Home > Compare Tour & Adventure Operators > Explore vs G Adventures
Explore vs G Adventures
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Explore and G Adventures.The Low Down
Explore Worldwide is a UK adventure travel company that has been around since 1981. They run over 500 small group tours in more than 100 countries around the world with an average of 12 guests. Accommodation is often family run lodgings and guides are passionate locals. Itineraries are a mix of must-sees and who-knews, and guests can choose from different trip styles to suit their interests.Explore recognises that adventure is different for everyone, and their trips range from classic discovery group tours to active adventures such as hiking and cycling. They also have dedicated family trips, themed journeys such as those that focus on wildlife or their limited edition Explore Beyond collection which showcases rare one-off events. Explore have an impressive track record with 96% of past travellers saying they would travel with them again.
G Adventures have impressed us with their ethos, their range of unique itineraries and proven track record with over 100,000 past travellers. Their main competitor in the adventure touring space is Intrepid, with both Operators focused on authentic, affordable small group tours. With over 600 trips around the world and 50,000 departures, G have a stunning range of interesting unique itineraries to choose from, with a focus on South and Central America, Asia and Polar expedition cruising. G Adventures operate dynamic pricing so prices can change daily - upwards if the trip is filling up, and down if they need to fill some spaces. G have also recently incorporated Wellness trips and 18-to-Thirty Somethings adventuresinto their portfolio of trip styles.
Stats
No. of Trips
414
No. of Departures
5,905
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$380
Accommodation
Mixed
Budget
Affordable & Premium
No. of Trips
810
No. of Departures
66,483
Avg. Trip Length
13 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$337
Accommodation
Mixed
Budget
Affordable
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Explore has been taking small groups on adventure holidays all over the world for almost 40 years. The expert team, at home and overseas, works together to create itineraries that leave you feeling that you’ve really explored a destination rather than just visited. You’ll see the highlights, the must-sees, of course. But you’ll also get away from the beaten track, and get a different perspective on your destination. You’ll get closer to a place, its people and cultures.
Our small groups are typically 12 people – small enough to get right into the heart of your destination, but big enough to find like-minded people to share your experiences with. And the glue that holds these groups together is our local tour leaders, who are uniquely placed to add individual and spontaneous moments to each trips – moments that stay with you long after you return home. All sorts of people travel with Explore – our groups are usually a mix of solos, couples and friends. What unites them is their adventurous spirit and thirst for real travel experiences.
We provide authentic small-group travel, designed by experts and led by experts, with sustainability at its heart and a common desire for unforgettable experiences. Whether you’re on a cultural tour of Lebanon, cycling in Vietnam, walking in Italy or exploring Costa Rica with your family, when you’re travelling with Explore you know that you’re in good hands.
G Adventures came from a desire to deliver authentic and responsible small group travel adventures that were equally life-changing for travellers and the communities they visit. And we’re been doing just that for almost 30 years.
Our award-winning trips span seven continents and over 100 countries, giving you meaningful experiences with people, cultures, landscapes and wildlife, as well as offering you the freedom and flexibility to explore on your own.
On all of our tours, you get to know locals every step of the way, from the places you visit and stay to where you eat and drink. You’ll also get to experience our ‘G for Good’ social impact initiatives on-trip, including our industry-leading ‘Ripple Score’. This score measures, as a percentage, the amount of money that stays in the local community through on-trip services like accommodation, restaurants and transport.
Recent Reviews
4.7
This was actually two tours, Portugal and Spain with Felix and the Morocco with Boobker. Felix provided daily summaries of what we would be doing and when. Boobker provided limited and only verbal details. Tipping was an issue across the whole tour with some of the group using "optional" to mean they could contribute either nothing or very little. Boobker ...read more was left in the position where he had no tipping pool and one or two of us had to do all the tipping in Morocco.
We had great variety in fitness levels which slowed us down, especially in Lisbon and Porto - both very hilly! Felix was very knowledgeable and repeatedly went the extra mile to ensure we covered everything, even arranging an additional guide for the Cordoba Mosque/Cathedral. Because Morocco requires licensed guides in each city, Boobker had less opportunity to do this. All accommodation was at least 3 star and most were 4 star. All accommodation was either in the main tourist areas or just outside - very convenient.
