Dinogo Readers' Top 15 Tour Operators for 2024

A skilled tour operator can transform a trip from merely “great” to truly “unforgettable.” It's no surprise that many votes in Dinogo’s World’s Best Awards came from loyal customers—readers who appreciate the value of a good experience. While this year's list features a few generalist luxury travel companies, many are focused on specific niches, such as walking tours or regional specialties.

How the Voting Process Works

Each year, for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L invites readers to share their travel experiences from around the world—rating the best hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. In 2024, over 186,000 T+L readers participated in the survey, casting a total of more than 700,000 votes across more than 8,700 entries (including hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

Tour operators and safari providers were rated based on the criteria outlined below:

Guides and staff
Itineraries and destinations
Activities offered
Accommodations provided
Culinary experiences
Overall value

For each aspect, participants could select a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores represent the averages of these ratings.

What Readers Appreciated About Tour Operators

This year's top-rated tour operators often specialize in specific areas, like the bicycle-centric DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co. (No. 3) and Classic Journeys (No. 11), which focuses on walking tours.

Quasar Expeditions (No. 2) offers boutique cruises in the Galápagos and trips in Patagonia. A returning customer praised their regional expertise, stating: “Their amazing local hires provided enriching cultural experiences on every trip.”

Another specialized company, AdventureWomen (No. 5), provides small group tours exclusively for women. One voter shared, “I keep coming back to them. I really appreciate my travel companions, the intimate group size (just 14 people), and the focus on culture and activities from a woman's perspective.”

The Champion

Timbuktu Travel

Giraffes observed during a walking safari in Tanzania.

Image courtesy of Timbuktu Travel

A newcomer to the World’s Best Awards, Timbuktu Travel (No. 1), headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, offers expertly coordinated trips across Africa, South America, Asia, and Antarctica. T+L readers especially valued the company’s website, which enables users to design a personalized itinerary (including accommodations, activities, and transfers) with a projected cost. This level of cost transparency was noted as a “very rare” benefit among luxury travel companies. With numerous repeat customers, it appears that the travel experience lives up to the planning. One reader remarked, “I’ve been on four safaris with Timbuktu and am about to embark on my fifth. Their attention to detail and organization is outstanding.”