A wonderful trip with a great group. Nick the leader was great, extremely informative both about his country but also with his detailed briefings prior to every ride. The trip was well run and a perfect blend of culture, history and enjoyable cycling.
The cycling is reasonably challenging at times and a level of fitness and experience on roads with heavy traffic is needed. It is hilly with some stiff climbs made more so by the hot temperatures we experienced in July. The provided mountain bikes where OK but would be much improved with semi slick tires.
Accommodation and the food in particular was memorable, the later far exceeding expectations.
Bicycle tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Had an amazing time cycling & exploring Jordan. Lots of interesting activities on during the non cycling times. Petra & Wadi Rum were just amazing places.
Met some great people. I can’t fault Explore holidays. This was our 3rd trip & 1st cycling holiday.
We would 100% recommend & will book with Explore again.
Bicycle tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Tent, Luxury Hotel
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Amman, Madaba, Dead Sea, Petra
Amman, Madaba, Dead Sea, Petra, Little Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba
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
This is a tour of archeological sites mixed with typical mexican dishes and exploration of Mexican Landscapes and sometimes even birdlife. We began in Mexico City - where I would recommend to arrive 1-2 days early Try to book tickets for night performance at Palacio de Bellas artes & if you like Frida Kahlo. Coyoacan itself was very turisty - too crowded (did not like that so much).
We loved the new feature -the excellent Jamaica Market in Mexico City - which is an amazing food- flower - fruit market. Some of the rides between Mexico City- Puebla-Oaxaca- Chiapas- San Cristobal-Palenque-Campeche and Merida can be rather long - around 5-6 hours in a bumby buss, so although the pace is moderate be aware that you are driving long distances. We loved Puebla - an old colonial spanish city, Oaxaca - nice colorfull - the sumidiero canyon (amazing boat ride along grand canyon like landscape). Of course the archeological sites are great and impressive (I liked Palenque). The food is a majority of meat but you do get to sample a lot of different foods - fruit & fish included, some I liked and some were not to my taste (but all good quality). The cooking class was great. The good part is that all breakfast is included and some of the lunches or diners too. Don't expect much of the swimming pools - they are rather small. The last day we went to swim in a cenote - which was awesome - a sort of sinkhole. Our tourleader gave us detailed explanations about archeology - he has a university degree in this. The advantage of this tour is that you get to stay in some places for 2-3 nights so this makes the tour more relaxing than others. There are no beach opportunities, unless you go the last days to Cancun. I would definately recommend this tour as I think the combination of food - markets and archeology is more varied and offers a more interesting perspective than only the archeology.
Food tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Our tour guide Iara Musumeci was amazing, she was customer focused and guided us with local assistance to some amazing places, whilst always ensuring we were safe and able to complete the hikes. The holiday format was very good apart from one night of camping in a tent after a wet hike. Overall it was a great holiday of a lifetime and I would thoroughly recommend Explore as a default holiday company.
Trekking and Hiking
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
A varied trip providing an excellent taster to Kyrgyzstan. Aisuluu our tour guide was passionate about their country and was keen to showcase the culture and scenery, all with a wonderful sense of humour.
The yurt camp experience was excellent and well worth bumping along the roads to get there. Food and beer were great too. A wonderful country that is worth a visit.
Trekking and Hiking
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
This was a full on bucket list trip for myself and my family and it did not disappoint in any way. We got to see all the incredible sites of Jordan such as Petra and the Dead Sea and then a number of others we had no expectations of, such as Jerash, which we found absolutely fascinating. It was a very busy trip - especially as we went on all the extra excursions that we could and I would highly recommend it. The people were incredibly friendly and our guide and driver were incredible.
Cultural, religious and historic sites
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Tent, Camping, Resort
Age Range
7-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Amman, Madaba, Little Petra, Pet
Amman, Madaba, Little Petra, Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba
Well paced trip that covers highlights of Vietnam. Even time spent on buses to cover the large distances was entertaining, viewing lovely countryside and people going about their lives. Trip doesn't just do the big city tourist attractions but gets you out into the highlands to see more rural life.
Active and outdoorCruise
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Sleeper Train, Resort, Home-stay
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Kon Tum, Buon Me Thuot, Nha Trang, Mekong Delta, Halong Bay, Hue
We really enjoyed this comprehensive tour of Vietnam. Including time in more rural areas as well as the well known cities and sites, it gave us a great insight into local culture and there was plenty of opportunity to meet the locals who were incredibly friendly. The trip ran seemlesly in the extremely capable hands of our tour leader Diem, one of the best we've had (this was our 6th family holiday with Explore). Highlights would include all of the bike rides, exploring Tam Coc caves by boat, Saigon by cyclo, the amazing food, so fresh and plentiful, and the kids loved haggling for bargains in the markets and shops (especially Hoi An). Accommodation and transport were both of a great standard. Well done Explore!