Beno Tours pricing question

[GarageTwoThree]

Hey Gang,

 

First time in Dominica so after some reading I decided to contact Beno. The price I was quoted seems higher than others. What sort of tours do you guys do and what were their costs? I selected Falls, Springs, and Champagne reef for 2 people. I was amazed at the cost compared to what others have quoted on the board. Maybe I am missing something?

 

Thanks

[138east]

We went with Levi to Titou Gorge and Trafalgar Falls, made a quick stop at the hot springs, went to the Morne overlook, and Champagne beach to snorkel. $47 However, the surf was not good at Champagne beach, so the charge was $40.

 

Levi was a delightful tour guide. There were no extra admission charges. He provided cold drinks. His van was new and air conditioned and he was a good driver on the poor roads. I really appreciated his judgment about the snorkeling conditions at Champagne beach.

[GarageTwoThree]

How many people was that for?

[GarageTwoThree]

We went Levi, it was a little over 50% less and included site passes. Thanks!

[Boricruiser]

This thread served me just right! Thanks a lot!! I also asked Beni for a quote and was surprised about the high price (Falls, Emerald Pool, Fruit Stand- for two- $160.00). I'd like to contact Levi. What is the best way to do so??

 

Princess April 5

[Boricruiser]

Can you tell me a bit more about your tour with Levi? What did you do en the places visited? Would they be recommended for seniors??

[Hello-Kitty]

i went on beno tours in oct 2007 and it was 40.oo for the falls, emerald pools and the fruit stand, it was a long day but only 40.00 bucks!!

[GarageTwoThree]

I contacted Levi through his website, bumpiingtours.com Beno quoted me the same 160 and I was shocked has I had seen people talking about 20-40 for a driver/guide. I didn't want to put exact prices but Levi was more in our price level and both seem to have the same reputation on this board. We were quoted 47.00 including falls, gorge, gardens, springs, and champagne reef. This also included the entrance fee and the drinks (beer, water, soda, etc.). Maybe Beno was a private tour just for two people whereas with Levi it sounds like we will be sharing the van with others, who knows.

[Grammar Goddess]

We've booked with Beno both times we were in Dominica. On one trip, we were a party of six, and it cost $50 apiece for nearly all day. We saw the falls, the Emerald Pool, the Botanical Gardens, the fruit stand, banana plantations, the rain forest . . . Distances are further than they seem in Dominica because of the mountainous terrain. When only my DH & I booked Beno in December, it was $80 apiece. We had a wonderful tour with him, went back at our request to Trafalgar Falls, saw Sulphur Springs, Champagne Reef, and the end of the island where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic. I believe that the more people he takes, the cheaper it is. We were perfectly content to have the van to ourselves and thought the day with him was well worth the money. Such a gorgeous country!

Hope this helps.

Enjoy your cruise.

 

GG

[Boricruiser]

GarageTwoThree...Thanks a lot for your response.

 

I still have a few more concerns that I'd like someone to answer:

 

 

• Did you like the places visited (Emerald Pool, trafalgar Falls, Titou Gorge, etc)?
  

 

• Did you swim in Titou Gorge? Was it scarey or dangerous to swim under the cave?
  

 

• Did places visited require an excellent physical condition as for hiking, or too much walking? Dis you have lunch anywhere?
  

[holdon216]

Garage2/3, Maybe you can help me out too?? How long was the Levi tour?? Was there much driving involved?? Were you given plenty of time at each stop?? Did he pick you up right at the pier? I have read a few posts that people have hired a taxi for most of the day at 2o.oo or so., to take you wherever you want to go. Is that possible??

[Boricruiser]

Just booked a tour with Levy for April 5. I will post replies received from Levy in case it could be of any help to any of the members interested in Dominica independent tours. Here it goes...

 

 

Ivonne:

Thank you for your e-mail. We would be able to accommodate you on the date mentioned. Here is a brief description of a tour I would like to propose to you, with duration and cost.

RoseauValley Treasures (wet tour)

Morne Bruce: (an area where you can see the entire city of Roseau from the top of a hill) 7 minutes drive from the ship. (Great for taking photos)

Botanical Gardens: (There you will see different plants trees and flowers grown on the Island) 5 minutes from Morne Bruce. (drive through)

Wotten Waven Sulphur Springs: (small boiling pools) 2 minutes walk one way up a few steps.

