Things to do in Wakayama

Tiger is an excellent guide. He contacted us the day before and answered questions promptly. After our first stop, the bus driver got into an accident with another car and we had to wait on the highway for nearly an hour. This meant we had lunch (Tore tore fish market where we were very lucky to see a live Tuna carving at 1:30pm) much later but Tiger helped us to see the silver lining. He mentioned that in the over 300 trips he’s done, this would be the first time that he would be able to view the gorgeous sunset views at Senjojiki (because the driver had to give us the extra hour). My son and I had a great time; Tiger also patiently spoke with my 12 yo whenever he had questions. If you have time, do pay the extra $1200 plus yen to visit the Sandanbeki Cave.

I highly recommend this tour, which covers both natural landscapes and historical sites. Our driver and guide, Li Xiang, managed the time perfectly, allowing ample time to explore each location. We spent 1 hour and 50 minutes at the Tore Tore Market. The Senjojiki rock formations were absolutely stunning on a clear day, and the panoramic 360-degree view of Wakayama City from Wakayama Castle's main keep was fantastic. We had a great time. These attractions would be difficult to reach by public transport, making this one-day tour excellent value for money.

I had an amazing time with my guide, Kimi! Kimi was super knowledgeable and sweet during the tour, and was extremely engaging with my friend and I (we did a private tour for 2). We went to the tour knowing very little about the cultural significance aside from what we read online and finished a tour with a newfound appreciation for the Nachisan area. It is an understatement how much I enjoyed myself on this tour and I highly reccommend everyone to book this tour if they are going to see the nachi falls! Aside from the amazing guide, the tour company was also very responsive, providing email updates on who to contact and where to meet, making it very easy to find our guide on the day itself.

It was great to see a part of Japan that wasn't touristy and would have been difficult to access without a personal driver. Our guide was great and extremely sweet. She did not speak fluent English but was still very helpful and got us arouns safe. We highly recommend this tour if you would like to see a part of Japan that has more locals than tourist!

We had a great time with our driver, Sam, he was very respectful, accomodating and patient. He recommended us a great place to eat as well. When we got to Nachi Falls it was raining, and he had umbrellas ready for us. His positive and joyful attitude made the trip very special.

When I bought the Kansai Wide Area Pass (5 days), I discovered this package, which practically includes the Wakayama Enjoy Pass for free. The Wakayama Enjoy Pass is easy to redeem and offers great value. I redeemed it for a hotel cake set 🍰, a ramen set 🍜, and the Shirahama Marine Tower 🐟🐠. There were actually other even better value options, but due to my itinerary and interests, I made these choices, and the food quality was also excellent 👍🏻. If your itinerary includes Wakayama, don't miss this pass, and you have a week to redeem it. The Kansai Wide Area Pass allowed me to travel between Wakayama City, Shirahama, and Kushimoto, then return to Osaka, and also visit Lake Biwa and Himeji Castle. It's an incredibly valuable rail pass 🙏🏻