Asia Tours in Winter

I feel like 5 days was a perfect amount of time to see Jordan. All of the places that we went were amazing and we had a good amount of time at each place. The local guide was very knowledgeable, helpful and accommodating.

We had a great leader, tacking us to restaurants to eat with the locals. He was good at explaining things to us and went out of his way to help us. When the cyclone hit and our flights were cancelled he helped us with alternate flights and accommodation we would have struggled on our own. My only suggestion for the tour that could be different would be exploring the backwaters canals in small boats.

Laos was lovely, still not touristy and quite laid back. Luang Prabang is quite charming. There was a good range of places to see and enjoyable boat trips, especially the day on the Mekong, many waterfalls and lush scenery in the North. Very friendly people although not much English spoken and you have to be prepared for some slow and haphazard service in restaurants. Food was generally tasty. The accomodation was very good at times especially compared to many Explore tours although sometimes you didn't have enough time to enjoy the facilities on offer. The roads are generally in a basic state so there were some long days of travel. The tour leader, Tra and our first local guide, AK were excellent. I had been to Cambodia before and would recommend it. The various temples on the Angkor Wat site are excellent. This time I had a tummy bug so wasn't able to enjoy it as much. It would be great if Explore return to offering a two week trip to Cambodia, which is what I did before and started to offer a two week trip to Laos. It can be nice to have the option to see places in a bit more depth.

This was my first time to India and I decided I wanted to start in the south because I heard it was a bit more beginner friendly and I was traveling with my daughter in her late teens for our first time just the two of us. I was blown away by the warm hospitality, the scenery, the food and how well organized this trip was. The itinerary is varied and really includes a bit of everything you need to see in Kerala and Tamil Nadu: verdant tea plantations, historical architecture and incredible access to temples, welcoming and warm connection with local people and guides, spice gardens, wildlife preserves, drifting down the backwaters in a houseboat with your own cook and captain, I still can't believe we did and saw so much. We ate a huge meal one night with a local family and then toured a village and learned about traditional crafts with another family, we got beach and pool time and watched thunderstorms out over the Arabian Sea as we enjoyed dinner as a group. Just truly an unforgettable experience every step of the way.

This was a great summary trip for Laos and Cambodia. It was made infinitely better by our trip manager, Harry, who was so organised and sent out great summaries for every place we stopped in. All the accommodation was decent and internal transfers by coach were comfortable. We had a relatively small group which worked nicely being able to get around easier and we all got on. I think with trips that are relatively quick there is always more to discover but for what we paid and the inclusions it was pretty good! You certainly had the flexibility to go off and do your own thing if you didn't want to do specific included experiences or the paid add-ons.

We loved this trip. Yes, some of the hotels were pretty average, yes a few didn't have hot water, and yes some had extremely inefficient staff, but that's not what you are going for. We got to visit the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati which should be on the itinerary. Each place we visited throughout the trip was very much worth the time and effort to get there. Even on the long drive days the stops didn't feel like just fillers that you might get somewhere else. Kaziranga National Park was a lovely day and we saw a lot of elephant and dozens of rhino. So much more than we thought we might, and at a lot closer quarter too. The trek down to the root bridges at Cherrapunjee was another highlight. It is a big effort as described in the notes and in other reviews, but worth every step. They are remarkable. We walk a lot, but never previously used walking poles, however, we did on this day and I'd highly using them. The hotel there is lovely with great views over the Sylhet plains into Bangladesh. Hornbill Festival was incredible and a massive highlight. Our guide, Pema, got us to the festival nice and early and we were able to experience all the tribal groups entering the arena to take their places, all singing, chanting, drumming. Absolutely wonderful and an experience we will remember for a long time. And a second day to fully absorb it. Amazing, loved it! The Majuli Island stay was another totally different environment. The ferry to and from is a great experience. The temple visits were beautiful and a contrast to the full on craziness of Hornbill Festival. It was also really lovely to be able to walk through small villages and meet local people. The day at Longwa village was another extraordinary time. Meeting the ex headhunters, a wander through the hilltop border village, a great lunch in a longhouse. So different from anywhere else we've been. And the last night in a lovely old colonial tea bungalow and time meeting the ladies picking leaves on the plantation was a lovely treat. Things don't work in this part of the world as you may be accustomed to, but just go with it and this trip will reward you with some extraordinary experiences.