*TrafalgarFalls: (two waterfalls in the same area) 10 minutes walk one way up a few steps. The walk is not too difficult and it is the second most visited site on the Island. After the ten minutes walk, you get to a platform where you and view the waterfalls and take photos. There is an extra two minutes walk to you the hot mineral water where you could soak . Can be a bit challenging if one has any difficulty with their backs, legs, hips or if one is short in breath due to lungs or heart condition.

Titou Gorge: One of the most unique areas on the Island and it's also a spot where part of Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 was filmed. One can get to bathe in hot and cold water at Titou Gorge. To enjoy the gorge you would have to take the short swim (about 2 minutes) up a cave like area (you do not swim under water). The swim is about 100 feet and the water is about 10 feet deep at it's deepest point, but it's only about waist high when you get to the middle of the cave-Like area. There is a small waterfall one can swim to, if the water is not flowing too heavy (must do). (there is an easy 5-7 minutes walk to Titou Gorge). Trail is Rocky. We provide swim belts to all our guests.

The estimated duration of the tour is about 3.5 to 4.5 hours and has about 1.5 to 2 hours driving and about 30 minutes walking, total. The tour cost $40.00us per person (4 to 10 people adults). Children under the 14 years but older than 5 years, pays $10.00us less ($30.00us). There's no charge for children 5 and under. You pay for the tour after it has been completed.

Champagne reef (snorkeling) can also be added to this tour. Adding it would make this tour about 1.5 hours longer and $7.00us more per person.

*Champagne Reef: One of the most unique snorkeling areas in the eastern Caribbean. Take a short 5 minutes walk to the end of the stony beach, until you get to a cliff where you will gear up and begin a very different under water experience. You will be swimming in bubbles like you were in a giant aquarium. If you do not have snorkel gears, it can be rented at Champagne at $12.00us per set.

NB: Site passes will be provided ($5.00us per person, per site, included in cost), so you do not have to purchase site passes. There was an increase by Government in the site passes as of July 1st 2008, from $2.00us to $5.00us per person.

* Indicate the site where site passes are needed. Champagne passes are $2.00us per person.

There will be complementary local beers, soft-drinks and local bottled water on the tour.

Recommendations:

- Wear a good pair of waterproof strapped sandals. (eg. Keens)

- Swim suits and towels

- A light snack and or some fruits.

-Waterproof camera would be a plus

You can check out my website http://www.bumpiingtours.com where you can read a little more about bumpiingtours and Dominica.

If there are any questions or request, please ask.

Hello Ivonne,

The tour is $47.00us including Champagne reef (mainly for snorkeling). We would pick you up and drop you off at the port. To make reservations, all you would need to do is confirm that you will be doing the tour with me and I will send you an e-mail telling you how to meet with me when you get to the port, once you've gotten this e-mail, your tour is confirmed. You pay for your tour after it is completed with cash or travellers cheques. The complete tour is about 4.5 to 5 hours including the Champagne reef, you would have enough time to do the tour and have a few hours to spare before the ship departs. We do not go to the fruit stand o this tour since it is about 1.5 hours driving one way from where the ship will be docking.

If there are any other questions, do not hesitate to ask.

 

Best Regards,

Levi Baron.

http://www.bumpiingtours.com mobile #: 7672659128 or 7673150493

[GarageTwoThree]

Let me clear the confusion, when I said I went with Levi I mean that I booked him. I will see you on April 5th in Dominica Bori

[Boricruiser]

Ok Garage 2/3...sorry for the confusion! See you soon!

[pw2003]

We did Beno tours a few weeks ago (March 3rd i think). It was awesome. Beno is a very nice guy and we had a truly wonderful day. I can not recommend him highly enough. I am positive you would have a wonderful time. he has an enormous amount of local knowledge and was everything you would expect a guide to be.

 

Paul and lynn.

[GrantH2O]

We went with Beno on the Emerald Pool and Trafalgar Falls it was $40 each + $5 each at the Pool and the Falls, so $100 total on 24 February 2009.

 

Other info:

 

His name is Augustine Pascal, but he goes by Beno (say Ben-O).

 

Our tour started with a drive along the coast through a small fishing village and then up into the mountains. It was carnival in Dominca at the time (24 February 2009), so many people were out and about. WE saw some guys dressed up in traditional carnival suties that were white, shaggy and topped off with a really scary maks and norns that look liked some mutation of various animals. The white shaggy suits looked something like an albino bigfoot or Yeti! After driving a bit into the hills and through the rainforest, we stopped at Mr. Nice's Fruit Stand to sample some grapefruit, oranges, bananas (very fresh, must have), coconut, nutmeg and chocolate beans. Mr. Nice is a very colorful and friendly man and is more than willing to share advice and provide you with philosophical questions and riddles.

 

From there we continued with Beno for a long drive to the Emerald Pool. This cost $5 per person for entry and it was about a 15 minute walk round trip to the pool. It was impressive, but full of tourists. The trail was rocky and seemed up hill both ways.

 

From the pool we drove all the way back through Roseau via a different route. Beno pointed out all kinds of fruit and plant life ... pineapple, cinnamon trees, Mangos, starfruit, avocado trees, banana plantations, nutmeg, oranges, papaya, passion fruit, coconut palms, cacoa trees, and many others.

 

After a long drive back up into the the mountains, we reached Trafalagar Falls. This was a $5 per person entry and a short five minute walk. There were two beautiful falls. We were there about 30 minutes and then headed back to the bus for the drive back to the ship.

 

There were 6 people (including us) on the tour.

 

After the tour we walked around Roseau to see some of the Carnival. There were a few large groups of people dancing and following large trucks filled with speakers blasting music. The dance troops were dressed in brightly colored themed clothing (cowboys and indians for some reason) and were dancing to thunder-bass-pounding music. After browsing some open markets and food stands, we headed back to the ship.

 

The tour was great, but it was a long day with lots of driving.

[138east]

A group of us from our meet & mingle booked with Levi in February and did the Roseau Valley Treasures tour described on this thread. It was absolutely wonderful! Levi's description of the tour is very accurate. He paid all the admissions and provided a large cooler of water, soft drinks and beer. He has a large new air-conditioned van which holds about 11 people and is an excellent driver. Some of us on the tour also wanted to go snorkeling at Champagne Reef. We drove out there, but the water conditions were not good for snorkeling from the shore. Although we were disappointed, we appreciated that Levi had given us his expert opinion that it was not a good day to snorkel. He did not charge us for that portion of the trip.

 

The other good thing about the tour was that we left early (8:10) and beat the crowds to Titou Gorge. Next we went to Trafalgar Falls, which was busy, and then on to the hot springs, the botanical gardens, the overlook, and Champagne Reef. We were back about 2:30 pm. There is no stop for lunch (there is really no place to eat), so you have to bring your own snacks.

[jefarl]

I contacted Levi through his website, bumpiingtours.com Beno quoted me the same 160 and I was shocked has I had seen people talking about 20-40 for a driver/guide. I didn't want to put exact prices but Levi was more in our price level and both seem to have the same reputation on this board. We were quoted 47.00 including falls, gorge, gardens, springs, and champagne reef. This also included the entrance fee and the drinks (beer, water, soda, etc.). Maybe Beno was a private tour just for two people whereas with Levi it sounds like we will be sharing the van with others, who knows.

you hit the nail on the head.... prices seem to be around $40-50 per person as part of a van group that either you will be joining or one you set up thru cruise critics rool call. When you contact any tour guy you have to specify Private group and how many in the group. If you just want the two of you then its not going to be $40 each.... they all want to fill the van or at least get a substantial sum. We are going with Beno and the prices drop per person as I am getting more people together from my roll-call but I will limit it to 6 or 8 max. Tours get too hard to enjoy when you are too large...

[BabySis]

Well, we paid Beno $180 last week for the two of us.

 

We were in Dominica in January and again just this past week. In January we toured with Woody in his Range Rover.

 

Last week we toured with Beno... bnpascal at gmail dot com .... it was in his van, nice & clean.... he is a native and we asked to see the island and the villages and stay away from the touristy spots. It was fantastic!!! Perfect!! We saw the way the island people truly live and the island is beautiful and the people are awesome!!

 

We did ask to stop at Mr. Nice's fruit stand.... OMAGOSH!!! DO NOT MISS IT!!! Fruit does NOT taste like that in the states!! He has samples of all the locally grown fruit and you can watch while he peels and slices and he only asks for tips... and he is QUITE entertaining!!!