Kerala & Tamil Nadu Tours in February 2026

The tour is well organised and the guide was extremely attentive to our needs and questions.. The tour goes at quite a pace however the information we learn of the area is superb. One feels one can explain the tour to someone unfamiliar with the area very well. If doing the holiday on your own one would not obtain the friendships of the other tour participants, the fun with the guide and fully understand what we see. The upgrade is a good idea .. I have done Explore before on my own and I brought my partner this time - she absolutely loved it . I felt confident my partner would always like the accommodation on her first trip to India. Please do the upgrade for other holidays - it’s a good idea . Thank you very much

Fantastic guide and all the hotels except 1 were great. The highlight was the house boat on the Kerala Backwaters - a truly fabulous experience. The 2 nights in the Wyanad Jungle hotel were also wonderful - and the coffee plantation visit was excellent. A very varied trip - a good mix of city and varied countryside.

My initial contact with the Explore administration procedure was not good. My address was incorrect and my name misspelled. I also found trying to navigate the app unreliable. My free transfer from Goa was initially booked from the wrong airport in Goa despite me supplying all the flight details. When I pointed out the error I was told it had been corrected. When I checked a few days before my holiday I was shocked to see that the transfer was showing to Belize airport ! I rang yet again and was told by an unconcerned agent that Explore were experiencing problems with the new app . Why was it being used if it was unreliable? Despite these initial misgivings the holiday was by and large amazing.. Abhi our Keralan guide was first rate and made us feel like family. He added experiences which enhanced the holiday such as the morning visit to the fruit market and the opportunity to have a henna experience in Kalicut. It was so good to be able to “talk” with the women working on the tea plantation via Abhi . The negatives were again mainly due to lack of up to date administrative information mainly about travel times between destinations because of road works which should have been checked on and times amended. All the hotels were good apart from the Windflower which was tatty and inefficient. PLEASE ditch the afternoon wildlife drive at Wayanad. It was a waste of time and very uncomfortable after a long day traveling. Anyone who knows anything about wildlife knows that they are sleeping at 3.30 in the afternoon. Instead go straight to Wayanad Wild . One of the highlights of the holiday along with the houseboat. One final negative is the way that Explore treat the drivers . We were shocked to learn that after long days of driving in challenging conditions there was often no room for the driver . If Explore expect their drivers to be at their best they need to be treated with more respect and consideration.

Firstly there was no one when I arrived at the airport to pick me up. After a long flight the last thing you need is to find there is noone there to pick you up. Shevin said he was expecting me the day before but as far as I know nothing was said about a missing traveller! Fortunately a tour operator from another company knew Shevin and knew of Explore and rang Shevin for me and Shevin said I had to get a cab to the hotel. The other tour operator was able to help me book a cab which I had to pay for. There was a toll road and the cab driver asked me for money but I didn't have any local currency so he paid. I was very uncomfortable in the cab as I suspected the driver didn't know where he was going and kept asking people for directions. Shevin gave me money for the cab in small notes over the next few days. There were too many long bus journeys. It was a waste to book first class hotels when we arrived late and left early and so were unable to enjoy them. The "Safari" was pointless - no animals apart from a loan elephant. The trip to the boatyard was a complete failure. The setting was dirty - my local tip is cleaner and tidyer and there were rats running aroung the beach area. Not one of Explore's best.

It was an enjoyable trip but quite a lot of travelling both by coach and train - ie a bit too much. Most of the hotels were great, but only 1 night in many of them became a bit tiresome. The trip to Wayanad Wild was great, as were the visits to the coffee and tea plantations. The visit to the Calicut boatyard was very disappointing as was the lack of wildlife in the wildlife sanctuary, Ending the trip in Goa at Zuri White Sands provided some well needed relaxation

The trip planning was not well thought out ,.The first hotel was very good but in the middle of nowhere ,The afternoon spent at the shipyard and beach was a complete waste of time ,nothing to see Time spent in bus going to wildlife park was far too long should have been an optional excursion .The first Forest hotel was wonderful the second not so good had been sprayed for bed bugs,was in a wonderful setting but tired looking .The staff in this hotel were very helpful and with a little money spent on it would be great. The rest of the holiday was fine . The guide was excellent could perhaps have given us more information about India but otherwise very efficient and fun. I feel that this tour didn’t fulfill the term upgraded Jane Strongman