We had great variety in fitness levels which slowed us down, especially in Lisbon and Porto - both very hilly! Felix was very knowledgeable and repeatedly went the extra mile to ensure we covered everything, even arranging an additional guide for the Cordoba Mosque/Cathedral. Because Morocco requires licensed guides in each city, Boobker had less opportunity to do this. All accommodation was at least 3 star and most were 4 star. All accommodation was either in the main tourist areas or just outside - very convenient.
I enjoyed learning the history of the three countries visited as well as the current politics and social environment. I liked the capital cities of Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan, as well as the Black Sea resort town of Batumi in Georgia. and many historic churches and monasteries in between. It's a pity though that the time in Tbilisi was rather limited. ...read more It's a city that deserves more sightseeing time. On the other hand, I think there was too much time spent on wineries and wine tastings.
Very good tour. A full tour - 16 people including 10 singles, people from all around the world which was great to see. This was my 3rd tour with Explore. This is graded as a "moderate" tour and was certainly a lot slower paced than my previous trip to Georgia & Armenia. Tour leader and driver were both North Macedonian. Tour leader had a great personality ...read more and was very professional and caring especially when 1 person had a fall and broke a bone in their foot on day 12 of the tour. We had great weather, sunny and warm with an enjoyable 3 night stay in Lake Ohrid and visit to Thassos island in northern Greece. Hotels were well located, being walking distance to town centres. Lots of monasteries and churches, especially compared to the number of ancient sites in northern Greece we visited. Booking with Georgie is always seamless, she provides very prompt, professional and friendly service.
As an introduction to the lakes area, Walk the Lake District was amazing! We had the best sunny weather ever which was unheard of for the entire week. The views were spectacular and the group of people we were with were friendly and fun to be with. The accommodation was first class and the food fantastic. Our walks guide was excellent in both gauging ...read more the fitness level of the group and history of the area. Would I recommend this to anyone? Yes, but be fit because to get the views you have to go up! Hannah was great with keeping me on track with paperwork, made it all very easy.
For me this trip was about getting out in nature. Loved the time spent in Triglav National Park, going for beautiful walks, staying in Bohinj. Fab location. Also Lake Bled. I could easily have spent more time in the mountains and forgone the towns and cities on this itinerary. Clare was a fantastic guide, giving up her two client-free days to take us ...read more on stunning walks etc. I do think the company should retain private driver/bus for the entire day when needed, especially when some public transport e.g. buses are known to be unreliable. Clare was even told by a public bus driver she shouldn’t be putting her people on public buses. Overall, I lived the trip 💚
All in all, this was an excellent trip. The guide provided by Explore was exceptional- could not recommend him more highly. The trip was all it said it would be, and more. We saw places and met people that most tourists never would experience. The cycling was challenging. We hadn’t properly understood that half the tour group would be on e-bikes. This ...read more took a bit of negotiation to keep the group together and not break the morale of the non motorised bike riders.
It became apparent that the group members had received differing information in the lead up to the trip mainly regarding bike specific info about clip in pedals, helmets etc. This was concerning as it did potentially negatively impact the trip. My one little criticism would be that others on the tour had received a ‘last minute’ email, gee-ing them up for the trip. I didn’t receive this and so flew from Australia not feeling 100% sure that the tour would happen. This was further exacerbated when we were met at the airport by a driver who didn’t speak English and holding a mis-spelt hand written sign with no mention of cycling. He also drove very fast and dangerously and was abrupt with some of the group members.
It became apparent that the group members had received differing information in the lead up to the trip mainly regarding bike specific info about clip in pedals, helmets etc. This was concerning as it did potentially negatively impact the trip. My one little criticism would be that others on the tour had received a ‘last minute’ email, gee-ing them up for the trip. I didn’t receive this and so flew from Australia not feeling 100% sure that the tour would happen. This was further exacerbated when we were met at the airport by a driver who didn’t speak English and holding a mis-spelt hand written sign with no mention of cycling. He also drove very fast and dangerously and was abrupt with some of the group members.
4.6
This was a well organised trip through Vietnam from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh city in the south. Our guide was very enthusiastic, the tour inclusions very interesting and great additional options - for example, our culinary tour in Hanoi introduced us to the different tastes of Vietnam. We had a motorcycle tour in Hue that took us out of our ...read more comfort zone but was well worth doing. We have travelled previously with G Adventures and would do so again. We especially like that the company supports disadvantaged or handicapped individuals in the country we visit.
