Experience South Asia intimately with over 420 small group tours (max 16 travelers). Enjoy personal attention from guides and deeper cultural connections rated by more than 3,500 small group travelers.
A fantastic trip which far exceeded my expectations. I was hoping for some good snorkelling but the close (sometimes VERY) close encounters with sting rays, green and hawksbill turtles, and sharks will remain in the memory for a long, long time.
Fed like kings (how on earth the chef managed to dish up some sumptuous feasts from a small galley!) with an ever friendly and helpful crew, and one of the best (and enthusiastic) tour leaders.
Active and outdoorWildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
We loved this trip. Yes, some of the hotels were pretty average, yes a few didn't have hot water, and yes some had extremely inefficient staff, but that's not what you are going for.
We got to visit the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati which should be on the itinerary. Each place we visited throughout the trip was very much worth the time and effort to get there. Even on the long drive days the stops didn't feel like just fillers that you might get somewhere else.
Kaziranga National Park was a lovely day and we saw a lot of elephant and dozens of rhino. So much more than we thought we might, and at a lot closer quarter too.
The trek down to the root bridges at Cherrapunjee was another highlight. It is a big effort as described in the notes and in other reviews, but worth every step. They are remarkable. We walk a lot, but never previously used walking poles, however, we did on this day and I'd highly using them. The hotel there is lovely with great views over the Sylhet plains into Bangladesh.
Hornbill Festival was incredible and a massive highlight. Our guide, Pema, got us to the festival nice and early and we were able to experience all the tribal groups entering the arena to take their places, all singing, chanting, drumming. Absolutely wonderful and an experience we will remember for a long time. And a second day to fully absorb it. Amazing, loved it!
The Majuli Island stay was another totally different environment. The ferry to and from is a great experience. The temple visits were beautiful and a contrast to the full on craziness of Hornbill Festival. It was also really lovely to be able to walk through small villages and meet local people.
The day at Longwa village was another extraordinary time. Meeting the ex headhunters, a wander through the hilltop border village, a great lunch in a longhouse. So different from anywhere else we've been.
And the last night in a lovely old colonial tea bungalow and time meeting the ladies picking leaves on the plantation was a lovely treat.
Things don't work in this part of the world as you may be accustomed to, but just go with it and this trip will reward you with some extraordinary experiences.
City sightseeing
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Bungalow, Guest House, Resort, Villa
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Kolkata, Assam, Guwahati, Majuli
Kolkata, Assam, Guwahati, Majuli Island, Nagaland, Longwa, Dibrugarh, Umananda, Cherrapunjee, Khasi, Kaziranga National Park, Mokochung
Brilliant trip. Highly recommend. Very full on, cramming in so much in 2 weeks & we saw & did so much. Tour leader Indu was outstanding & went out of his way to make it special. Some long journeys but worth it; no time wasted trying to sort stuff out so all very efficient from start to finish.
WildlifeArt and architecture
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
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
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
Great trip covering highlights of Kerala.
Fabulous tour leader and support team.
The rides started easy and flat, and became progressively harder with increasingly longer hills as we headed into the mountains. The slow pace suited my ability. The spinning classes I did as preparation definitely paid off. The heat and humidity were challenging! Road conditions were better than expected.
The bikes could have been in better condition- the mechanic was great in sorting out issues on the way.
Most of the participants missed their various connecting flights arranged by Explore, including us! Arriving at 5am and having to be prepared to cycle at 8.30am wasn’t fun! Explore really need to consider this as I think it’s a regular occurrence!
WildlifeBicycle tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Walking, wildlife, food and culture: this tour ticked a lot of boxes for me. It is true that the poor visibility at this time of year (March) meant that the Annupurna mountains weren't visible during much of the trek, but the landscape with its flora, fauna and small farms still made the walking interesting and enjoyable. A special highlight was seeing the one-horned rhinoceros at the Chitwan National Park, and the cultural events staged at the Green Chwadi Retreat at Chitwan were an unexpected bonus. There was a wealth of birds to see throughout the tour, and our tour leader, Su, was very knowledgeable in identifying them. As someone who is unable to eat gluten, I had been worried about how I would cope with the food; and I am extremely grateful to Su for helping me to navigate this, as well as ensuring that there were always things available for me to eat.
Active and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
