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.
An excellent 3 weeks with 2 excellent guides. Sri Lanka section was well organised by our guide Nala. he tweaked the itinerary so that we got the very best out of our time and imparted so much information about every aspect of Sri Lanka. He kept us on time fitting extra stops in if we were passing something to see like a banana market and fishermen hauling nets in on the beach. Accommodation was exactly as described and the usual Explore authentic assortment of comfortable and more rustic.
There were lots of English style plug sockets in the hotels, but i would take an adaptor as well just in case.
Highlights were climbing Adams Peak starting at 2am, and passing some very elderly people making the pilgrimage to the temple at the top. A unique experience. Also the train journey over 9 arch bridge. Great fun.
Maldives- again we had a superb guide- Moosa. Extremely knowledgeable about the ocean and also gave us a lot of fascinating history and politics background of the Maldives. Island visits provided an insight into the real country.
The boat was spacious clean and comfortable. Didn't expect the hotel like room services - bed making and towel changing! Food on the boat was amazing. Plentiful and a variety of dishes inc freshly caught fish. Had 2 snorkels a day building up the length and difficulty of them. So many colourful fish, it was like swimming in a tropical fish tank. Also saw turtles, moray eels, sharks and rays including a manta. The tender was always out with us keeping an eye on us whilst snorkelling.
Overall a fabulous itinerary and guides on land and sea
Active and outdoorWildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
We had an absolutely wonderful week with Explore in Sri Lanka. Our tour was packed with amazing locations and fascinating experiences, but our tour guide, Sudesh, still managed to fit in a few extras requested by the group.
Our only regret at the end of the trip was that the wild elephants had evaded us, but that was just bad luck!
For us, this trip was the perfect way to experience a very different country and culture with the insight and knowledge that comes from an excellent local guide.
Active and outdoorWildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Resort
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Colombo, Negombo, Wilpattu Natio
Colombo, Negombo, Wilpattu National Park, Mihintale, Kandy, Koggala
This tour operator offers a unique Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek in Nepal, offering an exceptional experience for trekkers seeking solitude. The trail passes through diverse terrain, forests, and villages, offering stunning views of snow-capped peaks like Kanchenjunga. Trekkers can interact with local communities and learn about their culture. Experienced guides are knowledgeable about the region's flora, fauna, and history, ensuring safety and well-being. Explore Treks provides comfortable accommodations and delicious meals, catering to different skill levels and preferences, ensuring an unforgettable experience in the Himalayas.
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.
Active and outdoorWildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
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.
A real insight into Sri Lanka’s culture and heritage together with its diverse landscape. The guides wonderful positivity and knowledge really enhanced the trip experience.
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, Tent
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Colombo, Negombo, Puerto Río Tra
Colombo, Negombo, Puerto Río Tranquilo, Bentota, Dambulla, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Horton Plains National Park, Ella, Yala National Park
We have just returned from a great family holiday in India. Our Explore tour leader, Virender (Veeru) Singh was excellent. His depth of knowledge was outstanding and his unwavering enthusiasm really made our holiday. He was good company at meal times and always keen to know what he could do to make our trip even better. There were some lengthy bus trips to get to our destinations and he pointed out interesting things along the way to keep us engaged and entertained. He was really good with our twins too who sometimes got a bit tired and was very accommodating and helpful with whatever they needed to enjoy the trip. He took us to places we wouldn't have found on our own and every step of the way the organisation of our transport, tickets and luggage was seamless. Our driver was also excellent on what was sometimes challenging driving driving conditions and long distances.
Itinerary was exactly as stated.
We had problems with flights as the air space had been closed down. Explore were outstanding in getting us alternative flights and we caught up with the group only a day late. Top marks explore.
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, Guest House
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
New Delhi, Amritsar, Leh Ladakh
New Delhi, Amritsar, Leh Ladakh, Hemis, Alchi, Lamayuru, Nubra Valley, Hunder
Looking back at our photos now we've returned to the UK we can't believe the amount we saw and the amazing experiences we had on this tour. Sri Lanka is an amazing beautiful country with some much going on - we only scratched the surface. Our tour leader Cham worked so hard to make sure that we had everything we needed, resolving our problems and sorting out food for our fussy son! His knowledge about Sri Lankan history and wildlife was immense. He even found the best place to buy genuine Sri Lanka cricket shirts for the sporty members of our group. The only thing we'd change was the pace of the second half of the Sri Lanka leg of the trip. The first half gave us time to chill and bond as a group, as well as hang out in the pool at Giritale and play cricket. The second half we moved every night and covered a massive distance, though interesting, this was quite tiring (especially for the kids), so we'd suggest that a two night stop in the middle of this element would resolve this issue easily. This was clear in the notes, however, as was the high chance of not getting the train. The pace did slow considerably for the Maldives element, with a lot of time on our boats travelling between reefs. The snorkelling was quite frankly mind-blowing, and even the more nervous swimmers loved it. The crew were fantastic, and the food was delicious. The guide knew his stuff, and made sure we had great snorkelling experiences. Our only criticism of this part of the trip was that splitting the group when we'd got to know each other and were getting on really well was disappointing. There were larger boats, and we'd have preferred to be on a single boat given how long we spent travelling separately. The crew did what they could to mitigate this by tying the boats together when we moored for snorkels, meals and overnight and that was great. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable trip, and with a few very small tweaks it'd be perfect!
Active and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers