Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[World Adventurer]

I'm interested in taking a Dragoman Overland tour. Has anyone ever used Dragoman? If so, do you recommend them? I would like to travel through out Africa and some parts of the Middle East.

Any Info Would Be Great.

Thanks,

Cheryl

[whereshegoes]

Hi Cheryl

When I was in Africa, I heard of this tour company and tho I never tried them myself, I didn't hear any bad reviews. I would check out their website : Dragoman

and get a feel for the kind of company they are. I would also do some searches on TravelPod blogs with the search word Dragoman. It appears that several of our fellow Podders have used them and have reviews of their services.

Search

Good luck and let us know how it goes

[ccp]

I'm interested in taking a Dragoman Overland tour. Has anyone ever used Dragoman? If so, do you recommend them? I would like to travel through out Africa and some parts of the Middle East.

Any Info Would Be Great.

Thanks,

Cheryl

[idealistic74]

hi there, I was on a 60 day Dragoman trip totaling 4 legs starting on July 9th 2009 in Cape Town. The first leg went to Livingstone (trip code ZLC) the second leg went to Dar es Salaam, (trip code ZDL) the third leg went to Nairobi (trip code ZND) and the fourth leg went to Uganda and Rwanda and ended back in Nairobi (trip code ZNN).

It was a horrible experience, I would strongly discourage anyone from going on a tour with this company. Though I will admit the trip to Rwanda was actually ok, so if you feel a strong urge to go with Dragoman, that is a decent trip.

Why was it horrible?
1) the tour leader didn't know anything about any of the places we went through, and if he did he didn't care to tell us.
2) The tour leader was unapproachable and sarcastic. He talked down to us. It got to the point we were afraid to ask him any questions.
3) Neither the tour leader or the co-driver made much of any effort to pitch in at all (unloading the truck of tents and kitchen supplies). They would smoke and watch. Left us with a negative impression.
4) the itinerary was rushed. So when you read their itinerary read it with a grain of salt - do not expect to be able to do all the things they glowingly write about because you probably won't have time.
5) Dragoman accepts all customers even if they are not fit enough to do the tour - so be prepared for the possibility of having people on your tour who might affect the tour due to their health.
6) I wrote to Dragoman about my issues and they wrote back that I could have solved the situation by writing them while on the tour - at which time they could have a) put me on another truck or b)changed the tour leader. They did not account for the fact they do not have trucks going to the same destinations at the same time (I was on a very fixed timeline) nor the fact we were in the middle of nowhere a lot of the time so communication was difficult or the fact that they would have had to tell our tour leader he was being changed so that would have made him even more crappier than he already was. Though, to be honest they did say they let that tour leader go - so that is good.
7) Almost everyone on the first three legs of our tour was very unhappy with the tour. In fact there were some people who ended up crying at times (including myself).

Anyway, maybe we were supremely unlucky and other Dragoman tours are ok, but based on the fact that I had a horrendous time and that Dragoman did not seem to really care all that much tells me they are not a tour company I would ever want to deal with again. I'd hate for anyone to go through the same experiences as I.

[tmuzyk]

Yes, this does happen. I have been on several overland trips with people who were completely inappropriate for the level of activity required. I don't know why they insist on going on such physically active trips when they don't have any level of fitness!

As far as the leader goes, that is terrible! There is nothing worse than an unaproachable leader.

I have been on one overland trip with Intrepid/Dragoman and it was terrific! It was from Cape Town to Nairobi...as you posted it was very fast paced but we did get to do all of the things we wanted to do and also everything that was on the itinerary.

[tmuzyk]

Rob,

Can you contact me. I have a few questions for you about the Drago tours in W. Africa that you did. I am interested in doing them as well.

Thanks!!

Tara

[merridith2]

Don't know if this will be helpful, but just came back from a Dragoman Tour in South America....and wasn't happy with the experience.

Summary of problems: The food is low variety and mostly all starch, the campsites are crammed and noisy, and there are no chargers on the bus and rare at the campsites.

Problems:

The food budget is so tight, that they can't even afford eggs for breakfast. Lunch is exactly the same every day – the cheapest canned ham – you know the kind they make from ground pigs snouts? With the cheapest available sliced cheese. Only margarine – no butter. Dinner is always a great deal of starch - pasta, potatoes, rice. Decorated with a scrap of something. I haven't seen lettuce the whole trip. Cereal is of the cheapest quality available – sugar puff bombs of some sort. “Don't eat too much of it!” says the tour leader. Same as hot chocolate mix. You only get apples, oranges and sometimes bananas. No grapes. No pears. No tropical fruits. No tuna. Too expensive.

The tour guides are only paid $14 @ day. So tipping is a large part of their income. (Just an FYI for budget planning)

Of our travel days about (17%) were compromised by shopping and cooking for the group. Just something to think about.........

On a positive note, the guides with the truck were very good.......although they had never driven the route before......they were essentially writing the book for the guides following! The itinerary was the most extensive of the companies we compared. The people in the truck were great. And the tour saves you of the hassle of finding accommodation, transportation. As a result, you are able to cram more activities and sights into a limited time.

