Zig - Zag Eco Tours & Treks

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• Anonymous

  16 December 2017

  The Condoriri Trek was fantastic, Zig Zag less than mediocre. I wish I had a company to suggest as an alternative but I don’t, yet. Recommended by Lonely Planet this seemed an easy way to plan our 3 day trek in Bolivian mountains.
  
  Very expensive, $300US each compared to other tours and treks we’ve been on in SA. Zig Zag was very flippant in their communications with what to expect on the trip. Our concerns, weight, water, food, extra fees. Zig Zag said we could only bring what we can carry in a small day bag (generally trips with mules allow a small bag for the extras, like winter clothing and sleeping bags for camp). Ok so we wore the same layers everyday and night, fine. We were told we’d receive 2 liters of water each per day, hiking mountains this can be just enough but rarely. We had to ask for water and had to share those two liters between us! At night we got hot tea at leastwe were told we’d receive a hot water bottle each for our sleeping bags at night (us in tents, guide and cook in shelter), they said they did not have them. The next night I guess they found them and offered them to us, was nice but felt odd they suddenly appeared. We were told the only extra was B$20 each for park entrance, great, very reasonable. We were told we’d pay extra if we wanted to fore go the tent and sleep in a shelter with our guide- no thanks! Upon arriving in the community, every day locals were pulling out pads of paper demanding more money, including extra to even tent (B$15)and use the bathroom(B$15) that we literally had to clean human feces off of each day to use! We are generous people and want to help local communities but it was obvious that not one penny of our 300$US each was seen in the community. We try to only work with companies who are socially responsible but Zig Zag was a major disappointment in this area- also disappointing that Londly Planet recommended them. Our meals were fine but at times stingy (no vegetables, except a bit in soup and a few pickled things the last day) for the cost of the tour as our cook used our extra food to feed the local family which I was happy to see, but this escalated to include giving them our snacks and meat for lunch for our last day of hiking. I would have gladly given them if they’d asked but instead it felt like they were literally feeding off of us, then asked us for more money. Where are our $300US going Zig Zag?! Someone is having a nice meal off of us but it wasn’t anyone on that trek!
  
  Zig Zag does not take care of the Bolivian tourist communities and failed to prepare us for the lack of water, quality food, and extras, and it soured an otherwise great experience. The cook Felix was a pleasure to hike with but poor at secretly feeding the people and serving us half a sausage for lunch with no snacks. The guide Abram was very excited over snow in the trail which worried us a bit (normal for Canadians, we’d wondered if he even hiked these mountains before) he wasn’t someone we’d expect to trust on mountains, but was nice enough.
  
  I recommend the hike, maybe not with zig zag, And prepare to be generous to the local community, they deserve it. Also, bring snacks and have at least three liters of water the first day to make up for lack of water following days.
  
  Ask where your money goes before you sign off with any company!

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