Esplora Travel

25/03/2025

We are so proud to have our Madonie Mountains walking holiday mentioned in the Guardian today. Why not join us on this wonderful hike from 14th - 21st October later this year?

A path in the Madonie natural park once used by itinerant friars takes present-day hikers on mountain trails through a terrain rich in wildlife

23/03/2025

We’ve just spent a very successful week in South Western Turkey researching for our forthcoming tour to the area. Ancient theatres at Telmessos, Heirapolis, Nysa, Patara and Selge were all highlights, but it was a joy to revist Kayaköyü near Fethiye. And the drive across into the Ta**us mountains to visit Selge was spectacular. We are looking forward to being about to announce the itinerary for our 2026 calendar soon!

10/03/2025

We are so immensely thankful to journalist Penny Wainwright for the fantastic write up of our Calabria Tour that has appeared in th Italia! magazine this month. I've posted photos of the article, but for a better resolution and reading experience, the magazine is now on sale in newsagents.

25/02/2025

Due to an unfortunate cancellation we now have late availability on the 30th April departure of our Treasures of Sicily tour. This is the final place for this Spring and an opportunity not to be missed! Full details of the itinerary and can be found on our website via the link below:

https://www.esplora.co.uk/sicily/cultural-tours/treasures-of-sicily-tour/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_post

SMALL GROUP TOURS and WALKING HOLIDAYS in inspiring places. We pride ourself on providing the very best service from the time you book until the end of your holiday.

24/02/2025

Last week, in the pursuit of further tour research, I had a very pleasant couple of days in Umbria. I didn't have time to post any photos whilst there, but here are a few posted retrospectively. It wasn't bright sunshine (it is mid-February after all) but still, both Carsulae and San Pietro in Valle impressed.

20/02/2025

This coming Saturday (22nd February), we will be exhibiting at the Travel Festival in Cheltenham. If you are anywhere in the vicinty, please do drop by - it promises to be a great day! You can get free tickets here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cheltenham-travel-festival-tickets-1142975343019?aff=oddtdtcreator

18/02/2025

So, this afternoon I was exploring ways of creating some pdf maps of our itineraries and somebody suggested ChatGPT. Just as an experiment then, I typed the following itinerary - Catania, Messina, Palermo, Agrigento, Siracusa - into ChatGPT and asked it to produce a map of the route. This is what it came up with 🤣🤣.
I think our jobs are safe for a while yet!!

13/02/2025

How about joining us on one of our ever-popular walking holidays in 2025? Joining a small group of friendly travellers is the very best way to see the countryside. And at the end of the day, we make sure to reward ourselves with a fine evening meal.
We have several departures in our 2025 programme and places are still available.
22nd - 29th May :: Walking in Umbria
22nd May - 30th May :: Walking in the Aeolian Islands
24th September - 1st October :: Walking in Eastern Sicily
5th - 12th October :: Walking in Cappadocia
14th - 21st October :: Madonie Mountains, Sicily
You will find the full calendar via on the page below, with links to full details of each of the walks
https://www.esplora.co.uk/tour-dates/_2025/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_post

11/02/2025

Last call for our Treasures of Sicily tour this Spring: we have just a couple of rooms left on our 30th April - 11th May departure. All other dates are now fully booked. But if you would like to grab yourself one of these places, you will find full details and booking on our website here:
https://www.esplora.co.uk/sicily/cultural-tours/treasures-of-sicily-tour/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_post

We'd love to have you along with us!

02/02/2025

Today is our final day at the Destinations Fair at London Olympia. This year, the fair has been better than ever, so if you haven't had a chance to visit it yet, today is your final opportunity! Drop by and say hello.

25/01/2025

Come and see us today at the New York Travel and Adventure show at the Javits Centre NY. The sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day for a day out! We are booth 660 and are here today and tomorrow. Come and say Hi! We’d love to see you.

