Ride your way through neat rows of vineyards, beneath towering aqueducts and past verdant forests on an eight-day active cycling adventure through Provence. This journey through Southern France is the perfect blend of scenic trail riding, historical sightseeing and indulgent wine tasting. Visit the serene gardens of St Remy to see where Vincent van Gogh created his famous works, savour regional red wines at a vineyard outside Avignon and walk the cobbled streets of Les Baux to the top of the limestone cliffs. With a handful of UNESCO World Heritage sites, Roman history and serene landscapes where wild horses roam free – what more does a European cycling adventure need?
Set off on a six-day Premium hiking adventure through Madeira’s dramatic coastlines, volcanic landscapes and lush forests. Hike the 25 Fontes trail and visit Risco Waterfall, relax in natural volcanic rock pools at Porto Moniz, take in the sweeping ocean views on your hike to Vereda da Ponta de Sao Lourenco and hike to the highest point on the island on the Vereda do Pico do Ruivo. Along the way, visit small mountain villages, learn about the region’s local culture and indulge in Madeira’s most famous local produce, wine and rum. With its mild climate and diverse terrain, Madeira offers the perfect escape and hiking destination all year round.
Boat and all staff friendly and helpful. Rides were great and quite challenging. Our fellow passengers were fun and we were all compatible. This was an excellent trip
A wonderful week in North Dalmatia with a group of people who socialised, encouraged, laughed and enjoyed the time together. Our guides, Ivan and Dino were outstanding. Knowledgeable, the right mix of fun and making sure we were listening to instructions carefully. The crew on the Magellan were also terrific. Food was plentiful (bordering on too much in fact - but of course you only eat what you want). A memorable first adventure for us!
I really enjoyed this trip. The picnics were a real highlight as I appreciated not spending time in restaurants during the day. Excellent food, too!
I felt I got very good value for the cost of this trip.
The tour was lovely and very well managed by the leader. I suggest that the cycling was harder than moderate, and anyone thinking of joining the tour be advised to be confident and cycling fit.
This was the first time that this trip had been run using E-bikes, so everyone was keen to see how the trip would unfold. We were introduced to our bikes on the first evening, and because of a change of hotel we had the opportunity to cycle into Monopoli, and return in the dark after an amazing first meal. When I checked the itinerary I could see that the first two rides were going to be the most challenging in terms of ascent and distance, but I quickly realised that E-bikes are a great leveller. There are four levels of assistance, with turbo being the most powerful. The motor rewards effort, the faster you peddle, the more assistance it gives you, up to its maximum speed - these bikes are not chipped like the delivery cycles that whizz around around our streets bringing takeaways to the masses. Each person in the group decided how much effort to put in, getting up the many hills, but hats off to the one person in the group who rode the whole way on an ordinary bike . . . . and he was not at the back. Respect!! With uphills come downhills, and there were plenty of those. Long sweeping downhills that went on and on. Great fun. We were well fed and watered on this trip, both at lunchtime and in the evenings, and for the most part the weather behaved itself.
The trip was a well planned and executed family orientated holiday. I feel that two "On Board" guides was unnecessary - the shore guides were excellent and added good value.
Dora our guide leader was amazing. Very calm and very organised.
The boat, Sans Sova, was very comfortable. The crew were very friendly and the meals delicious.
An exquisite cycling holiday which fulfilled all the usual Explore essentials: plenty of variety both in cycling and other activities, beautiful accommodation throughout, rustic village hosts, great food/restaurant selections by the guide Paul, stunning scenery at every turn and plenty of ‘off the beaten track’. Paul has over 2 decades of experience in cycle guiding in Turkey, and it showed in his cycle guiding and knowledge of the language, culture and flora and fauna-I particularly enjoyed his linguistic insights and the visit to the local village mosque. Others in the group who were architecturally inclined enjoyed his love of history too. The bikes couldn’t have been better for the terrain and were very comfortable with plenty of gears. I tend to find Explore holiday bikes are usually not great quality, so this was a pleasant surprise. Turkey has far exceeded our expectations and this has been one of my best ever holidays. If you’re not afraid of a bit of hot weather and undulating terrain and want to get a glimpse into local Turkish life, then I highly recommend you book onto this trip! Thanks again Paul for the fantastic memories you’ve helped us make.
The whole experience was wonderful. The home stay family welcomed us like we were old friends. The food was awesome and always fresh. The activities were well thought out. I would recommend this tour to my friends for sure.
