Travel The Unknown Reviews 59

Organised at very short notice, our wonderful Sri Lanka trip went exactly as planned and exceeded our expectations. We had the most amazing guide who as knowledgable, flexible and great company, and all logistics and hotel arrangements met our needs. We will be travelling again with TTN next year!

We had an incredible trip to Eastern Turkey that we specifically chose for its remote archaeological sites , including Gobekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe, and Hattusa. The small group style is perfect as it allows for a shared experience with other travels with similar interests without the feeling of being moved along as a herd or just being another client. Our guide was incredible with his depth of knowledge of the sites, the history of the region, and all the people and cultures that share Turkey today.

The trip to the Caucasus was both illuminating and fun. It was particularly interesting to visit all three countries, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, to try to understand the area and the problems they face from each country's very different perspective. The scenery in the whole area is breathtaking. The tour introduced us to many local people who were all very hospitable and generous. They welcomed us warmly and joined in our enjoyment of "having a go" at various crafts, e.g. bread making, felt-making, learning a bit of Georgian script, etc. In each of the three countries, religion is fundamental to their lives and visits to mosques, temples, churches, monasteries and cathedrals were a large feature in the tour. I would highly recommend the tour to anyone who likes an activity-packed holiday in places that are off the beaten track.

My Classic Morocco tour organized by Travel the Unknown was expertly planned and executed by Travel, plus its in-country contractor. Our group's guide and driver were thoroughly professional, caring, and so very knowledgable of the country, its customs, and history. The two week tour took me and my travel companions from major cities (including Marrakech, Fes, Rabat, and Casablanca) to the sands of Erg Chebbi and the base of the country's highest mountain, and through the middle and high Atlas Mountains. An exceptional tour and tour organizers very highly recommended.

The Himalayan Silk Road trip was an extremely well organised trip to a stunning part of the world. Very well planned as we gradually gained altitude by starting in Srinagar and heading East to Leh. From arrival in Delhi until our departure two weeks later everything worked without a hitch staying in some excellent hotels. Something interesting to see and do each day and the travel from location to location was relatively easy due to the well maintained roads despite travelling at very high altitude. From Dal Lake and the gardens in Srinagar, the history of the Silk Road, the Monasteries and Temples in Leh and the beauty of the Nubra Valley - picture postcard views around so many corners. Would highly recommend this trip.

I enjoyed an excellent visit to India including Ladakh with Travel the Unknown in September 2019. I have just checked their website to enquire about trips to Saudi Arabia but find that the Company has collapsed into liquidation.
A sad loss to the travel ttrade

We returned from our best ever trip with Travel the Unknown in mid March to find the travel world had changed dramatically through the virus. This (our sixth with TtU) was a tailor-made visit to Buenos Aires, Argentinian Patagonia to see penguins, Mendoza for the wine and a springboard to catch the local bus over the Andes to Santiago, on to Easter Island and Atacama. Every detail was perfectly planned with good local knowledge, practical suggestions and recommendations. For example we had brilliantly located hotels because they know we like to explore cities on foot. Our guides everywhere have always been first-rate but TtU excelled themselves in Easter Island where our guide was the nephew of the island’s Chief Archeologist. He knew it all!

Since our return we have “travelled” virtually with TtU on their Zoom events visiting Ethiopia, Northern India, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. I’m not generally a fan of Zoom lectures but each of these travel experts - most or all being on the ground partners of TtU - were so enthusiastic and informative that we enjoyed them enormously and learnt a lot. We are consistently impressed with Rahul, David, Sunita and the whole team. We wholeheartedly recommend them for real (and virtual) travel.

I began planning a trip for 12 people to Borneo in January of 2019. I exhaustively researched itineraries from at least 20 different travel companies and finally chose Travel the Unknown not just for their responsible travel ethics but because they really get you deep into the heart of things yet offer very comfortable accommodations. They were also willing to tailor their itinerary to our needs and interests. All of the staff that I’ve dealt with were highly professional and Rachel, my main point of contact, was a consistently excellent communicator. When it became apparent that COVID would prevent us from doing our April, 2020 trip, they offered to delay our trip a full year, to April 2021, with no increase in prices. Then just last month, after becoming aware that the COVID situation may still not be resolved by April 2021, they, again, offered to delay the trip till 2022, again, with no price increase. This kind of flexibility on their part was much appreciated by our whole group. All of my negotiations with Travel the Unknown over the past two years make me really confident that when this Borneo trip finally happens, it will be a great trip!

I've travelled with TTU several times in the past, enjoying excellent pre-travel service and great trips to unusual destinations. I was therefore really excited about going with them to N E India in November. Sadly, like everyone else, I never got there........due to you-know what.