06/01/2025

What does one do with an hour to spare while changing trains at Firenze S.M. Novella?
I skipped the Duomo, the Uffizi, the Palazzo Vecchio and headed for a little side street just off Piazza Santa Croce. It was here that our family-friend and noted painter Patrick Hamilton lived during the seventies and eighties. A fine artist, he kept a studio in Piazza Santa Croce but travelled widely during the summers to produce an astonishing corpus of work which he exhibited each year in a gallery in Kings Road, London. It was during those summers that his son Ben would come and spend the holidays with us and our life-long friendship was formed. Shamefully, and though the rest of my family did so, I never once visited Florence while Patrick was in residence and I had the opportunity to do so.
When Patrick returned to London at the end of the eighties he took over the custody of St. Saviour's church in Highbury and turned it into a workspace for young artists and sculptors. At the time, in my early twenties, I was pursuing an ill-fated career choice as an oboist. Foreseeing my imminent demise as a musician, it was Patrick who put his hand on my shoulder and told me quietly that there was a kiosk on Highbury corner that sold cheap bus tickets to Istanbul. I followed his advice and have never looked back...
Though Patrick is no longer with us, his immense humanity, intellectual curiosity and unflagging optimism still guide me constantly in my day to day choices. Hence my pilgrimage yesterday to this small side-street in Florence...
Actually, there was an unexpected but very moving post-script to this episode. Once on the train, I chcecked my Facebook messages and found one from someone whose name I didn't recognise or remember. It turned out I had been their oboe teacher in the couple of years before I left London for Turkey. They were just making contact to thank me for all the inspiration I had once given them. It was a touching message.

05/01/2025

As part of our Destination research for this year, I’ve just been spending a couple of very pleasant days in Siena and we’re greatly looking forward to bringing some of our guests here at the end of our Treasures of Umbria
Tour in May.

04/01/2025

Our walking holiday in the Aeolian islands is always one of our most popular tours. With its tried-and-tested itinerary, we are perhaps the only tour company that includes all 7 of the Aeolian islands in our programme - and, as each island is so different from the next, it makes for a very varied experience. We visit the islands in May - which is the perfect time for a trip: when the weather is warm but the islands are still not too crowded.
Our dates for this year are 22nd - 30th May and you will find the full programme on our website:
https://www.esplora.co.uk/sicily/walking-tours/walking-aeolian-islands/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=socila&utm_campaign=fb_post

31/12/2024

As we say goodbye to 2024, it's fun to look back at some of the things we got up to over the past year. 2024 was our busiest ever and we owe an enormous thank you to all of you who travelled with us during the course of the year for making it such an enjoyable one. And if you are booked on one of our trips for 2025... ...it's going to be even better!
And if you haven't yet booked your place on one of our tours.... there's still time to do so here:
https://www.esplora.co.uk/tour-dates/_2025/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_post

30/12/2024

If you've already visited Sicily, you've no doubt seen the temples, the markets, the churches... And it's wonderful, isn't it? But have you seen the interior of Sicily? The small villages? The farms? The beautiful wild flowers in Spring? If not, then join us on our Hidden Sicily tour in May 2025 for a magical experience. Full details are on our website:
https://www.esplora.co.uk/sicily/cultural-tours/hidden-sicily/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=socila&utm_campaign=fb_post

29/12/2024

Easter is a magical time to be in Sicily. As well as the usual wonderful sights of Western SIcily, our Easter in Sicily will take you to the Good Friday procession of the Misteri in Trapani and the Easter Sunday celebrations at Piana degli Albanesi. Either of these beautiful events would be worth the journey in itself, but combined with all the other riches of the island, it makes it the perfect time to travel. We still have a couple of rooms available.
Full details can be found on our website:
https://www.esplora.co.uk/sicily/cultural-tours/easter-tour/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=socila&utm_campaign=fb_post

27/12/2024

We still have some limited availability on the Spring 2025 departures of our Treasures of Sicily tour:
16th April 2025 departure - 3 rooms remaining
30th April departure - 5 rooms remaining
14th May departure - final room remaining
If you would like to join us, please don't leave it too late to sign up. You will find the full itinerary and booking details here:

https://www.esplora.co.uk/sicily/cultural-tours/treasures-of-sicily-tour/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_post