Thai Indochina Grand Tour

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• JR

  Jarrod
  Written on January 8, 2018

  4.0 - Good

  Fantastic, well run tour with great tour leaders and local guides. Covers all the highlights in one simple tour, all you need to do is turn up. Highly recommended. This was my first group tour with exodus and definitely won't be the last, well done guys and a big shout out to tour leaders Nat and Long

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• 

  Anonymous
  Written on November 10, 2013

  4.0 - Good

  A fantastic way of seeing South East Asia in one go. The tour allows for variety of travel, sights and countries - a real bonus!What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?There were quite a few!I found Laos in general to be my favourite country. It is very chilled out, the people are incredibly friendly and happy and the sights are beautiful. It is one place that has gone on my 'list' to visit again! The most amazing sights had to be in Halong Bay, near Hanoi. Cruising around on the boat (eating amazing food) was incredible and then being able to get off the boat and go canoeing around, under rocks and into hidden lagoons was just amazing.Of course the Agkor Temples were also incredible. Agkor Wat sunrise was great, but my favourite temple was actually Ta Phrom, the Jungle Temple. Seeing the tree's towering out of the temple was something that you really just can't comprehend from photos. I also enjoyed the many faced Bayon Temple in Angkor Thom.For a very different reason, the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh was a 'highlight'. Walking around both was incredibly depressing and sad - to see the horrors that the Khmer Rouge regime inflicted upon the people of Cambodia was just horrific.What did you think of your group leader?With the trip being so long, we had several group leaders, all of them were great! Joe (our Thai/Laos guide) was very informative, friendly and a lot of fun. Khanh, our Vietnamese guide, was brilliant - again informative and friendly and really went that extra mile. Khanh mixing Mojitos on the Reunification Express will be a great memory for the rest of my life! Finally, Chan Ly, our Cambodian guide, was one of the most amazing people I have ever met. With the perfect balance between information, fun, interest and friendliness he really was hard to beat!Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Go on the trip - that's all I can say really. All four countries are amazingly friendly and incredibly beautiful.You will see a LOT of temples - by the end you will probably feel 'templed out' (I know I did). Also, if you are a single traveller like me, there is a lot of free time in places like Luang Prabang and Hoi An - be prepared to organise things to do (though all of the guide were very helpful in doing this). I did a great half day walk in Luang Prabang which Joe helped me to organise. The shopping in Hoi An did keep me occupied there as well!
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  Anonymous
  Written on April 17, 2013

  4.0 - Good

  An amazing holiday with lots of variety. If you enjoy temples this is the trip for you. If you like being on water, this is the trip for you. If you enjoy excellent food this trip offers lots of new tastes. The hotels are very comfortable and in good locations.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Halong bay wins the award for the best place to be on this trip. The boat was very comfortable. Sailing through the limestone karsts was amazing. The cave was possible the best we have been in. Kayaking on the bay was brilliant especially when we went through a cave into a lagoon that was like a magical place.The food on the boat was superb. The chef produced fantastic food with wonderful vegetable displays. In all a time to remember for the rest of our lives. What did you think of your group leader?We had four group leaders on this trip and their experience varied. All had good knowledge of history their countries but not always of the nature and wildlife. Our experience of the guides varied from fair to very good. However, our past guides with Exodus trips have been superb.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?The holiday is a long one and as a consequence very tiring as you are on the go from early morning. However the itinerary is packed with lots of things to see and do and you don't feel you want to miss anything!Do pack lightly and buy as you go! At most of our hotels people were selling 3 T-shirts for $10 and in Hoi An there is plenty of time to have things made e.g silk shirts/ blouses for $14! Bargain! There are also plenty of places on this trip to get your laundry done very cheaply.Cycling - it was not compulsory to do the cycling parts of the holiday, so check carefully before you go whether you want/ need to take helmets. The traffic can be a bit scary so consider whether you are confident enough to do the cycling.Is there anything else you would like to add?This is an amazing holiday. So much variety from temples to riding down the Mekong River to scrambling in the Cu Chi tunnels. Lots of history, culture, sadness (Killing Fileds , Vietnam War) as well as fun things such as kayaking and shopping! My feet are still recovering from all the walking around temples etc. 
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  Anonymous
  Written on April 8, 2013

