Montevideo - Tour Companies

[johncb7]

Can anyone reccommend a good tour company re a city tour of Montevideo for a small group please. Thank you.

[smeyer418]

Can anyone reccommend a good tour company re a city tour of Montevideo for a small group please. Thank you.

try Elizabeth Cowley <liz@realenglishtours.com>;

they also have a website realenglishtours.com she is an expat from the UK...

I loved her Graf Spee tour

[johncb7]

Thanks for htis information. I had come across Liz on another board and e-mailed her. However she is rather slow in dealing with requests for information. Guiess I will just have to be patient.

[smeyer418]

Thanks for htis information. I had come across Liz on another board and e-mailed her. However she is rather slow in dealing with requests for information. Guiess I will just have to be patient.

 

 

I think she is on vacation in the US....tell her Sid Meyer says hello...

[johncb7]

Thanks Sid. We will not be in Montevideo until February 2011 so I guess there is plenty of time . How long a trip did you take and what did you see on your trip with her? She tells me that the bus is very comfortable for a group of 16. Was that your experience?

[smeyer418]

Thanks Sid. We will not be in Montevideo until February 2011 so I guess there is plenty of time . How long a trip did you take and what did you see on your trip with her? She tells me that the bus is very comfortable for a group of 16. Was that your experience?

 

We had a private tour for 2. We saw the Gras Spee highlights and the town highlights. I am sure she uses a comfortable bus. The trip was about 4 hours after lunch....

[johncb7]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I will need to be patient. My only other thought is that from a map many of the sites would appear very close to where the ship docks. We do not mind walking several miles. Do you think that would be practical?

[smeyer418]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I will need to be patient. My only other thought is that from a map many of the sites would appear very close to where the ship docks. We do not mind walking several miles. Do you think that would be practical?

No I don't. You will miss much more than you see. A guide is a must...but many cab drivers both speak English and know what to show you. Unless you really want a superficial view after coming so far, imo get a guide or ask the cruise company for 16 to set up a private tour group for you....

 

The market is close by and has great restaurants and its an area you can just walk to. If you want to see anything else...get a guide.

[johncb7]

Thanks for that information Sid it has been most helpful. I guess I will need to wait for Liz to return from her vacation when I hope she will be in contact, unless I see another post from a CC member.

Turning to some other ports we will visit. Have you been to Rio, Salvador or Receife.

I have some ides for Rio and Tours2Rio have been suggested. Have you another suggestion?

Salvador - I have no idea what to see or who to contact, similarly for Receife. Can you assist please?

[smeyer418]

Thanks for that information Sid it has been most helpful. I guess I will need to wait for Liz to return from her vacation when I hope she will be in contact, unless I see another post from a CC member.

Turning to some other ports we will visit. Have you been to Rio, Salvador or Receife.

I have some ides for Rio and Tours2Rio have been suggested. Have you another suggestion?

Salvador - I have no idea what to see or who to contact, similarly for Receife. Can you assist please?

sorry we did from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso. So my guides are really down south!

[johncb7]

Thanks again for your assistance. We are already fixed up with guides at Falklands, Ushuaia & Punta Arenas. Hope we can get enough cold weather gear in our luggage allowance.

[smeyer418]

Thanks again for your assistance. We are already fixed up with guides at Falklands, Ushuaia & Punta Arenas. Hope we can get enough cold weather gear in our luggage allowance.

we flew TAM which allowed two bags each....and was less than half the price of the cruise lines air...and all we needed was a heavy windbreaker and gloves....and were off everyday by noon.

[johncb7]

Thanks for the weather information. It will be cold here when we leave so I guess we can wear some cold gear to the airport and take as carry on. We are an a cruise/air package so have no choice of airline. I think Princess will use BA from LHR to Sao Paulo then either TAM or LAN Chile to Santiagio. They have confirmed BA back from MIA.

[MVPinBoynton]

Thanks again for your assistance. We are already fixed up with guides at Falklands, Ushuaia & Punta Arenas. Hope we can get enough cold weather gear in our luggage allowance.