We are a family of three, with a 14yr old daughter. We completed a 9 night tour in Japan with G Adventures , booked through Gobal Journeys. Our agent has been very responsive to my email queries. There was a issue with the sleeping arrangement, but with a great response the issue was resolved to my satisfaction. The tour had a friendly, enthusiastic ...read more and very helpful Japanese guide
Out group of 15 for on well, we were varied ages, my daughter was also well engaged with the group. Accommodation was comfortable and varied with size of rooms and comfort of the bed, all expected after researching Japanese Accommodation.
I would definitely recommend this tour for those interested in seeing Japan, but without the stress of being from A to B.
Out group of 15 for on well, we were varied ages, my daughter was also well engaged with the group. Accommodation was comfortable and varied with size of rooms and comfort of the bed, all expected after researching Japanese Accommodation.
I would definitely recommend this tour for those interested in seeing Japan, but without the stress of being from A to B.
I absolutely loved my time in Mexico! G Adventures was amazing and I would highly recommend them to anyone. My tour guide was so informative and made sure everyone had an amazing time. A high light of my trip was going on a party boat in Lake Bacalar and also visiting Chichen Itza as we learnt so much about the history.
Awesome time spent in Vietnam on Classic Vietnam: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City tour 28 Aug to 6 Sep 2024 0 Martha and Katrina, Christchurch, New Zealand, Aug 2024
This G Adventure trip booked through Global Journeys was great. Well put together, great hotels, fabulous food, awesome guided tours, with plenty of great optional activities with ample spare time to do whatever we wanted to do. The cost of the tour was very good too as were the optional activities. Communication was key throughout from start of booking ...read more to end of tour, we were always kept in the loop.
Highlights of the tour were Halong Bay, kayaking, Train Street, Hoi An sights and shopping, motorbike tour to interesting places, noodle making, Cu Chi Tunnels and so many more and all the guides along the way were fantastic, knowledgeable and funny too which made the trip memorable. We had an awesome CEO, Nak, who made us feel very welcome and treated us like family which was very special. He was so much fun, lots of jokes and laughter and fun photos/videos to capture our memories. We loved his enthusiasm and passion for Vietnam which was evident in every story and explanation he gave, and he showed his love of the company, G Adventures. I would definitely book a G Adventures trip again when travelling in the future. Thank you Nak, G Adventures and the Global Journeys team!
Highlights of the tour were Halong Bay, kayaking, Train Street, Hoi An sights and shopping, motorbike tour to interesting places, noodle making, Cu Chi Tunnels and so many more and all the guides along the way were fantastic, knowledgeable and funny too which made the trip memorable. We had an awesome CEO, Nak, who made us feel very welcome and treated us like family which was very special. He was so much fun, lots of jokes and laughter and fun photos/videos to capture our memories. We loved his enthusiasm and passion for Vietnam which was evident in every story and explanation he gave, and he showed his love of the company, G Adventures. I would definitely book a G Adventures trip again when travelling in the future. Thank you Nak, G Adventures and the Global Journeys team!
We used the G Adventures package tour to visit Iguazu Falls and very happy we did so. Trying to visit independently and working through logistical issues would have been challenging, particularly for those, like us, who have no Spanish nor Portuguese language skills. This package handled all the logistical arrangements of airport transfers, border crossings, ...read more visiting both sides of the falls, including the various walks, and arranging the optional activities. We chose to visit the Bird Park, which was excellent and highly recommended, and also did the boat trip from the Argentine side which is a thrilling ride under the falls. This trip is not operated by G Adventures directly so there are some slight differences to normal G tours, but we were very happy with the tour and recommend it highly.
The Ultimate Italy tour was a fabulous 14 days spent with a great group and led by a charismatic and knowledgeable CEO, Silvia. The itinerary - from Rome to Venice - was spaced well with at least 2 nights spent in each accommodation. As is noted, you need to carry your own luggage so backpacks proved preferable over having to carry suitcases. My dealings ...read more with Global Journeys were very professional with prompt and accurate information provided, and very friendly and efficient staff. Would definitely consider another G Adventure trip, and will use Global Journeys again.
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