Asia Tours in Winter

Indira, our tour leader, was fantastic. She was welcoming, friendly, informative and nothing was too much trouble. She was patient and very good humoured; we trusted her decisions and always felt safe.

This tour felt like a crash course in Southeast Asia, but in a good way. I wasn’t sure how much ground we could realistically cover in just over a week but this trip proved you don’t need a month to experience something meaningful. Everything was well-organized. What stood out most to me was how different Vietnam and Cambodia felt, even though they’re neighbors. Hanoi was buzzing with life..scooters zipping by, food stalls everywhere, and this mix of modern and old that was fascinating to watch. Our guide helped us navigate the chaos in a way that made it feel approachable rather than overwhelming. Then, just when things felt fast-paced we got a breather on the Ha Long Bay cruise. Being out on the water was peaceful, the views were unreal. In Cambodia, Angkor Wat was the big draw, and yes, it was absolutely worth it. But what I didn’t expect was how much I enjoyed the in-between moments. And while there’s always a lot of walking on these kinds of trips, the pace felt doable, even for those of us who aren’t exactly as young as me (53 :p) Would I do it again? Definitely. The trip left me feeling like I got a true taste of two cultures.

This trip was excellent but undoubtedly needs some modifications. The upgraded hotels were good but there was often inadequate time to spend in them and enjoy and relax which was a pity. There should be fewer destinations to reduce travelling time. The visits that should be eliminated are the Beypore boatyard at Calicut (literally a couple of hulks in half construction) and the mosque, the Wildlife safari on arrival at Wayanad was a waste of time as it took an hours travelling in each direction in the afternoon and a one hour trip in a not very comfortable bus to see five elephants in total. The afternoon could have been spent enjoying the lovely hotel at Wayanad. This was an eco hotel based up in the forest and had some activities such as a night safari led by naturalists. Otherwise highlights were undoubtedly included hindu temples, churches, a synagogue, a mosque and the Tibetan monastery. The houseboat cruise and overnight stay in the backwaters of Kerala at Allepey was excellent and memorable. The one hour traditional theatre trip and following meal in Kochi was great. The two train trips were really interesting along with the visits to the tea and coffee plantations. The hotel at Goa was excellent and we had the time to make full use of it and relax. We had booked an extra day. The trip was made all the more memorable by our excellent guide, Shevi, who could not have been more polite, friendly and helpful. The bus we travelled in was air conditioned and very comfortable and the crew extremely pleasant. Overall I would definitely recommend this trip but hope that Explore may modify it taking into account the comments about travelling times and some of the visits.

Active Sri Lanka included a really interesting mix of activities. I particularly enjoyed being out in the beautiful countryside, meeting rural people and seeing lots of lovely birds. Overall the people and staff were very helpful, friendly and really proud of their country. Sujith and his team were a well oiled machine. Everything ran like clockwork, and I felt confident of all the arrangements. We were taken care of extremely well and I would really recommend this trip with Su.

I'm a regular Explore traveller but this is the first time I've gone "upgraded". Certainly the hotels were of very good quality. Although the trip involved much travelling it was well organised and went smoothly. Our guide was excellent, she ensured that we had a great experience at all the points of interest during the trip, full of information and interesting stories.

This was an amazing trip which covered a real mixture of activities and sights. The trip was well paced with journeys in between not too long. I was impressed with the hotel rooms and only had issues with one hotel where the food and service was a bit lacking but not a major issue. Basically this is a beautiful country with lovely people. Even the traffic flows at a nice pace. Book this trip and you won’t be disappointed. A big plus was we had a brilliant group of 16 people.