Baltic Tours and Trips

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip. The smaller group was great and our driver, Paul, and tour guide Colette Dennison, were consummate professionals. I swear that Colette has swallowed a couple of encyclopedias as she was so knowledgeable and added greatly to our experience on this tour. We did have issues with the original coach, even though it was brand new, where we were stranded on the side of the road, but both Paul and Colette were amazing and were on it. We did have 4 different coaches on this tour, but it never prevented us from getting from point A to B because of the hard work that Paul and Colette did to ensure that our tour was not negatively impacted. They were honestly the absolute best and would honestly want to travel with them again on another tour. Things we enjoyed on the trip: the hotels were absolutely amazing, the highlights were perfect for a quick whirlwind of a trip around Ireland, the food was wonderful and the excursions were fun. The 2 nights at Ashford Castle and doing the Hawk Walk were the highlight for us on this tour. We also enjoyed Kate Kearney dinner with the group. Things that could be improved upon. This tour needed bookends; meaning, it was missing a first day kick off to meet everyone. A simple cocktail hour at a cool venue (perhaps have wine at Trinity College or something unique) to really 'kick off' this amazing tour to "set the stage" for this premium trip where it would give us an opportunity to move around, meet and greet folks, and have an idea who we'd be with versus just starting a walking tour. It could be optional but alot of people did arrive a day or two before, so it would be highly attended I'm sure. It also felt very deflated at the end. There was no closing dinner in Dublin when we returned. It felt very much like, 'this is it' no farewell, no opportunity to say goodbyes, nothing. Just drop off at the hotel. Things that were not bad but maybe leave off or restructure would be the Moments that Matter Seaweed Foraging. The guide was very sweet and knowledgable, but because this is a fast trip, it felt forced and I don't think many people wanted to do this excursion. That time could have been better spent getting to Killarney and enjoying the Great Southern Killarney a little longer. Also, eliminate ANY excursions while at Ashford Castle. For example Kylemore Abbey, no one wanted to leave Ashford Castle, but felt that we were missing out on seeing something great. Recommendation, we were fortunate because our travel agent and friends who went on this exact trip in April told us to contact Ashford Castle and schedule our desired activities we were able to get our Falcon Walk secured. However, there were folks who were not able to get activities confirmed because it was busy season. I'm sure that was a let down for these folks. So, perhaps have Brendan notify travelers early that activities at Ashford Castle need to be scheduled 4-6 weeks prior to the trip.

Excellent trip which was well organised and gave the right balance of group activity and free time. The train journeys and overnight ferry crossing worked well and the fjord boat trip and flåm railway were lovely. It would be interesting to see more of Denmark and Sweden but that would make it quite a long trip, however my appetite to revisit these countries has been whetted! Paula was a very good tour leader!

Very good overview of Portugal. However, would have liked to spend more time in Lisbon. Would have appreciated if there was a local guide to show the Alfama district, the castle and explore the local food scene.

We had plenty of 2 night stays in places, fabulous hotels. Tour guide was very good, so much knowledge and very passionate about it also a very good sense of humour.

The holiday was lovely. Thanos is amazing. So knowledgeable and full of information. George and Jargas were also wonderful. Food was very nice as well. I like that Thanos kept on top of the weather and wind conditions and adapted the daily plans according to that to make the most of the holiday. The accommodation was very basic, but this was very clear from the onset and information provided by Explore so one knew what to expect. The boat itself is well organised and even in the heat of the day, being on water means we had a breeze which made staying on the deck or in the langue really nice.

As Explore state, this is a FULL-ON safari, lots of time in the jeep but you don't really notice it as there is always something to see/experience. The wildlife density far exceeded expectations and the knowledge of our guide Joe was exceptional, as was his ability to anticipate where to position us for the best viewing experience. Wild dogs, leopards, lions, giraffes, elephants, buffalos, hippos, cheetahs, jackals, zebras, a whole mix of antelope and myriad of bird life that kept our 'twitcher' group members very happy indeed! You will not be disappointed, this is a great trip! Tips: - In the dry season, it is cold in the mornings/nights, pack LAYERS, and include a pair of gloves, a beanie, some thermals, warm fleece/jacket and something windproof. Use packing cubes in your bag, helps when moving around so much. - Ladies: Take loo roll/tissues with you for the 'bush wee' stops...and don't forget some eco friendly dog poo bags for putting your loo paper/tissue in after a 'bush wee' so you can dispose of it in camp properly later! It's evident some tourists are not so thoughtful or litter conscious...don't be one of them! - Namibia Visa: ENSURE you get one online beforehand! Yes - The Namibian government website for online applications is a nightmare, BUT keep trying and do so well before your departure. Alternatively use a third party and just ****-up the extra they charge, as VISA ON ARRIVAL is a lottery!! Five out of eight of our group had not got visas beforehand, having given up with the online application process, and the solo border guard would not process Visas on Arrival for them. Just said his colleague was off and he couldn't do it. This left us sat at the border for 2 hours whilst alternatives were explored of how to get the five back to Victoria Falls. Then suddenly another border supervisor appeared and they got their visas processed but not without a lot of upset and stress. Some things that could be improved: - It seemed a lot of driving for our single driver/guide to do alone. With 4 days between 250-350km and the last day over 500km, and that without game drives added in. - The houseboat was a bit of an anticlimax, somewhat tired and could do with some TLC. It only moved about a kilometre upstream and then moored-up, but the launch trips from it were excellent, particularly for bird spotting. - Explore: Link with a third party to sort the Namibia visas out for your clients. Or at least, DO NOT ADVISE that Visa on Arrival is an option, it may be in theory, but in reality it is a lottery at best! We came very close to having to re-route five members back through Botswana, with discussions of flights from Maun to Vic Falls being considered.