  5.0 - Excellent

  This is a stunning introduction to Indo China, with a primary focus on Laos and Vietnam.  Travel by plane, minibus, tuk-tuk, cycle rickshaw, bicycle, canoe, boats, sleeper train and foot.  This is a "full on" trip that is well paced to allow independent exploration as well as the benefits of well informed local guides.  Accommodation is varied, but always comfortable.  A fabulous trip to abolish a UK winter! What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?So difficult to narrow these down to a shortlist, but would have to include :-1. Sunrises and sunsets on the Mekong whilst on the 200 mile river trip.2. Stunning mountain scenery of northern Laos.3. Floating markets of the Mekong Delta and the Vietnam/Cambodia border town of Chau Doc  -  an unexpected gem.4. The contrast between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Can they really be in the same country?5. Temples at Angkor WatWhat did you think of your group leader?We had a different leader for each country.Thailand/Laos.  Khag (aka "Kate") was a larger than life, thoughtful and well organised leader for Thailand, and also for Laos,  as our Lao guide was still under training.  He was a lovely guy and very knowledgable but no doubt found it hard in the company of a group that had already bonded with their Thai guide. Vietnam.  Thanh was real gentleman, knowledgable and passionate about his country.  Always prepared to go the "extra mile" to make our trip special. Cambodia.  Allan's command of colloquial English was such that it was all too easy to forget that she is a young woman who had grown up with parents who are still subsistence farmers who had survived the "Killing Fields". Her knowledge of Angkor Wat where she is an accredited guide was exceptional.  Bright and bubbly personality and able to look at the Killing fields era from her own family perspective which made her input invaluable. In each case it was a real plus to have a local person as our guide rather than a well informed westerner. They were able to get local food and fruit for us to try that we wouldn't have dared try for ourselves and they added greatly to the insight we were able to get of the culture and history of each country. Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Just do it! Travel light  -  it is easy to get laundry done cheaply and quickly (same day) virtually every where. Read about the history of the area before you go to get the best out of the experience  -  especially the Vitenam War and the Killing Fields.  Take an ENORMOUS memory card for your camera  -  I filled a 32gb card.  Take each day as it comes and be prepared for the unexpected.  Consider arranging your own flights at the beginning and end of the trip.  The included flights involve a long stopover in Kuala Lumpur.  We flew Jet Airways  -  London to Bangkok via Mumbai  -  where the stopover was short, and was also considerably cheaper, particularly if booked early.  Is there anything else you would like to add?At over 4 weeks this is the longest holiday we have ever taken and we were a little apprehensive about whether we would have had enough after 2 weeks.  It says a lot for the trip that at no point were we ready to come home.  It is well paced with plenty of variety and with highlights all the way through to look forward to. Having previously struggled a bit with the food in India, we had no trouble whatsoever in Indo China  -  the food was tasty, incredibly varied and appetising  -  in fact it was a real highlight of the trip. Although the weather was generally hot (28 - 37 deg)  it is not overpoweringly so, and we had very little trouble from biting insects  -  even along the rivers and the Mekong Delta.  Just make sure you have plenty of insect spray. 
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  Anonymous
  Written on March 27, 2013

  5.0 - Excellent

  Exodus have honed this tour and it's action-packed all the way, full of variety.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?In our exclusive boat, we floated along the Mekong River in Laos for 2 days, stopping at Luang Prebang - a cultural treat.;  also the various trips on and around the Mekong Delta, with an excellent homestay.   What did you think of your group leader?Our several local guides were knowledgeable, enthusiastic, energetic and always ahead of the game.     It wouldn't have been as much fun without them.   Do you have any advice for potential travellers?This is a full-on month, so if you can arrive a few days ahead of the tour start date it'll give you time to get over jet-lag and acclimatise - and see more of Bangkok, which I really enjoyed.   Is there anything else you would like to add?Get there even earlier and spend a few days south of Bangkok at Amphawa floating market - it's easy enough to get there by taxi + air-conditioned public transport.
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  Anonymous
  Written on February 14, 2013

