Thailand Tours for Experienced Travelers

This is a full on tour with very little downtime. There is a lot of time spent in a private minibus to get from Chiang Mai down to Bangkok, however all of the stops on the way are interesting historical sites such as Si Satchalanai, Sukhothai and Ayuthaya. A lot of the hotels are basic, with the exception of the Boutique Rafthouse on the River Kwai which provided a real treat for 2 nights. The highlights of this trip were the Elephant Nature Park, where the elephants truly roam free and are not there to entertain us tourists and the beautiful Erawan Waterfalls. I would ideally like to see this tour reversed to begin in Bangkok and end in Chiang Mai. I felt that there wasn’t enough time spent exploring Chiang Mai. Our tour leader, Wit, was the best tour leader I have expedited on the 10+ tours. I have done with Explore. One word of caution if you are planning to travel on this trip in April the pollution, smoke and smog were very high in the north.

AMAZING TRIP…. Tour Manager John the absolutely the BEST. It was an experience of a lifetime. It is hard to put into words or explain the wonders of each country. Book this trip and you won’t be disappointed. It far exceeded my expectations. The smaller group size for travel was a bonus. The hotel accommodations were excellent. The way John (tour manager) explained and provided all the necessary information each day was so helpful. I would do this trip again in a heartbeat .

Collette’s Kingdoms of Southeast Asia is a wonderful trip with an ambitious itinerary that spends time (17 or 18 days, depending on how you count) in 4 Southeast Asian Countries: 1) Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. Vietnam is the focus, with stops in the north, middle, and south of the country. Vietnam is a very interesting, vibrant, and energetic country, with amazing food, and the tour benefits from the tour manager/leader being Vietnamese. Our trip leader was awesome, and I can’t say enough good things about him. Our Vietnamese trip leader stayed with us throughout the entirety of the trip, but excellent local guides joined the tour in the remaining three countries. Three days in Cambodia focused on the ancient cities of Siem Reap, such as the Angkor Wat ruins. The following 3 days in Laos focused on the Buddhist temples and culture as well as a beautiful excursion along the Mekong River. Visits to night markets were offered in all 3 countries. The trip concludes with one night in Bangkok, Thailand and it is easy to extend your stay with the extension offered by Collette of with a few days in your own. Bangkok is an amazing city and one night/one day won’t do. Our tour had 23 people and it moved as a group pretty well. We had a good group, everyone very friendly and helpful to each other. All the hotels were solid, comfortable accommodations - not 5 star, but mostly 4 star (I believe the Laos hotel, probably one of the best in Luang Prabang, would be considered a 3 star hotel by American standards). The tour included plenty of free time, but the organized group excursions were well considered in terms of taking you to see what most tourists want to see as well as introducing you to some genuinely local and personal experiences (like visiting the home of a Vietnamese fighter pilot who fought in the Vietnam War to get his personal perspective on the war). On occasion the daily itinerary was a little rushed, perhaps overly ambitious, but overall the tour was well balanced between planned activities and free time.

An outstanding holiday, enjoyed by all our family (aged 11 to 76). Every day was action packed from morning till night. In fact, we would quite often find ourselves at dinner remembering something earlier in the day and saying "Was that only this morning? It feels as if we have done so much since then!" Top memories were being chased by an elephant (not really as it turnedout but still pretty exciting, floating down the river Kwai, night time safaris, cookery classes, snorkelling and Muai Thai martial art training. Our guide, Champ, was absolutely outstanding. He paid attention to the individual needs of each of our family members, was endlessly patient but kept the pace of the adventure going from beginning to the end. The accommodation was varied; often good four stars but remember this is an adventure holiday so a hotel floating on a lake or deep in the jungle may not have all mod cons but is even more wonderful and memorable. Thank you Explore, the local agents and particularly our guide for creating a really great holiday

Pok was an excellent leader. Always very helpful and attentive to everyone's needs. He is super organized and cares about the people on the trip. Pok was the reason the holiday went so well.

Tour manager went above and beyond to keep everyone engaged and satisfied on this tour. He had extensive knowledge and experience with his country of Thailand. Especially enjoyed visiting the elephant sanctuary in Chang Mai.