Frequently asked questions

How do I book a trip?

Booking your trip is a straightforward process designed to be as convenient as possible. You can book your place either by giving us a call, where you’ll speak directly with one of our team members, or through our website. If booking online, just click the green “Book Now” button, enter your basic details, and pay your deposit via our secure payment link. We ask for a deposit of £400 (with exceptions for a small number of tours) to confirm your place on a group tour, with the remaining balance due 10 weeks before departure.

What’s included in the price?

Our tour prices are structured to cover almost everything you’ll need for your trip. This includes airport transfers within tour dates, mid-range or best available accommodation,  knowledgeable, English-speaking local guides, and all entrance fees for the sights and activities outlined in your itinerary. We also provide all meals specifically listed in the itinerary. Where needed, we also include letters of invitation to support your visa application and on certain itineraries, we also cover domestic flights.

What’s not included in the tour price?

There are a few costs not included in the tour price that you should plan for separately. These include your international flights to and from the destination, visa fees, and travel insurance, which we strongly recommend arranging at time of booking. Tipping is not included, and while always optional, it is customary to tip your local guides, drivers, and other support staff—we’ll provide guidance on recommended amounts. Additionally, meals not listed in the itinerary, drinks at mealtimes, and personal extras such as gifts are at your own expense.

What’s your maximum group size?

For most of our tours, there’s a maximum group size of twelve people. For some of our West Africa trips, it’s sixteen.

When should I book by?

That’s a difficult question to answer. Some tours fill up early, while others might still have spaces available until quite close to departure. It all depends on who else books the trip, and when, and this can be difficult to predict. We recommend booking as soon as you’ve decided you want to travel, so you don’t risk missing out.

Do you help with visas?

For most destinations, we are unable to obtain visas on your behalf – there are a few exceptions to this, such as Socotra and the Central African Republic. However, we provide the supporting documentation that you need from us (often an invitation letter and / or a hotel reservation) in order to make the application yourself. Some visa applications can be tricky and time-consuming, so we recommend that you use the services of a visa agency who are experienced in making applications. We’re unable to assist with the process of making an application, and a visa agency can be invaluable in making sure that you have submitted the correct documents, in the correct formats. We recommend Travcour – www.travcour-vls.com.

Can you book flights?

We’re happy to assist with booking flights if you like, although you’ll often be able to find lower prices yourself on online booking sites or direct with the airlines.

Can you book accommodation before and after the tour if I’m arriving early / departing later?

Yes, we can. Sometimes you might be able to find this for a different price on hotel booking sites, as hotels often offer dynamic pricing through these to deal with lower or higher demand. The hotels we use may change up until around a month or so from departure, as we monitor these constantly to make sure they remain appropriate. If you book pre or post-tour accommodation yourself, especially if you do this very far in advance of the trip departure, you may find that the start/end point hotels have changed and are different from those you have booked yourself.

Is there a maximum age for your tours?

We don’t have a maximum age or required fitness level for travellers on our group tours ,but it’s important that you are able to take part in the itinerary without holding up other group members. If you prefer to go at your own pace we would be happy to discuss private tour options with you.

Is there a minimum age for your tours?

We aren’t able to accept travellers under eighteen years of age on our group tours, but would be happy to tailor a private tour if somebody in your travelling party is under eighteen. We accept travellers of any age on our private tours.

What nationalities book your tours?

The majority of our travellers are from the UK but we also receive a good proportion of travellers from the US, Australians, Canadians and various European nationalities. We see travellers joining our tours from all over the world and everyone is welcome.

I’m travelling alone – do I need to pay a single supplement?

We charge single supplements for single travellers, but if you are happy to share and we can find someone else of the same sex to match you up with, we can remove this. If we can’t, it would be payable. Please note that in some of our West African destinations, hotels do not have a great number of twin rooms, and rooms with one bed are more common.

Will I be the only solo traveller?

It’s very unlikely you’ll be travelling alone in that sense. Many of our group tour participants are solo travellers, while others come as couples or in pairs. Our tours tend to attract curious, like-minded people, making them an ideal environment for solo travellers.

What are the guides like?

