Jayde's Travel Agency
Based on 92 reviews
Destinations:
Verified Review
Comments:
1) I really appreciate how fast you guys responded to issues that came up, and they were corrected quite quickly.
2) All of the guides that we had were excellent and really knowledgeable, especially the climbing guides.
3) The areas that we visited were quite good and I enjoyed the food in almost every place we went to.
Some Negatives:
1) I asked some very specific questions regarding gear prior to leaving the States. Had I listened to your colleagues and not brought equipment, I'm not sure we would have been able to do some of the things that were scheduled. I know that the mountaineering boots were the main one and, in your defense, yes, you can use crampons with hiking boots, but it's quite uncomfortable and one of the guests that did use them did struggle a bit with the hike.
Also, when we were doing the glacier hike in Valldal, our guide did not have mountaineering boots, so had we not brought our own, that hike would not have happened either. He indicated to us that their service does not provide those and that our travel company was informed of that. I realize a lot of people don't understand the difference between hiking boots, mountaineering boots, and how crampons adapt to those, but that is an important factor when it comes to mountaineering.
So all in all, I would recommend understanding the gear list prior to providing that to your guests. I also did ask to see if our travel agency asked about the gear list prior to these hikes and it is my understanding that this did not happen, which is quite disappointing for the total cost I spent on this trip. They informed me when I showed them that this was a standard list you guys use, which was quite evident when I compared the gear list they provide on the Svalbard cabin hike.
2) In regards to Svalbard, I had requested stopping at Pyramiden on the way to or back from the cabin. When we spoke via email, that was a big part of going to the cabin and the glacier, as well as part of the cost, which was my understanding as to why you selected it. Also, with that said, when you look at your itinerary, it says at the bottom that we would visit Pyramiden. This did not happen and when I asked the guides about it, they indicated it was not part of the tour. Could you please explain why this did not happen and what recourse I have?