Tucan Travel

Tucan Travel - an Industry Vanguard for over 29 Years!

Travel addicts Pip and Liliana Tyler founded one of the first ever South American adventure tour companies in 1987 and named their business Tucan Travel, after the famous South American bird with its traditional Spanish spelling. As their reputation for offering excellent adventurous public transport tours spread and demand increased, the Tylers decided to expand and joined forces with fellow tour operator Matt Gannan in 1997, and with his fleet of expedition vehicles the company started pioneering many of the first overlanding routes in South America.

The directors’ formidable combined knowledge and ongoing passion for adventure travel drove Tucan Travel’s expansion to worldwide destinations in the early 2000s and in 2003 Budget Expeditions was developed as an independent youth brand for 18 to 35s. In 2008 the youth brand was amalgamated back under the parent brand as a travel style. Tucan Travel now offers more than 470 adventures in 72 countries across destinations including South America, Central America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Antarctica.

Over 28 Years’ Experience
Our proven track record allows travellers to book with confidence, safe in the knowledge they are travelling with an experienced tour operator.

Award-Winning
We were voted Best Small Tour Operator in the 2012 British Travel Awards and many of our tours have been featured in best trip lists.

Over 4000 guaranteed departures
Many of our group tours are guaranteed to depart years in advance.

Tour Leaders and Local Guides
Our tour leaders receive regular praise in post trip feedback and are often assisted by local guides that provide specialised regional knowledge.

More Included Excursions
Our Adventure and Overland Tours include excursions making them great value.

Animal Welfare Policy

See what we do to promote the welfare of animals
At Tucan Travel we take animal welfare very seriously and make sure that the wildlife experiences we offer our travellers benefit both the animals and the people who depend on them for a living.

Responsible Travel Policy
Tucan Travel is committed to responsible travel practices
Tucan Travel has always been a firm supporter of responsible travel but we can’t do it without your help. Read the full version of our responsible travel policy for tips and advice about how you can travel responsibly and send us feedback.

Carbon Offset Scheme
Do something good for the planet
Are you concerned about carbon emissions during your holiday? You can offset a portion of your share of the carbon emissions created while you are on your tour. All donations collected by Tucan Travel are passed on to international conservation charity World Land Trust, which funds conservation projects around the world.

World Land Trust
A respected international conservation organization
The World Land Trust is an international conservation organisation that takes direct action to save rainforest and other biologically important lands. Since it was founded in 1989, it has helped local conservation organisations to purchase and protect over 400,000 acres of threatened habitats in Asia, Europe Central and South America…

Responsible Travel Tips
How you can help make a difference
In our Responsible Travel policy we are doing our best to foster the positive effects of adventure travel, while minimising our harmful impacts on local communities and their environment. With your help we can really make this happen. Here are a few good ideas about how you can help minimise the negatives and accentuate the positives.

Giving Something Back
Supporting LATA in Latin America
Tucan Travel helps support the fabulous work that LATA undertakes benefiting local individuals, communities and nature througout Latin America.

Adventure tours travel on local transport and offer adventure travellers the chance to get involved in local culture and meet local people. Tucan Travel adventures require a certain amount of involvement, be it clients carrying their own bags or helping the bus driver throw everyone’s packs onto the roof. People travelling on adventure tours expect more from their travel plans than just accommodation, transport and itinerary. They want genuine experience, unexpected wonders and cultural understanding. Adventure holidays can offer amazing photos, incredible scenery and the camaraderie of travelling in a group adventure.

Travellers on our adventure tours are a participants, not a spectators. They may need a certain level of fitness if undertaking multi-day hikes, bike rides or other activities. Clients have the flexibility to do their own thing at times, or join in with the group. There are some included activities on our holidays, but also free time built into the trips to enjoy optional excursions, or find a quiet cafe and watch the world go by.

For more information and a list of Adventure tours, click the icon below:

Our Overland Tours offer a fun, economical and exciting way to gain a genuine insight into South America and East and Southern Africa. Travelling on a high quality, custom-designed expedition vehicle, clients travel comfortably through rugged landscape and over a variety of terrain getting the chance to get off the beaten track.

Overland Tours are popular with younger-thinking travellers who are reasonably fit and active, so it is important that clients are aware they will need to harmonise with this kind of group. Based on the nature of this travel style, Overland Tours are generally suitable for people aged between 18 and 60 years old (recommended maximum age of 65).

For more information and a list of Overland tours, click the icon below:

If you have younger clients that are looking to travel with other young, fun and like-minded people, then Budget Expeditions (18-35s) are the right travel style. Our tours aim to unite like-minded adventure seekers, explorers and fun-seekers from all over the world on a mission to find themselves, have as much fun as possible and broaden their horizons. You can rest assured that on a Budget Expeditions tour, your clients will be with a great bunch of people who are near the same age and on the same wavelength, all geared up for the experience of a lifetime.

Budget Expeditions are all about choice and flexibility. We want your clients to pay as little as possible for the tour so they have more to spend when they are out there, so they can create a trip that suits their personality and budget. Budget Expeditions do not include many excursions meaning clients only have to budget for the optional excursions that they really want to do.

For more information and a list of Budget Expeditions, click the icon below:

Tailor-made tours offer the flexibility for clients to choose their own path. You and your client can decide how and when they travel, the level of service and the hotel standard. Pack in as many activities and locations as possible, or incorporate some relaxation and free time to explore on their own terms. With all that choice it can seem overwhelming, so we have a small, tight-knit tailor-made team of experts to give advice and assist crafting the ideal trip.

For more information on Tailor-Made Tours, click the icon below: