East Asia Small Group Trips

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful holiday in the truly beautiful country of New Zealand. The itinerary was very well designed to take us to most of the country's highlights, and although it was fast paced to include as much as possible it was all definitely worth it. We were lucky with the weather, the accommodation and organisation were excellent throughout All enhanced by having a marvellous group of travelling companions, and a leader who put in a phenomenal performance, always going above and beyond. New Zealand is, of course a very long way, but it is such a fantastic country that I can't recommend it highly enough. You're sure to love it!!

The trip was as described. Kerala is beautiful and varied. Good mix of settings and activity: treks (2), ambles, houseboat mini-cruise, cookery class, dance performance, bit of sightseeing and shopping time. It was a good group: they always are. The food was great. Tour leader was excellent, hardworking and fun and he project-managed a complex roster of guides, cooks, drivers and hosts. One or two glitches e.g. accommodation were quickly sorted.

A fabulous trip with some truly spectacular scenery on the hikes. The camping was superb, a real highlight, as were the hotels and itinerary. My only 2 critiques would be that the 3rd and 4th hikes were classed as moderate, but at altitude and in the heat, they were quite challenging - although totally worth it! Also, the houseboat was a little grubby and the delicious Keralan cuisine a little watered down in terms of spice to cater for a more international palette! Kerala is a dream and thank you to Tinu for keeping our large group in check and showing off his beautiful home state to us all. We had a fabulous trip, our love affair with India continues and we can’t wait for our next adventure with Explore!

The trip is a great introduction to Sri Lanka well organised with a packed varied and interesting itinerary. There was a good mix of activities (walking, rafting, cycling) varied transport (buses, boats, bikes, tuk tuk and a train as well as culture (temples, ancient cities, tea & cinnamon farms, markets, botanical gardens and beaches. There was still enough free time to explore on your own or use the pools/swim in the sea. The hotels were better than we expected, in good locations, most with lovely pools. The exception was Araliya Red in Nuwara Eliya which was a huge cold soulless barn of a place with the worst food and service of the holiday.

Not even unusually rainy weather could dampen our enjoyment of the trip. The indomitable, spirited and informative guide, Juan Carlos, exceeded all expectations in presenting the culture, history and wildlife (particularly the birds) of Costa Rica.

This was definitely a very full on trip but very enjoyable. Our guide, Ahmed was absolutely excellent, with an extensive knowledge about all aspects of Egypt but also very personable and made everyone feel included. We were also lucky enough to have a really nice group. We covered a lot, both geographically and historically, in the 10 days but without spending lots of time stuck in a bus etc. so plenty of activity. The 3 days cruise also added to the variety. It was also great to be able to eat at some local family homes. I would highly recommend this trip.