Eastern Europe Tours in Winter

An excellent tour and holiday. However, a lot of time was spent on the bus, some of it to my mind unnecessarily because of non-optimum location of accommodation with respect to the 'attraction' locations. This was made (a lot) worse by the very high and abutting seats, which severely restricted the views (particularly so for the middle passengers) in our Toyota 16 seater bus. (The JAC bus, which some of us went in on an optional trip, was a lot better in this respect.) It seemed that 'everybody' had to take pictures of 'everything', wasting a lot of time optimising their shots or taking videos, often blocking the best view to others. It may not be easy but it would be good to rationalise the picture taking and share the results. Easier said than done... Returning to the non-optimum accommodation location mentioned above: 1. The first night hotel close to the airport would avoid the travel along a very busy road from the airport to the centre of San José and then on Day 2 going back the same way past the airport to the coffee plantation only to drive back the same way past the airport and the centre of San José on the way to the next accommodation. 2. The accommodation near Turrialba was high above the town of Turrialba (about 800m / 2600 feet in altitude, miles along twisty little roads). We went down to and beyond Turrialba on the day we arrived, to a finca where we helped prepare our evening meal, about an hour to get there and another hour to get back. The following day we went down to and beyond Turrialba again, to go rafting, and then back up again. 2 more hours on the bus. The following morning we went down and beyond Turrialba for the 3rd time, this on our way to Tortuguero. Accommodation in or very near Turrialba should avoid several hours on the bus.

Excellent tour but full on,Lots of travelling. Great tour to see the history of Bhuddist, Hindu and Islamic architecture and art in Central India. Also visiting churches from the Portuguese era in Goa. Nab our guide was brilliant, she was very professional and knowledgeable but also friendly, caring and supportive.

Generally well organised and above enjoyable. Tickets for all visits sorted out and so easy entry for visits. Knowledgeable guide and good coach drivers. Most hotels good especially a Bay of Islands as there was only one in Wellington where breakfast a disaster but this fault of hotel not AAT Kings. Good choice of activities the highlight for me was the visit to Hobbiton. Also a good crowd of people added to the experience.

This was a wonderful journey through beautiful Kerala and Tamil Nadu…so bright, so colourful, so vibrant. We had such amazing experiences, from strolling through the streets of Fort Kochi, to trekking through the beautiful tea plantations of Munnar and seeing elephants in the mist of an early morning walk at Periyar. We learnt so much about Hindu culture from our lovely guide Biju, and visited some beautiful temples along the way…a real highlight of the trip. I loved the contrasts between vibrant buzzy cities, with thrilling tuk tuk rides, and the peaceful backwaters of Alleppey…drifting along the tranquil waters watching Kingfishers and Egrets. Just lovely. I would thoroughly recommend this tour of the Tropical South.

This trip was a great introduction to the Philippines, from the city of Manila to the mountains and rice terraces of the northern Philippines we covered a lot of ground. And for me, a highlight was our climb to the top of Mt. Pinatubo. Our tour guide, Nikki, was excellent. She was organized, knowledgeable, and fun to travel with.

Fantastic holiday to Northern Thailand where we saw and experienced so much. Highlights for me were the elephant sanctuary, homestay and Erawan waterfalls. Our leader James was brilliant, he answered endless questions and ensured everything ran smoothly. The mini bus drivers were great and it was such a bonus in that heat to have air conditioned transport and an endless supply of cold water. The itinerary was busy but there was a bit of free time and the longer drives were fine, as regular stops broke up the journey. Would highly recommend this holiday but wait for the sales as we booked quite in advance and ended up paying a lot more than others.