Patagonia Cultural, religious and historic sites Trips

Hi Explore, I think I counted that was my 21st Explore holiday. The hotel was in a great location near No 48 bus to Monte and 1 and 2 buses to Funchal. Also near the Lido and a supermarket. The only problem I found with the hotel is that you could not turn the air conditioning off at all - it was set so that it came on periodically during the night to refresh the room which woke me up with cold blasts. I had to put the two blankets on my bed. Also, I found the mattress too hard. Apart from that the staff were friendly and helpful. Philip our guide was great, a bit more info about loos when we stopped would have been helpful. I could not always hear him when standing with the group, his voice did not carry and you had to be very close to him to hear what he had to say, probably also something to do with my hearing maybe! I would have loved to have had more time to visit the orchid garden at Boa Vista near to the Botanical gardens but time ran out. It is only open on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday according to the hotel.

Great trip, ticked all the right boxes. Especially glad of the tour leader Ester Galindo, very knowledgeable and professional, adapting to changing circumstances to keep everyone happy and a great laugh as well

Overall, the explore elements of the trip were great, the Elephant walking was wonderful and interesting (could write more but I don't want to give any spoilers) and the kayaking through the mangroves were highlights. Some of the optional trips were less good - mainly the bio luminescent trip. I wouldn't recommend this trip to people as it isn't what was advertised in the local trip notes. It was commercialised travel on a speed boat with only 30 minutes of snorkelling at one destination (we were told several sights of snorkelling) and the swim with the bio luminesence was good but that was only for 10 minutes. Additionally the organisation of the trip (after the explore guide had booked) was horrendous. We were on and off buses/taxis and no clue where we were heading. We did eventually get the right boat, but I wouldn't recommend this optional extra to others. We were lucky with the time of year we went and were able to experience a couple of night markets which are well worth visiting for the local food. Our guide Por, was kind and caring and ensured we got to the right pier at the right time. Some of the speed boat people are a little hap hazard with your luggage, so you will need a strong piece of luggage. Overall though, a great trip to see many islands, see the sun, sea and sand (though we did have a lot of thunder and rain through out the trip too). There is a good mix of activities and relax time though I think my favourite island was Koh Hai - the first island.

There can never be a perfect itinerary that perfectly suits everyone but this is as good as it gets. You get to see a wonderfully diverse overview of Oman: mountains, desert, coast, wadis, mud houses, villages and cities! Pros: Loved the mountains, desert and mud house villages. Good group of friendly people excellently led by Marshal, very friendly and very patient! Cons: Hotel in Muscat 20km from Old Muscat and unable to walk anywhere from the hotel, practically surrounded by motorways! As a result very little time spent in Old Muscat which is deserving of at least a whole day. Camping a bit too basic. Hotel by Turtle beach was nice but you're not allowed to see turtles which made this part of the trip a bit pointless. Very little physical activity on this trip so I had to supplement on my own; a long drive into the desert, drive to sunset point and head off first thing in the morning! Same with the mountains, long drives with just a couple of photo stops. An extra day on this trip would be ideal to allow a bit more time for on foot exploration of Old Muscat, desert and mountains! But I still loved the tour.

This was a fantastic trip, very full on but this was known at the time of booking but the early starts are definitely needed. Would recommend that the optional trips of Saqqara and Abu Simbel are done - they really should be part of the itinerary as Saqqara is part of the evolution of the pyramids. Great group to travel with and Amr our guide was fantastic - tried to make sure we all had a great time and was so passionate about Egypt and Egyptology. The overnight train was an experience - but that's what we travel for isn't it! Experiences and being in front of the pyramids was like being on a film set and the colours in the Valley of the Dead - wow! The experience of certain visits was so busy and not fun but that was definitely not the guide or Explores fault - that is the tourist police telling the boats when they can arrive at certain places! Be prepared for lots of busy days but the experience is so worth it though we were disappointed that the nicest hotel you only stay in for one night and if you go to Abu Simbel it's a really short night! A few recommendations for future travellers - the optional extras are all referenced in dollars for a reason - it is definitely worth taking dollars as so much easier to pay for the trips in this as the exchange rate means lots of Egyptian pounds and the optional tombs in the Valley of the Kings are only payable by card.

Felepe was our tour leader. He was friendly, organized, always on task, very patient, and very knowledgeable about Madeira. He had a very strong passion for his country and the people. He taught us many things about the culture and ways of living in Madeira. It was a very enjoyable week