Explore has launched its new Discovery & Wildlife programme for 2020, featuring four exciting new trips to some of the most fascinating corners of the world. 

• ICELAND YURT ADVENTURE - See the northern lights from a traditional Mongolian yurt, set on a working horse farm in the heart of Iceland’s Golden Circle
• LEBANON - Feast on freshly-prepared hummus, labneh and falafel in the narrow streets of the souks in Beirut before exploring the vast Roman ruins at Baalbek and staying in a 12th century monastery
• EL SALVADOR - Climb El Salvador’s Santa Ana volcano and stare into the Llamatepec crater lake before spending a night camping between three volcanoes
• THE FIVE STANS - Follow the Silk Road through Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Discover the ornate architecture of Samarkand, the wild steppe of Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan’s ‘Door to Hell’

New for 2020 Highlights of El Salvador

This trip takes its travellers off the beaten track in one of Central America’s least-travelled - and most interesting - countries. Join a local biologist on a boat trip to monitor hawksbill turtle, meet the ex-guerrilla community of La Cinquera and visit the ancient site of Joya de Ceren, known as Central America’s Pompeii. Climb the Santa Ana volcano, peering into the Llamatepec crater lake at its summit, and spend the night camping between three volcanoes. Prices for this 11-day moderate pace trip start from £1,990 per person including flights, transfers, accommodation with breakfast, some meals and an Explore leader. Departures March, October & November 2020.

 New for 2020 Highlights of Lebanon

Explore is the first tour operator to launch trips to  Lebanon since the FCO lifted its travel restrictions, putting the destination firmly back on the map for 2020. Explore’s Highlights of Lebanon trip starts in the Beirut with a walking tour around the capital. Stay overnight in the grounds of a working monastery in the Qadisha Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, experiencing rural Lebanese life and homemade food. Visit the iconic Roman ruins at Baalbek, marvel at a 1,000 year old cedar forest and see a 12th Century castle at Byblos. Prices for this 8-day moderate pace trip start from £1,599 per person including flights, transfers, accommodation with breakfast, and an Explore leader. Departures all year round.

 This trip can also be combinable with Explore’s bestselling Jordan Discovery trip in a two-week adventure to two of the most fascinating countries in the Middle East.

 New for 2020 Iceland Yurt Adventure

Visit Iceland and stay in our brand new accommodation concept - a private collection of yurts set in the heart of the Golden Circle. Guests can sleep under the stars in complete comfort, as the yurts come with en-suite facilities, underfloor heating and communal yurts for relaxing in. Visit Iceland’s breath-taking big three waterfalls – Skogafoss, Seljalandsfoss and Gullfoss, and the black basalt cliffs at Vik I Mydral. Guests will also spend time in Reykjavik with its mix traditional corrugated iron homes and modern architecture. Prices for this 4 day moderate pace trip start from £945 per person, including flights, transfers, accommodation with breakfast, and an Explore leader. Departures all year round, starting in April 2020.

 New for 2020 The Five Stans of the Silk Road

With interest in the Stans increasing 135% year on year in 2019, Explore’s new trip combines the Five Stans - Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Walk through the well-preserved UNESCO city of Khiva, known as an ‘open-air museum’ and travel to the desert outpost of Nukus to share a meal with a family of musicians. Peer into the ‘Door to Hell’, a natural gas cavern that’s been aflame since 1971. Prices for this 22 day moderate pace trip start from £4,645 per person including flights, accommodation, some meals and an Explore leader. Departures May to September.

 Joe Ponte, Managing Director of Explore, comments, ‘Today’s travellers are looking for authentic experiences over fly-and-flop holidays and they’re becoming more adventurous in the destinations they’re choosing to go to, from the Middle East to lesser-travelled Europe. We’re seeing huge interest in experiential travel across the board, and our new Discovery and Wildlife programme has been tailored to fit the needs of these travellers and their growing thirst for adventure.’

www.explore.co.uk / 01252 379 518

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For more media information, interview requests or images, please contact:

Jordan Brackenbury, Junior PR and Partnerships Manager

+44 (0)1252 379503 /  jordan.brackenbury@explore.co.uk

Lisa Tyrrell, Senior Marketing Communications Manager

+44 (0)1252 379499/ lisa.tyrrell@explore.co.uk

Notes to editors:

Explore is a global adventure travel company with nearly 40 years’ experience in providing exciting and authentic travel experiences. With over 500 trips in 120 countries, Explore’s expertly crafted itineraries combined with award-winning tour leaders, small group sizes and a commitment to responsible travel ensures unforgettable travel experiences in extraordinary destinations. Whether its wildlife, culture, walking and trekking, a polar voyage, cycling or a family adventure, our trips will give you once-in-a-lifetime experiences, every day.