It's my 3rd tour with explore!, and I've enjoyed it very much.
The itinerary was good, and our guide - Diem - was excellent, with a lot of knowledge and good spirit.
City sightseeing
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
First of all, shout out to Doan the tour leader. Passion for his country was contagious, he had us all transfixed with his stories and guides through history, food and culture.
The whole team was fantastic, making us feel welcome. They gave us space so we felt like we were exploring and adventuring, but if we needed them (puncture etc) suddenly they would appear.
Very happy with the tour. Cycling through amazing landscapes, remote villages and vibrant cities. Variation of light cycling, more challenging and chill out days (Beach and City).
Pace of cycling was adapted to our fitness. This tour will work whether you are a leisure cyclist or someone looking for some challenge.
Now we have done a cycle tour with Explore, its difficult to consider doing anything else. Cycling adds to the sense of adventure and gives a connection to the country you don't get otherwise. Explore put together an itinerary and ran the tour faultlessly.
To add, I was surprised by the quality of Hotel. Better than I expected.
Bicycle tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
The hotels were amazing but the trip was so full on there was no time to appreciate them. Also 18 Wats in 3 days was too much. Tour Guide very knowledgeable and fun. Really enjoyed it all but I think it could have been broken up a bit better, not so many long days and a break from WATs. I would recommend
Cultural, religious and historic sites
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
The trip gave a comprehensive tour of some of the main sights in Vietnam. The walking elements in Pu Luong, the hike to My Son temple, and the Mekong Delta were highlights, as was Hanoi. Most of the other walks were sightseeing tours in the cities. Our guide Juan was very organised and professional, and his insights into the history and people were very interesting. The standard of the accommodation was very good. The walking was very sedate and would be doable for almost all travellers. As an introduction to the country, it ticked all the boxes.
Active and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
An interesting destination with a fascinating culture.
The cuisine is delightful and this Explore trip gives you an insight into the preparation of the local food.
The flora is very colourful, but bird watchers will be very disappointed. There is more birdsong in my garden than two weeks in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese are extremely friendly and helpful. The traffic is daunting.
City sightseeing
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
A well designed itinerary made for a good introduction to Indochina. The biggest problem was never having quite enough time everywhere to do everything you wanted.
Active and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Guest House, Home-stay
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Hanoi, Siem Reap, Mekong Delta
Hanoi, Siem Reap, Mekong Delta, Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi Tunnels, Phnom Penh, Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Halong Bay, Hue, Thien Mu Pagoda, Hoi An
This trip was once in a lifetime, we really felt like we saw a lot of Thailand. There was a lot of variety; city, history culture, waterfalls, rivers, railways, caves, wildlife and beaches. I would recommend staying an extra night before in Bangkok there is so much to do, we did a hidden Bangkok bike tour as well as the grand palace and wot pho, river cruise etc. The excursion to cheow lake is great, saw bats in cave, jungle walk, and scenery is beautiful. I would also recommend staying an extra night in Krabi so that you have time to do the 4 island boat tours. We extended out tour by going to Koh Yao Noi where we saw oriental pied hornbills for 4 nights, a perfected to a brilliant trip.
Active and outdoorExplorer
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
An excellent fortnight exploring Vietnam by foot and bike.
The cycling was relatively easy and relaxed (even the chaotic bits in the cities) and Binh our guide was very safety aware and led our routes well taking time to stop and explain the views and attractions along the way.
The hotels were mostly good (one was a bit lower standard but even that was fine) and the food available varied and tasty.
The itinerary was varied and covered all the key features and was flexible enough to accommodate the wishes of the group.
The included food lunches or dinners were all excellent.
We did the optional extras and the cookery class in Han Oi was superb.
We had 2 weeks of splendid weather - one day of rain which meant that the itinerary that day was changed to a walk from a ride - we would have preferred to have cycled but safety awareness prevented this.
Some small tweaks to the itinerary could improve things for us but overall the itinerary was both well planned and varied.
We were a small group and we had an excellent time with our fellow travellers and Binh.
Active and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
