1. Who is the operator?
Booking platforms show a supplier name that is not always the company on the ground. Viator names the “supplier”; we quote it verbatim and say that we have not verified it independently. Three products from the same operator are variants, not three companies.
2. Which option is meant?
A product often has several bookable options – Easy Rider or self-drive, with or without bus, with or without mountain ticket. The “from” price belongs to the cheapest. Before booking: which option are you taking, and what does exactly that one cost?
3. What is the total price?
List price plus everything on the exclusion list (entry fees, return journeys, rental gear, permits, last meals) plus everything it does not mention but you will pay anyway (tips, drinks, nights before and after). Our budget block only adds up what can be quantified and leaves the question marks standing.
4. How do you get there and back?
On multi-day tours the transfer is the most common hidden item: bus Hanoi–Ha Giang, train Aguas Calientes–Ollantaytambo. “Pickup included” often means at the start point, not from your city.
5. How many nights is it really?
Three nights for a three-day tour means one night lies before the start or on a night bus. Count days and nights separately and ask where you spend the first and the last.
6. What language is the tour in?
That a page is written in English says nothing about the guide. The platform lists tour languages; we quote them. None of the products we compare names German.
7. What are the cancellation terms?
Anything from “free up to 24 hours before” to “non-refundable, even months ahead”. For non-refundable treks, trip cancellation insurance taken out before booking is the only protection.
8. What does your insurance cover?
Motorbike as a passenger, trekking above 4,000 m, rescue – standard policies often exclude these. None of the compared tours includes travel, accident or medical insurance; “oxygen available” is not a rescue contract.
9. Which papers do you need?
Permits (Ha Giang, Inca Trail), personal tickets (Machu Picchu), licence and international driving permit (self-driving), passport details at booking. What the operator obtains and what you bring yourself is in its lists – or missing there, in which case ask.
10. How do you reach the operator?
Many operators send a WhatsApp message before the tour with pickup time and meeting point. Check that the number is in your booking confirmation, and get in touch if nothing arrives by the day before.
And then?
Then you book with the partner – Viator in our current comparisons. The contract is between you and the operator; we earn a commission if you book through our links, your price stays the same. How we compare and where our limits are is under How we compare.