Middle East Beach Trips

This trip works well. Tenerife has lots of flights and so is very accessible. The ferry to La Gomera takes you away from mass tourism, and the island itself is varied and attractive. We had a great trip with varied walks and some nice meals out in the evening. The group got on well and the group leader/guide was excellent. An added bonus was the transatlantic rowing competition from La Gomera to Anguilla was taking place the following week so we had the opportunity to meet participants.

The holiday was brilliant. Well paced with plenty to keep you occupied but enough down time. We saw the highlights of the country and the quality of the hotels was much better than they used to be. The tented camp really wasn't a tented camp and I disliked this place but luckily we were only there for 1 night. We were there during a cyclone which meant we had a lot of rain and we had to miss the Highlands because the roads were washed away and it was impossible to get to. We were looked after extremely well and kept safe and up to date with the situation. The guide and his team were brilliant. Mimi, the guide, Douglas, the driver and Ishan, his assistant were all lovely and brilliant at their jobs. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country and this tour allows you to see that.

La Gomera is a quiet and very scenic island. Walks were often challenging with quite a few steep and rocky downhill paths, but some of the scenery was stunning. Very knowledgeable and helpful guide.

This was a fabulous trip. La Gomera is very quiet compared to other islands in the Canaries. The walking is fabulous with great scenery but be prepared for a fair amount of downhill. We requested that the optional walk be reversed to be predominantly uphill and it was so much better. The hotel was very comfortable with good breakfasts. By choice, we ate out as a group each evening and ate well at a variety of restaurants very close to the hotel. Our tour leader, Raquel, was exceptionally good, as I have come to expect with Explore. This was my 16th trip with Explore and it was as good as always.

The Sri Lanka tour was excellent. The country offers a great variety of historical sites, wildlife and landscapes. The tour was well paced without ever feeling rushed. It does include a couple of early starts and there is a fair amount of barefoot walking within the temple complexes. Our guide Ash (ably supported by the driver Damit and assistant Harsha) was exceptional. He clearly has a love of his home country and was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the history and the significance of the sites we visited. He was a great story teller and brought the past to life. Ash was always very attentive to the group to ensure we had the opportunity to try local foods and drinks and to visit local markets so as to get a greater sense of the life of everyday Sri Lankans. One highlight was a short visit to a family whose livelihood was dependent upon growing and then using every part of the coconut. A cracking trip which I can thoroughly recommend.

This trip gave us a wonderful journey through Portugal North and South, including so much history and culture. We enjoyed trying the different foods, our first funicular ride, centuries old various architectures and wineries and tasting their wines. The sunset river cruise was a highlight and Mass at Fatima topped off the trip for me.