So I find the advertising on this tour to be a little misleading. The actual tour company website, trip advisor, and the agent when I called all made it seem like we would be stopping at numerous places/viewpoints in Joshua Tree national park as part of the tour. I assumed we would be seeing the popular parts of the park. However, our tour guide only stopped at one viewpoint, we saw a few Joshua trees, and then we headed back down the way we came.. pretty disappointing, being that it Was our first time visiting Joshua Tree and we hoped to see a lot more. I also asked the tour guide where we would be going and he named 3 different viewpoints, but we only wound up going to one.. I knew we would be spending a lot of the time in the car, as it was an off-roading experience, but I thought we would get out at numerous viewpoints and see different things, take pics, etc.
They did say that this was an off roading experience,(which it was) and that we would be heading into Joshua Tree in the “back way”, but I thought that we would be seeing a lot more stuff.
One other thing I find peculiar - the price doesn’t really match the experience. For example, trip advisor says that the tour price includes the admission fee for the park, but since we went the “back way” into the park, there were no entry fees for the park.. so what exactly did we pay $179 each for? To stop at one view point and see a few trees?
However I will say our tour guide, Ben, was an excellent tour guide - very knowledgeable and great to talk to.
Відповідь від хоста
Mar 2021
I am so sorry that you're experience did not match your expectations! If I may venture a guess, what you expected sounds more like our driving or van tour description from tripadvisor....
"Overview
Explore the uncanny landscape of Joshua Tree National Park with a 4.5-hour van tour from Palm Desert, near Palm Springs. Enjoy the comfort of an air-conditioned van or SUV as you navigate soaring granite formations and groves of the park’s famously spiky trees, and capture unforgettable images of terrain that spans the Colorado and Mojave deserts. Trace a gentle trail into the rocks at Hidden Valley and Keys View, watch for the park’s reclusive wildlife, and experience the unique beauty of one America’s most remarkable national parks.
Itinerary
You'll start at
Morton's The Steakhouse
See address & details
1
Keys View
Stop: 15 minutes
See details & photo
2
Hidden Valley
Stop: 30 minutes
See details & photo
3
Joshua Tree Visitor Center
Stop: 15 minutes
See details & photo
4
Joshua Tree National Park
Stop: 3 hours
See details & photo
You'll end at
Morton's The Steakhouse"
while our jeep tour description on Viator reads.....
"The lush resorts of Palm Springs will feel a million miles away when you get out in the wilds of Joshua Tree National Park on this small group Jeep tour. Leave the city behind as you head off-road and over a rocky landscape some people say feels like being on another planet. See plants and rock formations that are unique to the desert, and learn what makes Joshua Tree so special.
Itinerary
You'll start at
Morton's The Steakhouse
See address & details
1
Joshua Tree National Park
Stop: 3 hours - Admission included"
In this case admission fee really means permit fees that we pay annually.
I hope that clarifies and I apologize if we caused any confusion. I am grateful for the kind words about Ben!