Embrace independent travel in South Asia with over 850 solo-friendly tours. Perfect for meeting like-minded travelers while maintaining your independence, rated by more than 7,700 confident solo explorers.
I have just returned from this wonderful adventure and wish it hadn't ended. The sights, sounds and colours will stay with me for ever and I would like to go back to India and Nepal again one day.
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, Resort
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Kathmandu, New Delhi, Chitwan Na
Kathmandu, New Delhi, Chitwan National Park, Pokhara, Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi, Bodhgaya, Lumbini
My first high-altitude hike - the Nubra Valley trek - and all I can say is WOW! With Valerie Parkinson as our tour leader, we were set up for an unforgettable adventure from day one. The incredible cook, knowledgeable guides, and fantastic camp crew made every moment a joy. If you’re thinking of exploring the Nubra Valley, you simply can’t go wrong with this trip. The only challenge now? Deciding on my next adventure!
ClimbingWalking toursAdventure
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Camping, Hotel
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
New Delhi, Leh Ladakh, Khardung
New Delhi, Leh Ladakh, Khardung La, Wachan , Snia Sumdo
Had a fantastic experience with the help of our guide Sumba Sherpa. He made things so easy for us through out the trek. He's very experienced and helped us when he had to. First class experience!
We had a great experience with Khum and this company. The transport to and from the trek was smooth. The trek holds breath-taking views with mostly straightforward days for a fit walker with a few challenging days. I highly recommend the trek for any nature lover and enthusiastic trekker. It is, however, the guide and porter that absolutely make the trek! They really do become like family on the trek. Raju has mastered the art of being a guide. He knows well when to give space and when to engage with encouragement or knowledge. We met many guides on the trek and, whilst they were all lovely, we felt especially fortunate to have Raju with his uplifting energy, enthusiastic knowledge and witty humour. Raju made the experience perfect. He acquired the best rooms he could to look after us as one of had a stomach infection. The rooms were better than expected all the way round as Raju managed to get us private rooms at every tea house and always offered extra blankets and pillows! He was patient and kind and remained positive towards achieving our goal despite the difficult illness. He also supplied the medicine which cured us and allowed us to complete the trek. It’s safe to say this would not have happened without Raju! We played cards every night and we shared different games with each other, this was a real highlight! Nima was also a lovely and caring porter who with his limited English communicated largely in kindness and respect. He was always there to help and support and several times returned from dropping the heavy bag to help! Despite the illness, the trip ran smoothly because of Raju and Nima and it has perpetuated our deep love for Nepal and a desperation to return and complete more treks. We can’t thank Raju and Nima enough for their excellency and for making our trip so special!
Craving a deep dive into Sri Lanka’s wonders? The "Best of Sri Lanka" active trip is a 15-day journey that invites you to cycle, hike, and savor your way through the island’s most iconic sites and hidden gems. Summit the legendary Lion Rock in Sigiriya, pedal through the ancient ruins of Anuradhapura, and marvel at the massive Buddha carvings in Polonnaruwa.
Share a home-cooked meal with a Tamil tea worker, relax on Mirissa’s sun-kissed beaches, and trek between plantations and villages in Haputale. With a moderate activity level, this tour is perfect for travelers eager to balance adventure with cultural immersion.
A major USP is the authentic local interactions—from family lunches to cycling ancient cities—making this trip an unforgettable way to experience Sri Lanka’s heart and heritage.
Active and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
The AP mini circuit has to be considered as a viable alternative to the full circuit(which I have not done) - if you have a fortnight and are confident of your trekking abilities, you will get all the thrill of the trek up the Valley and over the 5416m pass , a descent through the incredible Mustang valley on the other side followed by a memorable flight past the AP range back to Pokhara .
