Last Minute Asia Tours and July

The Simply Japan tour by Explore is a fantastic introduction to Japan, its history, culture, and cuisine. The tour covers lots of ground travelling by train, and we visited lots of different localities. We were blessed to have a wonderful knowledgeable Tour Leader who quite frankly, brought Japan to life for us. Highly recommended.

Loved this tour, it covered all the major sites for a first time visitor and left some free time to follow your own preferences. Tour leader was EXCELLENT and so knowledgeable. Transport links worked fine, we did not have our own tour bus, we used public transport and occasionally sent our luggage on by road, that worked fine. A great trip!

Initial booking was made easy by friendly and attentive staff. The guide was well prepared, knowledgeable and had good presentation skills. He related to the entire group and went out of his way to attend to everyones demands. He offered several extra tours for those who did not want free time. We however, relished free time to explore some different areas. The itinerary was a great overview of Japan especially for those of us visiting for the first time.

This was an amazing trip. The early starts were well worth it and it seemed that everyday there was something unexpected to enjoy. We visited so many different placed and experienced so many different things. It's hard to choose a favourite but I think staying in and experiencing the monastery were highlights for me. Also experiencing a different culture which appears very western on the surface but is totally different was fascinating. Our guide, Vania was amazing and probably the best guide I have encountered. She was very friendly, professional, knew everyones names and needs very quickly, got us to and into places very efficiently and was extremely knowledgeable about all things Japanese. I travelled with a small carry on bag as suggested and this was perfectly adequate especially as there are really good, easy to use laundry facilities in the hotels. I loved this trip. Thank you Explore

This was my first time doing cost saver, and I liked that there was a lot of flexibility in the schedule. I enjoyed the included activities. I do think some of the optional experiences were a bit pricey.

An excellent and high paced tour covering the country from Tashkent, via Nukus, Khiva and Bukhara to finish in Samarkand. A lot of miles are covered comfortably and efficiently by plane, bus and high-speed train. All the hotels were of a high standard with the Latifa Begim Hotel in the centre of Bukhara being my favourite for its comfort, old style (although only 3 years old) and its proximity to all the historic sites of the town. You were never more than a short walk away from historical sites, shops in the 1569 built shopping arcade and numerous restaurants. Tulkin. our guide. Was very knowledgeable regarding the long and complex history of Uzbekistan, and its peoples. Sometimes it would have been nice to have had less of an historical sweep in the hot sun and some finer detail of artefacts that we saw on the walk around. Uzbekistan is not a country known for culinary finesse. Menus were sometimes very repetitive and bland, although salads were always fresh and varied and well prepared. Dill is a favourite flavouring. In April 2026 the Government decreed that alcohol (and tobacco) could no longer be purchased with cash. This altered the financial dynamics of the monies held. Some hotels/restaurants ignored this ruling but others adhered to it strictly. Cards became far more accepted. The financial section of the trip notes needs reviewing and amending. It was a wonderful and memorable experience and one that I would recommend to anyone wanting to travel away from the traditional hotspots. It has sparked my interest in the other “Stans”.