We used Wanderlust Tours for a Kayaking excursion and they were great. Not only was the trip beautiful, but they were full of natural history information for travelers of all ages. We also appreciated there advice on other local attractions. read more

We visited Bend, OR for the first time at the beginning of June and wanted to try kayaking for the first time. They need more than two people to sign up before they will take you out. They kept us in the loop and a few days before our trip we were able to book a kayaking trip due to a few others signing up. I asked them a ton of questions over the phone because my husband and I had never been kayaking before and were a little nervous. They were very patient and answered all my questions and even offered additional information that I didn't think about. The day of our kayaking adventure they picked us up at our hotel (our hotel was on the way). We were super nervous-I don't know why! The van pulled up and out walks our tour guide Daniel. Immediately we felt at ease. This guy is down to earth, friendly, and just an all around nice easy going guy (Maybe we were thinking an Arnold schwarzenegger guy would pop out and tell us sissies to get in the van for some waterfall kayaking??). We hop in the van and meet a few others (newbies too, whew!) Van is clean, AIR CONDITIONED, and comfortable. As we headed up towards Mt. Bachelor Daniel adds commentary on the trees, history, etc. We pull around a corner and suddenly see glorious Mt. Bachelor in view and two deer on the side of the road (ok, this has to be a set-up.... :) We get to the location and Daniel unloads the kayaks. We discover there are a million mosquitos right by the boat dock (remember to bring bug spray!) Thankfully Daniel let us use his. Daniel gives us instruction on our life vests, paddling, how to get into the kayak, etc. He helped each of us get in and off we go. It was the most amazing scenery you can imagine. 4 magnificant peaks, forest, rocks, and water. We were out for around 2 hours and stopped and got off to walk around before heading back. You don't pay until after the tour is done. They have a card reader in the van. We had such a great time my husband and I are now kayaking fanatics and already have more trips planned locally. This is no doubt due to the laid-backness (and non-judgement of your lack of skills) tour and the amazing location they took us to (Sparks Lake). You will not be dissapointed. read more

Went on the stargazing canoe tour with my friend last month. Although the fires in the area and the moonlight dimmed the stargazing a bit, Pat our guide was super rad and made the trip totally worthwhile! I had a great time. read more

Really a great experience. Nick took us on a night snow shoeing hike that was awesome and had beautiful views and Courtney took us an a tour of the lava tubes that was safe and I learned a ton. Both trips were fun, well timed, and priced appropriately. This was a good value and a good time. I will do again. read more

We did the canoe under the stars trip and WOW, it was a hit! Nick was our tour guide and he was fun, knowledgeable and informative! Absolutely worth the late night adventure to do this!! read more

This cave tour was amazing! Our guide, Erika, was really great! She was packed full of information and fun facts and her passion was evident. A super cool way to spend a few hours. read more

7 of us did a Local Pour Tour in Bend, Nick was great! The distillery tour with Brandi was excellent, so knowledgeable, Nick took care of us the rest of the tour at the brewery and cider, wine tasting was a little odd or this would get 5 stars. Drove to a park and tasted not so good wine, strange, but I would still recommend. Thanks for the great afternoon, Nick! read more

My husband and I took an evening snow shoe tour and it was amazing! The guides were so interesting and knowledgeable. An experience we will always remember. Strongly recommend this company. read more

Terrific canoe trip with Travis to Hosman lake- beautiful scenery, interesting geology & Travis gave us terrific tips for local cuisine and sights. read more

Our tour was amazing. My kids 6 and 8 loved it. I would ask for Julie. She was personable and knowledgeable. Wonderful experience.

