Tribes Travel Reviews 237

TrustScore 5 out of 5

4.8

While we don't verify specific claims because reviewers' opinions are their own, we may label reviews as "Verified" when we can confirm a business interaction took place. Read more

To protect platform integrity, every review on our platform—verified or not—is screened by our 24/7 automated software. This technology is designed to identify and remove content that breaches our guidelines, including reviews that are not based on a genuine experience. We recognise we may not catch everything, and you can flag anything you think we may have missed. Read more

Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 83 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the company for organizing exceptional holidays, highlighting the staff's helpfulness and expertise in tailoring trips. The service, from initial planning to the seamless execution of transfers and excursions, is frequently described as superb, ensuring a stress-free and enjoyable experience. Many people also commend the excellent locations and accommodations chosen for their trips. However, some people were dissatisfied with communication, noting a lack of follow-up and dismissiveness when issues arose. A few other people also felt that the benefits of booking through the company were minimal, experiencing problems with hotels and finding the support less attentive closer to their departure.

What people talk about most

Holidays

Consumers consistently report positive experiences with their holidays, often describing them as "fabulous,"... See more

Staff

Clients share positive opinions on staff, consistently praising their helpfulness, knowledge, and excellent... See more

Service

Reviewers mention positive feedback about service, highlighting the exceptional organization, seamless... See more

Location

Customers had positive experiences with location. Reviewers consistently praise the careful selection of... See more

Customer service

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of customer service. Customers felt valued and supported, praising... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Incredible experience, wonderful places, food and people. An absolutely brilliant service from Tribes Travel and Lima Tours. Andrew did a tremendous job in arranging a tour that covered all the best p... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Superb organisation and every transfer, every hotel, every excursion went like clockwork. It was great peace of mind to have things in place and to be able to fully enjoy our fabulous holiday. We woul... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Tribes Travel are South American experts using local people and care about the environment of the countries they cover. We cruised the Galapagos for a week on the Origin and Arturo at Tribes Trave... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Tribes listened really carefully to what we were looking for in a safari and were able to consider many options and propose a fabulous trip for us - aside from considering our overall budget they coul... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Tour Operator
  2. Boutique Hotel
  3. Cultural Tours Provider
  4. Travel Agency

About Tribes Travel

Written by the company

Discover the world with Tribes Travel

Why travel with Tribes?

The Tribes team creates high-quality, tailor-made holidays, adventures and safaris; unmissable and inspirational travel experiences which aim to feed your spirit and benefit wildlife, environments and people.

Tribes is all about wonderful people: you, the curious traveller; our valued destination partners; the often visionary property-owners we work with; the superb guides, chefs, drivers . . . and, of course, our incomparable team of experts here in the UK.

We’re sure that your holiday will make you very happy as well as positively benefiting some beautiful corners of the earth along with the people and wildlife who live there.

We are: trustworthy & reputable – friendly & personal – knowledgeable & imaginative – responsible & protective – fully-bonded & offer value for money.


Contact info

4.8

Excellent

TrustScore 5 out of 5

237 reviews

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
1-star

Replied to 100% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 week

How this company uses Trustpilot

See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.

Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very efficient and helpful company

Terrific organisation of our self drive holiday. Hotels were varied and appropriate for the regions we were travelling in Costa Rica. Transfer from the airport was perfect and big enough for the 6 people in our party. Cars supplies were 4x4s as promised and delivered to our first hotel.
The route took us from Caribbean to Pacific coast via mountains, and we had GPS supplied to guide us on our route.
The whole trip was designed to get the maximum experience of the country possible in two weeks, plus a relaxing beach interlude at the end.
We found Tribes met all our needs in terms of hotels and experiences, and when we had a problem with our GPS their rep was straight on the problem, and had it resolved very quickly.
I would not hesitate to go with Tribes again and recommend them for a great holiday experience.

