Asia Beach Trips

Had the best 10 days in Cambodia with trutravels, our tour guide Hul went above and beyond to make sure we had the best time possible, it was so lovely to see him welcome us to his home country!

Excellent tour - especially loved Flores. The Hobbit Cave was a particular highlight. Anton our leader was exceptional - knowledgeable and good company. A good balance of tour activities and free time.

Anjana was an excellent Tour Leader and made our experience of Sri Lanka a very memorable and enjoyable one. I only have two items of feedback. Be prepared to walk in bare feet/socks once you enter the grounds of a temple; not at the actual door, as you'd expect. This means you could be walking on hot stones, pathways, gravel, sand, dirt and for some time. Take socks that you are prepared to sacrifice at the end of the holiday! If you have problems with your feet, then this holiday may not be for you. In Dalhousie, Adam's Peak location, the hotel is on 4 x floors and the rooms with the view are located away from the main building and up 262 steps - and that is not just 'a series of steps' (per the Trip Notes) - that's a lot! The porters will take your luggage, but you have to walk up/down yourself. If you have bad knees or hips, you may want to consider a room in the main building. (But you still have to get up at least 2 x floors.) Thoroughly recommend this holiday. It was my favourite EXPLORE tour so far!

The Bali, Flores and Komodo Islands tour is suitable for active travellers who enjoy wonderful views, nature, discovering culture, photography, swimming and good food. Our excellent guide - Anton - was always willing to stop the vehicle for us to catch a view and a picture as we passed by some stunning views. You're staying in a combination of basic and good hotels and a night and two days on a boat. (Ours had bathrooms in each cabin.) We travelled by boat between the islands of Rinca and Komodo with reasonably basic accommodation, but excellent food. This part of the trip provided ample opportunity to walk (guided by a Ranger) and see at close quarters the famous dragons. We managed to see 13 between 2m and 3m across two walks. As a diver I really enjoyed the snorkelling off the islands was very good with an excellent selection of coral, plenty of turtles and fish. There is also a chance to snorkel with Manta Rays at one of the top 3 spots in the world to see these beasts. Unfortunately, during our visit the Mantas were missing, but I did get close to perhaps a dozen Green and Hawksbill turtles. Back in Flores and Bali the fish markets sold and cooked on the spot beautiful fresh fish at a fraction of the cost you might pay in the UK. An opportunity to visit two functioning megalithic villages built from bamboo, thatch and stone was fascinating. If you like expansive views of lush green rice terraces Bali and Western Flores. Elsewhere, you'll walk through growths of vanilla, papaya, Jack fruit, Cocoa and heaven knows what else. Our guide Anton was excellent, knowledgeable, flexible and unstoppable. I'd highly recommend this trip.

Japan cycle with EXplore was excellent . The Leader was very efficient, the sights , descriptions and knowledge were very good . I would say getting us 12 riders from A to B , on bullet trains, buses and bikes was exceptional. The whole team of the 5 support personnel were very good. Japan is diverse so we had to contend with some built up areas , which were compensated by incredible mountain descents and Sado Island coastal riding . The bikes were great , perfect for this tour . We found that most hotels did not have a common bar area to socialise after the rides , but when there was we made up for it !

Positives: Sri Lanka and its people are beautiful and I felt very welcome here. Our guide (Ash) shared his expert knowledge with us in a very considerate way, always providing a well timed and appropriate level of detail but without information overload. I found him to be very calm, caring and mindful of individual interests across the group. I felt that he gave us an immersive experience of his county and culture as well as a guided tour. Our driver and helper were also great. My most memorable highlight was climbing Lion Rock to see the sunrise. I also enjoyed the food and authentic cooking demonstrations. Most accommodations were very good and overall I was very glad to have taken this tour. Room for improvement: Transport - our minibus was very uncomfortable for long journeys. Adam’s Peak - only 4 of our group of 12 did the climb and the accommodation was awful with over 300 external stone steps to climb to our room. Quite treacherous after heavy rain and fallen leaves. No soap provided in the ladies’ loo by the dining area. For me, this is a red flag on hygiene standards. I suggest offering Adam’s peak as an optional tour rather than part of the core itinerary. Offer other options - e.g. we were 5 mins drive from our next hotel before heading past to a mediocre food court and the tea factory. I felt that a hotel drop could have been offered for anyone wanting to spend the afternoon there to enjoy the spa, pool etc. instead. Safari - I didn’t enjoy the first one. We spent 3 hours bumping around on a dusty track in the afternoon heat and saw one elephant and a few water buffalo in the far distance. The other two safaris were also scheduled in the afternoon heat so I chose not to join them although fellow travellers said that both were better than the first. Consider whether safaris could be scheduled for early morning.