UK Britain Walking Trips

An absolutely fantastic tour! Everything was so well organised, with great breakfast options at most places and some delicious lunches and dinners included — which made everything easy and stress-free. The guides were amazing: super knowledgeable, genuinely caring, and by the end felt like close friends. We had the best time, made unforgettable memories, and couldn’t recommend this tour more! Oumaima, our guide was wonderful — so knowledgeable, spoke English really well and always happy to answer our many questions. Most importantly, they truly cared about our safety and wellbeing, which made us feel relaxed and confident the whole time.

The perfect way to experience Patagonia. Full on but you won't want to waste a moment . Don't worry about the long days travelling - the scenery is magnificent and all the transport very comfortable - the "public bus" more of a luxury coach with loo and wifi. The boat trip from Ushuaia to the penguin island was a long one but stunning scenery and the boats go onto the beach although you don't get off. How many can say they've sailed the Beagle Channel... The Perito Moreno glacier was a highlight - do the boat trip to the glacier face there. We spent 3 hours wandering the walkways and it was difficult to tear ourselves away - We saw several calvings and were mesmerised. The Serrano river glacier trip was expensive and somewhat disappointing as weather conditions did not allow our boat to actually reach the viewpoint -worth checking on the chances of getting there before embarking on that trip. No refund for a reduced experience either. The Hotel del Paine is in a stunning location but check bills as they add a tip to everything , including the pricey packed lunch and excursion. The 2 long hikes -Bas de Torres and Laguna De Los Tres- are as described. Challenging but so rewarding. A google will find them on several blogs if you want to research. Don't underestimate the weather - we had clear blue skies for one and rain sleet and sun for the other! Really loved being in EL Chalten - a hikers paradise and would've liked another day there. Everywhere took credit cards - we changed $100 each to Arg pesos and didn't need any Chilean. USD cash accepted in most places too. Marcelo our leader was a force of nature from day one. His enthusiasm and excitement for the trip were evident and infectious. We knew we were in for a fantastic time from day one and throughout the whole fortnight that energy level  never dropped. He has an incredible  breadth of knowledge , from the geology, flora and fauna of Patagonia to the geopolitical issues that have shaped the region. I don't think a tour leader has ever made us laugh so much - a crazy Argentinean Italian who's love for his job was evident. He absolutely made the trip - the comedy love/hate for Argentina/ Chile gave rise to many hilarious moments making for a most memorable experience. All in all probably the best Explore! holiday of the 15 we have done, and we've done some crackers!

From the very start, the trip felt immersive and beautifully balanced. The wildlife in Kruger National Park was unforgettable, spotting elephants, lions, and giraffes in their natural habitat was a real highlight. We were very lucky spotting the 'Top 5' and most exciting was seeing 2 leopards to complete the set! I was equally captivated by the more rural, untouched areas, which showcased a quieter, more authentic side of South Africa. The Drakensberg Mountains were simply stunning, with dramatic scenery that felt almost prehistoric, it was a joy to hike around, with next to no one else there. Visiting the historic site of Rorke’s Drift added real depth to the journey. It was a rich, rewarding, and truly memorable experience!

Having really enjoyed the Explore hiking trip on La Gomera in January 2025, we came back for more on Gran Canaria in January 2026. The hotel in the casco historico of sleepy Aguimes was charming, albeit the breakfasts were rather basic and the double beds only 1.40m wide (we are used to 2m at home!). In contrast, the hotel in Altea lacked a certain charm, but had a super bed and a terrific breakfast. Our very affable and multi-lingual Explore leader, Brian, ensured some good extra activities (eg making goat’s cheese) and gave the group plenty of options for the free day. We rested our knees on this free day and went to the excellent Bodega Los Berrazales, a wine and coffee finca, in the Agaete valley as well as visiting, briefly before it had really woken up, Puerto de las Nieves; Brian’s information on the punctual but not very frequent public buses was spot on for this non hiking jaunt). The astronomy talk over one of the dinners at a farm outside Aguimes was a bit comical with half the slides in Spanish and an astronomer with shaky English. Dinners were not included in the tour but Brian always arranged dinners at interesting restaurants. He was at pains to describe aspects of Canarian history, culture and geology throughout the tour. The Museo Guayadque in the Guayadque Ravine (Gorge?) was fascinating. For me, also as a keen student of the Spanish language and all things Hispanic, these were just as important as purely the hiking. The hiking, and the views the hikes offered, were indeed pretty spectacular. We may have been lucky with the weather with a lot of sun at a very pleasant temperature. Apparently it had rained quite a bit the week before, so a number of areas were quite verdant. Described as moderate, the terrain, both in terms of sharp volcanic rockiness as well as steepness, both up and down, was quite tough for non-regular hikers, such as me, a 64 year old (albeit twice a week gym goer).

The trip was amazing. I appreciated the effort our guide, Elio, and the True Mountain Travelers put in to introduce us to the Quechua culture. The hike, camping and exploration wouldnt have been the same without them

Excellent trip over Christmas week 2025. La Gomera is a lovely, peaceful, rural island for walking with delicious food as well (and large portions of it!). The walking is reasonably varied with a bit of up and down, but not really demanding. I wish I had taken my poles as some of the downhill after rain was quite muddy albeit nothing serious. Our tour leader, Bert Palmen, was a superb host, guide and organiser and very funny! Strongly recommend this trip.