March 10, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much Christine for the 5 stars and recommendation! I am so glad to hear that everything went smoothly for your group. Self driving is such a great way to see a country, I love the flexibility it offers.

Thanks again for trusting us with your Costa Rica holiday, hopefully see you for your next trip!

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Two and a half weeks in Ecuador

We came back from two and a half weeks visiting Ecuador and the Galapagos. What a superb trip it was. Arturo was enormously helpful in the planning stages and gave us good advice. The complicated sequence of pick-ups and transfers were all timely and without fault. Our guide (Gina Castillo) 'on the ground' in Ecuador was always available and was meticulous with all the arrangements. Highly recommended.

February 10, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks for the 5* review and recommendation PK! Arturo's specialist knowledge of Ecuador and the Galapagos is as good as it gets! I will also pass your feedback over to Gina.

Thanks again for booking with Tribes, hopefully see you for your next trip!

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A truly memorable holiday

We had a truly memorable time and thoroughly enjoyed everything that Costa Rica had to offer.
The hotel, transport, and guide tour arrangements worked out very well and we were rewarded with sightings of plenty of wildlife including multiple close-up encounters with whales. The attention to detail by Tribes was exemplary, their Vamoos app was very useful indeed, and their in-country team was very fast to respond and resolve one or two queries while we were there. Highly recommended.

March 4, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much for the recommendation and positive feedback Dik. What a great experience to encounter whales close up! The wildlife in Costa Rica is spectacular!

Thanks for booking with Tribes, please consider us for your next trip!

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

We were extremely happy with our trip…

We were extremely happy with our trip to Costa Rica organised by Tribes. Arturo, our adviser, who listened to exactly what we wanted to do and managed to fit everything in to our itinerary. The Hotels were perfect and suited our needs and all of the tours we did were well organised. I highly recommend this company.

February 13, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much for the recommendation and feedback Claire, it is much appreciated! Arturo is a Latin America whizz! He was only out in Costa Rica last year so it sounds like you benefitted from his fresh knowledge!

Thanks for booking with us! Hopefully see you for your next trip.

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous holiday

Fabulous holiday. Really well organised by Tribes & suited our needs down to the ground. Luxury hotels, great nature trips, transfers always on time. We will certainly travel with Tribes in the future.

February 18, 2025
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks for taking the time to review us twice Andrea! 5 stars both times, I think I like the 'fabulous holiday' title the most! I am really glad to hear how well it all went, Costa Rica really is a beautiful country to explore.

See you for your next trip!

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Well organised trip

This was our first travel experience with Tribes Travel & I have to say we are very impressed. From the very first contact everything was handled professionally and confidently. All the things we wanted from our holiday they were able to accommodate.
We would certainly recommend them.

February 17, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks for the great feedback and recommendation!

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I had never heard of Tribes before but…

I had never heard of Tribes before but I contacted them when we were first planning our trip and Andrew immediately got back to me. I was arranging a big family celebration of 11 of us. Aged from 67 to 6. He was very flexible changing the itinerary till we had exactly what we wanted.
All the accommodations were fantastic. All different but we loved each of them and all seemed perfect for our needs. We were all able to do zip lining, rafting, hanging bridges, hot springs at Arenal We went to Tortuguero for two nights and ended up at the Caribbean Coast with a trek and snorkelling.

All the guides were so knowledgeable and took time and trouble explaining and showing us so much. They were all very passionate about their subject. We saw so many animals, birds, fish, insects, snakes and spiders. All the transport arrived as planned and the drivers were very helpful.

It was great knowing that there were staff in Costa Rica looking out for us and although we didn't need them for anything it was good to know they were there, had we. The Vamoos app is also very helpful giving a countdown and everything you need to know.

All in all, it was a perfect trip for all of us with a great balance of everything we did. It seemed that using Tribes Travel really looked out for us and picked the best hotels and activities for us to enjoy. I couldn’t recommend Tribes more strongly

February 14, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much for the feedback Liz. I love that you went from not knowing us to recommending us strongly, that is often the way being a smaller boutique travel company! We do really try and focus on getting to know our customers so we can plan them the best possible trip, which Andrew is brilliant at.

