East Asia Small Group Trips

I thought the itinerary for this trip was good. Warsaw, Wrocław & Kraków are lovely cities. I would suggest that Auschwitz is added to the itinerary as the majority of the group had booked the trip to visit there. Even with the links provided by Explore, and booking far in advance, one member of our group ended up having to leave the hotel at 2:30am to queue for hours to get tickets. I think if Explore organised this, it would make things much easier for everyone. The traditional Jewish dinner with music was an absolute highlight for me, make sure that stays on the itinerary! The Salt mine was incredible & the Gnome hunting was also fun. While our tour leader was a lovely person, this was her first time doing the trip, which meant things were not always what I've come to expect from an Explore tour leader. She seemed a bit disorganised at times, we didn't get a proper introduction and she didn't always communicate to the entire group. At one point we were having a walking tour and I didn't even realise, I had been told it was later and that this was the walk to lunch! I'm sure though with a few tours under her belt this will change. The local tour guide we had in Wrocław was excellent, very funny. No complaints about the accommodation. The place we stayed in Wrocław, which had been changed last minute, was a bit quirky but not unpleasant. A note about the food, the portions are very large, so you might not spend as much money on food as you would expect. I would recommend this trip but just be aware that some of it is very emotional at times, due to the nature of the places you visit. For the free time in Warsaw, I would suggest visiting the Rising museum. I also did the optional excursion to the Ksiaz Castle in Wrocław which was well worth a visit.

An excellent trip, with the highlight being the mountain gorillas, but there was far more to this trip than I was expecting. The walking safari was also excellent, we were very close to giraffes. There are a lot of cultural experiences in this trip, which are excellent as you get to see how the local communities benefit from tourism and learn about their background. However, these all come with purchasing opportunities 'please buy from us and support this project' etc etc. So beware - do not do all your shopping at the first project! Hotels were better than expected in most cases, however the Kampala hotel could be improved on. It was very noisy with music noise most of the night.

Highlight was obviously seeing the dragons on Rinca and Komodo islands. Our guide, Peter, was exceptional, well organised and available. We were lucky to have a small group on the boat, a full group would be very crowded. Worth staying another day at the end.

This was a great hike with an excellent leader who was very knowledgeable, and attentive to our individual needs. We stayed in a variety of accommodation types, but all of them were clean, pleasant and well located.

Azerbaijan: visit Qobustan, which isn't included in the itinerary. Also the Heydar Aliyev Center, and the flame towers at night. Georgia: visit Batumi if possible, which is being dropped from the itinerary. Read Rustaveli's opus: the Knight in the Panther's Skin. Enjoy Georgian wine. Armenia: take the escalator in the Cafesjian Center for the Arts to view contemporary sculptures. Listen to liturgical music by Komitas. Note that there is a different overall guide for each country.

The tour was superb from beginning to end. Pakistan is a much misunderstood country but any preconceptions I had were dissolved almost instantly by the friendliness of the local people, the absolutely stunning scenery and the superb Explore team on the ground. Our Tour Leader - Sajid Ali - was outstanding, along with the rest of the team - Jahangir, Amjad and Sohail. We were supremely looked after throughout, which enhanced the already fantastic experience the itinerary offers. Having felt a little trepidation about the jeep travel, it turned out to be great fun and the drivers were excellent, with safety always the priority. The sights that we saw along the way will stay with me for a long time. If you are considering this trip, go for it!