Explore Worldwide Reviews 242

Advertised by Explore ! As adventure tourism, actually it’s 8 hours trapped in a bus- the reality bares no resemblance to the itinerary provided. It’s a coach holiday basically- day after day schlepping around in a stuffy bus with an hour or so a day to get out & trudge along a crowded path in the ‘rain forest’. Same food rice & beans day in day out - dreadful experience, itinerary is a complete deception.

Walking Jordan's Spice Trails
Just back from a fantastic few days walking through parts of Jordan including Wadi Rum, Petra, Little Petra, Madobar and Jerash.
The scenery was amazing, our guide, Saleh, was extremely knowledgeable and patient and we learnt a lot about the history of Jordan and gained an understanding of the modern day country.
This was the first guided tour trip I have been on. It was very well organised allowing a reasonable amount of time in each area.
We spent a day in Amman before joing the trip and a few days in Aqaba at the end.
All the Jordanians we met were very welcoming and we felt safe for the whole of the visit.
I'd fully recommend the tour.

We were on holiday in Sri Lanka when an accident meant we had to return home after 3 days. The staff at Explore were absolutely amazing. They helped to sort our return so quickly, working with our Insurance Company. The Emergency Duty Manager was on hand 24/7 (which was great due to the time difference). We really cannot praise them highly enough. we have been fortunate over many years to never need any assistance,but thankfully they showed at this time how good they are. Would highly recommend them. A special thank you to Yvonne, Cally and Jenny who sorted flights and special assistance at the airports all in under 24 hours . Fantastic service !! Thank you all.

Trip was horribly managed by Explore, particularly at the start and finish and was redeemed only by the great guide and the other travellers.
We complained to them by email 2 weeks ago and have yet to receive a reply.

Adventures in Patagonia - Christmas 2023 - I have to say many thanks to Explore for having such a brilliant trip available. From the moment I met the rest of the group and our tour leader Andress, I thought this is looking good. Well it surpassed expectations from any other similar type of adventure holiday that I have been on. Everything happened as arranged, the group bonded very well and our leader kept us informed of what would be happening in the next 24 hours and in the following days. Andress covered all the bases, and in addition catered for any individual requests that we may have had. The hotels were excellent for our needs, the local tour guides were top performers and amazing gifted people as well, their knowledge overwhelming. The local tour company was excellent. As the adventure to the ends of the earth goes the experience was utterly amazing and to be recommended. Our guide recommended a book titled 'To the uttermost parts of the earth' by Lucas Bridges, it is excellent and gives a great review of how the area has developed over the years. Thanks Explore

I have travelled 6 times with Explore and I can say this trip (7th) was not what I expected from Explore re the accommodation and the holiday cost - ex flights. £3,000.00
Equator Volcanoes and the Galápagos Islands.
Two of the hotels were dreadful. 1st one was very damp. The shower had mold all over the three walls - very grubby - and the two beds had damp sheets and blankets which smelt musty and were cold. One of the bedrooms another member of the group was staying in, part of the ceiling collapsed in the night after heavy rain. Very unpleasant. Our hostel in Mento was tire! Came back after our meal to find cockroaches scurrying around the room. We were moved to another room where on the way, there was dog poo in the corridor! Yes dog poo! In this room once again there were cockroaches coming out of the shower drain. We were moved again to the top floor - 2 tics jumped out of the blanket of my bed and a very large moth spent the entire night flying around the room. I slept in my clothes on a chair!
The tour in Equador was simple. Nothing to write home about. The most interesting place was Old Quito. We all enjoyed this part of the city very much but not worth the money we paid.
Galapagos Islands. 5 out of 5. Beautiful beaches and fantastic wild life. Once again, the accommodation was not brilliant compared to other hotels on Isabella Island. Also we noticed that the tours we were booked on cost only 40 USD with a guide in the tour shops on the island and covered exactly what we were doing. Once again, we couldn't work out Explore’s costing for this part of the holiday. Once again, we had to buy our own lunches, dinners and drinks every day. £25 - £30 everyday for food excluding drinks.same price in Equador.
Our guide Fabian was very nice and fun to be with.
All in all, this tour to me and the others in the group saying the same, is overpriced for what you get. Only 1 free meal the whole tour which wasn’t special and in the middle of nowhere. Also we had to pay an additional £120 for tips, with most of it going to other guides we picked up on the way for each visit. They only spoke Spanish so our guide had to keep
Interpreting. We also had to pay a further £100 to enter the Galapagos Islands. Expensive.
I could have arranged this tour myself £1,000 cheaper.
Am afraid it will take me sometime to book with Explore again.
Very very disappointed and not what I expected from Explore. Poor show.

We’ve just completed a tour of Egypt, the “Classic Egypt with Nile Cruise” which included the pyramids, Abu Simbel, cruising on the Nile and a whole lot more.