It sounds like a lovely trip as well, getting to enjoy Costa Rica with that many family members. I am really happy to hear how well it all went!

Thanks for booking with Tribes, hopefully see you for the next big family trip!

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Very responsive

Very responsive, designing the tour pretty much as we wanted. Their ground agents were great and always available to sort out any issues.

Main drawback, couldn't book our flights so we had to do them separately (they couldn't use Air France for some reason), and still waiting to hear about a refund for one place which - no fault of Tribes - was dreadful.

February 24, 2025
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks for the feedback Christina, we always strive for 5 out of 5, I am sorry we didn't get there on this trip because of the flights, something for us to look at! I am glad the refund got sorted with the hotel.

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommend Tribes Travel

I can't thank Andrew at Tribes Travel enough for putting together a fabulous itinerary for our trip to Costa Rica. The locations selected, day trips, hotels and transfers were all amazing and we had a fantastic holiday. Communication in the run up to the holiday was very smooth and the Vamoos app is a great way of keeping all the holiday details in one place. I also wanted to give a shout out to the local company, Swiss Travel, who looked after us while in Costa Rica. They sorted everything out when I managed to leave our passports and money in a safe in our hotel ...and then travelled 5 hours (3 minibuses and a ferry away!) to the next hotel. The passports did the same trip as we did the next day and safely arrived. So, so grateful. Would 100% recommend booking with Tribes and Swiss Travel. Big THANKS.

January 18, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thank you so much for the lovely feedback Gaynor and for sharing the passport story. Swiss Travel are so attentive which is why we love working with them. I put my passport through a washing machine when I was abroad once! Andrew will also be delighted with the positive feedback, his knowledge of Costa Rica is excellent. Thanks for booking with Tribes, hopefully see you for your next trip!

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The best holiday ever

Having already spent two weeks in Ecuador and Galapagos with Sue Guelpa, who wrote a review last week, which just about covers all of the wonderful experiences we had, courtesy of Arturo's careful and thorough planning and many conversations beforehand, to ensure it was a memorable trip meeting all of our expectations. He certainly achieved that! I then continued alone to Costa Rica for another 6 days. The same care and attention was taken throughout my stay, with superb hotels, great hospitality and, once again, knowledgeable and attentive guides. My only regret was that 6 days wasn't really long enough as some of the travel was quite lengthy and there is so much diversity and lots to absorb. However, that was my own failing and it may well have prompted a further holiday in future, concentrating on Costa Rica alone - where I would most certainly book with Tribes and the invaluable help from Arturo.

February 23, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much for the review Mary, I love the title 'the best holiday ever'! Being his home country, Arturo's knowledge of Ecuador is amazing, he will be thrilled with the feedback. I am so glad to read that you loved both parts of the trip. What a great combination as well!

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable holiday due to great planning by Tribes

We booked our 10 day holiday in Costa Rica at very short notice; however, Alex was excellent. He found some great hotels, the flights fitted in well, private transfers were efficient and comfortable and the guides were knowledgeable. The app was very useful (especially being available offline).
Finca Rosa Blanca was a delight; Hotel Lomas del Volcan was high quality; Fondavella had a ballroom for a bedroom, but some of the food was a little below par; but Villabosque was a bit of a disappointment (in comparison). The latter only had a very small room and the area was very busy when the Park was open. In retrospect doing the tour in reverse would have been better.
We would definitely use Tribes again.

February 4, 2025
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much for the feedback, we really do use it to tailor our itineraries. I know Alex likes to save the best until last, so it could have been this way round for availability, I am really glad to hear you had a great time either way. I will pass the feedback onto Alex and our partners over in Costa Rica. Thanks again for using Tribes!

