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Gekko Trails Explorer is an online booking platform specializing in transportation, tours, and travel experiences across Central America and southern Mexico.
We help travelers easily book shared shuttles, private transportation, airport transfers, boat services, and selected tours in destinations such as Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and southern Mexico. Our platform is available 24/7, allowing customers to explore routes, compare services, and book securely from anywhere.
Our transportation network connects popular travel destinations, colonial cities, beaches, surf towns, islands, volcano areas, border crossings, and airports throughout the region. Depending on the route, services may be operated by trusted local transportation providers, with Gekko Trails Explorer acting as the online booking and support platform.
We focus on making travel planning easier by offering clear service information, secure online payments, customer confirmations, travel passes, and access to a customer portal where travelers can review their booking details. Our support team is available through online chat, WhatsApp, social media, and email to assist customers before and during their trip.
Travel plans can change, which is why many services offer options to request date changes, service changes, cancellations, or future travel credit, always according to the specific policy of each service and the timing of the request.
Whether traveling between cities, crossing borders, heading to the beach, connecting to an airport, or exploring Central America’s most iconic destinations, Gekko Trails Explorer provides a convenient way to organize transportation and travel experiences in one place.
Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more
Our trip was as smooth as it gets. We booked very last minute from Santa Ana El Salvador to Antigua Guatemala, literally 9pm and travelling at 3am the same night on a holiday... And still everything went smoothly even though it was the only service available. The pick up arrived right on time, the journey went fast, good driver and the border crossing was fast too. I saw a lot bad reviews but our trip was great, the van was also decent and clean. The price was also lowest we found across all services.
We would like to clarify that your refunds were in fact processed in accordance with our cancellation policy.
You sent your cancellation request on December 16 at 10:30 PM for a service scheduled to depart on December 17 at 8:00 AM. Our policy clearly states that cancellations must be made at least 24 hours prior to departure. Despite this, we made an exception and processed full refunds for both of your reservations as a courtesy.
Additionally, your cancellation request was initially sent as an image, which prevented our system from automatically reading your booking IDs and caused a short processing delay. Once the information was correctly received, both refunds were completed.
At no point were you ignored. Your requests were reviewed, processed, and resolved, and your refunds were successfully issued even though the cancellation was outside the eligible timeframe.
For these reasons, the statement that you were “ghosted by support” is not accurate.
We always aim to assist our customers fairly and transparently, and we regret that your experience did not meet your expectations.
Booked a Shuttle to Honduras but then needed to cancel , which was done one day later well within the timeframe for having my money refunded to me.
Gekko then kept my money and said they had refunded it which they did not , even after confirming with my bank they had no record of a refund being given to me.
Be prepared to do some hard chasing to get your money back , even then you don’t.
Im now out of pocket and not even getting a response from their customer service.
DON’T USE.
14 March 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Gekko Trails Explorer
We’re truly sorry to hear about your experience with one of the seven shuttles you booked through us. However, as we’ve explained multiple times via email, the refund was processed correctly in our system over a month ago and was also confirmed by our payment processor (Stripe.com).
We provided you with the online receipt link hosted by Stripe, along with the STAN code—this is a transaction reference number your bank can use to trace the refund. Nevertheless, we’re happy to share the confirmation link again here for your convenience.
We fully understand your frustration, but at this point, the issue must be resolved directly with your bank, as everything on our end was completed accurately and transparently.
Please know that it is not part of our ethics or business practices to withhold funds unfairly. We have always acted in good faith and in accordance with our service policies.
During my two-month journey through Central America, I utilized Gecko Shuttle multiple times and found them to be reliable. The pricing was very reasonable, offering great value for the service provided. Each driver I encountered was polite contributing to a pleasant overall experience. The shuttles typically arrived within the promised time frame. I would definitely choose Gecko Shuttle again for future visits to Central America.
When planning my trip through Central America, this company constantly appeared in my Google searches. They have a polished website and impressive marketing, which initially drew me in.
However, I urge you to read other reviews before booking with them!
It was a big mistake! From the start, we had problems on our ride from Antigua to El Salvador. We spent two hours driving in circles around the paved town of Antigua.
The drivers could not speak much English, and even in Spanish, we couldn't understand what was happening. There was a big lack of communication. The border crossing was confusing too, and we ended up arriving two hours late.
When I complained to the company, instead of helping, they banned me and other people who also complained, got the same treatment. They only gave back 80% of the money for my future trips that I booked with them.
I didn't pay attention to other reviews before booking, but I should have. We all seem to have bad experiences with this company. For the trips that were canceled, I was able to book through my hotels and also with big bus companies that are safer and more reliable.
I highly recommend avoiding this platform at all costs. This company is not safe or dependable. Be very careful if you decide to use them.
