Simple stays with essential amenities. Typically guesthouses, hostels or hotels rated below 3 stars — clean, no-frills, and great for value-conscious travelers.
Comfortable and reliable 3-star stays. Expect private rooms, en-suite bathrooms, and solid amenities — a great balance between comfort and cost.
Upscale 4-5 star hotels and lodges. Enjoy high-end service, refined comfort, and premium locations — ideal for travelers seeking extra indulgence.
This holiday delivered on every front. We saw so much wildlife and enjoyed the variety of parks and environments. We were very lucky in having a small group and this added to the enjoyment. The Tortilis camps are fabulous and on 2 occasions catered for only 4 guests eight 18 staff. The tents are wonderful and met all our needs. However our fellow guests did experience issues with hot water for their shower on several occasions but staff did endeavour to resolve the issue each time.
Hamse, our guide, was great and also helped us arrange an air balloon trip over the Serengeti which enhanced the overall trip.
Active and outdoorWildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Excellent family adventure. So much fun and excellent guide. Kids will talk about it for a long time. We had 3 families with 6 teenagers who were all impressed.
Active and outdoorWildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We did see a lot of wildlife, though not as much as expected given the advertising for what we would see (we understand this is nature, but Borneo has definitely suffered from the palm oil plantations, the lack of birdlife was evident). The trip notes need updating - the Malaysian Rhino is extinct. Some improvement suggestions is that the tour group was too big (we had 15) for the types of activities and level of fitness needed. One less night in Kuching and instead have a night in Baku National Park would have been better. The park doesn't open til 8-9am so we missed seeing a lot of wildlife at dawn as by the time we got there it was already hot and sunny. It would have been good to know that we were changing guides half way through the tour. We found out it's because they can't work in the other state of Malaysia, (Sarawak and Sabah need different visas) but it would have been nice to know before the trip. If there was a way we could keep the same guide that would be ideal. At least if the first guide had even experienced the whole trip end to end so he could talk about what the second leg involved would have been beneficial. Other than that, we loved the holiday and the accommodation and meals were all of a high standard.
National parksWildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Lodge, Resort, Home-stay
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Sukau, T
Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Sukau, Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sandakan, Bako National Park, Mulu National Park, Kinabalu Park, Sepilok
Good personal hygiene (like client hand washing facilities) was provided frequently on Kilimanjaro trek. Good food was provided for all diet choices.
I would have liked an extra day between the Kilimanjaro trek and the 3 day safari.
Active and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Lodge, Hut, Camping
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Moshi, Karatu, Ngorongoro Crater
Moshi, Karatu, Ngorongoro Crater, Big Tree Forest Camp, Shira One Camp, Shira Two Camp, Barranco Camp, Karanga Camp, Barafu Camp, Millennium Camp
We had the most incredible time on the Highlights of Assam and Nagaland trip. We have travelled a number of times with Explore, and our expectations were blown away at every stage of this incredible trip.
Wildlife highlights included the river dolphins on the Brahmaputra and incredible safaris - including the 'Big 5' in Kaziranga National Park - Royal Bengal Tiger, Water Buffalo, Indian One-Horn Rhino, Elephant and the Swamp Deer! The Khasi hills were stunning, with the walk to the living root bridges a real highlight. We were lucky to have a swim in the crystal-clear river to cool off at the bottom of the valley before trekking back up the steps! Longwa Headhunter Village afforded us some fantastic interactions with local people and opportunities to see their local cottage industries. Majuli Island was a beautiful, relaxing and spiritual place, as were the tea plantations in Dibrugarh.
Of course, the incredible Hornbill Festival was a sight to behold. We spent two full days wandering around the various tribes longhouses, interacting with the friendly tribes, trying local delicacies and watching their performances. This is truly an experience not to be missed...
There were some long drives, as expected, but these seemed to be well-planned and the views were often spectacular - especially in the Naga Hills and plains of Cherrapunjee.
Our driver, Moon was fantastic - safe, calm and worked hard to find us the best stops for photos etc.