I would not use them again. Mostly because food is an important part of the travel experience for me. And when it is only a few bucks to eat quality food........would rather do so than pinch every last penny eating the Dragoman starch diet to save the kitty.

[tmuzyk]

Yes, this does happen. I have been on several overland trips with people who were completely inappropriate for the level of activity required. I don't know why they insist on going on such physically active trips when they don't have any level of fitness!

As far as the leader goes, that is terrible! There is nothing worse than an unaproachable leader.

I have been on one overland trip with Intrepid and it was terrific! It was from Cape Town to Nairobi...as you posted it was very fast paced but we did get to do all of the things we wanted to do and also everything that was on the itinerary. It was on an Intrepid truck--make sure that you are on one of their new trucks and NOT on a Dragoman truck which are much older and therefore are subject to problems due to age and the difficult conditions sometimes found when overlanding. Our Drago truck broke down repeatedly in South America.

I have traveled with Dragoman and I would not suggest them if you travel with Intrepid usually. It is a completely different level of service and style. The attitude at Dragoman is not the same as with Intrepid. With Intrepid I always feel like I've received more than I have paid for and have always walked away beaming and braging. I have been on at least 10 Intrepid trips and I have truly enjoyed all of them.

[derrick241]

I would recommend Oaisis travel, their staff are good, I dont know about the middle east staff, but I have put a link below, give em a call or send em an email

I have used them,

http://www.oasisoverland.co.uk/

I got regular updates about my trip from them

they helped out with the cooking, showed us how to put up the tents, helped out when shopping, knew quite a bit about places we went to (if they didnt, they went out of their way to find out more)

[andrewsinclair]

I would recommend African Trails, as this was the company I went on my very first overland trip....all be it doing the 43 week Trans Africa . (My blog of the trip if you want to know more: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/andre...ir/4/tpod.html)

Their website is: http://www.africantrails.co.uk/

I enjoyed the fact that our driver had previously done 3 trans before and was wanting to try something different for our trip, in terms of deviating off the route.

They initially showed us how to do the cooking and shopping in the markets, after that it was all down to the cook groups. Nothing is more fun than being dumped at the edge of an African market to then plunge in and barter for some food to feed 30 people that night

Pros:
Probably the cheapest overlanding company
Sense of responsibility i.e. you have to put your own tents up and then cook

Cons:
You may need to rough it at times
Some drive days can be very long (but that's normal in Africa)

Overall, just research the company you may want to use by checking on travelpod / travel websites etc. and then take the plunge.....you won't regret it and it may leave you hungry for more!

[derrick241]

I'm not an owner, I have just used oasis, just gave what I thought was my view, I was happy with what I got, but as you say, do a bit of research, but trying to find a blog with anyone that has used them or is using them is nigh impossible, unles you know someone on a particular trek/trip

when I go to Oz next year, I'm using another company (only because Oasis dont do that trip

I daresay, I will use Dragoman when I go to Egypt at some point when I have finished with the OZ trek, maybe 2012)

If anyone knows of a blog using UKtoOz, Oasis, Dragoman, on a current or past blog, could you pass on a link in here (just want a peronal view from anyone who has/is using any of the companies above or in fact any trek company, that is doing an Australia trip)

Thanks

[dj_jd]

Overlanding is definitely a style of trip that doesn't appeal to everybody. That's the most important thing.

I, personally, have been on a couple of Dragoman trips and all BUT 1 was fantastic. As long as you a) enjoy overlanding and get good tour leaders, you should have a good time.

The 1 time there were issues, we got a tour leader whom we eventually had removed from the tour and fired. It got that bad. Once he was gone, things went quite well. And, I didn't even care much for the new guide myself (from a personality standpoint), but it wasn't disruptive like the previous leader had been.

Ever since then, all the other Drago guides I've been fortunate enough to tour with were top-notch and were a lot of the reason I enjoyed myself so much.

I think now that Intrepid owns Drago outright, they may be a bit more stringent in their choice of tour leaders. But just about anywhere, you have the luck of the draw to get somebody who simply isn't happy in their profession (as happens everywhere in life). Unfortunately, on a tour like these ones, that can be catastrophic.

Do remember too, a good and flexible attitude and expectations about different lifestyles goes a long way.

[uglytroll]

And remember, if you don't like what the food budget is covering (or the camping; upgrades are usually available in most places in s.america at least) you can always go shopping separately or with the cook groups to get you own stuff. Novel idea, I know, but most overland companies encourage independence in that regard. S.American food is starchy. Fact. Cereal is expensive. Butter melts and isn't available in most of the developing world. If these things are likely to spoil your trip, consider going to Spain instead.

[derrick241]

well after all that, I have been following 5 blogs of people eiother on the trip or have completed it, they all seem to have enjoyed it, no problems with food,tents, bush camps there has been a few people who havent quite got along, but nothing major though

It dooes seem to be Aussies who do these trips, and while they are making their way back home, there are quite a few nationalities on these treks though

They have had to cope with skinny bridges, rough terrain, floods, rock falls, but its all beeen taken in their stride, they have had people leave and rejoin along the trek, so its not hard and fast with rules

I actually forgot I posted this, it was ages ago
I'll add to it later