India and Uzbekistan Tours and Trips

It was an excellent trip with a delightful group many of whom are committed ‘explorers’ who had visited many countries. We all enjoyed the company of our young Uzbek leader whose English was exceptional as well as his pride in his country and his ambition for sustainable tourism. My first trip with ‘Explore’, I was impressed by their determination to fund local family-run small hotels in or just outside the gates of the old cities. Mohammed gave us good tips where we could eat at night and it was splendid to have free time to wander the streets and workshops in our own ways . Everywhere we found great friendliness and welcome even without a common language, though the Uzbeks language skills, particularly among the young are impressive and shaming. Their charm, business sense, command of technology, long tradition of beauty, colour and design in their architecture and crafts, their energy and ambition bodes well for their future prosperity.

This extension trip is fantastic, good value, well organised and Ranthambore is amazing. I did 3 safaris - one zone 10 (buffer zone) so not likely to see tigers and the other 2 in zone 2 and 3 (premium zone) the guides were fabulous, the birds and wildlife wonderful and the 2 tigers were saw were close and stunning. The rules and ethics were closely followed - no radios to call other jeeps to the tigers and respectful distances were maintained from animals. The hotel and food was lovely

As an introduction to India this trip ticked all the boxes for me. The pace is full on and there are some early starts but seeing the Taj Mahal at sunrise is something I Wii never forget. Our guide was brilliant, extremely knowledgeable and organised. He definitely made sure our experience of India was unforgettable. I am looking forward to going back one day.

A really enjoyable and interesting trip with a lovely group and very helpful leader, as well as local guides in each city. We learned a lot about the history and culture and travelled on all sorts of different modes of transport. Most of the hotels were excellent, but the one in Samarkand had been changed and didn't match up to the "upgraded" category on either facilities or location. I had a very small room without bedside light and very little storage space. Having said that, the other hotels were lovely! The meals included on the trip were excellent and there were helpful recommendations for the other nights, although most of us had guidebooks too. Worth doing some reading up about the Silk Road beforehand.

The perfect balance of a fairly challenging two weeks of cycling, varied scenery, activities out of the saddle that are just as good as those in it, and a beach ending that is the cherry on top! Who doesn't want to spend their rest day searching for tigers & elephants in Bandipur National Park? Our leader, Safi, had 15 years experience and his local knowledge made sure we saw the real heart of India. I would go and do this very trip again and I don't think I've ever said that about a trip. 10 stars!

The trip was very well run with the tours and transport always smooth and on time. The guides were well informed and there were plenty of breaks and the tours weren't exhausting. The hotels were pleasant especially in Khiva and Tashkent. Our tour leader Fariddun was extremely helpful, well-organised and coped with all sorts of small and larger problems with ease and grace. He never seemed stressed or out of his depth.