Our guide, Pema Bhutia, is an absolute credit to Explore and his homeland. Passionate, caring, kind and knowledgeable, he went over and above at every opportunity to ensure our experience was first class - we would definitely travel with Pema again in future.
Overall, don't hesitate to book this trip - the accommodation was much better than described, the infrastructure in the region is improving slowly, and the food is fantastic. It's still a relatively unexplored part of the world, rich in culture and tradition that surely won't disappoint even the most seasoned traveller!
City sightseeing
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Bungalow, Guest House, Resort, Villa
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Kolkata, Assam, Guwahati, Majuli
Kolkata, Assam, Guwahati, Majuli Island, Nagaland, Longwa, Dibrugarh, Umananda, Cherrapunjee, Khasi, Kaziranga National Park, Mokochung
I had booked to go on a group tour but ended up being the only person travelling. I wondered if this would be a problem.. but it was brilliant. I had my own guide, transport and could decide what to do when I wanted. The trip itself was amazing, 5 different areas and all just as good as the next. Lovely accommodation, especially in Arenal, great food, fantastic wildlife and the most beautiful country.
My guide was so nice, kind, respectful, amazing knowledge of the country and all the wildlife. The additional trips were really good and where necessary I just tagged on with other people so it was never a problem. The tour was full on, some early starts and at times not for the faint of heart, but for me it was perfect. I loved every single second of this trip. Thank you so much.
Wildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Awesome, amazing, fantastic … a magical tour. We were very fortunate to have fine clear and sunny skies with no wind for large period of our trip. We did experience whiteouts in the mountains and a little snow. The Northern Lights were better than I hoped for. Erla our guide was superb, enthusiastic to share her knowledge and love for her country with a great itinerary. Thor our driver was also fantastic and safe as there were a few tricky days with whiteouts and ice! Highly recommend this tour. Food was tops too
WildlifeActive and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
16-79 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Reykjavik, Akureyri, Hrisey Isla
Reykjavik, Akureyri, Hrisey Island, Lake Myvatn, Dettifoss, Hofn, Vik, Geysir
This trip was amazing - from the accommodation, to the food, to the hotel staff and guides to the huge abundance of wildlife we saw.
The Masai Mara lived up to expectations, with the magical wildlife encounters - including watching a leopard drag her recent kill to a tree and seeing a cheetah carrying her tiny cub to an area of safety. Seeing so many lions also made me very happy!
Tsavo had less easily seen wildlife, but staying at the wonderful Kipalo Hills more than compensated. What a wonderful place to relax and just enjoy the peace and quiet.
Wildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
The trip really packed in some iconic elements of Costa Rica, and lived up to its name in terms of seeing the highlights. It was great to experience the contrast of the Caribbean lowlands, rain forest and the pacific coast. And seeing the abundance of wildlife was incredible, as well as the delicious local dishes and wonderful people we me along the way.
The guide was great, really personable and had good knowledge and a keen sense to show us as much as possible, often stopping en route when he had spied interesting animals from the van.
The Manuel Antonio and the La Fortuna accommodation was great. The Authentico hotel was fine for passing through but we had paid for an additional night in San Jose, and for this purpose the hotel wasn’t in the best of locations as it was on the edge of the city with not much around in terms of restaurants so we felt a bit stuck in the hotel at the end.
WildlifeActive and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Armond was an amazing leader, with local knowledge a good sense of how to engage us all in what was happening, and life in general in Madagascar. We learned so much. The local tour guides at each national park were super helpful and gave us that individual attention to be able to find the amazing animals. Michele our bus driver was incredible - how we didn't feel bounced around on those super rough roads was testament to his skill.
Being an active tour was really good - not so long in the bus each day and a chance to get a walk in really made a difference.
The challenge of the 4-day hike up a mountain was memorable and felt like a real achievement.
WildlifeActive and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Bungalow, Resort, Camping, Eco Lodge, Guest House
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Antananarivo, Isalo National Par
Antananarivo, Isalo National Park, Ifaty, Ambositra, Ranomafana, Ambalavao, Andringitra National Park, Imarivolanitra
