Mojave Desert Tour Companies

My brother and I were scheduled to take this tour in Oct. We live on opposite coast, so we were ecstatic about the tour and being together. We’re both in our 60’s. Unfortunately, 26 days outside the 30 day cancellation time, he tore his achilles tendon. When I called to see if I could defer to a future date, I was told to find another person. When I asked if there was somebody in management I could speak to, I was told there was nobody there, someone would call. I’ve yet to receive a call. They have no problem keeping my 3100$ This is a huge disappointment. I couldn’t imagine giving this company more money to do the trip next year. Shame on them!!

I went on the 3-day Zion Basecamp Tour. This trip was quite different from, and far worse than, what Wildland promises. The three main issues: (1) the trails were far more crowded than advertised; (2) there was far less hiking than advertised; and (3) the health & safety protocols were inadequate. In addition, there was a surprising lack of attention to detail with regard to gear and to food. For context, I have been on dozens of guided hiking, kayaking, rafting, and climbing tours. And I occasionally lead kayaking trips myself. I am aware that things occasionally go wrong, and that everyone has an off day. Until now, I had never left less than a 5* review for a guided trip; indeed, I just left a 5* review for the Bryce & Escalante Basecamp Tour which I took immediately after this trip. But, with hindsight, I would not have gone on this particular trip even if it had been free. [Update: I have revised the review from 1* to 2*, because Wildland contacted me and seem interested in making improvements. For instance, they revised the trip description] Some details: TRAILS FAR MORE CROWDED THAN ADVERTISED Wildland rates this trip 2/5 for solitude: “Expect to have some solitude, as much as an hour at a time without seeing other groups”. This is laughable. I cannot recall ever being on hikes as crowded as the 2 days we spent in Zion. We were within 5 yards of other groups almost the entire time. And we were there in March, before the peak of Spring Break. Zion sees even more visitors during April – mid October, when Wildland runs most of its trips. To be clear, I don’t blame Wildland for the crowding. I do blame them for misleading advertising. If they wish to keep the current solitude rating, they need to switch to something other than the two most crowded hikes in the park. Or else they should acknowledge that the hikes are exceedingly crowded—in which case I would have booked a different trip. FAR LESS HIKING THAN ADVERTISED Wildland indicates that this trip involves “21 miles / 34 kilometers” of hiking over 3 days. In fact, we only did 14 miles of hiking. In particular, in Zion, we never did “enjoy the start of the morning in relative solitude with a lesser-traveled hike through the lower canyon”. And, in Snow Canyon, we only hiked 4 miles. Part of the problem was that the group included a guest who has suffered a knee injury and had limited mobility. The guest was very apologetic, and indicated that they had actually contacted Wildland prior to the trip to inform them of the situation. To be clear, I applaud Wildland for accommodating guests with limited mobility. But then they should have 2 guides and split the group. Or else they should have alerted other guests that the trip would involve very limited hiking—in which case I would again have booked a different trip. INADEQUATE HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS Guides really should wear gloves when preparing meals. They should also set up hand-washing stations when on the trail, and remind guests to wash their hands before touching group utensils, and before digging into communal packages (for instance, of chips). Wildland is just asking for gastro-intestinal issues. Wildland also claims that “use of face masks to cover nose and mouth are required at all times in company vehicles and public transportation”. In fact, after day 1, the guide no longer bothered to wear his mask; and by day 3 nobody was wearing them. I realize that mask-wearing is a controversial topic. But Wildland should either enforce its stated policy, or else change it to “masks optional at all times”— in which case I would have booked with a different company. GEAR Wildland forgot to provide ground cloths for the tents, or rain covers for the backpacks. Really, what rookie makes this sort of mistake? Also, Wildland never provided the promised camp chairs. FOOD Wildland advertises “eat like royalty”. This is obviously subjective, and in any case I don’t go on a hiking trip for the cuisine. I will say that the food would have been fine for a backpacking trip. But it was far inferior to that of any other guided car-based or raft-based camping trip I have been on. Indeed, even I generally cook more interesting meals when car-camping (and cooking is not exactly my strong suit). Sample meals: Breakfast: coffee; two pancakes with cream cheese; granola with some blueberries (no yogurt, milk, or nuts). Dinner: pasta with tomato sauce and a few veggies; chocolate squares for dessert. Lunch was fine, especially considering that the guide brought it with him in his pack. Frankly, I doubt many guests would complain if the guide just laid out the ingredients after breakfast, and instructed guests to prepare and carry their own lunch sandwiches…