Excellent guide! Great and busy schedule, it allowed to get the most out of all the sites. The size of the group, 10, was perfect, it allowed us to get to know each other and we all got along great.
This was the best vacation/trip I’ve ever been on!! Spectacular views everywhere we went! Bindlestiff representatives were very helpful and answered all questions. Our tour guide, Haley, was the best!! She was knowledgeable, friendly, ene..rgetic and inspired to make sure every one of us enjoyed the trip 100%. The camping experience made the trip so much better. It was so much fun to meet people from other counties. We had a fantastic group!Read full review
Great itinerary that you can't really go wrong with - the national parks were fantastic and we felt satisfied with the time spent in each. Annie our guide was wonderful - tirelessly helpful and informative and real fun to be around. Loved e..very minute of it and have so many great memories.Read full review
This 7 day adventure through amazing national parks was amazing. Better than any anticipation. Every day a highlight. Chris Patrick was the perfect guide. Took us to rare extra places. Informative and entertaining but knew when to be quiet... Thanks Chris and Bindlestiff.Read full review
Last July, me, my wife and our 11 years old son took a 7 days tour (Zion Park, Bryce Canyon, Antelope
CanyLast July, me, my wife and our 11 years old son took a 7 days tour (Zion Park, Bryce Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Horses..hoe Bend, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite and San Francisco). I must say our expectations were really high since this was a dreamt trip and we had first planned to do it on our own taking our own time in every park, we changed our mind on the last minute and we were a bit worried about it being too rushed, but it was the best decision ever!! We visitted 7 National Parks, drived through (well, Kit did!) 4 states, me great people and created unforgettable family memories. Everything was well planned, Kit, our guide, tried his best to make sure we had a great time, he even added a couple of extra stops, cooked for us, make us all feel safe and was very knowledgeable about everything, we love the views but we also learnt a lot! The campgrounds were comfortable and really close to the parks, especially the one in Monument Valley, I can't fully describe the view and the stars from that night... I highly recommend it, perfect for groups, solos couples and families of almost any age. I can't thank Bindlestiff and Kit enoigh, we will never forget this trip!Read full review
Within 7 days, we drove 1,500 miles, across 3 states, visited 5 national parks / 2 state parks, hiked 60 miles, made friends from 7 different states/nations, and eventually traveled through the iconic Route 66 back to Las Vegas. Everything ..has been taken care of by our guide/Joe, and all we need to do is to explore and enjoy the breathtaking parks/hikes/views.Read full review
By: Catarina Fattori | Sun Jun 19, 2022 at 12.00 AM
We did a 7 day tour to Yellowstone from Las Vegas and a 4 day tour from Las Vegas to San Fran via Yosemite and they were both fantastic! Very good value for money and our tour guides were also really good and friendly. They were so helpful ..and knowledgeable on everything we were doing. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and will definitely be booking more tours!Read full review
For an exceptional experience in a part of the USA we had never seen before; Bindlestiff Tours met or exceeded our expectations on all counts. Our escort/host/driver Treviso pulled it all together with a relaxed professionalism that put us ..at ease from the moment he pulled-up at the meeting place in Las Vegas.
The first week we were part of a group of 14 travellers from Europe, the UK, North America and Oceana ranging in age from 14 to 74 years; half camping and the others, like us, overnighting in hotels and lodges. The final 4 days from Las Vegas to San Francisco, there were only three of us, plus Treviso, making for a very personalized travel experience. We had been apprehensive about the "3 star"; hotel promise but all accommodations were more than satisfactory with many including good to great breakfasts. Picnic lunches on the tour were generous and wholesome offering good variety [always lots of fruit]. Pizza-night overlooking the Grand Canyon [after a brief thunderstorm] was spectacular while Treviso made good recommendations for those nights when dinner was not included.
Bindlestiff tours are not guided national park tours. In the large parks, we were driven to the interpretive
centre where maps and guides were presented so we could choose what to do; hikes from a few minutes to 4-5 hours, as easy or challenging, as we wished. Park Service free shuttle buses were available to get us to trailheads where Bindlestiff could not take us directly to the starting points.
This was not an arm-chair tour. A good level of fitness was required to fully participate, especially as the
hot weather conditions [most days at least 10°F above average] did not make things easier. This was
entirely outside Bindlestiff's control as were the frequently poor-quality trail markings and maps provided
by the Parks Service but we never feared getting lost or left-behind. When it was >110° in Death Valley
the life-saving comfort of the van was close.
