South East Asia Local culture Trips

We loved this trip. Yes, some of the hotels were pretty average, yes a few didn't have hot water, and yes some had extremely inefficient staff, but that's not what you are going for. We got to visit the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati which should be on the itinerary. Each place we visited throughout the trip was very much worth the time and effort to get there. Even on the long drive days the stops didn't feel like just fillers that you might get somewhere else. Kaziranga National Park was a lovely day and we saw a lot of elephant and dozens of rhino. So much more than we thought we might, and at a lot closer quarter too. The trek down to the root bridges at Cherrapunjee was another highlight. It is a big effort as described in the notes and in other reviews, but worth every step. They are remarkable. We walk a lot, but never previously used walking poles, however, we did on this day and I'd highly using them. The hotel there is lovely with great views over the Sylhet plains into Bangladesh. Hornbill Festival was incredible and a massive highlight. Our guide, Pema, got us to the festival nice and early and we were able to experience all the tribal groups entering the arena to take their places, all singing, chanting, drumming. Absolutely wonderful and an experience we will remember for a long time. And a second day to fully absorb it. Amazing, loved it! The Majuli Island stay was another totally different environment. The ferry to and from is a great experience. The temple visits were beautiful and a contrast to the full on craziness of Hornbill Festival. It was also really lovely to be able to walk through small villages and meet local people. The day at Longwa village was another extraordinary time. Meeting the ex headhunters, a wander through the hilltop border village, a great lunch in a longhouse. So different from anywhere else we've been. And the last night in a lovely old colonial tea bungalow and time meeting the ladies picking leaves on the plantation was a lovely treat. Things don't work in this part of the world as you may be accustomed to, but just go with it and this trip will reward you with some extraordinary experiences.

The itinerary was an excellent balance of historical perspectives and delightful authentic Irish cultural experiences. The program was nicely balanced so we didn’t feel as though we were rushing our time at the scheduled stops. The very professional and extremely personable tour director was a huge asset to the trip. Honestly, I am already looking into booking my next Trafalgar trip, this time to a different region of Ireland.

Great trip, lots of things included if you don’t want to pay for extra activities. Isobel best tour director and Pete best driver. Very enjoyable and fun.

This was an exceptional tour in Morocco that really connected us to the culture and history of this beautiful country. Our tour leader, Nabil, was excellent and made the experience fun and enriching. The pre-tour to Chefchaouen and Tangier was a real highlight, the North of Morocco should not be missed. And of course the desert was amazing, loved the 4WD vehicles, the desert camp, even the camel ride! A true highlight was tea with a Nomad family at their now-permanent home in what seemed to be the middle of the desert. The tour was full of special cultural moments that would have been difficult, if not impossible, to arrange independently.

Had advance info to help us prepare for trip. Also had a day to explore on our own, though on foot. Since it was just prior to Christmas, so much we saw was decorated brightly and merrily. Hotels were well located and offered varied foods for breakfast and sometimes dinner. People providing services were friendly. The itinerary was outstanding, though poor weather meant we had to skip a visit to a glacier. Of course, we must compliment our tour manager and bus driver. With exception of the sights, they were so important to helping this trip to be a memorable one for us. The weather was the one facet that, since it could not be controlled, that caused some challenges: Walking in the wind; ability to safely get over a pass, thus leaving Vic earlier than planned; and prompting the northern lights to be elusive. We can are glad we made this trip and have been wondering about returning in the future during late spring or summer.

Filippo was a wonderful tour manager. Very organized and well informed about the area. Marek was a excellent bus driver. Bringing us close as possible to the venue and positioning the bus to blocked the wind.