North America Tours in Winter

Thoroughly enjoyable trip that encompassed Mayan temples, jungles, wildlife, and culminating with a snorkeling trip on the final day on three individual reefs that provided everything that you never expect to see in such a short 2-week holiday. It is difficult to explain how so much was achieved in such a short time. Each hotel room is basic and has its own character except for the Sea Spray Hotel [which resembled a jail cell in a military guard room], something you must bear in mind if you are expecting a little more luxury. The food was surprisingly good and got better the more adventurous you got when trying out new menus in different locations. Transport was not amazing. Given that there was more that a dozen of us in the group, I was not expecting a luxurious coach. However, the vehicles provided were relatively uncomfortable considering the back seat had all the luggage crammed onto them and then it was a case of sitting in the remaining seats. Even more impressive was the exceptional tour guide assigned to us. Tarique was phenomenal and nothing was too much for this guy. EXPLORE is in this man’s DNA. His enthusiasm and knowledge know no bounds. He went above and beyond what was expected of him given that there was an incident that required medical attention. This was sorted out post-haste with little and no fuss and with no impact to the trip that day. With Tarique as our tour guide, I genuinely feel we were in safe hands. Tarique, Sir, you are a LEGEND. Overall, it was a fantastic experience that is going to remain with me for quite some time and one that I would highly recommend to those adventurous among you. Belize & Guatemala are places you should see for yourself, if not more than once.

On this Explore trip, a friend and I travelled around Belize and popped into Guatemala. My friend had never done an organized tour like this before but had been curious to try one. She loved the way that the group quickly melded into a large family-type gathering of like minded people. I found Belize to be a small but interesting country, with its British roots and Caribbean influences. Most people know it for the scuba or snorkeling, but we ventured inland to hike and swim in a cooling waterfall, and to visit a 'baboon sanctuary' where howler monkeys let their voices be heard. We were able to explore and climb Mayan ruins and learn about the different cultures ... and how the winner was killed at the culmination of pok ta pok games!. Some of our group were avid bird watchers and a dawn boat ride at Crooked Tree was filled with wildlife, including sightings of a manatee and male green iguanas (who are actually orange during mating season). We did have a few days of very heavy rain at San Ignacio, but usually the rain fell while we were in the van moving from one place to another. Guatamala is Spanish speaking, with a more Latin American feel. We enjoyed being in the jungle at Tikal and on the lake at Flores, where the houses have decorative doors just asking to be photographed. We saw a toucan enjoying a breakfast of dates at the hotel, just outside the open air restaurant. Our final day together was spent on Caye Caulker. It was magical to be out on a boat, snorkeling with nurse sharks and watching the captain's "pet" jack fish follow him closely as he pointed out eels, lobster and colorful fish. It was a day that will stay in my memory as a perfect day. Our guide Tarik was informative and well organized. But most of all - Tarik was a lot of fun and could make the dullest drives a pleasure, as he read from his junior school book in the local dialect. Our group had people of varying ages and physical abilities, but Tarik managed to keep everybody in mind as we toured the Mayan sites. He had great recommendations and spent time getting to know each person a bit more over meals and during walks, or evening drinks.

All accommodations were fantastic. Absolutely loved the shows and all the Christmas lights. One complaint I have is our tour guide, Don, was very rude and disrespectful to a few of the elderly people on the tour. I was shocked and upset on his tone with how he treated them.

A fantastic trip with a great mix of history, wildlife and beaches. Our tour leader Tarique was fantastic, he was very patient with the group and passionate about his county and the wildlife. Making for an all round fun trip.

Very well organized and balanced tour with exceptional tour guide (Eileen Coloretti). Favorites were the walk through Central Park West on a beautiful sunny morning after a snow, the Rockettes spectacular, seeing two other shows, and much sightseeing (Christmas decorations, landmarks)done via bus, which helped these 70+ yo bones.

Favorite experience was seeing the Rockettes Holiday Show. It was fabulous! The bus tour from the 9-11 Memorial was extra lengthy, we thought. Not sure if it was traffic or construction or what(?), but it seemed it took us at least an hour longer to get back to the hotel than it took to get there. The included restaurants were great. We loved our tour guide Robert Rubinski. Kathy Fil was very knowledgeable and interested in our experiences.