Wanderlust Tours Review

my wife and I have lived in bend for 4 years. We are the adventurous and and social types who love getting outside and experiencing new and exciting things. I never though i would book an outdoor tour because we always have been do it yourselfers. 4 years ago we booked a cave tour with the staff at Wanderlust and now we will never go back. With wanderlust We have been canoeing, snowshoeing, caving, and treated like royalty at a bonfire in the snow under the stars. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and so helpful. They really have a passion for the outdoors and for people. We have been in Bend for four years and even got married there but some of our best memories have been adventuring with our friends at Wanderlust tours. I highly recommend these guys if you are looking for a new view of amazing Central Oregon.

Our tour wound up being just our guide, my husband and myself. Our guide, Alexis, was phenomenal. She has educational conversation the entire way through, took us as far as we could go and helped with pictures the entire way. There was never an awkward silence or a feeling of inferiority, she was happy to give us advice on how to improve posture and technique. The landscape was of course gorgeous, but the tour was very much worth it.

$75 for adults, $55 for children to see a cave. Tours at the Carlsbad Caverns in NM $20. This company is a massive ripoff taking advantage of basically a monopoly situation. If a local couple with two children wanted to visit Skeleton Cave that would be $260 for a couple hours in a cave with a person you would rather not have there. It is too bad the local government contracted off local cave access like this.

We had Patrick for a tour guide. When I called to make rsvp the day before they were kind enough to work with me and get everything planned for a party of 8. It s a bit pricy for a two hour row imo. if I was to just go on my own but I guess as a family excursion it s worth it to have them plan, set up and even transport us into the lake. Patrick was very fun to talk to and knew a lot about a lot of things. He was very generous with his knowledge and it made everything much more enjoyable.

Overall I would highly suggest this for family groups that aren t outdoorsy people. It takes the stress out of planning.

The owner Dave and his team have been guiding trips in Central Oregon for 27 years. Fantastic way to learn some history and see the beauty of Central Oregon! We have so much fun every time we do a Wanderlust excursion- highly recommend!

8 of us in tow for a bachelor party. Canoe tour.. Our guide, Courtney, was personable, fun, and knowledgeable, made it a great experience for all of us. Thank you Courtney!

We had an amazing night snowshoeing Mt Bachelor and sipping cocoa by a bonfire. We not only recommend Wanderlust Tours but we ll back for more adventures ourselves!

My husband and I were visiting Bend from Tennessee and spent a month hiking and biking in this beautiful part of the country. Wanderlust s Starlight Canoe Tour was definitely a highlight of our trip! Our tour group consisted of the two of us, another couple from England, and our tour guide, Erika. We arrived at sunset and paddled all around Homer Lake as the stars began to appear. Erika shared so much knowledge of the night sky and entertaining stories about the constellations. The views were spectacular! We ended the evening with hot cocoa and baked treats from Sparrow Bakery. This was a fantastic tour!

The Brews and Views tour up to Hosmer Lake with Courtney was great. The fun started even before we left the parking lot, and continued all the way to the lake.

With a 45 minute drive, one might be daunted at the fact that they would be bored, but it seemed there wasn't more than 5 minutes on the drive up that there wasn't an interesting fact to learn, or a cool landmark to look at.

Put in was easy, with Courtney's knowledge of canoeing, all of us, even the 1st timers in the group managed to stay dry. Her ability to relate to all the people in the group and make us feel like family really set this trip apart from other I have been on. I look forward to my next adventure with Wanderlust Tours!

Patrick gave us about the most professional and educational tour we have taken. He was very warm, friendly, and also considerate. I d had surgery recently and he was very attentive, making sure I was safe.

The breadth of his information and ability to connect different fields of knowledge makes the tour absolutely fascinating. Thank you.

Brews and Canoes ... What else do you need?! Had a wonderful time and Hannah was a great tour guide! Would definitely recommend for anyone looking for guided tours!

The Shoes, Brews, and Views tour was great! Courtney is an awesome tour guide and is very knowledgeable! The beer tasting was a lot of fun and delicious! Trying out several of the breweries in the Bend area was one of the things we really wanted to do while visiting the area. The weather was very snowy which was amazing, however made the views portion of the trip a little challenging. We were actually hoping for a little bit longer of a trip "where you are actually hiking". A large portion of the trip is spent in a van while being transported to Mt.Bachelor. The actual shoe portion is not very challenging. Just a sidetone we punched in the physical address listed for location and our GPS (which is in the car) had a hard time finding the shop. We had to call and ask for directions. Other than than a great trip, just wish it was longer!

We went on the exclusive cave tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor! Everyone had a great time.

Went kayaking with a group of friends. We loved the fun and knowledgeable tour guide. She facilitated a really fun trip, and we even learned a few things!

We had a great experience with our tour guide Courtney at Wanderlust. Due to weather we ended up actually lucking out and getting a private tour, as the other folks had to cancel. Courtney is extremely knowledgeable about the ecology, geology, and flora & fauna of the Cascade Lakes region. We had a blast! Definitely recommend the Cascade Lakes kayaking tour.

Jason was our guide on a snowshoe tour. Very knowledgeable, friendly, and a wealth of information. Would highly recommend and will book again next time we re in bend!

Wanderlust has an amazing group of extremely knowledgeable and friendly guides that make their well-planned trips even better. I've been on a couple snowshoeing trips with them, and can't think of anything that could have improved the trip.

We have always have a fun and educational experience through Wanderlust!! Thanks again

I highly recommend the Moonlight & Starlight tour. Our guide, James, made the tour inclusive and fun before we even boarded the van by getting to know us by name. During the drive to and from the lake, he often inquired about our comfort level and found ways to ignite conversations. As for the canoe tour, it was amazing to say the least. It was a clear night, and James seemed extra excited to talk about constellations and central Oregon's history. The overwhelmingly positive experience has my family considering other tours for our next trip to Bend.

Originally had starlight canoe tour planned but by the time we got up there it was snowing , so nixed, we still got to see the lake.. Nick our tour guide coordinated for another tour next day and we did Newberry Volcano.. I can't say enough about how much fun the tour was but what stood out to me was how knowledgable Nick is from the area, to the history, to the wildlife..my girlfriend and I had a blast..fantastic time from logistics to tour and in between. Nicks the man

Moonlight canoe trip was awesomeness. Every single star was out. Highly recommend

Our guide, Katie was amazing. We got to see some breathtaking views and we had great conversations. It was a great treat for our honeymoon. We will definitely go back!

Fabulous and informative snowshoeing adventure in the magical forests of Mt. Bachelor. Our guide, Alexis, was top notch! I would make a Wanderlust Tour an essential part of any future trip I make to Bend.

We had our law firm retreat in Bend, Oregon. As part of our retreat, we went on a lava tube exploring adventure. Courtney, our guide, was amazing. She kept the tour interesting, provided unlimited facts about the lava tubes and central Oregon, and even allowed our group some time to enjoy some sensory deprivation meditation. I would highly recommend going on an adventure with Wanderlust Tours!

We wanted to do something different for our wedding so we called up wanderlust and asked if they had anybody ordained to officiate a wedding. Travis one of the tour guides is ordained and he married us on top of bachelor with the stars overhead and an amazing background behind us. We had the greatest time with our tour guides Nick and Travis.

Wanderlust is by far the best tour company we have ever used. Their staff is so knowledgeable and friendly! We had the best time on our canoe trip! Wanderlust is a tour group we will use again the next time we make it up to Bend! Keep up the good work guys!!

My family enjoyed a wonderful guided snowshoeing trip yesterday. Our guide Jared was very knowledgeable and made every effort to make our trip perfect. Would definitely recommend!

What a great first-time experience at Hosmer Lake with Wanderlust Tours. Our guide, Katie, was friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and shared some of her favorite places to check out around Bend. We took the kayak tour during the afternoon, escaping the mid-90 s heat and enjoying low 80 s temps, making it a comfortable outing on the water. Kayaking was easy enough with partner help but sometimes our kids took breaks, making for a little workout especially when paddling against the wind. Beautiful views all around and neat to see and hear the wildlife in their natural habitat. We are so happy we went and visited this local gem. Thank you Wanderlust Tours for the experience.

As part of my first visit to Oregon, my family and I did the volcano cave tour and moonlight canoe ride. We re normally not super adventurous people, but Wanderlust offered the perfect amount of structure and education for us to feel comfortable and have so much fun. It was awesome to experience the unbelievable beauty of the nature around us, and learn a lot from our tour guide Patrick along the way! The moonlight canoe ride was definitely the highlight of my trip. We had an absolute blast and made the best memories. Everything was safe, well-organized, and on time. Wanderlust is a must-do if you re visiting the area...they offer so many amazing tours, I ll definitely be back!

Fabulous snowshoe tour this past weekend!! Non-stressful hike into a campfire with yummy hot chocolate (and a little more) and snacks. Then we hiked back out with the stars a glow (and a headlamp). It was beautiful. What really made it fun was our guide Courtney. She was so much fun, energetic and full of fascinating facts about rocks, snow, trees, animals, stars and roundabouts.... I totally recommend this tour and am already trying to plan another trip back in the summer to do another as they are year round. Not to mention, Bend is such a cute town!! BTW, they picked us up at our hotel.