The whole trip was expertly handled by our Explore tour guide Waleed. His knowledge of Egyptian history was phenomenal and interestingly woven into stories. He soon tuned into the interests of our little group and his sense of humour made for a relaxed atmosphere. He took care to ensure every aspect of the trip was safe, the guidance he gave for us as travellers was appropriate and wise.
Egypt is safe and a fascinating place to visit. There is so much amazing history. We absolutely loved this holiday and recommend it whole heartedly.
Visit Egypt and you won’t regret it. Ask for Waleed a fab Egyptologist.

I have just returned home from Egypt where I had the most amazing experience coutsefy to Waleed, our Explore designated tour guide.
The tour was very well organised and it exceeded my expectations in many ways, particualtly in terms of the amazing knowledge of Egyptian history shared by Waleed. He is an outstanding egiptologist and tour guide, very enlightened, funny, friendly and considerate.
Thank you Explore and Waleed for making my biggest dream come true.

We are just back from the "In Shackleton's footsteps" tour, which took in Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands. We had a great time: the landscapes are stunning, the wildlife amazing, and the ship very comfortable. The team worked hard on talks, Zodiac cruises and landings, etc. All the travel arrangements and transfers worked like clockwork, too. Just two comments: the brochure, website and information we were sent all indicated that we would travel through the Drake passage and then proceed anti-clockwise. Even the ground agent in Ushuaia thought this was the case. The expedition team had been briefed for a clockwise itinerary, however. It didn't matter - much - and in fact, the drama increased that way, culminating in the icy wastes of Antarctica. However, we are surprised that the information was not communicated ahead of time. The itinerary also differed in terms of time spent in each location, with only three days on the Peninsula and no mention of Elephant Island. We appreciate that weather and the need for very strictly controlled landing permits affect the itinerary, but it would have been good to have been told this at least at our first briefing.

Other intending passengers might also want to be aware that Intrepid is an Australian company and this is, perhaps, reflected in the culture on board. As Brits, we found the constant whipping up of enthusiasm, whooping and cheering by the expedition team a bit toe-curling at times.

Cycling in Kerala India, in November 2023. This trip was, (as I always find with the Explore trips - this was my 3rd in 2 years) the trip of a life time. It was crammed pack with wonderful experiences to see, taste and smell! The cyling was wonderful and varied. The team of support crew led by our great guide Nishant could not have been any better. They were just wonderful, continuously going above and beyond. We had 3 birthdays on our trip and every time a cake and candles were produced. For me swimming in the rock pool was the icing on the cake, a moment that I will never forget, beautiful scenary, shared with lovely people within the group. I would highly recommend this trip, and as with all the others I have come back changed and with the knowledge that I could easily do the same trip again and love it just as much. Thank you Explore.

I received final payment for my forthcoming booking but the telephone number given doesnt exist. I emailed twice and received no response. I went on website to see the site is down but to ring a number. The number given is unhelpful as cannot take payment. The price of the holiday has gone down but I have to pay the original price.... Wont be booking with them again and if you want to, book late and not early as you will be ripped off!

This trip to Costa Rica was a bit disappointing from beginning to end, apart from the wildlife seen.
The initial information was disappointing. The trip notes were vague and did not correspond to the guide's itinerary. Quite often what we expected in the way of tours did not materialise. We seemed to lurch from an expensive lunch to a pricey dinner most days.
The guide had to be pressed to make the tour more flexible and active. We did not spend a lot of money to be satisfied hanging around a hotel.
Accommodation was spacious but there were plumbing issues in most hotels/lodges.
The wildlife was fantastic however, and we were lucky enough to see the creatures on most people's bucket list.
Overall, the holiday was too expensive for the experience received.

The walking and overall schedule was good. Some last-minute changes to the plan at the end of the week - that messed things up - which was a shame.
Can't imagine doing the walking in the heat of the summer. Temperatures for us (Nov) - mid-20s deg C - perfect.
Booking process and support from UK - very poor (sorry, Explore) - hence the 3 stars.

I don't usually write a review and I'm a well seasoned traveller who is happy to go with the flow
but my Costa Rica wildlife holiday worst holiday ever - tour guide was in a bad mood most of the time and condescending - half the time he pointed things of interest out after we had passed them or you couldn't even see them. Accommodation was poor in most places and often no choice of where to eat - and expensive for what you got. Itinerary was definitely not accurate and misleading - very disappointed and a waste of money. I had previously posted this under Explore Trips.

We have just returned from the Inside Vietnam tour and had a great time. The tour was very well organised with visits to some very interesting sights, The hotel accommodation was very good especially the homestay on the Mekong Delta. We couldn't have asked for a better guide, Thin Ton, was very attentive and knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour.
On the basis of this trip we would use Explore again.

