Lake Como Walking

Peppe is an excellent tour leader. He made sure the whole experience was very enjoyable. I was specially impressed with the way he checked in to make sure that the people who had not joined the individual walks were ok and helped plan alternative activities for them.

Enjoyed the location, the stunning views and the beautiful walks overlooking Lake Como. Peppe was an excellent walking guide and very conscientious in looking after all members of the group.

Peppe the Explore leader was excellent. He looked after everyone in a very caring fashion during each walk but also made himself available to help with any problems or questions we had before or after the walks. The use of local buses to get us to and from walks resulted in some annoying hanging around when tired after a strenuous walk and we would have preferred to have had the use of a private mini bus, even if this would mean paying a little more.

A fabulous trip from start to finish. Much of this was down to our tour leader, Nigel. He was very informative, caring and had a great sense of humour. We made the most of our time by starting our walks fairly early to coordinate with the buses and ferries. The walks were manageable and the scenery was wonderful. The picnics provided by Nigel were fantastic. Although a large group, we all got on well. The Hotel Regina is in a great location overlooking the lake and just a short walk from the small town of Gravedona. The hotel is a lovely place to stay with very friendly staff and very good food. A real treat was to have both the lake and pool to swim in after a day’s walking and to be able to relax.

The location for this walking holiday is perfect. Gravedona is a quiet lakeside town, away from the busier towns further south on Lake Como, with the hotel a short walk away and views over the lake. The group leader Nigel, was great. He organised picnics for each day's walking, managed to keep us, a large group of walkers, on schedule for the various buses and ferries that we had to catch, and was a fount of useful information as we walked each day. The walks were interesting and varied, and our efforts in the ascents were rewarded with fabulous views over the lake and mountains beyond with plenty of opportunity to take pictures and admire the scenery. I can thoroughly recommend this holiday.

This is a super walking trip which does what it says on the tin. We had a very competent and personable tour leader (Nigel) who ensured everyone was fully briefed and that all the logistics ran well, and master-minded four amazing picnic lunches in fabulous spots with wonderful views! On the free day, it is easy to travel around the north of the lake on the ferries. If you can afford the upgrade to a lake view room at the Regina, it is well worth doing so as sitting on the balcony looking at the lake is very special.

This was my first solo walking holiday and it won't be my last after the experience I had. The location on the shores of Lake Como and the Hotel Regina were fantastic. The hotel had great facilities being the pool and lake for swimming and the balcony rooms overlooking the lake and mountains were great. The hotel staff were also very friendly and efficient and the food was very good. The group I was with was large being 16 including the guide but we all got on fine. The guide, Nigel was excellent. You could tell immediately he was very experienced in this type of activity and if there were any incidents whilst walking he would sort it out. His knowledge of the surrounding area was very good and he had a great sense of humour. He also never rushed the group and explained from the start that if you didn't want to do something then that was fine. This was your holiday and you did what you wanted! Nigel also communicated very well. We had a briefing at 7pm each evening before dinner and then he repeated it again at breakfast. We knew exactly what we were doing and this was in line with the itinerary. The picnic's on the walks were very good and we had minimal waste which lived up to one of Explores sustainable values. The walking at times was hard but Nigel explained that you do it steady and slow and was very encouraging. When you had finished you had a real sense of achievement as it would be easy to give up especially on the climbs up! The scenery was stunning and we were lucky to have great weather, only thunderstorms overnight! Also the rest day (albeit mine was not that restful as I went to the Castle in Verenna which was a hike in itself!) is much needed and I would ask that Explore keep that in! Overall a great experience and I have already booked another holiday with Explore in September in the Dolomites and Lake Garda for walking and cycling.

An excellent trip guided by Nigel Lewis. The walking was a little bit more strenuous than I anticipated but manageable all the same with the rewards of some great views more than making up for the effort involved. The Hotel Regina was the best hotel I have stayed in on an Explore trip with a fantastic lakeside location and lovely staff. A really nice bunch of fellow travellers made a for another memorable Explore trip.

The trip was based at a very nice hotel with wonderful views over the lake, the food was good and it had a pool to relax in after the walks. The walks were varied and showcased the scenery. The tour leader was excellent: friendly, knowledgeable and with a good sense of humour. All in all, a very pleasant holiday. Perhaps that explains why it was my twelfth with Explore!

Excellent tour leader, best I’ve ever had across many different company’s Good walking routes and superbly located hotel. Overall a great holiday

Great hotel, good challenging walks and beautiful scenery.

Kris was an excellent leader. He adapted the walking itinerary to take into account the weather forecast and avoid long walks on rainy days.

KRISTINS WAS A VERY EFFICIENT LEADER. HE WAS ALSO VERY FRIENDLY AND HELPFULL. HE KEPT A CLOSE WATCH ON THE WEATHER FORECAST WHICH ENABLED HIM TO REARRANGE THE DAYS WALKING ACCORDINGLY.

The trip was wonderful from the excellent, capable and caring leader, well planned itinerary, beautiful scenery, great meals and hotel to the enjoyable hiking group. Kris, our leader, was open to flexibility on activity days when heavy rain was forecast on one of our walking days so he made that day our free day instead so that all of our walking days had some good weather, and he took an interest in the needs of all in our diverse group. He was a super guide! The scenery was spectacular, and the walks, sometimes challenging but always very doable…highly recommended.

Our leader went above and beyond his duties to ensure we were safe, able to adjust the itinerary with weather conditions and kept us informed at all times verbally and by internet.

This was a great holiday. The hotel was in a perfect location at the quieter northern end of Lake Como with beautiful views of the lake and the Alps. Walks were varied. Tour leader Kristians was excellent and the group all got on well.

The holiday was great, from the day we arrived until we departed. No-one wanted it to end. The group got on well and it would be nice to perhaps see some of them again on a future Explore trip. The hotel location was perfect and each day's itinerary was varied and interesting. The tour leader was excellent and worked hard to ensure everyone had a good experience.

Awesome walking holiday with varied walks and amazing views. A fantastic caring and informative guide Peppe made the holiday 5☆.