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

An outstanding trip to Ecuador/Galapagos Islands

Everything for our stay in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands was impeccably well organized! From the pick up at Quito Airport, where delayed luggage had to be dealt with, to guiding us in Quito and surrounding area, everyone went the extra mile to ensure our comfort and enjoyment. The guides were friendly and imparted a wealth of knowledge; they were a joy to chat with as we travelled to and viewed the sites. Accommodation every night was unique and comfortable, with helpful, friendly staff; always delicious Ecuadorian cuisine! The Galápagos Islands are fascinating and, with the excellent guide from the Galaxy, we had a wonderful time walking, snorkelling and cruising. Again, accommodation and meals were first class and all the crew went above and beyond to enhance our experience - from spotting an owl amongst the underbrush to finding porpoises playing at sea.
All in all a most wonderful experience and reason to choose Tribes for my next adventure.

February 4, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Hi Susan, thanks so much for your feedback and the 5 stars! I am so glad to hear that everything was impeccably organised. I will be sure to pass that onto Arturo. He loves making bookings back to his home country! The Galapagos Islands truly are a wonder. Thanks for booking with Tribes, see you for your next adventure!

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Truely wonderful holiday

We booked our 18 night Costa Rica trip with Tribes Travel agent Andrew Chandler, who was very knowledgeable and gave very useful advice about the country where to visit and what Tribes could arrange within the time and our budget.
We visited five locations from the Caribbean to Pacific plus the central highlands of Monteverde and Arenal.
Everything was really well planned and organised and the local trips were well worth it. Transfers all worker really well and with one very slight exception when we didn’t get breakfast on one transfer there were no issues (we were compensated with dinner at the next hotel).
The local agents were Swiss Travel who were excellent, communication with them was via WhatsApp and worked really well, they couldn’t have been more helpful or professional.
At the end of our holiday we also took a local flight from Tamarindo on the Pacific coast back to SJO (really recommend this as it was a fabulous experience), Swiss Tavel arranged a suitcase to be sent ahead and collected at SJO at no extra cost (there is a 18kg weight limit on the internal flights), the transfer went like clock work and bag was waiting for us with the transfer bus.
Overall if you want a tailor made holiday to suit your time and budget I thoroughly recommend Tribe’s Travel, communication and experience of the agent (Andrew) was excellent and we had an amazing time in the beautiful country of Costa Rica.
Pura Vida my friends !

January 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much for the in-depth feedback Jeremy! I am really glad to hear you had an amazing time, Costa Rica is something else. Andrew will be thrilled to hear how well everything went. I just a had a look at your trip, it looks like you really saw the best of Costa Rica. I will also pass the positive feedback to Swiss Travel, they really are brilliant at looking after our customers. Thanks again for booking with Tribes.

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Exploring Costa Rica

Had a memorable trip exploring sites on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts and different forested locations in the interior. Hotels were comfortable, staff friendly and transfers between locations went seemlessly. Tour guides at nature reserves were really informative providing a great introduction to the country's amazing biodiversity. Andrew at Tribes also provided lots of helpful advice in planning the holiday.

February 18, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much for the 5 star review Ian. Andrew was out in Costa Rica just over a year exploring so he has really up to date knowledge. I am really glad to know that everything went smoothly for you. Thanks for trusting us with your holiday plans.

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Our trip to Costa Rica was well planned…

Our trip to Costa Rica was well planned and all the arrangements were on time and travelling was good if occasionally a little too long. The quality of the hotels was first class although slightly more expensive than we were expecting. tte trips to see wild life were excellent due to the expertise of the guides Only slight drawback was 11 hour flights

January 30, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thank you for the 5 star review Peter, it is much appreciated! I am glad to hear all the hotels were first class. 11 hours is a long flight, but I would say its absolutely worth it for the beauty of Costa Rica.