 

We will be in Ushuaia in March 2011, but have not had much luck getting replies from the private tour companies. Which tour guide were you able to get? We are wanting to go to Tierra del Fuego National Park and a general tour of the area.

[smeyer418]

We will be in Ushuaia in March 2011, but have not had much luck getting replies from the private tour companies. Which tour guide were you able to get? We are wanting to go to Tierra del Fuego National Park and a general tour of the area.

literally any cab driver will be able to do this. As you get off the ship there will be plenty of people trying to get you to take their tour almost all will be fine...really

[johncb7]

We are going on a trip organised by another passenger. The guide is called Gerado Germain whose e-mail is gerado_ush@hotmail.com

His car will take 4 passengers and our visit will be to The National Park to see Roca Lake, Green Lagoon, Black Lagoon, Ensenda Bay & Lapataia Bay. Before entering the park we will stop by the train station to photograpph the train. After lunch we will visit the Lake's Zone and see many valleys, the Andes' Mountains with panoramic views of Fagnano & Escondido Lakes. If time permits we will also have a panoramic view of Martial Glacier. Each tour is 2.5 hours and costs US $130 for the Group. i.e. both of these trips (5 hours in total) with 4 passengers will cost US $65 per person. We will not be taking the train ride. This has mixed reports and I understand that when a crusie ship is in Port they booked up the entire train tickets and only hand back unused tickets very close to the ship's arrival. Hope this helps.

[smeyer418]

we used Gerado in Ushuaia. He appears in this video "saving" my wife. Its part of the standard Ushuaia

tour.

 

http://www.youtube.com/smeyer418#p/a/u/0/EhNfk48Kq8E

[johncb7]

What time of the year were you in Ushuaia? It certainly looked very windy & cool!! Were you happy with Gerado?

[MVPinBoynton]

Thank you both for the info. The tour that John is doing sounds just like what we are interested in. I also don't care about the train ride. I wish there was a tour company that could take more than just four people. I am assuming that the taxi tours put 3 people in the back seat and one in the front. This is a bit crowded.

 

Edit: I did find one tour company that could take six people, but they were around $200 pp.

[johncb7]

For a larger group you might like to try Jorge Campbell at campbelljorge@hotmail.com. I believe he may have larger vehicles. Cannot recommend as we have never used him. He was helfpul in correspondence but we went elsewhere for a tour for 4.

[MVPinBoynton]

Thanks John. I have lots more research to do now. I might just end up getting a tour for the two of us, since I am assuming that the cabs the guides use are probably normal cars that would make one person have to sit in the middle in the back seat.

[smeyer418]

.... I am assuming that the taxi tours put 3 people in the back seat and one in the front. This is a bit crowded.

 

 

you just described Gerado's car.

 

The film is in the am in March. By noon the sun was out and it was warm. This was probably the coolest morning. It was windy off the water. I wanted to take a picture in the wind and you could hear what it was like. It was then my wife decided to see if the water was cold. I just happened to have the camera on its movie setting....

[MVPinBoynton]

you just described Gerado's car.

..

 

I thought so. Thanks for confirming. We will just do it on our own and bite the bullet. I like to stop for lots of photos and it will make it a lot easier that way.

[smeyer418]

I thought so. Thanks for confirming. We will just do it on our own and bite the bullet. I like to stop for lots of photos and it will make it a lot easier that way.

I took tons of pictures....for this trip way over a 1000. I actually didn't take that many movie clips. this was just one. Gerado took us to a great lunch place. I enjoyed his trip(and so did my wife who wanted to take him home)...

[smeyer418]

http://photo2.walgreens.com/walgreens/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4152107002/a=15828047/

 

the pictures in the bottom 1/3 are of slide show are Ushuaia.

from about 450-618

pictures 615 is of my wife and Gerado's car as is 474 which has Gerado and the car again.

 

we did the tour with a lovely couple who I first met on cruise critic...

 

As I said this was fast cull from 1500 pictures and needed more work...

 

Liz of real English tours is in picture 285