I live in Brooklyn and have family in Bend. Each time I venture out to Oregon I see what Wanderlust has to offer. So far we have done the snowshoeing (awesome!) and a gorgeous canoe trip on Hosmer Lake. The natural beauty is so stunning that the tour guides could just rely on that - but no - they up the game even more. I'm not sure how Wanderlust finds such energetic capable people who also know EVERYTHING about the history and geology of the area, but they have hit the jackpot. I learned more about Bend on those two tours than the 20 or so times I've visited over the past 30+ years. It's so refreshing to be guided by individuals who so obviously have a passion for what they do. Hats off to Wanderlust Tours. They would be my very first recommendation to anyone visiting the area. read more

Awesome!!! We went on a full moon canoe trip to Elk Lake expecting to see a full moon and beautiful stars. What we got was rainy mist, smoke, fog, wind and cold. It was so cool. We were the only ones on the lake. Very peaceful. Ericka was fantastic. She is very knowledgeable and super fun to be with. Would do it again and again! read more

We were going to spend only one evening in Bend, we had never been there, and wanted to do something very different. I decided on the evening canoe trip from Wanderlust tours. The smoke from the Oregon wildfires has been so bad that we did not know if we would see the moon or the stars that evening. The group met in the evening at the office, and from there it is about a 40 minute drive in the van up to the Cascade Lakes. Our guide was Danny. He is an absolute gem. (Definitely request him). He was an encyclopedia of information about the region, the history, the geology. the stars. It was apparent to me within a few minutes that he had a photographic memory. Honestly, he remembered the dates and names and back stories of all of the explorers of the region, knew all about the constellations, and their origins in Mythology. Anyone can take out a canoe and row on a beautiful lake.....but to truly understand where you are and the significance of the volcanic activity and the formation of the lakes......and a full story about Chief Paulina (Who Lake Paulina is named after) .....well, it added tremendously to the experience. And although the smoke was still lingering, it was a beautiful moonlit night. We were paddling in darkness, the temperature was perfect, and eventually some stars did manage to shine through. There was a group camp across the lake, and they were so loud, but you couldn't help picturing them having the time of their lives playing beer pong.... it was actually hilarious. I think we all would have preferred total silence, because it was so still out on the lake....after paddling for a while Danny asked that all canoes stop and float together while he told us more about the lake and the stars. We stopped and he served us amazing cookies and hot chocolate, and gave craft beer out to those who wanted it. A few ducks swam toward us out of sheer darkness and when they quacked, it startled us all. I highly recommend doing this.... It was really a magical experience. read more

I got a great gift for Father's Day this year. My choice of any Wanderlust Tour. Not knowing what to expect, I went for the "no brainer" formally known as the Local Pour tour. IT WAS A BLAST. We started with the cidery stop, and were given generous samples of some awesome hard cider. Our host was one of the owners who was also our unofficial floor show. Man was he funny, and not a canned presentation. All impromptu. Then we hit the distillery, the winery and finally the brewery. Now, as you might expect, we were all pretty lit up. No problem. For an extra $5 the tour guide will pick you up at home and drop you off at the end. Our guide, Jeremy, was super good, very knowledgeable and just an all around great guy. I will be going touring again with these guys. Maybe the Newberry Caldera tour. Great time. read more

The day after our wedding, we had a family canoe trip with Wanderlust. My dad put together a great canoe trip for 30 of us, our guides Jeff & Jack were very insightful about the area & local eco-system and were also entertaining. Our lunch was top notch and we went on a hike as well. They weren't too rigid and kept everyone involved. The trip was booked a few months ago and they told us in advance to be flexible with location since some of the roads to our original destination hadn't been plowed yet. I'd highly recommend Wanderlust! read more

