Journey Through the Balkans

Excellent trip! Enjoyed the itinerary. The extremes of weather were not expected - but neither by the locals! Some of the coffee in hotels wasn't good. But rooms always fine. Leader was energetic, friendly and helpful. I noted that some hotels did not have lifts, and came prepared to carry my bags. (A bit disappointed that some others didn't feel the same.) Highlights of Dubrovnik, Sarajevo, and ethnic village in Serbia. And the train journey!

A trip which included historical sites, beautiful landscapes and wildlife opportunities. There were many highlights, and a couple of downsides. Because we visited Sarajevo on Sunday afternoon and Monday many of the museums and sights were closed, so a fascinating city was partly unexplored. While we were aware that lifts would not be available, we didn’t know just how many places had many many steps, in particular the Küstendorff resort. But a very enjoyable trip. Already considering the next one

An interesting and varied trip covering old coastal towns like Kotor, cities such as Sarajevo and Dubrovnik (visited properly with a couple of extra days at the end of the trip) and areas up in the mountains of Montenegro and Serbia. Boat trips, a train trip, a visit to one of Tito’s bunkers and walks in national parks added to the variety - as did the weather. It was lovely and warm on the coast - shorts and t-shirt weather but we experienced a surprise, early snowfall while staying in the huts of Sirogojno Open Air Museum! Well done to the local travel team who had to find a minibus with winter tyres that could get us down from the mountain.

A very varied trip, including time in historic towns like Kotor and Sarajevo, time in the countryside, walks, boat trips and even a narrow gauge railway trip. The roads are good so although it looks like a lot of travel, it was easy going. Two things to note: take seriously the warning about no lifts in hotels. This proved to be true and many of them have lots of steps up and down! Also, it can be very cold up in the mountains in late Sept/Oct while still hot and sunny on the coast so bring clothes for all seasons.

Some days/parts of the tour should be removed as nothing special. Tour leader was knowledgeable but information about next day activities was lacking in some instances. He hadn't read the leader notes or done the trip this year. A reluctance to use WhatsApp to communicate information.

A very enjoyable tour with lots to see and experience, Vanja led the tour capably and was always on hand. A lovely part of the world to experience.

The tour had a heavy schedule at times, and would have benefitted by being a 14 day tour as opposed to 12 days. In particular, an extra day at Dubrovnik would have been appreciated. The transport used (a 20 seater mini-bus) was extremely cramped, given that the tour was sold out, and a small coach would have been more appropriate. Nevertheless, Vanja, the Leader, worked hard to ensure that we had an enjoyable holiday.

Really interesting trip through the Balkans with a large number of varied activities. The tour leader, Dusan was fantastic and had a great deal of history and insight to share. We only had 2 real issues 1. The “optional” boat trips are not really optional ( as there nothing else to do - trip notes are misleading on this) and 2. The accommodation is pretty mixed with two hotels being of really poor quality. However, on balance I would still recommend this trip. FYI: it’s a tough one if you are vegetarian as there are often very few options.

A well organised and tested trip. Could be improved by having more interaction with local people.

Explore did what they said in the trip notes and didn’t disappoint! I would recommend looking at their website if you like adventure travel.

A great contrast of lakes, mountains, cities, culture and history from four fascinating countries. Dusan's dedication and attention to detail made the tour exceptional, and we were in the safe hands of Boban on those windy mountain roads. My highlights were the The Open Air Museum and Kustendorf. I recommend adding a couple of days before/after the tour to explore the Dubrovnik old town.

An excellent trip made even more special with our tour leader Dusan who went above and beyond to ensure everyone had the best time. The open air museum was a highlight as well as Sarajevo and Mostar. A couple of the hotels could be improved and I would have preferred extra time in Mostar and less in Zabljak.

I would recommend this tour to anyone, good itinerary and and if you want to learn something about a complicated Balkan history, do this your. Great countries to visit, interesting scenery, good food, friendly people and really great tour leaders, thank you Filip and Dusan for sharing your knowledge with us and always being helpful. A couple of the hotel rooms could have been better. I like hot weather but may I suggest if people don’t like hot weather don’t travel in summer, air conditioning is a luxury, not a necessity.

The trip was spoilt by the air con on the mini bus not being up to the job. Temperatures in the back of the bus exceeded 30.C on several occasions and made travelling very uncomfortable despite making regular stops etc. Highlights for me were the Uvac rver trip, the train journey ,Sarajevo and Dubrovnik. Lows were the Skadar lake trip, much to fast and noisy actually scaring and chasing the birds and Kustendorf which I found difficult to navigate around and the staff with the exception of the lady on reception gave the impression that we had disturbed their Siesta.

Transport was old, no aircon at ventilation, temperatures of 35 inside bus. A couple of ok hotels but generally rooms far too small for 2 people, spent 10 days grovelling on the floor with suitcase

An absolutely fabulous trip through the Balkans exploring the mountains, forests, alpine meadows, coastlines, National Parks, UNESCO sites and ancient towns of the region, it was even more beautiful and interesting than expected. A busy and really varied itinerary with the opportunity to swim, walk, take boat trips and a historic train ride and also the time to relax. Daniela was an absolutely brilliant leader and guide who looked after the needs of everyone in the group. Those who wished to be more active and walk to the top of the fortress in Kotor or to walk further in Durmitor NP could do so as there were longer options available which worked well. We saw so much and it was not busy with tourists which was lovely. To name just a few….Uvac canyon (nature reserve) and seeing the Griffon Vultures, Skadar lake boat trip and a huge flock of Pelicans, monasteries, mosques, churches, the beautiful wooden museum of Sirogojno and wonderful ladies who knit - I am so pleased with the hat I bought there - many famous bridges, Titos bunker all simply incredible! It was great to be able to spend 2 days in Sarajevo as it was such a fascinating city, culturally, historically, so much to see and do, Mostar was simply stunning, a beautiful old town and bridge. Dubrovnik was interesting but seemed busy after the quieter places we had visited but was great to see it and then spend quiet time at the hotel afterwards a bit away from the Old Town on the beach and swimming in the turquoise sea. The hotels were very well chosen and Daniela was brilliant at recommending local dishes to try, such as Cevapi, the trout, shopska salad which were all simply delicious. The best trout of all cooked by the wonderful 78 year old lady in the family restaurant! Daniela was a wonderful leader and you will be very lucky to have her leading your tour. She was warm, friendly, smiley throughout and very thorough in her explanations of what we were seeing, helpful in advising us where and when to buy currency for the next country and what we needed for each day or options of things we could do. We were so lucky with Igor our driver who was really excellent, a calm and very safe driver throughout the entire tour. He looked after us well and was so kind in loading and unloading all our bags each time. We really enjoyed his company. The region is so interesting historically, so very beautiful , so much so, we intend to return. I can’t recommend this trip enough, we loved it, if you are thinking about it, I’d say just book it!!