  5.0 - Excellent

  Lived up to all expectations.A wide variety of contrasting experiences.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?There were so many that one cannot select one highlight.Temples in Bangkok, delightful people in Laos, 2 day trip along the Mekong, visiting remote village alonside the Mekong, trip on the Halong Bay boat, contrast of Hanoi and Ho chi Minh city, millions of motorbikes, everyones downstairs house front seemingly selling something, temples at Angkhor, Tunnels, etc.What did you think of your group leader?Kate in Thailand and Laos, Thanh in Vietnam were excellent - both with lovely but different senses of humour and well organised but able to be flexible and accommodate group requests. One thought that if there were any problems that they would be able to sort them out.Gal in Laos was a lovely person but his spoken words were often "swallowed" and he needs to be more authoritative and show that he is in command, like Kate and Thanh.Alann in Cambodia. Bright and cheery personality but was probably not "mature" enough for our older group. Very good at Angkhor temples but needed to brush up a little more on Vietnamese geog./life when in Vietnam, eg. which river are we travelling along.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Go!!!!! Before Laos, Cambodia and Northern Vietnam become too westernised.Is there anything else you would like to add?Although we weren't relishing the thought of sharing a sleeping car on the overnight train from Hanoi to Hue and a room in the Homestay near the Mekong, we had some laughs with David and Ann.A negative - the only one I think. After checking in at Siem Reap, we had a 2.5 hour wait prior to the flight. Did we really need to be at the airport so early?  We then had an 8+ hour wait at Kuala Lumpar before our Heathrow flight. Better flight links needed.
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  Anonymous
  Written on January 4, 2013

  4.0 - Good

  A very varied and" pinch me moment" trip.Some of the best leaders we have experienced. Lots of local knowledge and full of enthuiasm in their job.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Seeing the Palace in Bancock. I remember watching" The King and I" as a young girl and feeling what an amazing place Siam must be I didn'tt even know where it was.  Being there and seeing the sights for myself brought back special memories.What did you think of your group leader?We had 3 leaders and they were all different in their approach but all of them made this holiday unforgettable. Soon who was our Thai guide was extremely caring and she issued us with a timetable and tons of hints which made each day easy to follow. I would recommend this idea to your training programme. Tang who was with us in Vietnam was" The Man" he knew everthing and used his mobile phone to the limit to help organize our day. He was great.   T was our last guide and he was very amusing. He loved his job and that came through to us all while travelling with him.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Think carefully on what clothes you take. Very light clothing . Be prepared for very early mornings. We changed our money into 3 different currancies before we left England saves running around looking for exchange centres.Is there anything else you would like to add?The flights home took forever. The wait in Kuala Lumpa plus the time change made the journey back very long and tiring.
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  Anonymous
  Written on January 3, 2013

  5.0 - Excellent

  A trip of a lifetime,with wonderful guides,superb itinery,with something for everyone.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?The boat trip up the Mekong in Laos was wonderful.with the visit to the local village.The trip in Halong Bay was the luxury we didn,t expect,but was appreciated.All the different cities and towns we visited,a trip never to be forgotten.What did you think of your group leader?All our group leaders were wonderful and very knowledgable,they were our friends as well as our guides.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?If you like south east asia and want a trip you will never forget,go for it,everything about this trip was wonderful.Is there anything else you would like to add?From the chaos of Bangkok,to the tranquility of Halong Bay,everything in between was a bonus.You experience so many different aspects of life you will never experience again.
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  Anonymous
  Written on November 22, 2012

