History Tour & Trip Reviews

VBT needs to do a little work on this tour. Cycling was a stunning disappointment.

This is the second trip to New Zealand I've booked with VBT and I must say the first was outstanding, while this trip was so so. Not much freedom was offered to get away from the group and ride on your own. Everyone was bunched up and 3 of 4 of the bike rides we did were awful. The first day in Hagley park was miserable and I felt like we were being herded like 6 year olds on a bad trail. The second day was a trail ride that had zero views on a gravel path completely surrounded by vegetation that made me feel claustophobic. The third day offered a superior ride and the seventh day had us again on bike trails that were questionable and many people felt uncomfortable on such narrow, crowded trails. The other days were quite leisurely with short hikes and one kayaking tour that was ok, but again, we were all bunched up and bumping off each other's kayaks. I wish someone at VBT would have warned me, knowing I had taken the trip to New Zealand before, that they had taken the biking sections of the trip offroad, onto narrow and barely negotiable trails that weren't really all that scenic. I know things change, and safety has become an issue, so road riding has become dangerous. However, I felt luck a duckling under the care of it's mother the entire time. On a positive note, the guides do go above and beyond to ensure you are offered superior excursions to alleviate the boredom factor. Be prepared to spend ALOT of money on those, however. There is just no way to say how disappointed I was with this trip as opposed to the first trip I took to New Zealand with VBT.

First class bus and driver. Group leader, Dom, was a real personality. He was excellent in all cases. Local guides were knowledgeable and were very understandable. Hotels were first rate.

Excellent travel advisor (Dominic); he was 90% of the success of our tour. Most hotels had excellent facilities and service

Booking experience was well supported by helpful & accessible call centre. Note to check potentially cheaper cost to book same hotels for own extra days pre & post tour, rather than getting LG to book for you.
Door-to-door transfers were prompt, professional & clean.
High confidence & great experience travelling on the tour primarily due to our excellent 6-star Tour Director (Dom Nemer) who showed superb empathy, knowledge, approachability, help & support each day. Each day Dom would give us written notes about the following day’s itinerary with suggestions on activities, local sights and food options during our free time.
And a super safe on-the-road experience with our wonderful coach driver Alberto. Coach was new, always clean & comfortable.

Excellent accommodations, expert local guides, all excursions and tipping included in price, comfortable bus, excellent, very professional concierge..

Recently took a Le Boat holiday from St Gillies to explore the Camargue region. On arrival we were welcomed by helpful & friendly staff, lots of information provided about the route, easy check-in and boat orientation was comprehensive.

Lots of beautiful scenery & beaches with several villages to moor at. We hired bikes from Le Boat which allowed us to travel easily to and from the boat.

All-round great experience! Would use Le Boat again as it was a wonderful holiday!

Unexpected wildlife and plant growth, and land features constantly, with breathtaking beauty, and with an air of untouched freshness. Oh, and the cycling was exciting too! Our guides spoke of the history, plants and animals, and current New Zealand happenings, in addition to cycling expertise. We could not have asked for better!

The only negative thing about this tour is that it was too short! New Zealand is an amazing country and we enjoyed every bit of the trip. Our guides Tereza, Mark and Lauren were wonderful. They seemed to have an answer to every question and were incredibly knowledgeable about the flora, fauna, and history of the country. There was quite a bit more riding in the van on this trip, but as we rode and enjoyed the beautiful sights they educated us about all things New Zealand. The riding was more challenging that other trips we have done since it was on packed gravel or mountain bike trails with stones and tree roots, but the guides prepared us well and the bikes were sturdier than the typical VBT bike. The walking and hiking was also a change and a welcome one - such beautiful walks through forests and along lakes! The Wilderness Lodge was the highlight - wonderful relaxing spot with plenty to do.

Absolutely fabulous trip! The accommodations were terrific, the food excellent, the guides were professional and just perfect!

I'd go again in a minute! Kiwis, of course, speak English, but there are plenty of cultural differences to appreciate. There is also plenty of history to understand and learn in addition to the somewhat expected natural features and attractions in the different climatic areas of New Zealand. I took extra days before and after the VBT tour and would recommend that since you're traveling such a long way; why not stay a little longer? I would say that the biking in much more mountain biking as we understand it, than road biking. And, it is fairly challenging mountain biking. I think people should understand this going in. Also, sand flies on the west coast really are nasty. You WANT to have your own DEET spray; no doubt about it. Americans probably don't have much experience with them. Their bites are like having a case of poison ivy in terms of itch and duration. Hopefully the guides will makes this clear to Americans on the tour because we don't have experience with them generally. It was a unique look at NZ. You can stay extra days and get some of the other better known sights on our own. But, do go.

Our New Zealand trip was amazing. Superb national guides! Well organized from start to finish.
Would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to have the chance to experience some of the beauty and diversity of New Zealand in a small group setting.

The 3 local guides were superb, their knowledge of the area, the equipment, and their interpersonal skills made for a delightful week

Our guides were incredibly friendly, personable, capable and knowledgeable. The trip was a nice combination of riding and other things. The bikes were good, the places we stayed were very nice, and the food was good.

NZ is so beautiful and pristine. This was an amazing tour all around. Mountains, lakes, rivers, coast, glaciers, waterfalls, rain forests and great trails for biking and hiking. E-bikes make it even more fun. Our VBT Guides were the best - thank you George, Lauren and Tereza. The people, the food, the culture, and the experiences (glacier heli-hike, kayak, sheep station, wine tasting) made it a trip of a lifetime. Lots of birds, river eels, dolphin, glow worms, dark skies and aurora Australis! A few pesky sand flies - but cover up, keep moving, hope for a good breeze or just head back to the rain forest. Looking forward to my next VBT adventure.