Scandinavia Cultural, religious and historic sites Trips

The tour was a huge success in all ways and a wonderful experience. I was with a great group of people. The itinerary was good and everything was well planned. The gaps in the itinerary left free time to do individual things or join in with others. The Guide, Diego was a huge part of the success of the trip. He showed commitment to the group at all times and was always concerned for wellbeing, safety and keeping us informed. This was my first trip with Explore and I'll be travelling with them again.

Great experience! Our guide, Pete was fantastic. He had great detailed information about the area and all the history. It was reassuring to see how much he was concerned about the group's safety. Food was very rustic, plentiful and delicious. Great location to explore the area from.

Excellent tour. In my view Arturo our guide made sure we made the best of our two weeks making sure we arrived at sites at a good time to make the most of the experience. He had an excellent knowledge of Peru and its history and this made the trip very interesting. We were a mixed group of 10 and we all enjoyed each others company making every day a pleasure.

This was an outstanding explore trip. The combination of both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and the fascinating differences between the two countries and the places visited made it a varied and interesting trip. A friendly group and the camaraderie definitely added to the trip. We had excellent leaders in both countries. Jenny / Yevgemina in Turkmenistan ensured everything ran smoothly and was so organised and helpful, even translating a whole menu for us on one occasion. Visiting the local bazaar on Sunday was really interesting. Ashgabat unlike anywhere I’ve ever visited, the buildings and their scale, and image projected, really fascinating. She really went the extra mile literally to help us negotiate the intricacies of the border crossing. She took us to an amazing variety of restaurants so we could experience the local cuisine and was really knowledgeable at all the historical sites visited. We visited some really interesting ancient Silk Road cities Merv and Abiverd. Shokrat was equally helpful in Uzbekistan and gave us excellent insights to the history of his home town Samarkand. Again all the arrangements ran smoothly and he gave us lots of insights into the history of his country and its culture as well as current life in the country. He took us to a plov restaurant specialising in the National dish and accompaniments which only a local would know. The overnight train journey was an interesting and enjoyable experience. The sights in Uzbekistan are amazing, difficult to name highlights but I really enjoyed Uleg Beg observatory and the mausoleums in Samarkand. I really enjoyed Bukhara and Khiva as cities as they had distinct older city areas and it might have been nice to have a bit more time in Khiva to explore. I really enjoyed the dancing and music show in Bukhara and would highly recommend this. The accommodation was excellent, staying in a caravanserai (modernised) in Bukhara and a madrasah in Khiva and staff at all the hotels were so friendly and helpful. My only comment is that whilst the local guides in Uzbekistan were really knowledgeable and passionate about their country’s history, some of the explanations could have been a bit shorter as there was a lot to take in. Tashkent was a vibrant, modern city and has excellent museums. The local guide here was the best on tour in terms of his succinct and clear explanations and information provided. We enjoyed visiting the bazaar and travelling on the metro. I was pleased I stayed an extra day to explore the city and museums and would recommend adding this on. Some of the journeys are long and the road to the border is really bumpy but the buses were all really comfortable. This trip had been on my list for years and it didn’t disappoint.

The pace and points of interest on this trip were fantastic. It was a great combination of “must sees” and “off the beaten path.” Our tour leader was knowledgeable and genuine. We felt very well-looked after. The rail trip from Puno to Cusco was a highlight. Don’t miss it! I also highly recommend a follow-up trip to Machu Picchu. The first group tour was educational, but my individual trip the following day was a spiritual event. Be ready for some significant hiking, especially on Taquile Island. If you think you might want to bring a trekking pole- do it. The sights are worth it, but they are all uphill.

I did the Turkey In Depth tour last year with Explore and enjoyed it so much the first time that I came back for a second visit and it was just as amazing! The tour covers so many fantastic sites, giving you a real feel for Turkey’s history, culture, and stunning scenery. Our tour guide, Özgür, was absolutely fantastic. This was my second time travelling with him, and once again he went above and beyond for the whole group. He’s so knowledgeable, friendly, and really made the trip special. Our driver, Ati, was also amazing, expertly navigating all the winding roads and keeping us safe and comfortable the entire way. The food was brilliant fresh, tasty, and full of flavour wherever we went. Every meal felt like a treat! The hotels were great too. Sobek Stone House, Kekova Hotel, and Hotel Palme were all lovely places to stay. The staff at each went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and happy nothing was ever too much trouble. Overall, it was a fantastic trip from start to finish. Great sites, brilliant food, amazing people I honestly couldn’t fault it. Can’t wait to go again!