The sole unfortunate experience was our escort's response to a tour member's complaint against a 3rd-party tour guide [and immediate filing, we were told, of a report to "head office"]. A quiet side-conversation with other participants would have revealed the complaint probably was based more upon sub-conscious racist and cultural differences than reality. It would be sad if our Native American guide were denied future opportunities because of an unfounded grievance and acceptance by Bindlestiff of the notion 'the customer is always right'. It's not just on Navaho Land that tourists should adhere to the directions of their local guide and I hope that our escort will gain patience that there is often more than one side to a complaint.
Our final-day tour of San Francisco was enhanced by access to spectacular vistas that would not have been possible with the larger passenger van and trailer. The 2-year wait through the pandemic [our tour had been purchased originally for 2020] had been overwritten by 11 days of new friendships and memories to be held close for years to come.Read full review
I booked the 7-day camping tour, and before this trip, I had never gone camping before. Also, while I’m relatively young and fit, I don’t consider myself a “hiker” or particularly outdoorsy. Nonetheless, I had so much fun on this tr..ip, saw and experienced some of the great landscapes the country has to offer, and had a fantastic social experience with my fellow campers. Our guide, Treviso, was hardworking, calm, knowledgeable, kind, understanding, and importantly, a smooth, safe driver.
For those who are unclear on the structure of the tour, there are 14 participants and one tour guide, the latter driving the 14 participants around to different locations in a van over 7 days. Some of those 14 choose to lodge in hotels, some choose to camp. On my trip, 5 camped (including myself), while 9 lodged. Though I had never camped before, the campgrounds were, for the most part, manageable. Two individuals are assigned to a tent, you sleep on an inflatable pad with a sleeping bag, and you have access to the water, showers, and bathrooms from the campground. You have to put up the tents yourself, but they’re quite easy to raise up (even for someone as un-handy as myself). Most of the bathroom/shower facilities were fine, though a couple were less-than-ideal. However, the camaraderie we developed over the course of the trip made up for any slightly-subpar showers. Also, we experienced some incredible sunsets, sunrises, and stargazing from our tents that would have been more challenging to experience from a hotel. If you’d rather not deal with campgrounds and are not really looking for a
social experience (e.g., if you’re coming with family), you should maybe opt for the hotel option.
Note that the trip is not composed of primarily guided tours, but rather of self-guided tours. For the most part, each site we visited, we were given maps, told of a few easy, medium, and difficult walks/trails, and given hours to roam before meeting back up. This gave plenty of time for exploration and trip individualization. If you wanted to trek 5 miles over thousands of feet of elevation, you could do that. If you wanted to saunter and admire the views, you could do that, also. If you in any way enjoy hiking or the outdoors, enjoy social experiences on vacations, and want to see the major US national parks, I’d highly recommend this tour! I';ll never forget the experience.
Highlights of the trip: Hiking down into Bryce Canyon, watching a sunset with pizza at the Grand Canyon, stargazing and watching the sun rise at Monument Valley.Read full review
First of all a big thank you to Joe and Chris, you guys are just great spirits with amazing kind souls and positive energy (and amazing Professionals that love your job-you set the bar at the highest level in your industry). You enhanced ou..r experience. Thank you again (as well to Becky and Cindy for the lightning quick responses and initial information). You must take this trip. Reviews and photos cannot fully capture the feelings, beauty and magnificence of these destinations and the trip itself. Just do it when you get the chance. Also lucky that we were amongst amazing fellow travelers on the Van (Gabby, Dianne, Josy, Phil, Sonia, Carol, John).
Claraki mou, this trip would not have been the same without you. We miss you all. May the goods spirits be with all of you. Thank you againRead full review
Well organized and all of the logistics were taken care of so you can just relax and enjoy the trip. Chris was an awesome guide...knowledgeable, funny, charismatic. He kept us apprised of the itinerary day-by-day and went out of his way to ..accommodate everyone's needs (for example, shuttling people to town/hotel if they wanted to take a break, waking up early to get others to the park for sunrise, etc, etc). Chris worked 24/7 to make it an excellent enjoyable vacation for all of us on the tour.Read full review
What an amazing trip! So much to see in 7 days. Joe was a fantastic guide and told us so much about the various places/areas we visited. Everyone was able to chose their hikes depending on how physically fit each person was. Joe would recom..mend which ones to do.
We booked the hotel option and some hotels had a stunning view !
Défo worth it to add the helicopter ride over Grand Canyon and the antelope canyon.Read full review