Explore Blogs

What a tour!  Full on & so many adventures!

Amongst the many highlights were the Taj Mahal. Still one of my favourite buildings in the world. Built by Shan Jahan, a Muslim man for his favourite wife, Mumtaz!!  Sunrise is a particularly beautiful time to visit so we were up early & took cycle rickshaws along the crazy back streets.

In Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, went to a beautiful cinema to see a Bollywood movie.  The audience participation during these 3 hr long films is just as fun to watch. Then we took our auto-rickshaws to the Rajbagh Palace Hotel, a former Maharaja’s palace for a nightcap in the Polo bar. We also celebrated India’s win over England in the cricket match played that day in Jaipur.

Did a 3 day cruise along the holy river Ganges to the most holy Hindu city in the world Varanasi, ancient Benares.  After the hustle & bustle of the towns it was so peaceful drifting along the Ganges.

Varanasi is a fascinating & colourful place. To see the hundreds of pilgrims & Sadhus who visit this city every day to bathe in the holy river & to drink the water to cleanse them of their sins! Incredible & shows such devotion.

We were also lucky enough to witness Diwali, the most holy Hindu Festival of the year, in the most holy Hindu city.  Also known as the Festival of Lights. Many buildings are decorated with colourful lights.  The celebrations last for 5 days.  On the third day, Diwali itself, fireworks went off from sunset to the early hours of the morning.  It was like being in a war zone!

From Varanasi we crossed the border into Nepal & headed into Royal Chitwan National Park.  During our two day stay we rode elephants into the jungle & had excellent sightings of the one-horned rhinos grazing on the grass, took dug out canoes along the river to view crocodiles & bathed with the elephants & got completely soaked as they sprayed us with water form their trunks. Lots of fun!

In Kathmandu most of us flew to Mt Everest & back on a scenic flight, awesome!  A flight I will treasure for ever.  

Overall we travelled in 13 different modes of transport, ate some delicious cheap curries, stayed in some excellent accommodations & had some interesting evening entertainment including a puppet show, Kattak dancing with sitar playing & stick dancing by the Tharu people of southern Nepal!

Find out more about Explore’s Dehli to Kathmandu 19 day overland tour

Have just enjoyed a wonderful week off exploring the Aeolian Islands.
There are 7 islands in total & are located off the north coast of Sicilia.

Stromboli & Volcano are still active!
Lipari is the largest island at 37.6 sq km, where I based myself for 4 days.

Pumice quarries are still an important part of the economy.
The tourist season doesn’t really begin until June so everywhere appeared very sleepy as if everybody was still waking up after a winter of hibernating! Or maybe it’s a chilled out atmosphere all the time.
I was impressed by how uncommercialized & unpretentious the islands are. Reminded me of Turkey 20 years ago.
From Lipari I took the hydrofoil across to Vulcano, known as the Island of Fire by the Greeks & therefore called Vulcano after the God of Fire. The smell of sulphur is very noticeable when you arrive on the island. Trekked up the smoking volcano, Vulcano della Fossa. The views are great from the top looking across to all the islands & the Sicilian mainland.

Next I relaxed in the smelly sulphur mud pools. By the time I returned I was stinking of sulphur too!
The next island I explored was Salina, the second largest at 27 sq km & the most fertile. Quality Malvasia & Black Corinth grapes are cultivated to produce Malvasia sweet wine.
Caper cultivation is also very important to the local economy & are exported worldwide. Did you know the caper is the unclosed flower bud! They are hand-picked & preserved in salt. Before being eaten they are soaked in water to remove the saltiness & to restore their taste & aroma.
Salina is the highest island in the archipelago so I trekked to the top of Fossa delle Felci at 962m. More incredible views over all 7 islands.
The Italiano film Il Postina (The Postman) was filmed on Salina.
On to Stromboli the furthest away from the Sicilian mainland & 4th largest at only 12.6 sq kms. Stromboli is known as the Lighthouse in the Tyrennian Sea due to the constant eruptions which create a natural light. The volcano erupts every 15-20 mins! I heard the explosions throughout the night!
After the very strong eruption in 1930 many locals emigrated, mainly to Australia then returned with their Ozzie accents! Many abandoned buildings have also been bought by wealthy Italianos as holiday homes.
Transport around the harbour town is by ‘golf type’ buggies known as Moto Apes! They are in fact Piaggio Ape 50’s which have lots of character.
Saw the house where Ingrid Bergman & Roberto Rosselini filmed Stromboli in 1949 & fell in love!
Returned to the mainland via all the islands for a last look before I hopefully return again one day!

Have completed my first tour in Sicilia. Despite the mixed unseasonable weather (we also had snow in the mountains) everyone had a great time.

The tour started in Syracuse on Good Friday where we went along to see the evening Good Friday procession. We were the Good Friday procession!! As we followed the priests around the town carrying the cross!!

Onto Noto, one of my favorite Baroque cities in Sicilia. We were there on Easter Day morning in the sunshine with locals all in their Easter Sunday best. It was a great atmosphere but not an Easter Bunny in sight! Instead they make Easter sheep out of marzipan.

