South East Asia Small Group Trips

What a fantastic trip. This is our second walking-type trip with Explore and is was just as well run and thoughtfully designed as the previous one. The trip pace was as I expected based on the description - lots of daily walking, with a little down time for exploring or relaxing in the evening (or morning, if you are a morning person). Most days we started hiking or driving to hiking location at 9 am and finished between 3-5 pm. I really appreciated that the tour leader (Aykut) had a lot of experience and was able to shift around activities to avoid crowds. He was really good at explaining what to expect for the next day (and several days in advance, where relevant) so that we could plan for bringing/not bring our hiking poles, packing extra snacks or water if we weren't going to be near a town, dress for the next day's weather, etc. I do think having the hiking poles was helpful for many of the days, so I am glad I brought them. A few days we stopped for a mid-day break at a location with restaurant options, one day was limited to one option (in a national park: but really, really good food for the sole option), and a few days we packed picnic lunches. If you are thinking about doing this tour, and like walking (moderate level most days, with some hills and some downhill and flat stretches), and love really unique scenery and history, I would highly recommend this trip.

The tour gave a fantastic opportunity to experience many aspects of Ecuador and the Galapagos, both its culture and its incredible biodiversity. The tour is very well organised by Explore!; we felt safe at all times and our guide, Diego, was exceptional, adding so much more to the tour than just 'guiding' us. His passion for and knowledge of his country was inspirational.

I just completed the Whales & Bears of British Columbia tour and it was incredible. From the first ferry ride to Vancouver Island, I was immersed in wild coastline and ancient rainforest. We spotted humpback whales breaching off the bow and watched black bears comb the shoreline for crabs. A full-day outing to the Orford River treated us to grizzlies feasting on salmon amid misty fjords. The group was small, the guides passionate, and every day brought something surprising. Yes, there were long drives and changeable weather, but it all added to the adventure. I’d highly recommend it

This was a truly amazing adventure, Bhutan is a magical place with wondrous scenery and architecture. The people are warm and welcoming and the sights and sounds of the festivals was incredible with the bright costumes, colours and music. The whole trip was well organised and our tour leader was fantastic and so knowledgeable. I knew Bhutan was going to be good but this trip exceeded my expectations, I can’t wait to return.

Firstly, I will start with a disclaimer I would like to stay in touch with our guide Malina as a friend. While I was walking the Camino she was a true friend to me. She always had best interests of everyone on the tour at heart. I valued her honest council on the walk and will continue to value it through life. My previous review mentioned how much I appreciated the guide and the taxi being there to meet me at the airport. On this occasion neither was there. The guide was out to dinner with the group. The taxi driver left after 1.5 hours. (There was a long delay in collecting our luggage) . Malina left me a whatsapp message which I was unable to access due to no internet connection on my phone. I was able to get an internet connection on a different device and checked the explore itinerary to get the name of the hotel. I then got a taxi to the hotel. When I phoned explore I was told that both the hotel name and address as well as an emergency number are in the final confirmation email. I would highly recommend writing both down before you leave home. I would say the main reason for having a guide is not to point out all the interesting things and the great views but to prevent things going wrong and to deal with them when they do. I successfully walked the Camino last year, ok I had a few blisters but still completed it. It was difficult for me to accept that I would have to do shorter walks this year because of blisters and the heat. But Malina was correct. She took a difficult decision with my best interest at heart to ensure that I not only enjoyed my holiday but also returned home without any health issues. Instead of walking in the heat which was difficult for me I got the opportunity to fully experience the excellent hotels and interesting places on the journey. Which Camino was best I cannot really answer that question. In both cases I was in groups made up of wonderful people with guides who went the extra mile to ensure that everyone had a great holiday. I had two different holidays the first was walking place to place mainly enjoying the journey in the second I had more time to experience the destination. The main thing that both had in common was the camaraderie of the Camino.

This is a brilliant cycling holiday. I particularly liked staying with a local family in a hill village and eating delicious home cooked lunches in local's houses while in the hills. It is the hilliest group cycling holiday of the many "moderate" cycling trips that I have done. An ebike option would make this an even better holiday. We went in mid September and the weather was cool in the hills and lovely and warm by the coast. Our leaders Tarkan and Ali were excellent and chose excellent restaurants for evening meals. Recommended.