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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.

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.

All in all it was a fantastic holiday, with a great range of things to see and do. The highlights for me were the elephant sanctuary, the home stay and it’s ride around the village, cycling around Sukhothai, exploring Uthai Thani market, staying at the raft house, visiting the railway market and exploring Bangkok by tuk-tuk. Beforehand I had been quite nervous about the cycling part, as I don’t ride. However, the paths were flat and there were no cars to worry about. It felt lovely and tranquil riding around the park. For anyone who didn’t want to cycle there was a golf buggy provided. Some reviews mentioned the raft houses as not being suitable for people in their 70’s, but those in our group found it not to be a problem. We all did the optional raft trip, where we got towed upstream for 30mins, then wearing a buoyancy aid, we got into the river to drift back, which took 15 mins. Good fun. There were some early sites, but then you could relax on the minibus, as most days there was a 3-4 hour drive to get to the next place. The drivers were lovely and provided us with water and cold towels, which were gratefully received. There were also plenty of USB charging points in the minibuses, so we could listen to music/books as we travelled without draining our batteries. We all did the optional boat trip in Bangkok which was a refreshingly breezy way to see the sites. Would recommend. We also all did the optional tuk-tuk tour, which was fun and some of us tried the local deep fried insects and a scorpion! I particularly liked the fact that there was some times when we could explore by ourselves; whether it was to look around a market, go to a bar or go for a massage. We had two massages, one a traditional one and the other an oil one, both were very good. Prices for massages ranged between £6-£10 for an hour. Nui, our tour guide was excellent; being both knowledgeable and friendly. For our last evening meal she took us to a restaurant with a fabulous view overlooking the whole of Bangkok. We and another 2 people from the group also did the extension to Koh Samet. The transport arrangements both ways could not be faulted. The accommodation was lovely with a little beach and pool nearby. Then just a couple of minutes away was the very long sandy beach and hustle and bustle of bars and then not much further to the shops and restaurants in the village. Whilst there it was my birthday and the hotel decorated the room and gave me a cake; then at Winkks bar when the staff heard, they gave me a free drink and strawberries!

I had the best time during my 4 week Contiki in South East Asia. We had a great group, fantastic trip manager (shoutout Tate), got to see so much of each country, was able to indulge in so many different activities and experiences.

I had the most amazing trip on the Bangkok to Singapore adventure. Our tour guide was great, the accommodations were amazing (floating bungalows were my favorite), and the schedule was perfect. This trip would be good for anybody who is traveling for the first time or 100th time (this was my first time traveling solo and my first time visiting Asia). Most of the people on the trip booked a few extra nights in Singapore so the trip felt a little longer than it officially was. The pacing is perfect (it is go-go-go, but in a perfect way) and most of us slept on the transit. I definitely recommend the add on activity for the sunset cruise in Krabi, the entire group went on it and it was one of the top moments for me and many others on the trip. This was my first Contiki, I had booked with a different tour group in the past but definitely prefer Contiki as it was very organized and we knew what to expect but also extremely fun. There was a great mix of included activities and free time. I definitely feel like I got really good bang for my buck too. I’m already itching for my next trip.