How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Explore describe their Leaders as hand picked and expertly trained - so I don't know where they found our leader as he was definitely not typical of Explore ! He handled the border crossings, ferries, airports, hotels etc: efficiently but gave very little in depth information apart from in his own country, Nicaragua. He was a nice enough chap but totally lacked the passion and enthusiasm I've come to expect from 18 previous tours with Explore.

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

Do your pre-trip research carefully - check out the many, expensive optional extras so you know what you're letting yourself in for !  Hotels were good, transport was cramped at times. Be prepared for long days of travel though with several days of relaxation in Bocas & Roatan Islands, Ometepe and Antigua.  Go for the small, local eateries for dinner rather than the "recommended" steak houses.

Do you have anything else to add?

I enjoyed the trip as we were a very nice group - but this was definitely not a "typical" Explore holiday.  Explore doesn't seem to attract the wide variety of age groups as it has done in the past. I've had some absolutely fabulous trips with Explore,  so perhaps I won't give up - yet.

We had such a varied and amazing trip during our journey to Central America! Highlights for me was the Panama Canal, Boquete in the mountains and Bocas del Toro in the Caribbean in Panama: The beautiful Sarapiqui River, Arenal Volcano and Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica: Ometepe Island and Granada in Nicaragua: Roatan Island and Copan Ruinas in Honduras and Antigua city in Guatemala. Overall highlights - snorkelling in the crystal clear water of Roatan - you only needed to swim 100m from shore just opposite the Marine Park office where you could hire equipment - where you could see shoals of fish and corals of many colours. Next best experience was the night walk at Monteverde where we saw mammals, reptiles and many birds.  The towns we stayed in provided well for visitors in the range of shops, restaurants and tours available, particularly Antigua, Guatemala where some of our group climbed one of the volcanoes.  As a nature lover I was astonished by the variety of birds, wildflowers, animals and fish we saw - I just wish I'd had an underwater camera for Roatan and Bocas del Toro!

Just returned from this trip. Its been a great experience. Although as explained in the trip notes there are a few long days it really didnt matter as, the distances were well thought out so breaks were often and flexible.  The countries visited were all different but amazing in their own ways. Too many highlights to write on here....but ometepe island and zip wiring have to be my favourite parts.  Theres a right mix of countryside, rain forests, culture and town life....Its a very informal trip so ladies its all about casual skirts and shorts. There's a few times to get a wee bit more dressed up but mainly casual is the order of the day.  The only down side I would say is I went in October (rainy season) but the rain was exceptional; so we had a LOT of rain for most of the days so I would suggest tryng to go at another time of year. However, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute including the mud and rain......In summary, fabulous trip, very diverse and its left me with a thirst for more of the Americas.....and if you are lucky enough to have Byron as your tour leader you will be assured of a great trip and lots of smiles.....(CAE - 1st October 2011)

A very enjoyable trip visiting the highlights of Central America. The trip is varied and covers wildlife, culture, city sightseeing, seaside and mountains so whatever you enjoy, you will most likely find it on this trip. Be warned that the distances covered are quite large and so there are some long driving days on poor roads but the scenery compensates for this. The highlights for me were the wildlife of Costa Rica, the fascinating history of Nicaragua but most of all I enjoyed 'volcano bagging'. There are so many active volcanoes on this trip that if you, like me, are fascinated by them then this is the trip for you. We ended our tour on New Years' Eve by climbing Volcan Pacaya in Guatamala which was very active at the time and the lava flows were amazing. The accommodation on the trip is of a good standard including some very interesting places like La Quinta in Costa Rica which had its own wildlife garden. Don't forget that it can rain at any time of the year in this part of the world so a cagoul is essential as are good shoes/boots for walking up volcanoes! You also need quite a bit of stamina as this trip is non-stop. Recommended. (CAE - 7th December 2007)

We did this trip as our honeymoon which some people may find strange- spending our honeymoon with a group of strangers! We loved travelling as a group, there was always someone to talk too and we never ran out of conversation. Highlights for us were Bocas del toro- snorkling and the atmosphere on the island. Trekking up Volcan Pacaya in Guatemala, the volcano was oozing lava it was amazing to see and you could get so close to it- I will remember that forever as one of the most amazing things I have ever done. Also zip wiring on Volcan Masaya in Granada and the early morning river trip in Costa Rica, we saw over 20 different species. I loved this trip, I was crying on the way to the airport coming home I didn't want it to be over.    My advice- if taking more than one bag split your clothes over the bags- my bag got left in Atlanta by the airline and I didn't get it back until 3 days later I didn't have any clothes at all but if I had put half of mine in my husbands bag and vice versa I would have managed okay. (CAE 8th Janaury 2007)