Home > Compare 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
537
No. of Departures
2,877
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$352
Accommodation
Mixed
Budget
Affordable & Premium
No. of Trips
769
No. of Departures
55,715
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$289
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
4.8
Travelling through the Baltic countries was a great experience. The countries are rich in history and the cities of Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius are beautiful. The trip is well planned by Explore, but I would make the Curonian Spit excursion half day instead of a full day. The accommodation was on the whole good but in a few occasions the shared rooms ...read more were a bit small if you have to share with somebody you don't really know. Also being with a good group of people was fun. I booked the trip online with Global Journeys, as I have done a few times before, and it was easy as usual.
I really enjoyed the trip , the walking, winter sun (interrupted by a couple of rainy days!), and a good group and tour leader - more than anything though, it was great just to travel abroad again after a gap of more than 2 years.
The scenery inland is quite outstanding with dozens of deep, chiseled valleys and gorges of extreme, austere beauty. If we had just 1 gorge of that quality anywhere in the UK, we'd have declared it a National Monument. No need to go further afield for some truly stunning hiking, with a nice dose of local culture and warming, winter sun as an added ...read morebonus!
It was our first foreign trip for two years, and we enjoyed it overall. The Covid safety measures were affective, and we appreciated Cema arranging for tests at our hotel the day before departure. I would add that the New Year's Eve celebrations surpassed expectations - the food and the entertainment were excellent.
We booked a walking holiday that was rated easy. The walks were really interesting and the distances were not too long. The underfoot terrain was very rough and made for hard going. When we walked the aqueduct, there were very severe drops to one side. With uneven tracks, the potential for a catastrophic fall was evident. I felt uncomfortable on ...read more more than one occasion, even though it was a walk I wanted to do. P.S. The meal at the village was excellent
COVID precautions were taken very seriously in Sri Lanka . The hotels took our temperature and provided hand cleaning regularly. The guide organised our return Covid tests at the penultimate hotel, which was very helpful. I felt very safe travelling during COVID times. The boat company for the whale watching handed out sea sickness tablets. They were ...read more ridiculously strong and I could hardly stay awake! Perhaps I was foolish in accepting them but I think they should come with a warning!
4.7
Smooth easy booking process. Great tour- excellent tour guide, great group, average accommodation, great weather, really good food and spectacular sights. Would go to Egypt again, would recommend and would travel with Global Journeys and G Adventures again!
Great group of travellers, good accommodation, however a few of the places didn't have very good breakfasts. Tour guide was great, looked after us and made sure the trip ran smoothly and knew a lot about the history of places as well as good places to eat. Local tour guide in Penang was good.
My family live in various places around NSW, so we had a wonderful reunion on our recent trip to the North Island of New Zealand. I loved bike riding through the countryside, visiting a volcano and a glow worm cave, going for a kayak, hiking and exploring. My family also really enjoyed meeting the other tour group members from around the world, and ...read more sharing adventures with them.
Really enjoyed our G Adventures tour. The group was never more than about 20 people so not too bad. The mean age of everyone was probably 25, with some travellers 18 years old and others in their early 30s. A real mix of nationalities too - Ireland, Canada, Germany, USA, Australia. The tour guides were helpful, but not overbearing and were happy for ...read more travellers to go off and do their own thing whenever they wanted. I would highly recommend for anyone wanting to do a tour, but who doesn’t want a Contiki/Topdeck vibe.
My partner and I were intimidated by the prospect of arranging a week-long trip to Morocco on our own, and Global Journeys and G Adventures made everything so easy. They arranged everything from group activities of camel-riding and medina tours to transportation between three major cities, the Sahara, and everything in between, and our guide continually ...read more offered quality suggestions for restaurants and activities to pursue on our free time. I recommend this tour to anyone who is looking to get a holistic Morocco experience in a compressed time frame!
It was a fabulous trip. Our CEOs Joy and Camilar were professional tour guides with lots of humor and knowledge and caring personalities. Our (me and my husband) highlights were the Gaucho experience with horse riding and Argentinian BBQ and the Iguassu Fall. Beautiful beaches of Brazil and the Christ Redeemer was also spectacular. The tour was well ...read more organised and people were kind. We will consider another tour in the future with Global Journeys and G Adventures. Thanks all.
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