We choose to work with local English-speaking guides because they offer a depth of insight and cultural understanding that simply can’t be matched by a Western tour leader. Whether they’re explaining a site’s historical significance or giving you a glimpse into everyday life, our guides aim to bring the destination to life in a way that feels personal and engaging. They’re also there to help with any questions or needs along the way, making your journey both informative and comfortable.

What happens if a trip doesn’t reach the minimum numbers necessary for it to run?

This is unusual, but if this happens, we would offer you the choice of a refund or the chance to transfer your deposit to a different tour.

What happens if I cannot travel on a trip I have booked?

In line with industry norms, our deposits are non-refundable and help us to cover the payments that we make to local service providers, to ensure we can run your trip. We recommend that you take out travel insurance at the time of booking so that if unforeseen circumstances prevent you from travelling, you can claim against your insurance.

Is it safe?

We run tours to some destinations that the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) advises against travel to. When deciding whether to operate a tour we consider this advice as well as that of our local teams, who are often more up to date and better placed to assess the details of travel in our destinations. We have found over the years that the FCDO (as well as other country equivalents) can paint a very broad picture of a country, and issue blanket negative advisories against an entire country or region when in fact, the situation on the ground is more nuanced, and problems are more localised. We have also found that while governments can be extremely quick to put negative travel advisories in place, they can be monumentally slow to update these when a situation improves, particularly with regards to African countries. We take the safety of our travellers extremely seriously and would not operate trips where we felt this was being compromised.

How can I get insurance if the FCDO advises against travel to the destination?

While most insurance policies do not cover destinations if the FCDO advises against travel to them, there are specialist companies that do. For UK residents, two that we recommend are Campbell Irvine and Battleface.

What do I need to bring?

We send our final joining information usually around a month before departure, and in this we include a simple packing list. This generally includes items that might be a but more specific to the trip or destination – we don’t tell you how many pairs of trousers to bring, for example, but if a sleeping bag is needed, we will.

Can I make changes to the group tour?

If it’s a group tour, it has a fixed itinerary which generally can’t be changed. If you’re looking for something a little more bespoke, we can arrange private tours with an itinerary of your choice.

Can I pay the balance in instalments?

Yes, absolutely. We understand that spreading out payments can be more manageable, especially when planning well in advance. If you’d prefer to pay your balance in instalments rather than one lump sum, just let us know. Our goal is to make the process as smooth and stress-free as possible, so you can focus on the journey ahead.

Can I travel with a group of friends?

Yes, and many people do. If you’re travelling with a group of friends—especially four or more—it may be worth considering a private tour. We can tailor the itinerary to your group’s specific interests, pace, and preferred travel dates, or simply run one of our existing tours exclusively for you at a time that suits your schedule. It’s a great way to enjoy a more personalised experience. Just let us know what you have in mind, and we’ll be happy to explore the options with you.

Do your tours generally involve a lot of hiking?

Most of our tours include quite a bit of exploration on foot, in cities, towns and national parks, and the terrain can be varied. If you have a reasonable level of fitness, you should have no problem joining one of our trips. Some of our trips do involve some hikes / longer walks, which a lot of the time are optional, and we point this out within the itinerary. If you are unsure about the demands of a particular trip, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Can I join a section of the tour?

Some of our trips are designed so you can join a particular section, if you don’t want to do the whole thing, such as our Edge of Europe trip to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, and our epic trip from Marrakech to Cotonou, West Africa Odyssey. For other trips, we generally aren’t able to accept travellers for a shorter section, particularly if it’s a popular tour, as that place would become unavailable for someone wanting to do the whole trip. For some trips, however, where we perhaps see lower numbers joining, we may be able to consider this, so please do enquire.

Can same-sex couples comfortably travel to your destinations? 

Same sex couples can travel to our destinations safely, and we will always endeavour to provide helpful and appropriate advice and to allay any concerns. Many countries around the world sadly still have laws that discriminate against same sex relationships and some have deeply conservative attitudes, so it’s important to familiarise yourself with the laws of the country you are visiting, to decide whether you would like to visit and how open you should be whilst in destination. It’s possible to join any of our trips as a same sex couple, but ultimately it all comes down to whatever you and your partner feel comfortable with.