I've waited a month to post my review to give Explore a chance to answer my query, I did receive a reply but it failed to answer my actual question
Firstly our tour of Jordan was well balanced covering all the things we wanted to see. We had adequate time in all of the places we visited. We found the hotels to be of a good standard, the one at Petra was only 500mtrs from the entrance.
Some of the local guides were better than others.
This was our first trip with Explore & we queried to get clarity, prior to travelling, their tip policy. All voluntary we were told.
Our guide Aymen pestered us for 2 days 'voluntary' tip money despite us explaining what we had been told by Explore. He was an adequate guide doing what he needed to. First day he 'lost' his travellers due to lack of instructions & then blamed all of us! Last day told us he would be collecting his personal tips on the coach, & did. Not very discrestionary. A real shame as reviews of other guides on the same tour were amazing.
Update: Explore have now come back & answered all the questions. Thankyou

I have been back for over a month, so I can now write a balanced review.
Many aspects of the holiday were really great, but there were issues, especially with the guide. At least 7 of us complained. Only one review appeared on the website and that had the negative aspects removed until its author asked for it to be unedited. I was never invited to provide a Feefo review. This has made me uncertain of how accurate reviews are.

However, after the 28 day period Explore say their consideration will take, they have e-mailed each of us with a sensible action plan and a substantial refund.

I feel that this is now a clear and fair account of what happened, rather than a knee-jerk reaction. Not everything can always go well, but how you respond to it is important. They have ultimately addressed our concerns and made appropriate recompense.

Booking no problem, but as others have reported on going customer service appears poor. I haven’t got an appropriate response to my query about a trip next month after 2 emails and 4 telephone calls. I am beginning to regret booking with Explore. Wish I had read these reviews prior to booking.I would certainly have gone elsewhere. I just hope this gets a response

We recently completed a tour of Jordan with Explore. The service was excellent and the tour guide Mo was brilliant. We were taken care of throughout the trip and my only complaint was that some of the hotels left a little to be desired.

This is the email I sent to Explore on the 17.05.23 and I did not even get an acknowledgement, let alone a reply from their customer relations. I even spoke to someone at customer services and she asked me to wait for 4 weeks for a reply. After 6 weeks I feel that I have to put this correspondence on review or I will be fobbed off by "Explore".
I booked the above trip, including flight, (as I have always done on Explore trips)on the 17th July and once accommodation was confirmed my flight was booked.
The reason for booking flights with Explore is to have a hassle free holiday, (In my opinion, trusting the company will take care of me, were anything to go wrong.)
On the 5th August, at Heathrow airport, I was not allocated a seat at check-in, being told that I was on "standby"."What does that mean?" I asked the guy. He said advised me to show my boarding pass at the gate before departure and "tell them you are on standby."
At the departure gate, 2 other passengers (of Explore) were found to be in the same situation, but we got seats on the flight to Warsaw.
At Warsaw airport, the 2 ladies got seats on the flight to Tallinn; I remained on standby and the plane left without me. I was told that the plane was full; there was no seat for me. No one explained anything to me after that, I kept asking: can someone please tell me what's going on? I was shocked, bewildered and very embarrassed. People were looking at me and I did not know where to put my face. I felt as if I had committed a crime.
Someone accompanied me to the LOT Centre at the terminal and there I was informed that my seat was overbooked and this was very common on flights. This was news to me, as it had never happened to me before, pre or post pandemic.
My distress continued when I was told that there were no direct flights to Tallinn that day and I would have to go to Riga and then to Tallinn, arrive at 21.00 hrs or if I wanted a direct flight I would have to wait till the following morning.
In the meantime, I had contacted Explore explained what had happened and was waiting for someone to contact me.
After a lot of imploring, I was offered a seat in a direct flight to Tallinn, which was 4 hours later.
Someone called Chris called and after listening to my story, re-arranged my transfer from the airport to the hotel. He also mentioned that airlines have been overbooking people.
When I booked my holiday and just before I paid the whole amount, the gentleman (Kieran?) mentioned that were I to cancel my holiday for some reason, I would not be able to get a refund on the flight. He made sure I knew that.
My question to Explore is this: when booking my flight, did Explore know that despite paying and being given flight date and time and the airline I would be travelling with, I was not guaranteed a seat? That I was on standby? Euan booked the flight for me.
I gather from fellow travellers that Explore charges a fee when we book flights with the company and if that is true, why did Explore, despite charging me, did not inform me of the potential problem I could face?
Why did it put me through such ordeal and distress and ruin the first day of my trip?
I waited another 4 hours for my nest flight and I reached the hotel about 18.00 hrs, meaning I lost out on visiting/exploring the old town in the afternoon, which I was really looking forward to.
Also, 2 of the hotels did not have lifts so I had to carry my bag to my room, despite my bad back, in one of the hotels. Explore used to ask customers about any special requirements, but I was not asked that when booking.
At the other hotel, the tour guide and a fellow traveller kindly helped me.
On the 7th August, at about 12.10 GMT, I contacted Explore, asked to speak to a manager, just to be reassured that I would not have to face the same situation of being on standby when returning home, or even to advise me. She said she would leave a message, but no one called back.
I have mentioned this before and I am reiterating it. I used to rate Explore very highly among foreign travel companies; not this time and my previous experience (walking the coastal trails to Portugal)was the same.
Communication is poor, customer service seems to be pretty nonexistent.
Did Explore not reply to my correspondence because they knew they had to compensate me?
Regardless, they have to compensate me properly for the fight delay (4 hours), loss of holiday time and all the distress they caused me.
U.Teelanah