and its history, and also extremely nice people. It was like traveling with family members. Carol, who was our Aurora watcher, woke us up the first night and we got to see a fabulous show. All the activities were super fun, and there was not one thing I could complain about. The lodge is fantastic - on 240 acres with beautiful views - and the host there was so accommodating! Please don't have any concerns about with this tour company. I just wish they had more destinations, because I absolutely plan to travel with them again. read more

This review is for the September 2017 Northern Lights Tour. My sister and I chose a guided tour because we did not want to have to drive. We decided on Gondwana because of the smaller group size. Both Jared & Jake of Gondwana checked in with us during the trip to see how it was going, etc. That was a nice touch. Viewing the Northern Lights was our goal, the daytime itinerary was not that important to us; however by day 3 we both found that even if we didn't see the Lights (though ultimately we were treated to two spectacular displays) that the tour had been worth it. This was because of the people we met. Everyone from our guides Fred & Janet & Carol, our fellow tour members, and the people we met at the lodge and during the activities were so wonderful to get to know. Guides can make the difference in a tour but with Fred, Janet & Carol it was like we were with friends who just happen to live in AK and are showing us around not paid professionals (though they certainly were all professional!) My only regret is that I didn't figure out ahead of time if my camera would be able to capture the lights and found out too late it could not. Fortunately my sister's camera did, but regardless, the lights and this trip are something we will never forget. read more

In March 2018 I had the opportunity to travel to a place I have always dreamed of visiting...Cuba! I was thrilled when Gondwana Ecotours added this destination. It was fascinating to step back in time. The people, buildings and vehicles are so colorful. The food delicious and the beaches are breath taking! I had a great time visiting with locals and learning some of the history of this island. Wandering on horseback in Vinales on our way to a tobacco plantation was one of my favorite memories and then getting to actually tour a tobacco factory where the leaves are turned into cigars was, as they say, "icing on the cake". Our guide David was very knowledgeable but also so friendly. He made us feel like family. Even took us to see his family farm and to his sister's home for an authentic Cuban family meal. It was a fabulous trip and with Gondwana all the accommodations and day trips are taken care of for you. I love that all I had to do was pack and get on a plane. They do the rest. I would highly recommend Gondwana and Cuba for your next trip! read more