Scandinavia Escorted Tours and Guided Trips

This was an amazing tour, providing an excellent introduction to Japan. The itinerary included key destinations such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka, as well as less well-known ones. The almost exclusive use of public transport - including the Shinkansen (bullet train) - helped to give a genuine travel experience and the hotels were all extremely comfortable, well-located and with great choices available for breakfast. The ryokan experience in Nagoya provided another experience. The only negative aspect was the ryokan at Takayama, which was unwelcoming, uncomfortable and cold. The tour leader was a great communicator, very well organised and enthusiastic. He had good knowledge of Japan, it’s history and culture; made great suggestions for the periods of free time; and managed well the often diverse demands of members of the group.

Cham was an excellent guide, with a great knowledge of history, culture and nature. The activities were all very good, particularly the white water rafting. A couple of quite long days though

From day one I knew that this explore trip would be good. There was just seven of us in the group and we seemed to click immediately Do Huy Hung was our group leader, he was fun informative and his knowledge of the history of Vietnam the flora and fauna wherever we went was truly amazing. The highlights for me was the Pu long nature reserve and the surrounding villages, and the Mekong delta However this trip offers a great deal despite the flooding and rain we seemed to pack so much in. I would highly recommend this trip is offers so much and the walking is not difficult. I would also like to say that having been on explore trips before that Do Huy Hung is an asset to Explore .

The upgraded Vietnam was a great experience. Only some minor issues. The water puppet show was great but I would have preferred one closer to Hanoi. I understand the one in the more rural area was of higher quality. We had so much travel, in hindsight the more commercial one would have been better. Leaving more free time. The Lapis was excellent. I would have preferred a noisier spot in the Old Quarter near the action. Could have used more time in Hoi An. Also could have charging spots on the vans or buses

Everything is memorable when I’m traveling with my wife. All the wonderful places we visited serves as a testament to God’s creation. Thanks to Collette for providing us the opportunity to explore and experience the beauty and the culture of humanity.

I don't know where to begin writing this review, as I don't know how to fully express how much we loved this trip. From the get go, communication and assistance from Explore was prompt and super helpful. We had a change to our party size shortly before departure and this was quickly and easily sorted. The trip is great value for money, and we liked how Explore use local hotels instead of large chain hotel companies. All hotels were of great location and quality. The itinerary was fantastic and all the different places we managed to fit into 2 weeks without feeling at all rushed was brilliant. We saw all the major cities and a few lesser known spots too. I was initially worried about the "free time" days, however this actually works really well. You're able to sprinkle in things you've found yourself with your own research during this free time, or make plans with the group. The group size was ideal, we had 13 in ours. We also loved using public transport during the trip, especially the bullet train which is an experience in itself. Using public transport does mean we relied on luggage forwarding services a lot and therefore needed to live out of smaller backpacks for a couple of nights occasionally but personally I didn't mind this at all and I understand its completely necessary as trying to navigate public transport with a huge case would have been impossible at times. Highlights for me were the stay in a traditional ryokan and monastery, and also our time in Hiroshima. What an incredible city! Autumn was also an amazing time of year to go. The weather was perfect and the fall foliage was just stunning. The best part of our trip was definitely our guide Sam. He made an already incredible trip unforgettable. His expertise on Japanese history and culture, his love and passion for the country and his laid back nature is second to none. He made sure we saw all the iconic spots, but also took us to less crowded, less "touristy" spots to avoid the crowds. We ate at the most incredible local restaurants where he had relationships with the owners which made for a really good night. His enthusiasm for Sumo also made us all new fans and followers of the sport! on our free time days, he also offered to take us on walks around the area and show us more sights, which he did in his own down time. This was so appreciated. These became known as " Sam's tours". Overall the group dynamic was brilliant. We had such a great time and I was honestly gutted for the trip to end. I cant wait to come back to Japan, and if we could have Sam as our guide again even better! I would and currently am recommending this trip and Explore to everyone that will listen! 10/10 trip!