Balkans Trekking and Hiking Trips

We have had this trip on our radar for a few years but had been put off by poor reviews of both the leader & some of the hotels but we decided to take the plunge & finally book it & we were so glad that we did! We were blessed with having a great group who bonded well together & having Paulo as our leader which made for a fantastic holiday! The walks were all different, from rugged coastal walks to Levadas & magical forests which gave us a true taste of Madeira. Paulo took us to local villages to experience the culture & learn about the history of the island. The hotels were all different in style;- The Dom Pedro is very dated & despite paying for an upgrade, our room was not very nice! The Pestana Casino Studios we liked for their quirky decoration & big rooms although others in our group found them too noisy! For us, the Aqua Natura Hotel was amazing from the fantastic oceon views, the natural salt water pools & lovely food! We felt that the whole holiday was well planned, taken at a relaxed place & tailored to everybodies needs; the trip exceeded our expectations!

I really enjoyed this area and all the walks we did, and the day off on the coast. Overall a very positive and friendly experience for my first group holiday on my own for 25years. The walks we did were essentially all in a semi-circle area around a valley, though each day had a slightly different character and feel to me. All were either started from the pension or a short drive away. We saw some goats and buzzards, though overall less wildlife than I am used to. All the paths were relatively quiet compared to many English popular areas, which I enjoyed. There was a drive down to a stream through narrow town streets that was fun and a chance to buy local olive oil (which did survive the flight back). I enjoyed getting up to see each pretty sunrise. Both towns we visited either side of Benidorm on our day off I also surprised myself by enjoying and are worth visiting.

If you are considering a trip to Patagonia then just do it! This is a truly amazing adventure that has it all - stunning scenery, magnificant walks and wonderful wildlife. You need to be prepared for anything, however, as the weather on our trip ranged between beautiful sunshine to torrential rain and gale-force winds. This meant that the guides had to alter our itinery on a couple of days to ensure our safety. Also do not underestimate the physical and mental demands of this trip. The hike to Base Torres is hard, both physically and in terms of the tricky weather and the exposure and condition of the path in the final ascent. We had snow and ice underfoot on the day we did this. Our guide, Iara, was truly amazing. She enthused us all with her love for Patagonia, attempted to teach us Spanish and kept our spririts up when the weather, and the going, got tough. We definitely recommend this trip - just don't undertake it lightly!

We visited Western Cyprus in early November and found it hotter than we expected, which made the walking a little more arduous. The scenery on the Northern side of the Akamas Peninsula was beautiful with aromatic pine forests and lovely views. The accommodation was excellent and the transfers were perfectly organised. Overall a lovely early winter break.

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.

Our trip on the Portugese Coastal Camino was excellent. They were very easy to work with and their communications were immediate. They took care of all hotels, luggage transfers, most meals and GPS directions. If we had any questions, they were quick to respond. We plan to use their services again.