Scandinavia Cultural, religious historic sites Trips

Wow!!- this Explore trip to Pakistan - the Karakoram Highway-proved to be an incredible adventure - such an excellent, well -organised -albeit a face - paced trip ,all overseen and brilliantly managed by our experienced tour leader Sadjit - he was absolutely professional ,knowledgeable, attentive, and patient despite the complexities of the itinerary - an all- round excellent guide, ,alongside his amazing support team including Jahangii and Shiraz ,not forgetting that much credit must go to the bus and jeep drivers who all excelled in navigating some of the most precipitous roads I have ever seen -some of which took us through torrents of mountain water, pass huge ice flows ,as well as narrow passes on hair- pin bends. The scenery was always breathtaking ,beyond my expectations- to see the 3 mountain ranges of the Himalayas ,the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram range all meeting together with the raging torrents of glacial rivers flowing in the valleys below was truly wondrous. So many highlights - the Hunza Yasin and Astore valleys which took us past tiny mountain villages with their fruit trees and wild flower meadows- walking up to Nanga Parbat base camp with our picnic lunch -walking up to the glaciers and around the beautiful lakes -the lively towns of Gilgit Skardu Naran and Rawalpindi -the forts with their unique local guides and wooden mosques - the flight from Skardu to Islamabad which gave us a bird’s eye view of the mountain ranges- so many more highlights,too many to mention all. The accommodation was great reflecting the region we were in ,all were well located ,some with basic amenities although this was off set by their spectacular views. The food was tasty, well cooked and having it included meant no long delays with individual ordering etc. Above all though a definite delight are the people of Pakistani- so friendly , welcoming ,respectful and dignified- so keen to say hello and ask us questions and to show us incredible hospitality. Never a dull moment - I loved every minute! If you are looking for an exciting, varied trip that was packed with lots of activity and challenge then definitely consider visiting Pakistan.

I appreciated the fact we spent a couple of nights in almost all the locations. The optional tours were wonderful. It would not have been as exciting without Frederic as our guide. He was extremely well prepared with the knowledge and history of the regions we visited.He has a difficult job but he was able to keep the group together even if someone like myself was walking with a walking stick. FRANCE IS SO BEAUTIFUL! This was the best way to see it. Our driver, Guy, was an exceptional driver and we were fortunate to have him on our tour. I felt completely safe.

The itinerary is not very tight. We had our free and easy days after each planned tours. The Director, Sharon did well to ensure that, we don’t waste unnecessary time being stuck in a heavy traffic jam, when there was a G7 summit, but alternating and re-arranging the travel patterns. In short, though it was a premium to get into Insight Vacations, it is all worthwhile after all

This was a well thought out and executed itinerary. I t was very varied with both good group and individual time. Very relaxing, and a lot seen. I was however disappointed that two days before departure we were notified that the Glacier Express was not available to us, and we would be using local trains. This apparently was known to Insight well in advance, but not communicated until the last moment. This was a highlight, and one of the reasons we chose Insight rather than a competitor. This is not good business practice. The bus and selection of hotels overall was quite good. One area for improvement: the large luggage was handled by porters, but not the carry on cases. A few of the hotels did not permit the bus to drive up to the front door. The average age of the traveling group was in their 70's and some were frail. They should not have been required to carry up luggage, occasionally a few flights of stairs. At this price point ALL luggage should be handled by porters if the passenger requests this. The tour director, Sharon, was outstanding, as was the driver Nikko. Kudos!

We loved our Reflections of Italy trip with Collette. Our group leader was fantastic, as was our bus driver. All accommodations were great. Tour inclusions were great, and it was wonderful to also have free time each day to do our own thing. We’d definitely choose another Collette tour for future trips.

This was our first guided tour on a motor coach/bus and we loved it. Our travel director was smart, joy-filled and a delightful host. It felt like every detail was taken care of.