The bugs are almost non-existent in the cooler months for India.
In Botswana we would suggest you have some mosquito spray handy when you’re close to water sources (e.g. when on the houseboat on the river).
In Costa Rica it’s a good idea to bring insect repellent, the wet season is more likely to have biting insects.
Yes, we do have specific family trips if you would like to travel with kids up to 17 (kids from 18 onwards are free to join the adult tours). Our Costa Rica family trip is very popular. We also have a brilliant Family Botswana and Zimbabwe Safari Adventure. The India Tiger safari is not yet set up for families, but we do have a family India trip (the Family India Golden Triangle Adventure) that visits Ranthambore National Park with several safaris.
In India we've paced the trip so that the longest transfer time is around 5 hours. The roads in Madhya Pradesh are much improved which has made transfers between lodges easier than they used to be.
In Costa Rica, the longest journey is from Arenal to Manuel Antonio at around 4.5 hours, but the other journeys are between 2-3 hours.
In Botswana there is one long transfer drive that takes 11 hours, when we are crossing from Botswana into Namibia, drive down the Caprivi strip to then get back to Vic Falls in Zimbabwe. Any other transfers take about 3-4 hours but are game drives at the same time, so don’t seem like regular transfers at all.
We can cater for most dietary requirements in all destinations, but we'll always reach out to our local partners with the details of what we need to be in place to make sure it's possible.
Indian food is so varied and plenty of people aren't too fond of very spicy food! There are always options for all tastes and the country is great for anyone looking for vegetarian and even vegan options - plenty of wonderful dishes as often lots of sharing dishes can be ordered. I'd always suggest chatting to your tour leader and letting them know what you really enjoy, they are used to sharing their love of food with the groups and making sure there are things to suit everyone’s tastes. In the north of India, the dishes tend to be a little spicier, in the south they often feature coconut milk which makes them lovely and cooling. There really is something for everyone.
When camping and on the houseboat in Botswana there will always be a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option available. If you have any other specific dietary requirements, we do recommend for you to get in touch with us, as we may be able to organise tailored meals for you.
We can cater for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free dietary requirements in Costa Rica. Please advise us of any specific dietary requirements and our local partners will make sure this is accommodated.
It is very easy these days to get money changed and there isn't a huge difference. India's ATM network is impressive, so you could also consider a foreign currency card like Monzo or Chase which are widely accepted and offer good rates.
Nothing compulsory, but we recommend protection against Tetanus, Infectious Hepatitis, Typhoid and Polio. Please consult your travel clinic for the latest advice on Malaria, Dengue and Zika Virus and check the latest requirements with your travel clinic or doctor prior to departure. Vaccination requirements are subject to change and should be confirmed by you before travelling.
You can absolutely do both. We include a day for rafting, while zip wiring is optional but there's time in the itinerary to do that plus lots of other different activities.
If you do the rafting, you need to be able to swim, but otherwise it's not necessary. The boats up to Tortuguero are small motorboats and they have lifejackets aboard.
Costa Rica trip is "moderate" this means that there will be early starts but also early finishes, so you have time to recover or keep exploring.
Most of the guests on our small group tours are travelling solo. All our tours have an optional single supplement to upgrade to a single room (visible on the website), but you will have a twin share room with another solo traveller with no additional cost.
We have a maximum group size of 16 on most of our tours, but some (such as the Botswana trip) are lower due to vehicle sizes. In Botswana we take a maximum of 12.
Our groups are a mix of solos, couples, friends travelling together - no group is the same but around 60% of our customers are travelling solo. The age range is equally varied, and we welcome everyone to our groups, the average age is around 55 and typically ranges from 40 - 70 and plenty either side.
We offer the Loyalty Switch option to join our loyalty scheme. We really want you to try our trips, so say you've completed 5 trips with a competitor you'll join us as a Gold Explorer giving you a 7% discount.
You can read more here.
We can book flights from any of the UK airports, give us a quick call and we can chat through options from your preferred airport.
Transfers are always included with Explore if you're joining on the first day of the trip, so we'll pick you up from the airport no matter if you've booked your flights with us or not. That gives you some piece of mind at the airport on arrival.