Our accommodation in Rio Bamba was terrible, I felt I could not use the shower as it was so dilapidated. We only had one towel that had already been ripped in half. We felt it would have been hygenically unsafe to use the 'restaurant' and went out for breakfast. We were unsure why we went to Rio Bamba as it was not a nice place and it felt unsafe at night. Apart from 4 nights the accommodation was quite good. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and spoke to us for most of the time during the coach journeys. Nothing was too much trouble for him to do for us. The itinerary was very good apart from Rio Bamba (which should have been avoided) and a wasted last day in Quito. We could have caught an earlier flight to Quito, from Cuenca, the next day and not spent another day in a hotel that is a long way from Quito city which we had already explored.. Also it would have been better to have flown from Cuenca on the early morning flight to Quito then straight to Bogota and the to LHR.
Explore leader: for Sri Lanka only satisfactory. Not easy to understand, didn't seem to feel part of the group, didn't join us for meals, a poor communicator (relative to past explore trips)
For the dhoni Maldives cruise: Moosa was excellent in every way.
This is a varied and interesting tour with many unexpected cultural experiences.
Ana Davila is an excellent tour leader who brings the archaeological sites, history and her culture to life.
Mexico, Belize and Guatemala all have their own characters and it was interesting to see these differences.
A fascinating and highly enjoyable tour.
Had such an amazing time on the South Island NZ Tour - we went to a great range of places with a good amount of chill vs adventure activities and the people were all lovely. Would definitely recommend! º
Arturo was a fantastic leader and guide. Knowledgable, helpful, caring, experienced and amusing. This was my 11th Explore holiday and Arturo is up there with the best guides. The porters and cooks are heroes - we were very happy to tip them generously. The itinerary was perfect, though no one should underestimate the challenge of around ten hours walking on day three. Cusco hotel staff were fine but the layout around a central atrium means the rooms are very noisy. The hotel near Machu Picchu was lovely but the staff were rude, unhelpful and disinterested. Overall I’d fully recommend this trip - but be sure to get into shape beforehand and consider your kit carefully.
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hostel, Hotel, Villa
Age Range
18-39 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
London, Provence, French Riviera
London, Provence, French Riviera, La Spezia, Florence, Rome, Paris, Venice, Austrian Alps, Prague, Krakow, Warsaw, Berlin, Amsterdam, Bordeaux, San Sebastian, San Sebastián de La Gomera, Barcelona
This trip was once in a lifetime, we really felt like we saw a lot of Thailand. There was a lot of variety; city, history culture, waterfalls, rivers, railways, caves, wildlife and beaches. I would recommend staying an extra night before in Bangkok there is so much to do, we did a hidden Bangkok bike tour as well as the grand palace and wot pho, river cruise etc. The excursion to cheow lake is great, saw bats in cave, jungle walk, and scenery is beautiful. I would also recommend staying an extra night in Krabi so that you have time to do the 4 island boat tours. We extended out tour by going to Koh Yao Noi where we saw oriental pied hornbills for 4 nights, a perfected to a brilliant trip.