The trip to Sri Lanka followed by the dhoni cruise in the Maldives was absolutely amazing. So many different experiences and so much variety. I absolutely loved all of it, from temples and elephants to swimming with sharks. The 2 different tour leaders on the 2 parts of the tour were both excellent as were their support staff. They went out of their way to give us a fantastic experience.
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.
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!
Journey into the heart of Nepal and experience the colourful sights of this enchanting region. Mingle with local villagers and craftspeople, visit temples and sacred Buddhist sites, travel the cobbled streets of tiny mountain towns and search for unique wildlife. From the whirlwind of Kathmandu to the lush jungle of Chitwan National Park, and with plenty of delightful hidden gems in between, you'll take an unforgettable tour of Nepal then turn your sights to Bhutan, known for its breathtaking natural scenery, quiet towns and few tourist numbers. This 18-day trip offers scenic delights, an insight into the local culture and plenty of adventure.
What we saw and what we did led by our expert guide was very special. It was the sheer variety of the experiences. The stand out being the walk up to the Tigers Nest Monastery. But for me the walks we did through villages where we saw real life going on was just as special.
Bhutan is a special place, full of wonderful people, surrounded by amazing scenery. Accommodation there was of a very high standard. The icing on thd cake was seeing Mt Everest as we flew to Kathmandu.
A special holiday full of great experiences.
Its not often that I ever write a review for anything. Felt compelled to do so for this holiday! We were the 1st group to do this trip.....
This holiday was excellent on every level! Perfect combination of the sea, snorkelling 2-3 times every day in the azure sea, truly unbelievable that I managed to snorkel alongside a giant whale shark (about 6 metres long & 15 tons) within touching distance for about 15minutes!
A holiday full of once in a lifetime experiences. Lovely traditional boat, crew and tour leader worked very hard to make it a great holiday. Food was great and the twice daily snorkelling trips were amazing