My girlfriend and I decided to sign up for the New Years Eve moonlight snowshoe tour. We had no idea what to expect, but our expectations were easily exceeded. Our leader, Courtney, was awesome! She was friendly, informative, and always made sure we were having fun. We met at Fred Meyer's around 9pm and drove a quick 30 minutes to Mount Bachelor to begin the tour. On the way there, Courtney took the time to get to know everyone, we played trivia, and went over the agenda. Courtney is very passionate about her job! She gave my girlfriend and I tips on where to eat, hike, and work-out. When we got to Mount Bachelor, Courtney gave everyone head lamps to wear, and strapped us into a pair of snow shoes. We jumped off small cliffs, ran down hills, and trekked up steep slopes. Every few minutes or so, Courtney would stop so that everyone could catch their breath, and she would give us a fact about our surroundings. The trees, the animal tracks, the constellations, etc. At one point, she asked us to turn our head lamps off so that we could experience the peacefulness of the mountain. We could see every star in the sky! About halfway through our journey, we sat around a bonfire and enjoyed hot cocoa (vodka included), champagne, and desserts from a local bakery. At midnight, we celebrated the New Year, and toasted our glasses together. Shortly after, we strapped back on our snow shoes, and hiked back to where we started. I highly recommend this tour to anyone! We were blown away by the friendliness, professionalism, and enthusiasm these tour guides brought to us. Tips aren't included in the overall price, so make sure to give your guide a good tip, they deserve it! We are hoping to bring our family and friends with us next year to experience what we experienced! read more

Wanderlust Tours - Tours Near Me - Bend, Oregon

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The guys at Wanderlust were great to work with- they made our group feel at home, even with the larger size. Its great to know they can handle a large corporate groups logistics and needs for additional transportation with buses if need be. Thanks. read more

Wanderlust provided my wife and I with an awesome lava cave tour. Our tour guide, Jared, was a veritable amateur geologist and comedian, walking us through the cave and teaching us all about how the caves were formed, what kinds of flora and fauna lived inside them, and even included a brief sit-down/lights out experience while discussing sensory deprivation, how cave animals lose their eyesight over time, etc. Jokes were abundant and well-placed. The tour provides well-kept helmets and headlamps, which was great. I would recommend bringing a dust meals in the future, though-there is a lot of volcanic ash on the floor of the cave, and so boogers and sinus discomfort were a definite after-effect, despite our tour guide's instructions to not brush dirt off until leaving the cave. One downer, which was certainly not the tour's fault-there were roving groups of independent explorers moving through the cave, and the group ahead of us was definitely smoking and drinking. read more

Great tour company! Have done tours with them in the past before and never been let down! We almost enjoyed the guides stories and information about the area more than the actual canoeing! Bring a jacket because the weather gets cool at night even in the summer because you are high up in the mountains. Not strenuous, very scenic and peaceful. read more

Last month we celebrated my husband's 40th birthday with a mess of friends. His request? The Bend Brew Bus tour through Wanderlust. It. Was. Awesome. We can't recommend it enough. All 10 of us were picked up in Sunriver and taken to 4 breweries in Bend for tours and tastings. It was great because it introduced us to places we hadn't heard of in our prior trips up there. Our driver, Danny, was super knowledgeable not only about the places we stopped, but also other places to check out and the whole area in general. If you can, request Danny. He's amazing and tons of fun. Trust me. You will want to book this tour. It's worth every penny and then some. read more

Took the snowshoe tour and had a fabulous time! Did not know what to expect because it was my first time but I had an awesome time. There were times that I was tired but the tour guides know when to stop the group and give these amazing presentations on the forest and area. Had Courtney and she was just amazing! She loves her job and you can tell and that really makes a difference. Would highly recommend this tour company. read more

Went on the Shoes, brews, and views tour with Nick. So much fun. I can see why everyone loves this company. The staff all have great personalities and they all really know their stuff! I want to come back this summer and do some hiking. I will be sure to try out another tour with wanderlust on our next trip to Bend. read more

My Family and I signed up to take a Lava Cave Tour with Wanderlust. We arrived at the office and met our Tour Guide Travis. We found out transportation was included a nice plus. Travis drove us to the location of the cave providing us with a brief history of the Bend area to occupy our time during the drive. We arrived at the cave and Travis talked about the various trees plants and berries. We even tried some ants that tasted like sour candy. We were excited to hear that we would also have exclusive run of the cave, since their tour company was one of only two that could tour the cave. Travis provided us with hard hats and headlamps. The cave was very dark and big. Travis was very knowledgeable in the history of cave and provided my family with a great experience. I would recommend Wanderlust Tours to anyone. read more