I booked before I read the reviews so I was really concerned the bus wouldn't show. The bus leaves from a cafe so you can sit and have a drink and eat if you want so there's no waiting in the street or anything. There's a lady there that works for the bus company who takes your name, she speaks English too. The driver was great, he communicated well and left in time. The bus was crammed with crap seats and not much leg room, warm but not unbearable. Arrived only 1 hour late (I got a different bus in the way there and it took 11 hours instead of the 5 I was told) so was pleased it was faster on the return. I went from Rio Dulce to Antigua. The toilet stop half way was after 4 hours but the driver warned us if this beforehand
Incompetent drivers! Who don't check names or tickets properly. Group of us were kicked off a boiling hot packed shuttle (as the drivers dont seem to have the skills to operate the AC) an hour into a ride after having our name and ticket confirmed upon pick up. This led to us being stranded and out of pocket. Company has zero customer service skills. To avoid this issue i suggest they give people the licence plate and name of driver in advance to avoid these issues in future and already adding to their terrible review ratings online.
1 April 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Gekko Trails Explorer
We're sorry for your poor experience, but without a specific route or service name, it's hard to verify if this incident involved a shuttle booked through our platform. If you didn't book with us, we can't be held responsible for issues with a service you boarded. For future reference, booking through our platform ensures clear information and support for your journey. If there's an actual booking issue, please provide more details so we can address it directly.
Took our money and told us to wait at the main Managua Airport Exit, which we did (for hours). Then they tried to keep the money saying they waited at the small plane terminal. Pick a chicken bus or a taxi. Anything but these foolish time-waster vacation-ruiners. Gekko has since claimed they don't operate "informally and provide exact pick-up location" bs bs bs! If you're considering hiring them just do yourself a favor and don't. They're lazy evil.
3 February 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Gekko Trails Explorer
Dear Kelly Orndorff,
We regret to hear about your negative experience, but it's important to address some key points regarding our shuttle service from Managua Airport to San Jorge Port in Rivas.
Firstly, we must emphasize that we don't operate on an informal basis of "they told me" communications. Our process is designed to provide clear, written instructions to avoid any misunderstandings. When you book with us, a detailed confirmation email is sent, which includes the exact meeting point at the airport with a Google Maps link, and precise instructions for what to do if the transport has not arrived within 10 minutes of your confirmed pickup time.
It's important to note that the driver's WhatsApp contact is only provided when a customer contacts us indicating that their pickup time has passed, and they provide their reservation ID. In your case, we did not receive any such communication from you at the time of your scheduled pickup. The only response we received was to the email we sent notifying you of your 'No Show' status.
We understand that your experience was frustrating, but we also must stress the importance of following the provided instructions and reaching out to us immediately in case of any issues. This helps us to ensure a smooth and efficient service for all our customers.
We are committed to clear and direct communication and are willing to discuss your case further should you feel there was a misunderstanding.
AVOID AT ALL COST I don’t even want to give a 1 star We had been traveling all night I got to Nicaragua airport at 1030am the bus should if picked up at 1 with a fudge factor if 130!! He never came and despite me messaging the company Earlier in the day to ask where they picked up from directly outside etc I contacted them at 130 to say the bus was not here they sent me a WhatsApp number I contact the driver he kept putting the phone down on me! I had to ask a local taxi driver to cal him he still Put it down. None of the taxi drivers at the airport had heard if this company either ! The company blamed me for the driver not turning up saying I hadn’t filled in the pick up point but I had done this twice once at the initial booking and again when they sent me an email to say I hadn’t filled it in! Very convenient They went onto day the driver was there but nobody got on the bus to saying he didn’t turn up cause I didn’t fill the form in correctly she asked if I still wanted a life but would have to wait a further hour I declined and asked for a full refund I sent her my receipt but she is adamant I didn’t complete it correctly I disagree As we had been on the road and 3 planes later we decided to hire a car And drive ourselves to Leon ! I just understand how companies get away with this service it’s awful
2 February 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Gekko Trails Explorer
Dear Joanne Baker,
We apologize for the issues you faced. It's important to note that Gekko Trails Explorer is not a taxi service, and our clients aren't local taxi drivers, so it's unclear why local taxi drivers would have information about our services.
We provide clear instructions to wait at a specific pickup point at the airport, along with a Google Maps link. Unfortunately, we didn't receive a confirmation of your pickup location, which is crucial for coordinating our shuttle service.
When you contacted us at 1:30 pm, the shuttle had already passed the airport. We offered a private vehicle at no extra cost, which required a 45-minute wait, but you preferred a full refund, which we processed promptly.
We regret the misunderstanding and are committed to ensuring clearer communication in the future.
SCAM do not book: I waited over an hour for them to pick me up. They didn’t reply to whatsapp, emails, or calls.
They emailed me the next day saying I was not present when the shuttle picked me up. They NEVER came. They never replied to my email sensing a refund and calling them out. I had to pay an expensive uber because i couldn’t wait for the next round of shuttles from other companies hours later. I am filing a complaint with my bank and also making sure they are reported to whoever I can report them to for travel in Guatemala. Lowlifes.
DO NOT USE THESE SCAMMERS! Arranged to pick us up at 2pm, an hour later after standing in the hottest part of the day we tried to call to find out where they were? They kept declining calls and then sent message saying they didn't know when we would be picked up, they wouldn't give us a refund and told us to keep waiting. We waited another hour and still nothing so we had to get a taxi incase we missed the border opening hours. Worst shuttle experience ever still no refund. Total RIP OFF
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