But thanks to the creativity and hard work of the TTU team I have, over the last few months, been able to virtually-visit several other destinations instead! Through their well-organised Zoom events this Autumn I've been to Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine, all from the comfort of my armchair! Having been lucky enough over the years to physically visit these countries, I was keen to "return" to them - both for old times' sake and also because I was curious to see whether TTU would give an accurate account of each.

I wasn't disappointed! All four events were entertaining, professionally presented and well illustrated and were, in my view, real and honest representations of each country. For all of us, it's vital to have trust in the company you travel with, to have confidence that they'll prioritise their customers' needs and manage their expectations yet be sympathetic to the host country by painting a true picture - even if (especially when!) it's an honest, "warts n all" one.

I loved the fact that local experts ran the on line events - often from the host country itself; their insider-knowledge, enthusiasm and experience made for really entertaining and informative sessions. The Q n As at the end were, for me, evidence that TTU has confidence in its staff on the ground as well as its product which, in turn, gives me confidence in TTU.

Although we could all do with ditching the virtual and getting back to the actual asap we can, in the meantime, do ourselves a favour by joining future TTU Zoom events - even though reminding yourself of what you're missing is a bit weird. Thanks Rahul and the team!

I am an avid world travler and first used Travel The Unknown for a private Archaeology tour of the Balkans. I wanted a reliable company who could plan and execute my trip. From the initial contact, planning and final document stage TTU was amazing. All the people I had contact with provided excellent service in a timely manner. When I met my driver guide in Belgrade to begin my 3 week adventure I realized this was going to be fantastic.

My guide was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and an excellent driver on some difficult roads getting to out of the way archeological sites. The hotels were a mix of selected boutique and famous grand old style. The program was well thought out and allowed enough time to see all the sights unrushed.

I am writing this review now as I realize TTU was actually better than I thought. Since the Covid pandemic I have had to reschedule my 3 week tour to Kuala Lumpur and Borneo for a 4th time. Each time Rachel and the Operations Team have been amazing in understanding the issues and working with their ground team in Maylasia to rebook my tours, hotels and guides. This is not an easy task as many of the hotels are really small lodges in national parks.
They had to rearrange the stops and lodges each time but managed to include the entire program.

I really want to thank every one at TTU for being so flexible and understanding the problems that Covid has caused for travelers to lessor visited places than the main tourist stops. I am hoping I will finally get to Borneo in September 2021 but confident that if I can not for some unforeseen reason TTU will eventually get me there. Harry Robbins, Florida USA

An extraordinary company to travel to extraordinary places. Tailors exactly what you want.
As a solo, seasoned traveller, I had an expert guide and offered a range of hotels and experiences to choose from, to compliment my own itinerary.
During difficult Covid times, Travel The Unknown kept me informed at every step, altered flights etc and offered the trip of a lifetime.

We had an excellent trip to Madagascar. The guide was superb - very, very knowledgeable and personable. All went very well. Madagascar is not for the fainthearted though - very long travelling days on poor roads would discourage some, as would the very apparent poverty especially in the country. But the people are friendly, the accommodation and food very good, the scenery very interesting to spectacular and the wildlife (especially the lemurs) are wonderful.

"Travel the Unknown understood our brief for a private tour of Shiraz and Esfahan. The itinerary was well-planned. Our excellent guide was very knowledgeable and our driver made us feel safe at all times. We had a first-class experience and wholeheartedly recommend. "

"A first-rate, well organised and well paced Classical Iran tour in a small group. We covered all the key sites between Shiraz and Tehran, led by a wonderful and knowledgeable guide. What a fascinating, welcoming country and Isfahan is right up there with the Taj Mahal as a must see place. Visit Iran before the tourist hordes take over"

TTU created a first class tailormade tour in Vietnam for my sister and I. We couldn't have had better service, from the tour guides, the hotel, the cruise and even the transport between places.

I would highly recommend Travel the Unknown. I travelled twice with the company - once it was standard tour and second time tailor made. We were well looked after both times. It was efficiently planed to meet our needs and any issues were promptly dealt with.

Wonderful trip to Iran. Great guide and driver. An eye opener to a country with an amazing history and culture. Tremendous warmth and welcome shown to us by the people of Iran...young and old.

Great company especially for small group tours to out of the way places.

There have been so many highlights on the 15-day trip to Colombia: the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquira, Colonial towns of Villa de Leyva and Cartagena, learning about the coffee culture, the wonderfully crazy Carnaval de Negros Y Blancos at Pasto are just a few to name. The guides are friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to introduce us to the local culture, making this one of the most memorable holidays I've done.

Travel the Unknown has planned four unique and tailormade trips for us over the past three years- two in India, Sri Lanka and Cuba. Their knowledge of the locations, their tips for discovering the hidden gems which we all appreciate as intrepid travelers set them apart. The trips were priced to meet our needs and they are attentive to any questions or concerns.