Trekking and HikingAdventure
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
From the autumn 2016 season the Mera Peak trek/climb by this tour operator changed from a camping based itinerary of previous years to lodge or tea house based accommodation. I/we departed in October 2016. Before commencing the trek Id convinced myself that the trek in to Mera would be broadly similar to the Everest Base Camp trek, I was very wrong. There is no gentle start and long days requiring sustained effort are the theme pretty much throughout. The route taken for the first few days is very quiet and had a feel of "going around the houses" for me. That quieter route also makes for much more basic lodges than those found on EBC for example but they were all adequate. The longer approach route does however allow for excellent acclimatisation, a major key to success. All the approach routes converge in Kote and it is then a straight shot up the now rocky Hinku valley. I didnt find the approach trek in to be very scenic and that wasnt helped by day after day of cloud cover. I wonder if a November departure would be worthwhile for clearer skies. Khare, which I thought of as base camp village, was a surprsingly busy place with climbers from all over the world either preparing for or returning from Mera. Stories of six groups having been beaten back by high winds the previous day brought about a realisation that nature could quite easily scupper our plans. Having left Khare and reached the snow line, those of us that brought our own mountain boots and crampons were reunited with them by virtue of some porters that had gone ahead of us. I was now using mountain boots and crampons on snow for the first time, I found I tired far quicker than I cared to admit at the time. After a short but steep climb things level out and then it was a relatively short walk to Mera La camp for the night. The sunset and night time stars were very nice. We were now in tents for the first time. I wish I hadn't binned off my Thermarest mattress as a weight saving effort for the Lukla flight. Foam mattresses were provided but I could still feel the cold coming up from the ground. The next day was a short one from Mera La to High Camp. It however is one of those sections where the destination never seems to get any closer despite feeling you're working like a steam train at full speed. The amusement of high camp's precarious position soon passes as you try to concentrate on getting some sleep for the upcoming 0030 wake up call. I got no real sleep. We then started our torch lit climb through the night in deeply sub zero temperatures. It was hard going, really hard going, there was little talking amongst us. It was just heads down and endure it. The group were imposing more rest stops on the guides than they wanted but I don't think there were any negative consequences when all said and done. My fingers were numb with cold. The sun slowly rose and Mera central summit could now be seen ahead. We left our rucksacks at the foot of the summit and using our Jumars went up the surprisingly short roped section fixed by our guides, it was easy and I was on the summit in a minute. It had taken around 7 hours from leaving High Camp with no sleep (for me) since Mera La the previous day. It was bitterly cold on the summit and very windy, there wasn't any open celebration. There now followed an extremely long walk all the way back down to Khare village with only a short pitstop at High Camp along the way. It was exhausting. Availability of water was a problem too since much if not all of our water was still frozen despite the now blazing morning sun. I was gasping for a drink. Ngima our leader had some warm water in a flask and I will definitely take a small flask when I find myself back on a high mountain again. What now remained was the trek "home" to Lukla. The third day of decent involved far more steep climbing than we were in the mood for but we gt where we were going. Conditions on the Zatrwa pass werent as bad as they could be. During our trek trail crampons or shoe grips weren't necessary. There were only a couple sections of ice a few paces long. The decent from the pass is long and steep, thankfully the national park authority have been building a stone staircase which makes things a little easier but you still have to watch your step. There is the potential for an overnight stay a few hours short of Lukla but depending on progress it can be skipped and we pressed on for Lukla and some comfort... relatively speaking
ClimbingTrekking and Hiking
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Camping, Lodge, Tent
Age Range
18-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Kathmandu, Tangnag, Mera Peak Ba
Kathmandu, Tangnag, Mera Peak Base Camp, Mera La, Mera Peak High Camp, Mera Peak, Zatrwa La Pass, Lukla, Piuyan, Pangkongma, Nashing Dingma, Chholem, Sukye La, Kothe
This was my first trip as a single person and I had a fabulous time. The group of 12 (four couples and four singles) really gelled and were very friendly, supportive and fun. The itinerary was very good, with at least one specific thing to do, see or visit each day. The high points were the tea plantation, the spice farm, the cookery evening, the wonderful scenery and the houseboat . The accommodation was generally very good, but the homestay was too basic to be an enjoyable experience. It didn't feel as though we were guests in someone's home, it felt more like a commercial exercise (eg the host talked of building a hotel next year to accommodate more guests). The food was excellent in most places with some well-chosen restaurants/snack bars, and plenty of choice for vegetarians, but I was a little disappointment at the street food experience, which was just selecting one cold, precooked snack (such as samosa, vada or fritter.) I was anticipating some freshly cooked food (while we looked on) such as rice and dahl or pani puri. Also, I thought that the purpose of visiting the market was to select spices and vegetables to use later in our cookery evening, but there wasn't an obvious link. Our guide, Sree, was flexible, knowledgeable and very accommodating of all our needs.
Overall a really great experience with a great group of people. Will definitely use Explore again for another adventurous trip.
City sightseeingSight
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
This is a great holiday to introduce you to the delights of Southern India. It was a magical experience and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in this part of the world.
Cultural, religious and historic sites
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
