Green Tortoise Adventure Travel

Elite '08

184

250

Harmony O.

Boulder, CO

Green Tortoise absolutely is as good as it gets.  Good meals, trustworthy and friendly fellow travellers, driver was a real gem, and it was the best mother/daughter trip ever.

It was in the mid-nineties, and I still get their catalogs in the mail, and love the sound of their trips.

Our trip was just from San Francisco, CA to somewhere in Oregon.  

The spiel our driver did while we were in Vacaville was priceless.  All about state mental hospitals & the rights of human beings diagnosed with mental health issues,  and such.

The food was so good.  It wasn't a very long drive and most of it was during the night while we slept, so I think there was only one meal.

My dear old friend was waiting for us in Oregon.  What a colorful and affordable way to drive up the coast!

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20

15

Bronwyn G.

San Francisco, CA

Did a 3-day weekend trip to Yosemite back in June 1993. There was some problem with going to Yosemite right away so we went to some hot springs at first--which were awesome. Gourmet vegetarian meals were incredible and it was fun to help set up. Company on the bus felt like family after the trip. Driver let me play U2's The Joshua Tree and everyone sang. A friend and I were reciting Eddie Murphy jokes and had everyone laughing. One of my fondest memories. I was so happy at the end of my trip that I wanted to work for GT. I'd like to go on the 9-day Grand Canyon trip one of these days.

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4

47

Jennifer W.

Brisbane, CA

I have been on two Green Tortoise trips- both the "Baja Beach Adventure" which starts in SF and goes down to southern (but not Cabo) Baja and back.

A narrative is not the right structure to describe a Green Tortoise adventure, so here is my review, in nonlinear, equation kind of way.

16 strangers on a bus= lots of room

30 strangers on a bus= personal space issues go out the window

Multi-age, multi-race, multi-cultural, moms and dads, college dropouts and British drunks= something for everyone (or sumpin sumpin for a few)

Gray whales spouting right, left, coming up to your 20 ft boat, going under your 20 ft boot= awesome and kinda scary

Snake bites, ant bites, sunburns= gringos adapt to the desert

Pee tree= control the flow to avoid splashback

Freshly caught fish= impromptu sushi dinner

Ballena sized Pacifico= $2

Regular sized Pacifico= $1.25

Tent under a tree= shade at 8 am

Desalinating in Loreto or Ensenada after 5 nights at the beach= best shower ever

Anthony's Ladies Bar= Anthony's Ladies Bar

Giant platform beds in the bus= perfect for napping during the day drives

Cave bed under the tables= perfect for sleeping during the night drives

Spending 9 days in a bus together= friends for, if not life, a long time

Bus driver/passenger marriages= pure Green Tortoise magic

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3

57

She R. A.

San Francisco, CA

I would have given my trip 5 stars if my body didn't decide to play an evil trick on me and give me a fever during my Death Valley trek with Green Tortoise this past weekend. With that said I had a GREAT time despite the fact I enjoyed this trek to Death Valley mostly in a drug induced state (all legal drugs mind you. Nyquil, Tylenol, etc.. and no I'm not a high school student really I had a fever :P)

This was my 2nd trip to Death Valley and I'm really glad I went with this group. We got to see all the stops that I didn't get to hit the first time I went. The group I toured with was a really diverse mix of people. From little cute French babies to people who use to travel with Green Tortoise over 20 years ago. It was a great group of people. Everyone helping to pitch in when they can.  The fee I payed for this trip was about the same amount of $$ I spent on gas alone heading to Death Valley the first time. I would definitely travel the Green Tortoise way if you are up for roughing it a little, seeing new places from a different perspective, eating awesome grub and just meeting people from all over the world.

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Elite '08

62

318

Beth V.

San Francisco, CA

Did you know that straight hair can make dreadlocks naturally?All you have to do is avoid washing it for nine days.  I learned this life lesson on a Green Tortoise trip.  I've taken three trips with Green Tortoise-Mexico in '99, Yosemite in '00, and Death Valley in '01.  If you're young and looking for very cheap travel with an international crew, you can't go wrong.  

A couple of things to keep in mind-if you're uptight, this probably won't be a fit.  If you expect a tour where everything will be on time, look elsewhere.  If you like to smoke and want a party bus where you can drink your body weight, you've come to the right place.  The friend that I met on the Mexico trip hosted me for a week when I first moved to San Francisco.

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Elite '08

286

299

gwynnie p.

San Francisco, CA

Embrace the hippie within and enjoy the trip of a lifetime! I've been on 2 Tortoise trips, one to Baja and one short trip to Death Valley, and enjoyed both immensely.

The trips are cheap, your fellow travelers will be a diverse and wonderfully weird group, food is out of this world, and GT knows tons of off the beaten track places to visit that would take hours of research to discover on your own. The drivers are super cool, and since you're often moving during the night you don't "waste" nights in a static way, you wake up somewhere totally new to see parades of whales, desert wildflowers...whatever!

Everyone is expected to help out at mealtime, quarters can be cramped on the bus, hygiene gets laxer as the trips get longer, but when you smell and everyone around you smells you don't smell it anymore. Not for the faint of heart but a rollicking good time-check your brain and worries at the door and get on the bus.

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