Big Round WorldReviews of bigroundworld.com

After a long flight it was good to get to New Zealand and start the fun. The weather was not on our side and it rained everyday which made changes to the plans. Out guide and the Big Round World worked hard to find alternate things to see and kept a positive attitude to help keep our spirits up. Even when 5 people on the trip came down with COVID, extra care was given to them to get them isolated and able to kind a way home. Looking forward to another trip with Bid Round World. Pat

My recent experience with Big Round World was very satisfactory. We had a small group with enough health precautions to keep Covid worries to a minimum. The trip was both educational and fun. The food was excellent! It was disappointing that the trip had to be modified for both weather and Covid. There were alternatives offered although a few times it was unclear if we would have had enough time for either the original activity or the substitute. In cases where time was tight it would have been helpful to know in advance what part of a museum we should focus on such as the paintings at the Coronado State Museum. And to have a clear time limit set. The hiking was all that I could have asked for. I was expertly guided over challenging parts and satisfied with the length of the hikes. One suggestion would be to leave the Santa Fe and Taos city experiences to the end of the hike and go first to Bandolier. It was a bit disappointing to do so much van travel and city walking at the beginning of the trip but it would have been a nice way to wind down at the end. I learned a great deal about the Chaco Phenomena and I am interested enough to continue reading on the topic. Our guide was knowledgeable and stimulated our interest. I might suggest a audio system in the van to hear the leader better. It might also have been used to facilitate a group discussion about our experience while we were driving. The van was comfortable and I appreciated the suggestion to rotate seats. Anyone taking this trip should know there are long distances to cover and some rough back country roads. Overall this was a very good trip and I would highly recommend to anyone interested in spending time in the Four Corners

Given the challenges of the Covid epidemic, Big Round World was able to provide a very good trip. They had back up solutions when key areas were closed to public access. They also provided some unique experiences with local experts.

The 4 Corners trip with Big Round World was a cultural and environmental eye-opener, in addition to being great fun. The itinerary was comprehensive and helped to ingrain the extent and complexity of our early Native American culture and architecture as well as the modern Southwest vibe. Our group of 7 wanderers was extremely convivial as were our two leaders. The meal/restaurant selections were delicious and in keeping with our immediate environs. Unfortunately, some of the places that were on our original itinerary, were closed to visitors due to Covid. The substitutions were good but I was a little disappointed. Accommodations were very comfortable and clean, especially our inn in Santa Fe. Top notch for friendliness, atmosphere, and location. Again the only downside was the breakfasts that were to be included as part of our room price, were not prepared because of Covid. This was my first trip with BRW although I have been on earlier trips with one of the leaders prior to inception of BRW. I think they did a commendable job in making the trip as fun as it was while still balancing the complexities and vagaries of dealing with Covid. Their Covid protocols enabled the group to remain healthy yet feel at ease in our pod. That was a monumental achievement during this pandemic and it contributed to a relaxing, informative, fun and delicious trip. I would definitely participate with another BRW trip in the future!

Overall an enjoyable trip. The single use of the hotel room was great, including the view of the Dolomite mountain range.Most of the hikes were great, although the initial explanation of the hikes in the literature was incomplete. Since this was the inaugural trip to this region I'm sure a lot of the issues and confusion will be corrected on the next trip. The other group members were fun to be with although their were some conflicts with meal times and some other minor issues, which is always the case with a group trip.I would recommend to anybody this is an enjoyable trip.

Hotel was adequate but far from any town and impractical for any alternate activities. Comfortable but would not move the needle of a charm scale. I was surprised we stayed in the same place the entire trip and were bused, often for over an hour, to the hiking sites. More hiking than I could handle, not their fault, but I wish I had a better idea of the venue. Attentive and knowledgeable guides, beautiful towns and countrysides. Good dinners.