Goa Tours and Trips

We have done many trips with Explore and this was another fantastic trip around Kerala, the Western Ghats and Goa with a brilliant guide, great group of people and amazing experiences.

Fantastic trip. It is very full on....Explore warn you. One hotel was substandard....Explore will not be using it on next trip. Loved the fact we were in non-touristy areas. I had 2 extra nights at a beach hotel in Goa to relax.....worth doing if you can. A few train journeys which I loved (worth considering a rucksack or holder as luggage rather than suitcase). Go with an open mind and you will love it.

An excellent itinerary, well paced and great accommodation. Our guide Abhi was truly excellent, kind, attentive and concerned that we had a good time. He went out of his way to accommodate our wishes and used local knowledge to find great places to eat. Well organised, he scouted out the opportunity to visit a spice garden because we showed an interest, and a place to see an elephant. Would thoroughly recommend this trip.

Great trip made even more enjoyable by our amazing guide Abhi, he made sure that everyone had the best experience. It was Holi during our trip and he arranged for us to celebrate at the hotel we would be staying on that day.

A great experience to see India and parts of it that you wouldn't see normally. I have enjoyed the experience. If in Kerala the boathouse is a must.

This trip was excellent but undoubtedly needs some modifications. The upgraded hotels were good but there was often inadequate time to spend in them and enjoy and relax which was a pity. There should be fewer destinations to reduce travelling time. The visits that should be eliminated are the Beypore boatyard at Calicut (literally a couple of hulks in half construction) and the mosque, the Wildlife safari on arrival at Wayanad was a waste of time as it took an hours travelling in each direction in the afternoon and a one hour trip in a not very comfortable bus to see five elephants in total. The afternoon could have been spent enjoying the lovely hotel at Wayanad. This was an eco hotel based up in the forest and had some activities such as a night safari led by naturalists. Otherwise highlights were undoubtedly included hindu temples, churches, a synagogue, a mosque and the Tibetan monastery. The houseboat cruise and overnight stay in the backwaters of Kerala at Allepey was excellent and memorable. The one hour traditional theatre trip and following meal in Kochi was great. The two train trips were really interesting along with the visits to the tea and coffee plantations. The hotel at Goa was excellent and we had the time to make full use of it and relax. We had booked an extra day. The trip was made all the more memorable by our excellent guide, Shevi, who could not have been more polite, friendly and helpful. The bus we travelled in was air conditioned and very comfortable and the crew extremely pleasant. Overall I would definitely recommend this trip but hope that Explore may modify it taking into account the comments about travelling times and some of the visits.