12 Accessible Tour Companies That Make Travel Easier for Everyone
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For some, the process of planning an upcoming trip is all part of the fun. It offers an opportunity to ramp up anticipation and excitement, and the hands-on approach of researching everything you want to see and do while traveling can leave you feeling like you’ll really be making the most of your time away. But sometimes it’s better to have all the stress of dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s taken away from you, especially when accessibility is an important factor. That’s where accessible tour companies come into their own, providing carefully planned trips that remove the guesswork and make travel smoother and more enjoyable for everyone.
Without further ado, here are 12 accessible tour companies that make traveling the world easier for everyone!
Rio Accessible Tour - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Founded by Luciana Bonguardo, Rio Accessible Tour offers unforgettable tours throughout the famous Brazilian coastal city of Rio de Janeiro.
Experience the samba, the sun, and the passion of Brazilian people whilst taking in many of the city’s key cultural attractions, such as Sugar Loaf Mountain, Christ the Redeemer, the Maracaña, and of course, who could forget Copacabana!
I had a lot of personal dealings with Luciana last year, as we tried to put together a group tour to Rio for The World is Accessible. Unfortunately, the trip had to be put on ice, but not due a lack of fantastic help and effort from Luciana. I was most impressed with the ability to mix and match various aspects of the tour highlights, to eventually come up with your bespoke version of touring Rio! These variations include things such as learning to cook a traditional Brazilian meal, taking a tour behind the scenes of Carnival and learning how to dance the samba, and even taking a day trip to picturesque Cabo Frio!
Rio Accessible Tour also offers accessible transfer in and out of the city, flight, and hotel booking services, descriptive audio guides, sign language interpreters, wheelchair and medical accessory rentals, plus more!
Website: rioaccessibletour.com.br
Facebook: Rio Accessible Tour
Instagram: @rioaccessibletour
Latin America for All - Quito, Ecuador
In keeping with the South American theme for now, why not consider Latin America for All, who specialize in tours of Ecuador, Peru, and the Galapagos Islands, plus they also have ‘Slow Mobility’ tours in both Colombia and Argentina.
As a company, Latin America for All is a family-run business and has been in operation since 2008. They pride themselves on not only providing accessible tours of various regions throughout Latin America, but they also can proudly say that sustainability is at the heart of their mission.
Latin America for All offers both private tours and fixed-date group tours where guests may be traveling alongside others they have not previously met. They also operate tours for visually impaired guests and can source local sign language interpreters if needed by guests who are deaf.
“Latin America for All (LAT4ALL) is committed to providing accessible authentic unique tour experiences to our guests.”
Website: latinamericaforall.com
Facebook: Ecuador and Peru for All
Instagram: @latinamericaforall
Email: sales@latinamericaforall.com
Panamá Accesible - Panama City, Panama
Moving on up into Central America, the next tour operator we’ll look at is Panamá Accesible, founded by Ana María de Lindsay, an accessible travel consultant who is from the country of Panamá.
Whilst Panamá Accesible does offer tour-based services, with expertly guided tour leaders, their overall services go far beyond this, and they also provide the likes of ramp transportation, hired caregivers, wheelchair and hoist rentals, scooter rentals, and wheelchair-accessible hotels, just to name a few!
When in Panamá, you can enjoy a great amount of accessible and adaptive activities, such as adaptive snorkeling, accessible beach days, accessible boat rides, traditional pottery, and so much more! Craft your own tours based on what you want to get out of your trip and make the most of your time in this beautiful part of the world that connects the north and south Americas!
Note: the Panamá Accesible website is currently in Spanish only, but if using a web browser with a translator feature, such as Chrome, you can translate the site into English.
Website: panamaaccesible.com
Instagram: @panamaaccesible
Email: panamaaccesible507@gmail.com
Accessible Romania by Sano Touring - Bucharest, Romania
Chronically overlooked by Western travelers, mesmerizingly beautiful, fascinatingly ancient, steeped in interesting lore – that’s how I’d describe Romania. Too many people, for far too long, have been sleeping in this incredible country. Take Bucharest as an example, Romania’s capital city is often referred to as the ‘Paris of the East’, and if you spend a couple of nights here, particularly in the late spring or early summer, you’ll easily see why.
Accessible Romania by Sano Touring offers set tours with a personal guide, with various options across the entirety of the country. From the rolling hills of Transylvania to the coastal retreats found in Constanta (situated on the Black Sea), touring Romania is nothing short of magical.
