It was my first trip with Explore and I can only compare to G Adventures, with whom I have been on numerous trips with.
What went well:
- Nice, harmonious group of people, we all got on really well.
- Explore's notes/prep package was well organised and communication pre-trip overall was excellent, as was your recommendation for the Sunrock Guest House.
- We saw beautiful animals and lovely nature and got a glimpse of the Eswatini culture.
What did not go so well:
- Sydney was a knowledgeable guide and accommodated 5 veggies' dietary needs, however he did not go the extra mile and due to his physical "volume" he was unable to walk anywhere, which meant the entire group was stuck on the bus for every.single.trip we made, even the shortest ones.
- The last day of the tour should have included God*s Window and Blyde Canyon according to the ititnerary, neither place was listed as optional. However, Sydney made the group pay for both and when a co-traveller mentioned the discrepancy, he did not budge.
- All 14 travellers paid ZAR 700 (equivalent of GBP 30) into the tipping box. I am not used to having to pay the driver (John, who was lovely and did a great job) separately, but Sydney said that he had run out of tipping money so John's tip came on top.
- I was prepared for a full-on trip but differently. Out of the 10 days we spent more than 8 (!) sedentary on a bus that is not made for 10-12-hour drives. The "highlight" of the our, Rorke's Drift, was a 36 km detour on a dirt road which took us forever and MUCH longer than Sydney had said. We were stuck on a not-very-comfortable bus for 12 hours straight and the other days were painfully stationary as well. This caused tremendous physical discomfort for a number of us, I very much included, and it is incomprehensible to me how a trip can be tailored like this. Let people move more! We only had on trek in Drakensberge and the walking safari in Eswatini, the rest was physically unbearable. Everything hurt at some point and frustration rose. Also, expecting a highlight at Rorke's Drift, we were utterly underwhelmed as we only had half an hour there and it was defninitely not worth the long trip. I understand it is a crucial part of history, but speaking about it would certainly have sufficed.
- I extended my stay privately for two days and booked a guided tour to the Apartheid museum and Soweto. If I had not done so, I would not have returned home with an idea of the more urban culture of this part of South Africa. Nature and animals are great, but the trip should include Jo'burg and Soweto so that people can get education on a very important part of the country's history.
My fellow travellers were all very experience Explore travellers and said not to write Explore off just because of this one experience, so I will give you another chance at some point, but the trip I went on, I would not recommend to friends the way it is right now. Would you consider adding a few days to include a city experience and break down the looooong travel day by staying an extra night somewhere, that would be a fabulour trip.