Our snowshoeing guide, Nick, gave us just the right combination of history, views and exercise (!) of the Mt. Bachelor area on our tour. He is a wealth of knowledge. My spouse is very interested in learning the history of Oregon and Nick gave us a very comprehensive background of the State. I got the sense that he would offer as much or as little of the extra info as desired... The snowshoeing is vigorous, with gorgeous surroundings and views of spectacular mountains.

We just moved to OR from AZ in May and know we will return to this area. Next visit, we'll contact Wanderlust for another tour. Maybe caves next time! I'm 64 y/o and still so much to see and learn in this beautiful area.

My party of 12 went on the kayak tour across Paulina lake with Courtney. She was so knowledgeable, courteous and had a good sense of humor. We started off on the south side of the lake and headed across to the warm spring pools across the way. We built up an appetite and Wanderlust offers lunch sandwiches which is great.

Fabulous guide (Nick) and absolutely worth it! No other way to see nature and deschutes than on kayaks. We took a plunge as a family together with Nick near the end of our river tour. So fun!

Did a night kayaking tour and it was absolutely stunning being out in the lakes and looking at the stars. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and even brought some drinks and snacks for our group to enjoy.

Jared was fabulous on our kayak tour. It's hard to find activities that are good for everyone in our family from ages 7 to 70. Wanderlust tours was so helpful and accommodating. Booking was super easy. Everyone was friendly and professional. Driver/tour guide was on time with all the correct equipment. Online waivers and forms was super easy to navigate and complete. So many of these things should be givens, but it's the little touches that sets Wanderlust tours apart.

Great staff - very knowledgeable and amenable. Wanderlust is always looking for new and exciting ways to explore and experience central Oregon. Will definitely come back!

What a beautiful way to begin a week long play-cation. The view. The information gleaned. The falling of the sun and the superimposition of the western ridgeline. If you can keep your breath in your lungs while gazing at this you may be too far gone. Alas Wanderlust Tours expert guide Pat has what it might take to rouse you out of your city slicker slumber state. With his vast knowledge of the Newberry Caldera and its geological uniqueness you can be swept from the present to a time where the very land you are standing on was being formed from a fiery forge.

The Hike up in and of itself is perfect if you have had a long day exploring or traveling into town: not too long and contoured to encircle the mountain. I found myself throughout the ascent taking in different locations and names that I would be exploring later that week. Having this initial vantage point was truly centering for the rest of my week in Bend. I cannot see myself coming through central Oregon without taking advantage of what Wanderlust has to offer my adventurous appetite.

Patrick was incredibly knowledgeable and informed us of not only the river but the surrounding species of wildlife and the importance of forest fires. The tour was everything promised in terms of beauty and ease.

Wanderlust tours was an amazing experience start to finish, everyone we came in contact with was so friendly and professional. We did a cave tour and our guide Erika was SO knowledgeable!! It was a treat in and of itself having her as a guide and learning a TON about lava tube caves and some really amazing geology and history. If your doing a cave tour make sure to dress for 40 to 50 degree temps as that's consistent throughout your time in the caves. I highly reccomend to anyone looking for a professional and great experience.

Such a wonderful concept and opportunity for really amazing adventures! Very professional, friendly and welcoming tour guide and overall an extraordinary and memorable experience! We loved it and would recommend!

Our snowshoe tour was Jason was awesome...we re already looking at the other tours for later this year. Thank you!

Super experience! Took a twilight snowshoe tour up Mt. Bachelor. Guide was super knowledgeable and very p,pleasant to be around.

I booked a tour for the day time for snow shoeing My first snow shoeing adventure. They did not have enough people to go during the day. I was a little disappointed. They only had a night tour.it is a little cheaper during the day than at night. I had already booked they did not charge me extra. I thought I would be disappointed at night because I didn't think I would be able to see much. I was not disappointed at all I saw a lot it was beautiful and fun I fell a lot had to get the guide Jared to help me up a few times. Lol. I did learn how to get myself back up. Jared my tour guide was awesome. He was very educated. I will be doing it again next time I want to try the daytime. Thank you so much Jared you were awesome.

