Explore the world comfortably with over 4,700 experienced traveler tours across more than 124 countries. Featuring relaxed schedules, accessible activities, and comfortable accommodations from European river cruises to gentle Asian cultural tours, rated by 48,500 experienced travelers.
This was another thoroughly enjoyable Explore trip to a fascinating part of the world in terms of its rich history and present-day geopolitical relevance. The group we were travelling with bonded very quickly and were great company throughout the trip. Both tour leaders, Armene (Armenia) and Alex (Georgia) were excellent, communicated their knowledge and love of their respective countries with infectious enthusiasm and were genuinely lovely people. Both drivers also did a great job on sometimes less than perfect roads.
There were multiple highlights but worth special mention would be both capital cities, Yerevan and Tblisi, the basalt rock formations along the Garni River Gorge, the spine-tingling medieval choral music at Geghard Monastery, a performance of La Traviata at Yerevan Opera House that wildly exceeded expectations, the amazing 12th-C cave settlement remains at Vardzia, hiking in the spectacular Kazbegi Mountains, plus all the amazing regional food and drink we sampled throughout the trip. Georgia's reputation as a bit of a foodie heaven is entirely justified.
I would not hesitate to recommend this trip!
Walking tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Kolkata to Amritsar: A fantastic experience. The itinerary is great, taking us to 3 major and contrasting religious centres at Bodh Gaya, Varanasi and Amritsar which were fascinating and moving. As well as experiencing the post-colonial city of Kolkata and smog-ridden Delhi, with the mad traffic that characterises India, there were lesser-known, beautiful or interesting places such as Sarnath and Fatepur Sikri. The chanting monks at Bodh Gaya were extraordinary, the Taj was of course stunning (even a second time around, for me) and Shimla was an oasis of green and stunning views, even without snow and with the roads crammed full of Christmas holiday visitors.
Our guide Raj was highly experienced, entertaining and informative. He's great at dealing with last minute changes (e.g. the President of Sri Lanka suddenly arriving at Bodh Gaya so we had to visit the temple much earlier in the morning, which was a shock after a late arrival the previous night! - But: sunrise and cool temps.). Raj did sometimes stride ahead too fast, so stopping to take a photo risked losing the group, especially in crowds, but otherwise he looked after us extremely well and with great kindness.
The tour is very full-on, with long travel days. I was expecting the trains to've been upgraded since I was last in India 15 years ago, but no... seating was uncomfortable, the toilets horrible and most of us felt we could have done without the overnight train, 'experience' or not. It was a relief when a journey was in a minibus. Our drivers in the various locations were pleasant and efficient.
The hotels were generally comfortable and service always with a smile, though the one in Bodh Gaya was grubby. The disappointing hotel was in Delhi, which was a charmless, Travelodge-style place, clean but with no nice public spaces and no restaurant so we had to go next door to a grotty place for breakfast. They couldn't even do my laundry in 24 hours (in a city of 23million people with every service imaginable... really?). I felt Explore could've found us somewhere much better for very little extra cost.
But these are small things. Overall, it was a wonderful trip and I'd recommend it highly. It really gives a feel for India in all its variety and wonder. Five stars.
Cultural, religious and historic sites
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Sleeper Train, Lodge
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Amritsar, Kolkata, Shimla, Bodh
Amritsar, Kolkata, Shimla, Bodh Gaya, Varanasi, Agra, New Delhi
Sujan organize all the trip in this beautiful country. He is serious, available at any moment if you are in trouble during the trip and care of you every day. He's very quick to resolve any problem, also outside Nepal. All was perfect. I'll recommend 👌. Hanni
This tour was a wonderful experience. A nice size at 28 happy people, luxurious coach, amazing driver & guide extraordinaire . Accommodations were very good & often pleasantly out of the ordinary. The optional activities are worth the extra expense. Highly recommend this tour.
Countryside and village visits
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Hotel, Resort, Villa
Age Range
5-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Rome, Venice, Monteriggioni, Luc
Rome, Venice, Monteriggioni, Lucca, Sorrento, Todi
Vietnam was an amazing and varied place and Explores itinerary managed to pack in a huge variety of scenery, activities and education including places and people I wouldn't have managed to find alone. Long's leadership was brilliant keeping the teenagers engaged and encouraged to try new experiences and food.
The trip itinerary certainly gave a wide range view of different areas of Southern India and their way of life. Busy bustling Chennai, then to the coastal resort of Pondicherry with a French flavour, followed by the temples and palace of Madurai. Then on to the hills hitting the tea plantations, spices and backwaters of Kerela for a sail along the river. Kochi, a busy town, with lots to see - Palace, museums, churches, synagogue and chinese fishing nets to name a few. A highlight was the toy train to Ooty. Lots to see in bustling Mysore from the Palace, statues, temples, markets and everything on the road together buses, cars, TukTuks, motorbikes, cows, sheep and goats and people! Fun to watch. Another variety of travel is the overnight train back to Chennai, ending with a leisurely day at Mamallapram. A bit of everything - recommended.
Cruise
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Lodge, Resort
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Chennai, Bangalore, Mamallapuram
Chennai, Bangalore, Mamallapuram, Bandipur National Park, Mysore, Pondicherry, Meenakshi Temple, Thekkady, Kerala Backwaters, Kochi, Coimbatore
A really very well organized and planned trip. From arrival at the Delhi airport to the last minute - we felt very comfortable! Everyone was very friendly, courteous and helpful to us. We would travel through this tour company at any time. Our special thanks to the Delhi airport representative, our guides in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, our very good driver and all the people who made this holiday unforgettable for us.
As described the tour is full on but its so worth it to see so much. This tour really throws you into Indian history and witnessing day-to-day life was fascinating. You cover a lot of ground with some very long travel days but the sites around Rajasthan make up for it with stops always providing interest.
The hotels were great with a good mix between heritage properties and the modern facilities. Gajner Palace hotel was a particular highlight and the setting is incredible.
Cultural, religious and historic sites
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
New Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Ajmer
New Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Ajmer, Udaipur, Jojawar, Bikaner
The “second day” the flight is SUPER early and you have to leave the hotel at 4 am.
That was not communicated anywhere and we didn’t arrive at the hotel u til after 11 pm the night before. It made the morning very difficult!
Also, it would be helpful if there was a place by the day noting if women needed to cover shoulders/knees or men knees. When I was packing and googling, it said that at Kom Ombo (and most of the temples) it was recommended to have shoulder and knees covered, but when we got there I was told we didn’t need it. I had a lot more pants packed then I needed and that would have been helpful to know when I actually needed to wear more conservative clothing or having my hair covered.
Overall the itinerary was good. We saw a lot and had a great guide!
We were on the Steinberger cruise ship - I would not recommend that one again. Very limited. We were on Thai ship with another group from Trafalgar that paid less for the tour and we had no extras. We allowed one drink at dinner and one bottle of water.. anything more we had to pay for. They didn’t have coffee/tea available throughout the day for free. It seemed like they were nickel and diming the guests. I have been on other River cruises and unlimited water, beverages at dinner, and feee coffee/tea throughout the day in the lounge was accessible.