Piazza Armerina has an oldie worldie atmosphere especially in the evenings as we wander down the cobbled back streets with the impressive cathedral up on the hill all lit up.

The Roman Villa at Casale has some magnificent mosaics. Was once the Hunting Lodge of a wealthy local.

Next to Agrigento & the Valley of the Temples. There is supposedly more Greek temples in Sicilia than Greece! Temple of Zeus was the largest Greek theatre in the world & three times the size of the Pantheon in Athens!

The Greek site of Selinunte (with more temples) is the most extensive Greek site in Europe & overlooks the coast. Buggies are provided to tour around the site for those with weary legs!

Next stop Marsala where I tried a selection of Marsala wines ………… almond & even crema which has egg added to it to make it creamy!

Took a 10 minute boat ride across to San Pantaleo island & the Punic/Carthaginian settlement of Mozia. Visited the Tophet where children & animals were sacrificed to the God Baal Haman (similar to the one in Carthage).

Next to the medieval hill town of Erice. Another of my favorite visits on Sicilia. Climbed up King Frederick 2nd’s tower for some amazing views of the coast below & nearby islands. Tried some canolli, a local rich desert made with ricotta cheese by nuns!

Onwards to the Greek settlement of Segesta & guess what?? Another impressive temple in an amazing location.

On to the capital of Palermo, home to 1 million inhabitants. That’s a 5th of the population of Sicilia. Went to a Puppet Theatre which is one of Sicilia’s traditions. A medieval version of Punch & Judy with goodies & baddies.

Further along the coast we visit the medieval harbour town of Cefalu. Another of my favorite spots with its Norman cathedral.

Finally to Letojanni where we stay in an ex-convent still run by 5 nuns. The information on the back of the room doors advises what to do WHEN there is an earthquake, not IF!!

Arranged our Last Supper at Victor’s on the seafront plus a special celebration meal for Mary’s 50th birthday. Asked for a gateau for 21 people. They seemed a little surprised. Said it needn’t be too large just enough for everyone to have a little bite. I then discovered to their relief ‘gatto’ is cat in Italian!! Torta is gateaux!! Whoops!!

The Highlight for me was my first ascent of Mt Etna. One of the most active volcanoes in the world. Three times the size of Vesuvius at 3345m. Due to all the snow we took the cable car up to 2500m then did our own thing wandering around in the sunshine with amazing views 360 degrees. Should be on everybody’s ‘must do’ lists but it’s more impressive in the snow & sunshine. We were so lucky & hardly anybody up there first thing in the morning.

Find out more about Explore’s Classical Sicily - a 10 day tour of Sicily

Ciao from Sicilia!

The largest island in the Mediterranean.

Where everything is so green, the blossom is out & the spring flowers sway in the gentle breeze!!

My first impressions of Sicilia are good. Not only does it boost one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Mt Etna last erupted in September 2007 & I’m hoping it will erupt for me whilst I’m here!! There are many quaint medieval towns with Baroque buildings (17th & 18th centuries), cobbled streets & piazzas to enjoy a cafe whilst watching the world go by & some of the most important classical sites: Agrigento, Selinunte, Segesta & the Roman villa at Casale to name a few.

Sicilia has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any where else in the world so there has been a lot of restoration & excavation work in recent years.

Thanks to Euro money there are some amazing roads with some of the highest bridges in Europe spanning across vast valleys & long tunnels through the mountains.

Sicily was one of the breadbaskets for the Roman Empire & still today the island is famous for its citrus fruits, almonds, pistachios, wines & olives.

90% of all Italy’s pistachios are grown on the northern & western slopes of Mt Etna.

The best almonds are grown around Agrigento & when the trees are in blossom in February an annual Almond Festival is held.

Ever tried the sweet Marsala wine? Discovered by an English man, John Woodhouse in the late 18th century. Made in a similar way to sherry in Jerez, Spain. Salute!!

Sicilian cuisine is renowned for being amongst the best in Italia.

Plenty of pasta, pizza, tasty meat, fish & seafood including sea urchins. The swordfish is particularly good at this time of year. Oranges & lemons have three crops a year so they are always in season.

Ice –cream may have been invented in Sicily as snow was brought down from Etna to which honey & orange & lemon juice were added to create a wonderful dish.

Another local delicacy is brioche con gelato, basically an ice-cream butty which business men & children alike love to have for breakfast &/or lunch!!

Everything stops for the afternoon siesta then everybody comes out for the ‘passeggiata’. Men are seen sitting/standing around watching the world go by!

Plus for the time of year 20 degrees & sunny is very pleasant & it’s only going to get warmer!!

We owe a large proportion to our success as a company to our Tour Leaders. They are a fantastic asset, so much so that our current MD, Product Director, Operations Director (amongst others) are all ex-tour leaders (not to mention the founders of the company).

As a little bit of a celebration of Tour Leaders we have a series from a good friend of ours, Michele Cook, one of our experienced tour leaders. She has written a few pieces on her recent stint of tours in April - and we also have some interviews with tours leaders coming up too.

Its great to see tour leaders get recognition for the work they do and that’s why we are very pleased for Diego Torres Garzon, who has been nominated for Wanderlust’s Paul Morrison Guide Award.