South Korea Cultural, religious historic sites Trips

I’ve done over a dozen tours with Collette and this one was my favorite for many reasons: The hotels were super clean and modern; more included meals and right balance of free time. The tour manager was very informative and sent us helpful information two weeks prior to departure. Visits and stories from Hiroshima bomb survivor and North Korean defector will stay with forever. Finally, I feel Collette’s small group tour offers better experiences and value.

Korea is an interesting country and the itinerary covers the main features. Fast paced, I think you need to be reasonably fit to cover the sometimes irregular terrain and changing weather conditions; take a raincoat if travelling in spring. Nikky, our Guide was enthusiastic and a 'speedy' walker. Accommodation was excellent.

South Korea is an amazing country to visit as a tourist having: modern high quality, across the board infrastructure; beautiful scenery; cherry blossoms every where in season; fascinating historical cultural sites; first class museums; unique and vibrant food culture both in restaurants and on the street; excellent coffee; welcoming, friendly and helpful people; signs and explanations in English on public transport and at tourist sites; safe, crime free environment. A fascinating, inspiring and memorable trip.

We saw quite a bit on this trip, but so many things were scheduled right down to the minute. It would have been nice to have a little bit of free time at some of the sites, even if it was just half an hour to shop for a minute or grab a drink. There were so many temples and shrines that it was a bit overwhelming. I absolutely did not like the overnight at the monastery. It was so difficult to sleep on a mat on the floor when you are old and the food was not that good. It was a relief to get to a rest stop the next morning to get some food and coffee. The tour was conducted in English and Spanish and then we had so many different tour guides coming on and off (Japan) and people joining and leaving the tour at various times. I do have to say that the tour guides worked their butts off wrangling all the people around, and they all had an immense knowledge of history and traditions. It was disappointing that we did not get to do the ferry from Busan to Japan. We had to fly which took time away from exploring Busan. It would have been nice to have more than half a day there. There were also many changes on the first day as to going to the DMZ. We specifically chose this tour for those sites and we ended up going to neither. The substitutions were ok though, but it is not what we signed up for. The english guide is not listed below, but I would rate her five stars on both language and satisfaction (Sohey Ahn). The bus drivers were all excellent.

This trip was amazing from start to finish! It was such a great mix of culture, history, food, and scenery - every day felt different and full of new experiences. South Korea really surprised me with how diverse it is. From busy Seoul to quiet temples and mountain hikes, there was so much to take in. The trip was pretty full-on at times, and I’d have loved a bit more free time in Seoul or Busan to explore on my own, but overall it flowed really well.

Tour Managers were extremely knowledgeable with good command in English. They offered optional tours which weren't included in our package, and took us to these sights. Able to accommodate food restrictions! Best part was meeting and speaking to the Ama Divers!