Adventure travel specialist, Explore, is expanding its product offering with the launch of its 2014/15 collection. With over 50 new adventures to pioneering destinations including Guinea Bissau, Taiwan and Colombia, plus a brand new range of trips focused on food in five countries,
Explore’s latest portfolio includes some of its most inspiring adventures yet. For active travelers Explore is launching 19 new walking and trekking trips, and 12 new cycling tours, alongside 12 new family adventures.
Guinea Bissau, located in West Africa, is well off the tourist radar. Explore is one of the first major adventure travel companies to offer a small group adventure in this seldom visited country. The new Guinea Bissau and the Sacred Bijagos Archipelago trip travels by bus, boat and canoe across savannah, lagoons, rivers, forest, mangroves and the ocean to reach the tribal villages and islands of this intriguing country.
Another one-of-a-kind offering, Explore’s new Made in Taiwan trip takes in the cultural highlights of this diverse destination. This 12 day adventure explores Taiwan’s history, traditions and natural beauty and includes visits to cities, forts, night markets, waterfalls, lakes and rock formations. There are a range of activities such as walking, cycling and a visit to the hot springs, as well as one night spent in a Buddhist monastery.
This year, Explore is bringing together the popular combination of food and travel in India, Turkey, Morocco, Thailand and Vietnam. The new 14 day Taste of India combines Tibetan settlements, markets and plantations with interactive cooking demonstrations. Concentrating on Southern India, highlights include learning traditional family recipes from Hema Nandi - a member of the Mysore royal family, learning to make momos in a Tibetan settlement and visiting Attumukham Restaurant.
For walkers looking to get well off the beaten track, Explore’s new Trek to the Lost City, takes a nine day journey through Colombia’s crystal clear rivers, jungle and valleys to Ciudad Perdida. Only recently reopened to travelers and reportedly 600 years older than Machu Picchu, this remote destination is only accessible by foot and disappeared off all maps until it was rediscovered in 1975.
For cyclists, Explore’s Cycle Jordan offers the chance to discover the country’s highlights on a nine day cycling trip. Participants visit the Dead Sea, explore Petra and spend a night in the desert at Wadi Rum. The trip also includes the chance to enjoy snorkeling and swimming in the Red Sea. In Japan, Kyoto and Beyond by Bike travels on quiet roads on the Noto Peninsula and in highlands around Hakusan National Park providing a rare glimpse of old Japan
Combining activity with culinary delights, Explore’s new Gourmet Cycle to Bordeaux is an eight cycling tour through the heart of Tarn-et-Garonne - known as the ‘land of a thousand and one flavors’. The trip also includes two evening meals at Michelin listed restaurants, a gourmet picnic by the canal with food selected from the local markets, and wine tasting at two local vineyards.
For families looking for something different, Explore is introducing Latvia, Belize, and Malta to its family adventures collection. On the new Belizean Adventure, families can explore Mayan sites, seek monkeys, toucans, parrots and crocodiles in the jungle; spend two nights’ in a jaguar sanctuary and snorkel over the longest barrier reef in the western hemisphere.
Trevor Saxty, President, Explore! – North America, commented “Once again Explore has pushed the boundaries of adventure travel to encompass some great new destinations and new ways to experience old favorites. From jungle trekking in Colombia to cycling in Japan there are a lot of new experiences to contemplate for 2014.”