Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the trip. We grade every expedition on a 1 to 10 physical activity scale based on daily activity, terrain, and altitude. Levels 1 to 3 suit travelers comfortable with light to moderate walking. Levels 4 to 6 require regular cardiovascular fitness and pre-trip training. Levels 7 to 10 involve sustained trekking at altitude or in remote conditions where evacuation is slow.

Each tour page lists its grade and what it means in practice. If you are uncertain, contact us with your travel history and we will tell you honestly whether the trip is right for you.

We use a 1 to 10 physical activity scale that reflects daily walking distance, terrain difficulty, altitude, and remoteness. Levels 1 to 3 are light to moderate activity, suitable for most travelers in reasonable health. Levels 4 to 6 are sustained activity at a hiker's pace, often involving longer days and uneven terrain. Levels 7 to 10 are demanding multi-day treks, high altitude, or expedition-grade conditions with limited evacuation options.

The grade appears on every tour page alongside daily walking estimates and elevation profiles.

No. Our travelers range from late thirties through their seventies. The right question is not your age but your fitness, which we grade transparently on every trip. Several of our most committed repeat travelers are in their late sixties and choose mid-grade trips after consistent training. We will speak frankly about any concerns before you book.

We welcome families on lower-grade trips. Children typically need to be 12 or older for our standard small-group departures. For families with younger children or specific interests, we build private departures with a pace and itinerary suited to the group.

Email us at contact@ecovoyager.com with the ages of your children and your destination preference.

Reservations start with an inquiry. Contact us with your destination, dates, and group details, and our team will confirm trip details and total cost. Once you are ready to confirm, we send a secure payment link for the 25% deposit, which secures your place on the trip.

Bookings made within 60 days of departure require full payment at the time of booking.

Final payment is due 60 days before departure. We will send a payment reminder 14 days before the due date with a secure payment link. For bookings made within 60 days of departure, full payment is required at the time of booking.

Cancellation terms depend on how far out from departure you cancel:

91 or more days before departure: Full refund less a $200 administrative fee per person.
60 to 90 days before departure: Deposit forfeited.
31 to 60 days before departure: 50% of trip cost forfeited.
15 to 30 days before departure: 75% of trip cost forfeited.
14 days or less before departure: 100% of trip cost forfeited.

For qualifying cancellations we also offer flexible travel credit toward a future departure. Travel insurance is mandatory for all our trips, which is why we strongly recommend purchasing it the same day you make your deposit. Questions? Email contact@ecovoyager.com.

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) and US bank transfers (ACH and wire). All payments are processed securely through Stripe. International travelers can pay by international wire transfer. We do not currently accept PayPal or cryptocurrency.

Yes to both, with conditions. You can transfer your booking to a different departure date once at no cost if requested 91 or more days before original departure. Transfers requested closer to departure are treated as a cancellation and rebooking under our standard cancellation terms.

You can also transfer your booking to another person up to 30 days before departure provided they meet the trip's fitness and visa requirements. For qualifying cancellations, flexible travel credit toward a future departure is also available. Email contact@ecovoyager.com to start a transfer.

Yes. We can arrange pre-trip and post-trip hotel nights at our partner hotels, including airport transfers. This is a popular option for travelers wanting to recover from international flights or explore a destination further.

Email contact@ecovoyager.com once your trip is booked and we will send you options with prices.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your planned return date and have at least two blank visa pages. Some destinations require additional pages or stricter validity. We confirm specific requirements in your pre-departure documents 90 days before the trip. If your passport expires within nine months, renew it before booking.

Visa requirements depend on your nationality and destination. Most of our destinations require visas for US passport holders. Some are issued on arrival, some require advance application, and a few (Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Mongolia for short stays) are visa-free.

Each destination page lists current requirements. We provide invitation letters where required and detailed visa application guidance with your booking confirmation.

Required and recommended vaccinations vary by destination. We send a destination-specific health briefing with your booking confirmation, including which vaccines are required for entry, which are recommended by the CDC, and which are worth considering for remote travel.

We strongly recommend consulting a travel medicine clinic 6 to 8 weeks before departure. Yellow fever certification is required for some destinations including Bolivia and Guyana.

Each trip comes with a destination-specific packing list 60 days before departure. Universally, we recommend layered clothing, sturdy broken-in hiking boots or trail shoes, a 30 to 40 liter daypack, a wide-brim sun hat, a quality water bottle, and a small headlamp.

Quick-dry synthetic or merino wool fabrics outperform cotton in almost all our destinations. Pack lighter than you think you need.

Every trip is led by a vetted local guide we have worked with directly, typically with 5 or more years of professional guiding experience in their region. They live where they guide. They speak fluent English and the local languages. They know the trails, the families, the political nuances, and the back routes.

