Zegrahm Expeditions Reviews 108

Zegrahm fell short short of expectations in several respects. 1, the ship and its decor were tired, 2, the food was undistinguished and the wine was was generally of low quality, 3, the buses were too large, typically two buses for the entire group. This limited the flexibility of departures and changes in venue. Buses should have been half the size used in order to facilitate flexibility and ease of navigation in smaller towns. 4, most of the anchorages were at excessive distance from the points of interest making it difficult or impossible to have dinner off the ship or to explore the towns in the evening. Often the location of the anchorage necessitated unduly long bus rides to and from the points of interest. 5, in spite of having an upgraded cabin our quarters were cramped and suffered from poor maintenance including leaks on two separate occasions. 6) The staff were engaging and helpful but odd choices in some cases- we had an ornithologist on board for a trip covering Malta and Sicily where bird populations have been nearly extirpated. He was a charming person but his specialty was of little use under the circumstances.7) both my wife and I submitted our comments when elicited by Zegrahm. Given the disappointment we registered I anticipated that there would be some form of follow up by Zegrahm. This never occurred.

We enjoy the expedition-style travel in smaller ships. The onboard staff have been excellent. Each serves to enrich the experience and deepen the understanding of the cultures and countries visited. Their knowledge is impressive and truly enriched our experience.

Everything from initial contact to logistics once on board was handled promptly and efficiently. All staff are friendly, helpful and fun! They are willing to go the extra mile to help when needed.

I have traveled with Zegrahm Expeditions on three separate occasions and have been favorably impressed with this organization on each journey. They are deeply skilled at developing itineraries that maximize each destination, and their staff surpasses expectations with each passing day. The naturalists not only exhibit depth and breadth of knowledge about their respective areas of expertise, but also, they are very effective and notable lecturers. The expedition staff who transport passengers to and from the shore in zodiacs are highly skilled, and I felt 100% safe at all times. I especially like the fact that Zegrahm specializes in small ship travel, which maximizes the experience and results in more personal service. I recommend Zegrahm to all of my friends and choose to travel with them whenever possible.

This is a first class travel adventure company that has been around for some time. They are well practiced and employ experienced people. We have used them several times and see no reason not to use them in the future.

Excellent doctor, excellent staff and excellent crew!.
Did I mention the excellent doctor? I would (and have) definitely
recommend Zegrahms to others.

Zegrahm Expeditions deliver in every respect: Fine itineraries, accommodating staff, splendid naturalists and other specialists, all attentive to the needs of the passengers. One pays top prices to guarantee a perfect experience.

The Z experience is excellent for the less active individual who wants to explore off the beaten track. My husband and I have gone on 2 trips and find the staff exceptional and intelligent. They do everything humanly, and almost godly, possible to create WOW experiences. I would, however, advise against their trips for those that prefer an active experience as, in general, the groups move relatively slowly even on the fast Walks and the groups need to stay as a unit so going ahead is not an option. We will return to Z trips for the education and knowledge when we are older and less mobile. We are 57 and 67.

I love this company for off the beaten path itineraries, great expedition staff in varied fields, small ships (usually less than 100 passengers), casual but serious style/ambiance, and luxurious
Expeditions where everything is included in the price. Zegrahm staff are the best and their nature oriented trips have excellent naturalists including ornithologists, biologists, geologists, etc. The small ship cruises are really great particularly because of the less than 100 people on the ship. Just go on one! You will not regret it!

The best expedition company on the planet! Truth. Zegrahm’s attention to detail is an understatement. The depth of knowledge of the expedition staff is nonpareil. Do yourself a huge favor. Travel with Zegrahm. It’s worth the price of admission!

I've taken two trips with Zegrahm, and am booked for one early 2019. These people are the best, and I've travelled quite a bit. I think part of the special feeling with them is that the staff seem to be so happy and are having a good time too -- makes a difference. The staff go out of their way to make everything work.
I'm Canadian so trips are expensive, but worth it. Will continue to travel with Zegrahm in the future.

My experience with Zegrahm Expeditions was superb. The cruise director and captain coordinated together to be sure we fully experienced the grandeur and wonders of Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falklands. On board seminars were most informative and the food and service was great.

We had numerous disappointments on this trip. Travcoa’s scheduling during Independence Day and adjacent days and the Independence rules/limitations meant we could not see the Dome of the Rock up close or have a cultural exchange among the speakers from the three religions off the area. Via Dolorosa and the stations were not pointed out to us. A hotel change on the sabbath meant rooms were not available until 5:00 ish; why not avoid a change of hotels on the sabbath? And being taken to the (Israeli Interior Dept.) alternate baptismal sight was a sham only corrected because we said it did not look like the sight we had seen from Jordon on a previous trip.

Superbly organised travel to interesting places. The Lecturers are A!.
We have enjoyed 3 Zegrahm adventures.

Nice staff. Substandard ship. Would not sail on it again.

I look forward to each and every trip with ZEGRAHM, not only because of the itenerary but because of the their staff. They are all too in their fields and great people to be around.

I am experienced worldwide traveler. The ship was old and had many unsafe features including 2 flights of old slippery wooden stairs to the zodiacs. The zodiacs were old, looked like recycled military equipment. The last trip our zodiac sprung a significant leak in the bottom requiring return to ship. Because the crew had taken the cabin staff out, there were no backup zodiacs or staff to get us off at the ship. The staff were not experienced, but rather retired fisherman. They did not now how to assist passengers. The first one said I was his "guinea pig" and promptly dropped me. The "naturalists" gave terrible presentations more anecdotal than fact. The list goes on. Never again

Unique experiences, great adventures, superbly knowledgeable expedition staff, like-minded, interesting co-travellers.

I have been on four expeditions. Enjoyed all of them. Main reasons:
1. Highly informative. Top lecturers.
2. Very well travelled co-passengers.
3. Well appointed ship. Good food and service.

Criticism
1. Quite expensive.
2. Too skewed toward USA clients. Eg. in the marketing material they always refer to departure from USA and not home. It makes non US clients as second hand citizens. Simple adjustments can expand their market.

This was my fourth trip with Zegrahm and the first three were great. I had been told by other travelers that the quality at Zegrahm had slipped and this trip reinforced this view. The only way to get to La Praia by the start of the trip was to come in a day early and paying for an extra night; we arrived at 1:30 a.m. and the trip started at noon the next day. The first night should have been part of the trip especially since so many had a hard time getting there. The local guides in the islands were fine but those in Morocco were not. We pay more to travel with companies like Zegrahm to avoid the usual stops at stores that give kickbacks to the guides. Thus, we knew what was coming when a day earlier the guide said that the souk was very dangerous and we should only go to those places that he approved. Thus, as my wife related, the entire group got delayed when a couple tried to get out of a purchase when they saw the storeowners laughing at them for being so stupid. The guide, of course, did not want to lose his kickback. I went to the Atlas Mountains on that day and the guides were poor. They said that our morning walk would only be 2 hours; 5 hours later after struggling through rain and mud, we finally got back to the van. We had begged for the van to come to the town and pick us up but were told that the van couldn't negotiate the road to the town even though other cars and trucks easily made it there. Thus, with all of us dead tired, we had to struggle up the hill to the van. Those who stayed in Marrakech got a sumptuous lunch; we just had a crummy sandwich and a half a cookie from the hotel in a box. Since there were a number of restaurants where we stopped for lunch, why wouldn't Zegrahm simply spring for a hot lunch; as it was, we got thrown out of a restaurant for bringing out our box lunches. The observation point there was a short walk but half the group were already so dead tired that they stayed back. Also, a major reason that we signed up for this trip was that Mark Brazil was listed as the ornithologist and we had always wanted to travel with him. Jim was fine but he had never been to any of these places before and didn't even bring a spotting scope. Except for Rich Pagen and Mike Messick, the other leaders also seemed to be the second string especially one who just seemed to make up her presentations on the fly and another who shamelessly kept pushing his own trips, even following people into their rooms. The food was good but we didn't expect the extra charges since we have been and will be traveling with Apex where the payment is all-inclusive.