  5.0 - Excellent

  This trip had everything you dreamed of and more , culture, amazing scenery, interaction with the locals , great food( i came back with 5kgs extra), passionate tour guides. everyday was an adventure. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?There were many great moments, i took a bag of balloons with me and to see the kids faces when they got a balloon was worth a million dollars. the days we sailed down the mekong river and stopped at a local village to see how they lived, i dont know where they all came from , and im sure the really smart ones had a few balloons at the end of the day. The two days we had on a boat at Halong bay was beautiful, the food they produced in such a limited kitchen was awesome. The overnight train which was delayed for six hours because of a storm was really fun, and if we had arrived on time we would have missed all the scenery. The day we gave a elephant a bath in Laos was great. The bike ride in Hoi an was fantastic never knew cycling could be so much fun, or i had to pay to park a bicycle .i will never look at a bag of rice the same way again, now i have seen all the work that goes into getting it to the supermarket. The cyclo ride to the temple in Chau doc, the poor boys cycling for a hour hauling us round in what i can only describe as a pram . And then there was Cambodia, the street children in Phnom Penn were so beautiful it broke your heart to see them sleeping on the pavements. The drive to Siem Reap was long but watching life from the bus was amazing, pigs on motor bikes, buffalo pulling carts, rice fields , no chance to sleep. even when we got a puncture next to a garage the local people invited us to wait in the shade. the kindness shown even when they didnt speak english was very humbling. oh we didnt get to Angkor wat yet, this trip is so much more than just Angkor wat. (it was pretty amazing aswell)What did you think of your group leader?Because this trip covers 4 different countries we had 3 different leaders and 1 local guide.Molly covered Thailand and Loas, she was amazing, very friendly and we all loved her, we hated to leave her and we thought nobody could replace her. Tooye joined us in Laos and he was a great guy who had been a monk for 17 years , which i found very interesting, added lots of insight into the life they lead. Tur, met us at the airport in Vietnam , it didnt take us long to warm to him and realise we had hit the jackpot again, ok he gave me the kayac which sank in Halong bay, but he came to my rescue and was very professional. He stopped the bus and allowed us to visit the rice paddy to see a up close and personal experience, and fed us fried crickets on our return to the bus. (actually tasted ok, the legs just stuck in your teeth). He had a few changes to make with the train delay etc but he was very well organised and made us fall in love with his country. Vuthy (T) was our leader in the mekong delta and into Cambodia, again he was very professional, and was very passionate about his country and his job, at Angkor wat he had been a guide before so he knew all the places to go and all the pictures to take. Cooked us some black hairy spiders purchased at the market  for lunch, and even showed us how to eat them , yes a hairy leg was enough for me. He dropped us off at the airport and waited until we were all checked in before he left. All our guides became our friends and WENT THE EXTRA MILE, an asset to Exodus.   Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Travel light, Made to measure anything in Hoi an, Vietnam is a real adventure, but fills up your suitcase. The hotels are really great all have wifi except the last one . take a bag of balloons with you to give to the kids they love them. The heat in Angkor Wat is overpowering, even early in the morning. you dont need a sleeping bag liner or a bike helmet, more space for shopping, i wish i had stayed a few days longer at the end of the trip, as we really didnt have a chance to see the town. Again a couple of days  in Bangkok was a good idea. Is there anything else you would like to add?We were lucky we had a great group, there was free time to do your own thing, and if you wanted to do your own dinner that was possible aswell. join the compass cafe before you go, i met a great girl before i left and we hooked up before the group arrived in Bangkok and remained friends till the end. if your not sure this is the trip for you, then i can honestly say i loved every moment and came home wanting to go back , its an amazing part of the world , go explore you will not regret it. 
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  Anonymous
  Written on April 22, 2012

  5.0 - Excellent

  difficult to put into so few words - something different every minute - not a holiday but an adventure and a first class one - up there as one of our best holidays  (and we've had a lot of holidays)  !!   What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?cant think of any one - loved giving alms to the buddhist monks very early in the morning in Luang Prabang;  loved listening (through an interpretor) to the young nun, after we'd had our lunch cooked by the nuns in Vietnam;  the peace of the Mekong; the madness of the traffic in Hanoi; the strange feeling of Ta Prohm with all the trees growing through the ruins; riding the bicycles through the paddy fields in Hoi An .....oh, so many lovely moments !What did you think of your group leader?NOK (Thailand and Laos) was EXCELLENT - very caring; always putting us first; became 'one of us' which we loved; had so many laughs; she took hundreds of photos which she put onto a disc and gave everyone a copy (never had that before!)  very thoughtful.LINH (Vietnam) very knowledgeable, but sometimes this was too much - we couldnt take it all in - lacked people skills.FILA (Cambodia) EXCELLENT - caring; passionate about his country & gave us lots of information but not overload (like Linh) - became 'one of us' - Fun loving - excellent guide who took us 'round the back' of temples etc so that we would be 1st there and miss the crowds, or took us in a different way, or a different time so that again we were there without lots of other tourists.  He also went out of his way to make sure that those of us who wanted to, could sample the local foodsDo you have any advice for potential travellers?On the money side - you can very easily change US dollars cash and sterling cash for Bahts (Thailand) Kips(Laos)  & Dongs  (Vietnam).    US dollars used extensively in CambodiaDont feel that this holiday is for the very young !  The leaders made sure that the pace suited everyone.  Our group consisted of age range 34 - 74 !  Is there anything else you would like to add?We would highly recommend this holiday to anyone