The Ivory Coast

If one were to pay heed to the Government's advice re. travelling in West Africa , one would probably not end up in Cote d'Ivoire. However this is one of the most beautiful countries to visit , mainly because of the wonderful local people who are ultra friendly. The Explore trip was a quality cultural experience which covered many facets of life in this truly unique country. The cuisine has an emphasis on wholesome food with a touch of spice in most dishes. A country to put on your menu!

The 13 day Tour taken during the Holiday was excellent. The itinerary had us doing a large counter clock excursion around the country where we can experience both the cities and village lives. I particularly enjoyed meeting with local people within the villages and the exuberant dancing performance. Particular thanks to our Tour Leader Koffi along with Ines, Fatima and our driver Eric. Koffi was great in giving us narratives about the country and people, and all did a very good job in attending to our needs and keeping us safe. I would highly recommend this to people who enjoy Adventure Trips and are prepared to forgo a little bit of luxury to get the full experience.

We had an excellent trip to Ivory Coast with a very good, informative guide and two accompanying local staff who bent over backwards to ensure that the trip ran smoothly and any issues were resolved as quickly as possible. The itinerary was interesting and varied and we gained real insights into the cultural life of the country, its history and its friendly people. An integral part of the trip was the opportunity to participate in workshops with local people and these were great fun and definitely a highlight. This is such a colourful country to visit where relatively few tourists go, which means that you feel a freshness and warmth when meeting local people. Visits to the villages where we saw so many amazing dance performances and met the people, were a joy and were very well organised by our tour staff - you definitely could not do this type of tour independently, as the personal contacts with the local people are key to the success of the whole experience. In general, the hotels were very good - a couple were lower standard and currently being refurbished (and water can always be an issue in countries like these) but most of the places we stayed were really nice. I enjoyed trying the local dishes and these were usually delicious and there were copious amounts of food! I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone who is looking for something a bit different from the average overseas trip, especially if they have done a lot of travelling and are looking for fresh surprises and wow factor! And it was hot and sunny throughout, albeit rather humid at the beach - such a lovely break away from the cold dreary winter in the UK!

I was surprised by how great this trip was. The local team was simply fantastic. They did everything to make the trip run as smoothly as possible while respecting their local culture. The dancing was simply amazing. There are some long drives, but the roads were, for the most part, quite good, and there were frequent stops along the way. One of the best Explore Trips I have done. It left me wondering every day what could be better than the next day. And then the local team took us to something that made me go - well, there's that! Not a lot of historical sites; if you are interested in West African culture and the arts - this is really a great tour.