Andes Solo Trips and Holidays

A fabulous trip for those who are a little adventurous in their travels - the itinerary is a really good mix of insights into the history and culture of both countries as well as the beautiful nature reserves and abundant birdlife. Our tour leader was caring and organised and enhanced our experience by sharing personal experiences.

The tour leader was excellent. He made a change to the planned itinerary when we were on the River Kwai and, I believe, much improved our experience. We visited the site of the Bridge on the River Kwai one day and Hellfire Pass on the next day. They were enthralling and it was good to feel rested when we visited each site. I also loved the two half days I spent relaxing at the floating hotel on the Rive Kwai - that suited me much better than a full day with nothing planned. We were very lucky with our guide who was consistently friendly, informative and fun to be with. He went out of his way to help us all access places that we were interested in

Great itinerary; visiting a variety of wildlife hotspots and scenery. It was the rainy season with many animals having recently produced offspring. We were lucky and saw a great variety of animal families from elephants, giraffes, hippos, jackals and various species of antelopes to lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs, not to mention the huge number of birds. The quality of accommodation varied from luxury lodges to simple tents. Camping in the rainy season has its challenges; everything is always damp and roads can be flooded. Our tour leader was excellent. Not only did he expertly navigate the roads there was nothing he didn't know about the animals we encountered. He also made sure that we had enough time to observe them and take plenty of photos. The tour ended with a visit of the spectacular Victoria Falls and we took the opportunity to go on a helicopter flight over the area which was well worth it. A memorable trip overall.

We had 2 Explore Leaders both were very knowledgable and helpful. But I think our Cambodian Leader was more experienced and this came across in his over all engagement with us

An amazing tour & I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Explore. The ride is accuratey rated "leisurely" & it was. The water breaks every 6-7km were perfect. Cold water was provided at every break. Safety was number 1 with this tour & the mechanic from the back would come forward to stop on coming traffic if we needed to cross the street or make a turn. The tour leader's pace was perfect & agreeable to everyone on the tour. Bikes provided were in excellent condition. I rented an ebike & it was given to me fully charged every day. The activities organized by the tour were well organized, interesting & educational. There was some free time given each day. Meals & accommodations were excellent. Clean & well appointed rooms. Most hotels had a pool. Meals that the tour provided were authentic ethnic meals. Food preferences & allergies were considered for every meal. Bihn was an excellent guide. His English is very good. He provided excellent education & organization throughout the day. He was always available for questions or assistance. He was very clear with the how the day would "play out". The only negative I have to comment on was the Cambodian temple guide's English was not good & it was extremely difficult to understand & follow his information. He was enthusiastic & did put in a good effort. The other negative was the hotel in Siem Reap. Upon completion of the tour we stayed a couple of extra days. There was a Cambodian wedding in the neighborhood that played their music super loud for 2 days straight beginning at 4:30am. When I mean loud, it was loud!! Earplugs didn't help & no respite in the room. Extra bass between 10-11pm on the last night!! The hotel manager could not change the music, but did comp us a couple of drinks & a meal. I would not hesitate to recommend this tour.

On this Explore trip, a friend and I travelled around Belize and popped into Guatemala. My friend had never done an organized tour like this before but had been curious to try one. She loved the way that the group quickly melded into a large family-type gathering of like minded people. I found Belize to be a small but interesting country, with its British roots and Caribbean influences. Most people know it for the scuba or snorkeling, but we ventured inland to hike and swim in a cooling waterfall, and to visit a 'baboon sanctuary' where howler monkeys let their voices be heard. We were able to explore and climb Mayan ruins and learn about the different cultures ... and how the winner was killed at the culmination of pok ta pok games!. Some of our group were avid bird watchers and a dawn boat ride at Crooked Tree was filled with wildlife, including sightings of a manatee and male green iguanas (who are actually orange during mating season). We did have a few days of very heavy rain at San Ignacio, but usually the rain fell while we were in the van moving from one place to another. Guatamala is Spanish speaking, with a more Latin American feel. We enjoyed being in the jungle at Tikal and on the lake at Flores, where the houses have decorative doors just asking to be photographed. We saw a toucan enjoying a breakfast of dates at the hotel, just outside the open air restaurant. Our final day together was spent on Caye Caulker. It was magical to be out on a boat, snorkeling with nurse sharks and watching the captain's "pet" jack fish follow him closely as he pointed out eels, lobster and colorful fish. It was a day that will stay in my memory as a perfect day. Our guide Tarik was informative and well organized. But most of all - Tarik was a lot of fun and could make the dullest drives a pleasure, as he read from his junior school book in the local dialect. Our group had people of varying ages and physical abilities, but Tarik managed to keep everybody in mind as we toured the Mayan sites. He had great recommendations and spent time getting to know each person a bit more over meals and during walks, or evening drinks.