Went on the brewery bus tour. They pick-up/drop-off which is a real plus. Expected more of a college, booze cruise type experience and although lots of tipsy fun was to be had, we also learned quite a bit about beer brewing. We started out at Deschutes which is huge (and packed) and then followed up with lower key establishments Silver Moon (my favorite beer stop), Cascade Brewing (appetizers waiting for us) and then Boneyard (extremely small tasting room with stellar beer). They switch up the breweries they go to but they probably start every tour with Deschutes (I'd call ahead if you are looking to visit a specific brewery). Our tour guide, Courtney, was very knowledgeable and seemed to be cool with our poor humor and tipsy shenanigans by the end. We were in a party of 6 with a total of 14 on the bus. I think the fun of the tour could be heavily impacted by who you share a bus with. We shared a bus with quite a few older ladies who preferred to taste one or two beers only and although they were nice, I'm sure the experience could have easily been the booze cruise I expected had the van been filled with beer enthusiasts. It was still fun regardless. Highly recommended! read more

We went on the Lava Cave Tour of Skeleton Cave with Cheney and another couple on their honeymoon. It was such a great time. Cheney was so attentive to all of our needs and making sure everyone was well taken care of. He taught us the 5 different bushes and trees that are predominant in the area, and then quizzed us on them after the tour. He taught us all about how most of the mountains are made in the area through a history lesson on plate tectonics and volcanoes. And then he adjusted each section of our cave tour to what we wanted, and we wanted to try everything. We were down on our hands and knees at one point, squeezing through a very tight alley of the cave. And then on our way out, we munched down the lemon-tasting ants. It was a blast! And we came home from our vacation to find a very sweet postcard from Chaney thanking us for joining him on the trip. I would highly recommend Wanderlust and plan to come back to try another tour. read more

I am giving this place two stars because we missed the great amazing sunset we were told we would see! I love to take pictures and I thought this was the place to get some of those amazing sunset pictures that they promote for their twilight tour. Unfortunately the tour guide, who was quite nice, had a tire that was bulging and it was rubbing against the rim and the tire was about gone! He had to take the trailer that was carrying the canoes and swap it out with a different trailer. This resulted in missing the amazing sunset! As a courtesy I still tipped the guide...but I did call the office to explain how disappointed I was that I missed this sunset because of the flat tire situation. I asked for a $30.00 discount on a $154.00 charge including the tip. But he told me he was sorry and he was unable to do that for me. So I am writing my review that beware, this company clearly is not about good customer service! They got my money and it appears that's all that matters to the owner. Very disappointed and I would not recommend this tour to anyone because of the poor customer service. Had I got to see that amazing sunset, this would have gotten a 5 star! Had the owner been willing to give me back a little bit of my money because of the flat tire, which resulted in missing the sunset, I would of given this place 5 stars. read more

$85 per person for a 30 minute canoe across the lake to a popular beach hangout. There we proceeded to hv a few small tastings of beer. Our entire group of 35+ agreed it was mediocre at best. I work for a high end sierra guiding outfit...(pay attention wanderlust owner) it doesnt take much to take the guided experience up a notch and have everyone leave with a great memory. What i pesonally would have recommended the guides do in this case is to have sent off one of the three guides to paddle over to the beach well ahead of our group, set up a small table with picnic cloth, displayed each of the beers to be offered, and perhaps put a pinecone or two on the table for decor. The group arrives to a small display of professionalism and to a display of the delicious local beer. Thats it. Veeery simple to do. Instead we arrived to an old red cooler full of beer poured in plastic cups like it was a college frat party. Lame and limp Wanderlust. Zero presentation. Its the little things that are easily done to impress guests. The canoe guides were friendly enough but they need insteuction and process badly needs help. Again a mediocre experience not worth the money. Please take this criticism instructively and implement these little tips ive just provided you. They would make a world of difference. I would not recommend this trip. read more