Asia Local culture Trips

Azharudin is a fantastic tour guide who very passionate about his work and cares very much about his clients. He is extremely knowledgeable and is a very decent human being who is prepared to go the extra mile. Finally, he .supplied the group with some excellent photos and videos of the trip.

Serjee was an exceptional leader and made the trip full of good fun with her positive attitude, warm and friendly demeanor, and genuine care of everyone. Staying in gers was a highlight of the trip, and the smaller, family-run ger camps were especially memorable. We experienced snow, rainstorms, sandstorms, and pollen storms (in June) and covered a lot of ground off road away from villages and cities. Meals were served mostly buffet style, with a variety of meats, potatoes, rice, vegetables, and fruit to customize one’s diet. We never went hungry!

We saw a wide range of Mongolian scenery: sand dunes, steppe, city, rock formations. A fair amount of driving was therefore needed but managed well with coffee and wee (not usually toilet) breaks. Snack and booze purchase stops included too. Great drivers who kept us safe and comfortable across the, mainly gravel, tracks. You'll see non-stop birds of prey, camels, horses, sheep, goats, yaks, marmots, squirrels and maybe a deer or ibex. Staying in gers was generally comfortable. Bring eye masks and ear plugs for the sunny mornings and sometimes noisy camp evenings (fellow travellers or yaks). Our bags were often taken from the cars to the gers for us. Could get busy around buffet meals and some extremely rural camps had limited staff to keep everything topped up promptly. There was a pleasing amount of salad and vegetables but everything has a chunk of mutton or camel on it. Everything. Wifi, showers & electricity varied. Expect little and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Prepare for all the hot or cold overnight and sandstorm /snow /heat /cold /rain in the day. For the most however we had excellent weather. Good to interact with nomadic herding families and be welcomed into their gers. Sara guided us well, always happy to explain about Mongolian culture and show us her beautiful country. Mongolia is about the scenery mainly but the museums, buddhist sites, music and people were also showcased. You'll be sad to return to the bustle & traffic of Ulaanbaatar at the end.

There were just six people on our tour which was a real bonus. We were very well looked after from start to finish - including our tour director personally picking us up from the airport at 4:30 am. The tour itself covered all the main tourist attractions with lots of extra inclusions eg acrobatic show, foot massage. The river boat cruise was also excellent. It had included activities, as well. Accommodation, transport and included meals were very good. Two internal flights and two high speed train trips were also included. I definitely recommend this tour.

This trip was a delight from start to finish, brilliant guides and drivers, far better food and accommodation than anticipated, lovely group of mixed nationalities and ages and just an amazing country. Felt like we were in a different world, so much space.

Loved the calm, patient, friendly people and atmosphere throughout lush, green Java and Bali. The tour was fast paced with lots of physical activity, visiting many temples and beautiful natural features. I especially appreciated visiting locals in their home setting or small businesses and would like more of these learning opportunities through contact with local persons. Our leader Hadi Jabar was superb in organization ….transportation, rooms, meals, events, conflicts all dealt with efficiently and with ease. He has a delightful, considerate personality with a great sense of humour. We had very interesting local guides at many sites but I would have liked a little more vocal information from our own leader on significant features we passed on our long drives. Fabulous trip … learned lots!!