We meet every guide in person before working with them, and our approach to local partnerships is the same everywhere we operate.

It varies significantly by destination. In capital cities and major towns we typically have reliable Wi-Fi at hotels. In remote areas (Mongolian steppe, Guyana rainforest, Kyrgyzstan high pastures) connectivity is limited or absent for stretches of 2 to 7 days.

Your guide carries a satellite phone for emergencies. We provide your family with our 24/7 office number in case they need to reach you.

Yes for most common restrictions including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and standard food allergies, with some practical limits in genuinely remote areas. We pass dietary needs to local operators before the trip and brief them in detail.

For severe allergies (anaphylaxis-grade), please discuss with us before booking. Some destinations and traditional homestay meals make strict diets harder to maintain. We will be honest about what is realistic.

Tipping is not included in the trip price and is appreciated where local custom supports it. As a general guideline: $10 to $15 per traveler per day for the lead guide, $5 to $8 per traveler per day for drivers, and $3 to $5 per traveler per day for camp or homestay staff.

Your final pre-departure document includes destination-specific tipping guidance. Tipping is always discretionary and based on service.

Every trip has an emergency action plan specific to the route. Your guide carries a satellite phone or InReach communicator and a comprehensive first aid kit. For serious incidents we coordinate medical evacuation through your travel insurance provider.

We choose routes where helicopter or vehicle evacuation is realistic within hours rather than days. Our 24/7 office line is staffed throughout your trip and your family has the number.

Yes. Comprehensive travel insurance is required for all our trips and must include trip cancellation, medical treatment abroad, and medical evacuation with a minimum coverage of $200,000 USD. We will request your policy details before departure.

We do not sell insurance directly but can recommend providers familiar with adventure and remote travel including World Nomads, IMG, and Travelex.

We design itineraries with conservative acclimatization. On Bolivia altiplano and Kyrgyzstan high-mountain trips, we build in extra nights at intermediate elevations rather than ascending directly. Guides are trained to recognize altitude symptoms and carry pulse oximeters.

We strongly recommend discussing acetazolamide (Diamox) with your doctor before high-altitude trips. If symptoms develop, descent is non-negotiable and our itineraries are built to allow it without losing the trip.

We do not stay in branded chain hotels unless it is absolutely necessary, for example when no alternative exists in a remote arrival city. Our standard accommodations are family-run guesthouses, locally-owned lodges, traditional homestays, ger and yurt camps, and small boutique hotels with a clear local character.

This is a deliberate choice. It keeps trip spend in the destination, gives our travelers a more authentic experience, and supports the small operators we have built relationships with on the ground.

The majority of every trip's spend stays in the destination economy. We work with locally-owned lodges and guesthouses, regional ground operators, and local guides paid above-market rates. We avoid international chains, large foreign-owned operators, and any arrangement where the money flows out of the country.

This is core to how we define eco-tourism. Travel that does not financially benefit the people who live there is not eco-tourism.

We work directly with grassroots conservation partners in every destination we operate. Current partners include the Snow Leopard Foundation in Kyrgyzstan, ARCAS in Guatemala, Puelo Patagonia in Chile, ANCOT in Tajikistan, Save the Rhino Trust in Namibia, Nature Conservation Egypt, Asociación Armonía in Bolivia, and the South Rupununi Conservation Society in Guyana.

Read more about how we give back.

A few high-impact habits: refuse single-use plastic and bring a refillable bottle and filter, learn 10 phrases in the local language, ask permission before photographing people, avoid giving money or sweets directly to children (give to schools or community projects instead), and stay on marked trails in fragile ecosystems.

Your guide will brief you on destination-specific etiquette before you arrive.

About 40% of our travelers come solo and we welcome them on every trip. Our default rooming policy pairs solo travelers of the same gender at no extra cost, which most solo travelers prefer. If you want guaranteed single occupancy throughout, the single supplement adds approximately 25% to 40% to the trip cost depending on destination accommodation.

Our small-group departures cap between 8 and 12 travelers depending on the destination and tour, with most trips capped at 8. We will run a trip with as few as 2 travelers if a departure has confirmed bookings. The economics work out at this size and the experience would not at any larger group.

If you want to travel with a larger group, we can build a custom departure to match. Email contact@ecovoyager.com with your group size, destination, and dates.

Yes. About 30% of our trips run as private departures for couples, families, friend groups, or small organizations. Pricing depends on group size and destination. The same itineraries are available privately, or we will build a custom route based on your interests, fitness, and dates.

Email contact@ecovoyager.com with your destination, dates, and group composition for a custom proposal.