Simple stays with essential amenities. Typically guesthouses, hostels or hotels rated below 3 stars — clean, no-frills, and great for value-conscious travelers.
Comfortable and reliable 3-star stays. Expect private rooms, en-suite bathrooms, and solid amenities — a great balance between comfort and cost.
Upscale 4-5 star hotels and lodges. Enjoy high-end service, refined comfort, and premium locations — ideal for travelers seeking extra indulgence.
Just completed my 3rd intro tour and already booked my 4th for next year! Just finished the Vietnam intro and had the absolute best time. Very well organised by our amazing tour leader Annelise who was just the best!! Would recommend intro to anyone. I work full time and these trips allow me to experience travel with so many amazing experiences!
Rickshaw, cycle or local transport tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Bungalow, Home-stay, Hotel
Age Range
18-55 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Sapa, Halong Bay, Ninh Binh
Vietnam with intro was such an incredible experience thanks to our fantastic leader Michelle! Honourable mention to Jas and Tim as leaders-in-training who will be amazing. The whole trip was so enjoyable and engaging, and I genuinely cant remember the last time I had that much fun. Michelle was amazing in any scenario thrown her way, and nothing was ever too big of an issue to solve! I consistently felt so safe and reassured with the team. From cultural experiences of war tunnels and walking tours to incredible boat rides and fun nights out this has been one of the best holidays of my life. I would absolutely recommend to anyone solo travelling because you will meet such amazing people along the way. I wish I could do it all over again!
Rickshaw, cycle or local transport tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Home-stay, Bungalow, Hotel
Age Range
18-55 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Sapa, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh
Did a 10-day Vietnam tour and overall it was well-organized and enjoyable. In Hanoi, we visited a tea farm in Ba Vi — peaceful, with a great local host who shared stories from the war. The foot soak at the end was a nice touch.
The Ha Long Bay cruise was scenic and relaxing, with good food and kayaking. Hoi An was my favorite stop — charming Old Town, fun basket boat ride, and some downtime to explore or get clothes tailored. Loved the lantern-lit streets at night.
In Ho Chi Minh, we explored the Cu Chi Tunnels and took a busy but interesting day trip to the Mekong Delta. Accommodations were all decent 3-star hotels, and everything ran smoothly from start to finish.
The team did a solid job. Good value for the price, and I’d travel with them again.
CruiseSightseeing ToursFishing
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
1-99 yrs
Operated in
english, french, german, spanish
Destinations
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Halong
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Halong Bay, Mekong Delta, Hoi An
This is definitely a full on holiday of a lifetime. The holiday is packed full of interesting places to see and experience. Our tour guide Vinh was superb, he took us to the best places to eat, planned the days so we could make the best of the places and kept us entertained.
The group were happy to include the optional extras and we saw way more than I thought we’d have been able to fit in on our own.
The highlights for me are the overnight train, Ho Chi Minh City and Angkor Wat.
City sightseeingCruise
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
I booked this trip last minute and wasn't disappointed. Highlights of Laos is an unhurried, relaxed trip. Pavements, like in Vietnam and Cambodia, are uneven and could be tricky for those unsteady on their feet; however, unlike those countries, the traffic is very light and easy to negotiate. Taxis to/ from airports are cheap. The Buddha park was great and COPE museum thought provoking. The rail journeys are smooth and comfortable with lots to look at. Limestone cliffs are dramatic and the hot air ballooning worth it. The walks and steps are relatively easy. Early March was hot.
Take easy slip on/off shoes for the many varied and interesting temples along with shoulder coverings and below the knee shorts.
Our guide, Quang, was lovely but what really made this trip for me was the fabulous bunch of fellow travellers.
Cultural, religious and historic sites
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Our first visit to Thailand and this tour was a wonderful introduction! We had an outstanding, very experienced tour leader in Worasak Paiboon (Pok) - he was one of the best (we have taken many trips with Explore). A great group which worked well. The start of the tour was rather full-on with the overnight rail journey - but well worth it. Hard to pick a highlight, but the Elephant Sanctuary stands out, as well as the homestay and raft hotel. Thoroughly recommend!
Active and outdoorWildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
It was amazing no better way to spend my birthday, everything was good. Saw and did a lot, wouldn’t have minded a bit more free time to let people decide what they wanted to do.
Review
This was our first, small group holiday ever and so pleased we chose Explore - we enjoyed it enormously. The organisation around the whole trip was very professional from the team in England to the very end.
The itinerary was well thought out and provided very interesting insights into the daily lives of the Vietnamese and Cambodian people alongside the extensive history of the two countries we visited.
Our tours guides were very knowledgeable and amusing - always happy to answer questions and providing many light hearted moments. Our team leader guide Binh, was wonderful and so professional. Always doing everything he could to make our holiday run smoothly.
We chose a cycling holiday and this enabled us to visit small villages off the beaten track. There was always a mechanical support team with us who were also lovely.
Would definitely recommend Explore to anyone - and we are already looking at other trips.
Bicycle tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
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.