North America Small Group Trips

The leader with very accommodating, the hotel in Calgary was not brilliant with several members of the group having some sort electrical faults. My coffee machine didn’t work but was Leaking from the bottom. I loved the wildlife, it may have been better to do the mousse trail in the morning, as more of a chance to see them, and the Moraine boat trip later, but the group leader was trying to accommodate everyone! All in all a great Trip and I will certainly be hoping, finances allowing, to book another trip with Explore!

It’s really difficult to say whether I’d recommend the NWP trip. Our trip was extraordinary in terms of weather, sea and animal sightings. You couldn’t get better. Narwhals, beluga and musk-ox. And 8 polar bears including mother with two cubs. The trip that went from east to west from Greenland saw much less than we did and believe it or not couldn’t get into Ilulissat as too much ice - a Greenland highlight. 7 ships made it into Pond Inlet this season - Sylvia Earl twice and Greg twice. So even today the NWP is a serious challenge.

Carl our leader demonstrated a high level of knowledge about every location we visited. He drove us safely over I guess 3000 miles; recommended superb restaurants; and was an open friendly chap.

Alaska had been on my bucket list for years. This trip was everything I hoped it would be--plenty of varied activities, scenery and opportunities to see wildlife. Alaska is a huge place, and this trip allowed me to see many of the must-see areas with a great group of like-minded participants led by a knowledgeable and helpful guide. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone who would like to experience the best Alaska has to offer.

Anyone considering going on this trip needs to think about why they are going. If it is for wildlife eg. birds, they need to investigate the best time of the year to go, taking migration into account etc. I had a wonderful time on this trip. Whilst the wildlife were not particularly co-operative, or the weather, the Expedition Team did their best at all times to fulfil the itinerary and give us the best opportunity to see the expected wild life. Whilst many whales were missing, we had the unusual bonus of seeing six Polar Bears and 17 Narwhals! You win some, you lose some! The M/V Greg Mortimer is an impressive ship, keeping the rocking and rolling across Baffin Bay, to a minimum. Inside it is extremely comfortable, all the 'hotel' staff are friendly and very professional. The rooms were kept spotless and serviced twice a day. There was a very large choice of good food at all meals. Two meals are buffet and the evening dinner, a served meal. The lectures on board, given by members of the Expedition Team and some guest lecturers, were linked to the programme and additional ones added where particular interest was shown by passengers. They were of a high standard. I am very happy to recommend this trip to those who are prepared to be flexible, both with the itinerary and daily programme. One day we started on Plan A and ended on Plan E thanks to the weather! It should not be considered as a cruise but a truly exploratory trip, getting into zodiacs a couple of times a day to go and get close up views of icebergs, bird nesting cliffs, glaciers: anything that may be of interest.

An incredible experience, I had an amazing time. 10 strangers came together in week 1, we and shared lots of fantastic experiences, we ended up finishing the trip as 10 friends with great memories