Thailand Small Group Trips

I enjoyed the trip as it allowed me to see quite a bit of Thailand, and enjoy a focus on nature. For the most part the accommodations were nice, although the one in Bangkok was not in a convenient location for sightseeing. I would have preferred to have been closer to the river and the tourist ferry. The river raft was fun but 2 nights was long enough. The accommodations in Koh Lanta were in a great location but felt tired and unkept, but we spent so little time in the room it didn’t matter much. I loved the Lost Horizon Lodge. Certainly a keeper! The optional tours were amazing and I recommend the boat tour and kayaking in mangroves. Finally, Tui our guide was wonderful. Whenever I asked, is it possible……? she made it happen. Very knowledgeable and great communication.

The Northern Thailand tour is an exceptional tour from Explore. Its itinerary comprises of a great combination of experiences and sights. The pace is leisurely minimizing travel time and allowing time for sights. The guide was friendly, organized and flexible enhancing the overall experience.

As you’d expect from the map and itinerary, there’s a lot of time travelling on this trip, but the highlights visited are well worth it. Our tour leader, Tui, was exceptional in making the trip smooth, enjoyable and fun.

Varied countryside, fun taking two long train trips. Staggered to see the deprivations of the Railroad of Death (think Bridge over the river Kwai) brilliant spending 2 nights on a raft, and still had the best food of the trip

This was a lovely, well-paced overview of Thailand with a great mix of historical and religious sites, shopping and experiences in/with nature. We were expecting the weather in January to be oppressively hot and humid but it was pleasant and in fact it was surprisingly cold at night when at the Homestay and in the Raft hotel. Thailand is an incredibly cheap country and dinners including drinks cost between 100-300 baht pp. To fully enjoy this trip you need to expect to climb lots of steps but it is well worth the effort. We were fortunate to have a fun group and a fantastic tour guide in Wit. Would highly recommend.

Laos was lovely, still not touristy and quite laid back. Luang Prabang is quite charming. There was a good range of places to see and enjoyable boat trips, especially the day on the Mekong, many waterfalls and lush scenery in the North. Very friendly people although not much English spoken and you have to be prepared for some slow and haphazard service in restaurants. Food was generally tasty. The accomodation was very good at times especially compared to many Explore tours although sometimes you didn't have enough time to enjoy the facilities on offer. The roads are generally in a basic state so there were some long days of travel. The tour leader, Tra and our first local guide, AK were excellent. I had been to Cambodia before and would recommend it. The various temples on the Angkor Wat site are excellent. This time I had a tummy bug so wasn't able to enjoy it as much. It would be great if Explore return to offering a two week trip to Cambodia, which is what I did before and started to offer a two week trip to Laos. It can be nice to have the option to see places in a bit more depth.