Accessible Romania by Sano Touring takes care of all logistical worries, including transferring to and from the airport, getting around the city and to various other destinations on your given tour, providing accessible accommodation, and much more. You’ll visit sites like Bran Castle, the alleged home of Count Dracula, and the People’s Palace – what was once the second-largest governmental building in the world, and built at the behest of Romania’s last communist dictator.
There are also several accessible day trips and city breaks to choose from, meaning that there really is something for everyone.
I have personally taken an accessible tour with Accessible Romania by Sano Touring and can not only vouch for how well taken care of I was, and how accessible the tour was, but also how memorable the entire adventure through Transylvania was – driving from Cluj-Napoca to Bucharest!
Website: accessibleromania.com
Facebook: Accessible Romania by Sano Touring
Instagram: @accessibleromaniabysanotouring
TokudAw Inc. - Tokyo, Japan
TokudAw Inc. offers luxury and bespoke private accessible tours throughout Japan for visitors with disabilities. They also specialize in airport transfers, day trips, shinkansen station transfers, transfers to Tokyo Disney Resort, and private day tours.
For a full breakdown of the types of services TokudAw Inc. provides head to their dedicated page on the Accessible Japan website, where you can watch an informative video from the founders, and also register an interest in booking a tour via the contact form on the same page.
If you’re interested in booking a tour with TokudAw Inc., then the process is pretty seamless. First, register an interest using the form on the page linked in the previous paragraph. TokudAw Inc. will then put together a set of highlights, including some of the best-known and lesser-known sights in Tokyo and beyond, before sending these to you for your consideration. Once all is confirmed and you are happy with the tour details, TokudAw Inc. get to work on booking hotel and restaurant reservations, as well as finishing up the finer details of the tour ahead of your anticipated arrival.
Accessible Japan TokudAw Inc. Page: Accessible Japan Custom Tours
Facebook: TakudAw Inc.
Instagram: @takudawinc
Email: wanping@tokudaw.com
Access2Africa Safaris - Durban, South Africa
If you’re anything like me then the idea of heading on Safari in Africa is high on your bucket list. You may also, like me, have previously felt like undertaking such a safari adventure would be difficult, if not impossible, with the physical limitations that come with having a disability.
Step forward Access2Africa Safaris, to name just one of the several amazing accessible tour operators within the African continent.
Brave enough to give hot air ballooning a try? Maybe you’d like to interact with elephants in the flesh? How about visiting the cat and cheetah rehabilitation center? There are so many immersive activities to ‘sink your teeth into’. Founded by Jennae Bezuidenhout, Access2Africa Safaris was created off the back of personal experience, after her late husband JJ became a quadriplegic in 2001 after an accident in a swimming pool. Now Jennae helps disabled visitors to South Africa, with a wide range of accessibility needs, see the very best of the wildlife and culture that this part of the world has to offer.
Website: access2africasafaris.com
Facebook: Access2africa Safaris
Instagram: @access2africa_safaris
6 more coming VERY soon...
TWIA
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6 thoughts on “12 Accessible Tour Companies That Make Travel Easier for Everyone”
I contacted Tokudaw through Accessible Japan asking for a quote of a driver and a tour guide. I received a quote of over $1,100 a day. It was a lot higher than I expected. When I asked for a quote of just a driver, the owner ghosted me.
I told him that I could stand and walk briefly and have a collapsable power chair weighing about 40 lbs so a mid-size SUV is sufficient.
Do you think the price quoted is reasonable?
Personally, it is not a price I could afford. However, as mentioned in the piece, they are a self-proclaimed luxury tour providor, so I expected that the price may be out of reach for some. I will add an alternative Japan tour operator in the next round of additions. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
I would like to recommend the Claire & George foundation in Switzerland. They recently organized a trip for me and every little detail was taken care of, including care, provision of a lift and commode chair, transfers, hotel reservations, railway tickets and more. They even arranged a tandem paragliding for me. As I’m living with high-level quadriplegia, every little detail has to be perfect as I can’t cope with improvisation. I heartily recommend them.
That’s fantastic, Stewart. Thank you ever so much for the recommendation – I’ll make sure they’re added to the next round of additions. Keep your eyes peeled 😀
I need referrals for accessible travel agents for a trip to Paris
We highly recommend Amberly from Back to Life Travel ( http://www.backtolifetravel.com )