Book your Wanderlust tour ASAP! I have gone on many, many types of outdoor excursions and tours with many different outfitters around the world, and this was hands down the most impressive. We did the Starlight Canoe tour, which was outstanding. The tour was perfect and the scenery gorgeous. What knocked the whole thing out of the park though was our tour guide, Erika. She was outstanding in every way. She was clearly very knowledgeable about the area, the history, the land, the geology, you-name-it. She was not just reciting a canned tour speech, but speaking from her own knowledge and even her heart. She had a distinct love and respect for the land that was remarkable. She was humble and kind and went above and beyond to make sure everyone had a great time. I took home so much more from this tour than a great time. I hope we make it back to Bend again one day to do another adventure with Wanderlust!

The Brews and Canoes tour was AMAZING. The trip was great but it became amazing thanks to our guide James. His knowledge and wit made the trip, from start to finish, a trip to remember. I would have given 10 stars if I could.

Courtney made our first snow shoe experience awesome! She was energetic, friendly, and knowledgeable. We even asked about kayak tours in the summer because she was so great. We look forward to another adventure with Wanderlust Tours!

Went on the Lava Tube Cave tours with Wanderlust. Our guide, Chip, was extremely knowledgeable and engaging. All the of the children were on his heels for the entire tour with rapid fire questions which he fielded like a pro. We enjoyed the trip very much and I would highly recommend it.

Great experience! Our guide Katie was so knowledgeable and also gave great recommendations for Bend that we took into the rest of our long weekend. A perfect way to explore the mountain if skiing/snowboarding aren't your thing!

My Fiance and I went on this tour August 1st for the twilight canoe trip. We were really excited to see sunset on the mountain from the water. We were waiting to be picked up by Nick, who brought a van with a trailer with the canoes. We loaded up in the van and we all heard a loud noise, sounded like a bulging tire hitting the fender to me. So Nick after we are on the road for about 10 minutes all of the sudden hears the sound as well, pulls over and says he almost has a flat tire. So he said we needed to go back to the warehouse to swap out trailers.I got out and saw the tire was was peeled back from scraping against the fender. This is what I believe happened. He HAD to know he had a bulging tire hitting the fender when he drove over to the office to pick us up. But realizing that this situation was going to delay our tour, which would result in missing the sunset..he played it off because none of us would of continued with the tour KNOWING we were going to miss the sunset because we heard the other couples saying they were looking forward to the sunset view as well. My Fiance called and spoke to the owner of this company, The owner said that he was sorry about that but didn't seem to really care much. She asked for a discount and he declined. So basically we felt scammed. I would not recommend this place to anyone on the basis of poor customer service! All they cared about was getting the money. $154.00 and no amazing sunset as promised! I wouldn't be writing this review if the company would have been willing to refund a bit of the money because of the inconvenience and disappointment of this trip.

Erica was very friendly and knowledgeable and made this an amazing first time caving experience for me and my wife! Small groups make thisa very intimate and exploratory adventure - you really feel like you're discovering the cave for the first time. Learned a lot about volcanoes and lava tubes and tons of geology and ecology. Would love to try one of their other tours in our next trip out to Bend.

We had a CEO Retreat in Bend and hired Wanderlust Tours to provide a "brews and canoes" event and dinner on Elk Lake. They did a fantastic job for us, we were most impressed by Erika our guide! We were all very impressed by the entire event and Erika's passion and interest in the event. thank you!

We thoroughly enjoyed the Bend Brew Bus tour, and Danny was an awesome tour guide! He knew a ton about Bend, the beer scene, and Oregon in general. He also had an innate ability to know when to interact with the 'tourists', and when to leave us to our own conversations. It was a super fun afternoon, and well worth the price. We can't recommend this tour enough!

I've done both a Cave Tour and Canoe Trip with Wanderlust Tours now and recommend them very highly! Very knowledgeable and friendly guides and fun and interesting tours!

Wonderful! The moonlight canoe ride was picturesque and beautiful. The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Totally worth the trip.

Absolutely terrific experience. Friendly and attentive staff in the office and on the mountain.

This was an amazing tour! We took the "brew bus" tour and Jeff was our guide, he was very knowledgable but most of all he made sure that we were all having a great time. The tour takes you to 4 of the 9 brewries on Bend's Ale Trail and includes 4-6 ounce tastings at each stop. There is a cooler with ice on the bus to keep any beer you buy cold during the tour. They even picked us up and dropped us off in sunriver. They seemed to have thought of everything and we will not hesitate to use this company again!

Awesome! These guys do an incredible job of educating while creating a memorable experience. Our guide was well versed, and able to answer all of our questions. We learned a ton! I have lived in Bend for a decade, and this will go down as one of my all time favorite memories.

We had such a great time on our canoe adventure with our guide Jason. He was fun, very informative, and we can t wait for the next adventure with Wanderlust Tours!