Osaka Wildlife, Landscapes and Nature Tours 2024/2025

“The trip was great overall... we came, saw, and learned about new cultures and experience new food and local favorites with tons of activities. A very fast pace with lots of walking up, and down stairs carrying luggage using public transportation, and mountain climbing to see temples and monkeys. Bring your most comfortable shoes and pack lightly as possible--at times, I felt a bit rushed through to complete the day's activities and catch the trains.”

“This was our first group tour - a lovely bunch of people. Hayley, our tour guide, has been a gem! She is very knowledgeable about Japan and kept us entertained. She made sure we had enough suggestions of activities to enjoy in our spare time. She was quick on her feet when we encountered issues far beyond anyone's control on the bullet train and kept her cool when plans needed to change. Hayley is very respectful of the Japanese culture and manners Things to bear in mind when considering this tour: Definitely forward your luggage from Tokyo to Kyoto - but that means bring a small carry on so you can have 3 days worth of clothing to take to Hakone and Takayama. For traveling after that - a backpack is the way to go. Leave enough space in your luggage for all the gifts you will be buying. Rooms are often shared - with the majority of bathrooms being shared. If a couple - bear in mind that the pods are separated by gendered dorms. Make sure you have comfortable walking shoes - there is a lot of walking and climbing stairs Some of the experiences that have made an impact on me during this trip have included staying in a temple and having a meditation session with a monk while it was snowing outside. A Kendo class with a 4th generation Sumarai descendant. Learning how to make our own sushi and embracing the Japanese way of life”

“The guide was prompt and helpful she would always give some back story on points of interest and present with accuracy the places of interest a person might want to consider visiting (even those that were not included in the itinerary). The places visited were interesting and the optional tours were well thought out. The hotels were in general well placed in the centre of the cities visited with access to shopping malls, restaurants and connections to other places of interest. However some hotels were not very clean. The itinerary could have been enriched with additional tours (e.g. the time spent in Kyoto was not sufficient as a visit to Gion and the Monkey Park are a must see), while some other places could have been excluded such as the trip to Hiroshima. Irrespective of the above the trip was well worth the time and effort.”