West Africa Tours in December 2026

Itinerary was great and this was the main reason we chose this trip and Sri Lanka has fantastic sites and culture to experience - unfortunately we counted on having an appropriate guide and tour director who could assist with making the most of the experience - unfortunately our guide was not fluent in English, could not answer questions or explain the sites, culture and history in any meaningful way and we were forced to communicate critical aspects of the itinerary with him on whatsap, initiated by us not the tour director - the worst tour director I have had in nearly 45 years of travel and over 50 tours

This was an amazing trip. We packed a lot in to 2wks. Cities, mosques, kasbahs, medinas, countryside, desert camping (including camels!), mountain villages, hikes, a fishing port. Oh, and some shopping! There were some long travel days, but they didn't feel long... the bus was comfortable (and our driver Hassan was excellent!), with frequent stops for sights / loo breaks. Also, the scenery was interesting. Our guide Mohamed was superb, one of the best we've ever had (and we've been lucky with Exodus to always have excellent guides, so the standard is high). One example... We had an unexpected issue with the bus on about day 3 which wasn't fixable locally, and we all assumed the itinerary for that day might need to change, or at least that we'd be delayed for a while. But thanks to Mohamed's organisational skills, enough taxis turned up within 20mins to take us all on to our next scheduled stop, with Mohamed following once he'd sorted a replacement bus.

This trip was unforgettable! Many people choose to do the Annapurna Circuit on their own and they mainly follow the Jeep track, which didn’t appeal to us. We were so happy and grateful that we decided to go with Exodus - we had the best guides! Sukman and his assistant guides Dipendra and Lakpa Sherpa were fantastic. We had knock knock tea in the mornings - loved that part, and followed a mix of alternate trails (that weren't well known) with certain sections along the main Jeep track. On those quieter trails, we rarely encountered other trekkers and definitely no other tour groups. We did pass herds of goats and met local people. We only saw other people along the main jeep track. Two days before reaching Thorong La Pass, we had heavy snow. Thanks to Sukman’s expertise, he made the difficult decision to backtrack immediately. Many trekkers without guides, or those who chose to wait out the storm, ended up stranded at high camp and had to be rescued. We were fortunate to make it safely off the mountain in time, though it meant rerouting the second half of our trip. Even with the detour - we thoroughly this trip thanks to the amazing team. The porters were also incredible companions. Without them, carrying all of our belongings for three weeks would have been tough!!

What an amazing place is Tasmania! Friendly people, stunning natural scenery jam-packed with history from the first nations to the convict era. AAT Kings struck a perfect balance of curated destinations with comfortable travel and accommodation. Our tour director, Carolyn and driver Esdon, were knowledgeable, professional and took care of every detail on the tour. Thanks for an amazing experience.

This was my first trip to Asia and I wanted to get an overview, so the highlights of Sri Lanka really achieved that. The trip was well planned with varied activities, to appeal to most travellers. We did have to put up with Cyclone Ditwah, which made some activities more like an endurance, but nobody could plan for that or do anything to change it. Our Sri Lanka tour guide and his team went way beyond my expectations in order to keep up safe and as comfortable as possible, under difficult circumstances. They deserve their Christmas Bonus! Personally, I would have enjoyed more time at the spice garden and I wonder what the value was of the canoe trip to the curry cooking demonstration. Perhaps it would have been fun in sunshine? The Temple of the Tooth would have been interesting when there was no ceremony going on, to better appreciate the details of the buildings etc. I felt we were intruding on a religious occasion that was of huge importance to local people. Would it be better to spend longer at sites in a smaller geographical area and reduce the travelling between sites. Moving on to the Maldives, this week was great and really hit the spot. We needed sunshine and relaxation and the pace of the week was perfect. Again, the tour guide did an excellent job and supplied us with lovely videos and photos from snorkelling trips. The food on the Dhoni Cruise was excellent, considering the kitchen space and although a bit repetitive, there was a good range to suit all palates. The crew did a great job.

Excellent itinerary showcasing the highlights of the western Cape and the Garden Route. Stunning landscapes- wild and wonderful beaches, unexpected mountain ranges and barren plains. Food was high quality and very reasonably priced, as was the wine. All accommodation was well equipped and of a high standard. Kirstenbosch gardens are lovely. Views from Table Mountain awesome. Storms river camp has a kitchenette but no tea/ coffee/ milk sachets etc so might be worth collecting some along the way. The kayaking at Storms river was well worth doing - despite my initial trepidation I loved the "motion of the ocean" and felt safe. If the opportunity arises Birds of Eden and Monkeyland sanctuaries both well worth visitiing -thanks to our guide Wern for facilitating so many different experiences.