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

First time using Tribes

First time using Tribes. Did a 2 week trip in Ecuador- Quito, Galapagos & the Amazon. Everything went to plan. Seamless travel arrangements, transfers & quality guides.
Thank you Arturo for putting it all together.
Would recommend Tribes and use them again without hesitation.

February 1, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much for the 5 star review Savi! I am very happy to read how well the trip went. Coming from Ecuador, Arturo knows that area better than anyone. I I know he really enjoyed planning this one with you.

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Probably the best country we have visited!

Great country with a host of activities to suit most ages and abilities. Jurassic style rainforest with lots of animals although, some are quite elusive! Food was fantastic although surprisingly more expensive than I thought and defo’ more than other S. American countries. Booked Tribes for first time, usually sort everything myself, best travel agent I has used to date. Comms good and their app was extremely useful. Had 6 transfers which were spot on the times provided to me and could not fault the choice of hotel they selected- Tortuguero was the most basic but was my favourite!
Thinking of Victoria Falls and SA in 2027, definitely consider Tribes for that trip.

February 13, 2025
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback Paul! Always nice to hear we are the best travel agent you have used, I will pass that feedback on to Andrew. When you are ready to get that South Africa trip booked, let us know, we would love to help!

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Superb Holiday…

We have just had a superb 19 day holiday in Kenya, organised by Tribes Travel. We went to 5 different camps and saw a huge variety of animals and birds in the different terrains.
We stayed in luxury, were looked after marvellously and the logistics of moving around had all run like clockwork. The whole holiday from the idea , planning and the actual event could not have been bettered.
Thank you Tribes

February 2, 2025
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thank you so much for the 5 star feedback Patricia! I just took a look at your itinerary, what a trip! I am so glad to hear it ran like clockwork.

Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I would thoroughly recommend Tribes Travel

I would thoroughly recommend Tribes travel, they gave us superb advice. Thank you to Andrew of Tribes in UK and all staff of Swiss Travel in Costa Rica. We had a holiday of a lifetime. Absolutely wonderful time travelling around starting from San Jose on light 12 seater aircraft to Tortuguero hotel and treks within the rain forest, travelled onto Arenal again on the light aircraft again fabulous organised treks then onto Monteverdi to the Cloud Forest our final hotel for three full days rest was Manuel Antonia hotel Arenas del Mar . Well talk about saving the best for last!!! Wonderful hotel and staff all so genuinely friendly and kind.
Come on people give Tribes a ring.

January 16, 2025
Unprompted review
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much for the 5 star review James, it really is appreciated. I know Andrew was really chuffed to hear how well this holiday went as he mentioned this is your last big trip. What more could you ask for, than a holiday of a lifetime! Thanks for trusting us with this big one!

Take care, Charlie and the team at Tribes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great Specialist in Costa Rica

We booked part of our trip privately (Flight and some hotels) and Tribes were great to work flexibly with. I wanted a Costa Rica specialist and their service and knowledge is excellent. Also they work with Swiss Travel the most experience travel operator in CR and this shows in terms of quality of excursions and relationships with hotels.

February 6, 2025
Tribes Travel logo

Reply from Tribes Travel

Thanks so much for the excellent feedback Sue. We pride ourselves on our specialist knowledge so that is great to hear. Andrew was out in Costa Rica just over a year ago, we try and get the team out as often as possible so we have the most up to date knowledge. I will also pass the feedback over to Swiss Travel, they are brilliant partners to work with as we know they will always look after our customers.

Charlie and the team at Tribes.

The Trustpilot Experience

Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active.

Companies can ask for reviews via automatic invitations. Labeled Verified, they’re about genuine experiences.

Learn more about other kinds of reviews.

We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Find out how we combat fake reviews.

Learn about Trustpilot’s review process.

Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews.

Verification can help ensure real people are writing the reviews you read on Trustpilot.

Offering incentives for reviews or asking for them selectively can bias the TrustScore, which goes against our guidelines.

Take a closer look