Thailand Local culture Trips

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.

Excellent cultural immersion tour. My favorite experience was the meeting with the Vietnamese war veteran. He emotionally shared with us his heart rendering time as a fighter pilot, and his eventual friendship with an American fighter pilot.

Vespa food tour in Hanoi was great fun! Tour and tour guides were excellent. However we should have gone to an elephant sanctuary. We never saw one elephant.! Also tipping should be prepaid. It was a constant issue on the tour!!!! The first day of the Bangkok extension should have been scheduled with activities. We were all ready to go and nothing was really planned. It was very disappointing. We all had been together on the tour and there was no need for relaxation and free time. Everyone agreed with this assessment. Tho the tour manager was exceptional as were the individual guides in each country. I would highly recommend this tour.

We had a fantastic experience on our tour with Collette. We enjoyed traveling through 4 countries with ease, because of the great organization and helpful guide. I loved practicing tai Che as we cruised through the rocky peaks of Ha Long Bay. Cooking classes, boat tours, night markets, unique interactions with local residents made our experience truly life changing. John, our Vietnamese guide was truly phenomenal. We loved every day of our tour!

Riding Vespas through downtown Saigon. Learning about the trained rats finding land mines. The tunnels and various booby traps during the war. The many different boat rides especially the basket boats. The people and the culture and learning about Buddhism.