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We believe that travel should entail an exchange of knowledge and perspectives, a sharing of wealth, and a genuine appreciation of Thailand’s beautiful natural environment. This philosophy underpins the heart and soul of our style of travel.
We recognise that poorly planned itineraries or poorly informed tourists contribute less to cross-cultural understanding and less to the livelihoods of local people.
Travelling by road, rail, longtail boat and elephant – our most comprehensive Thailand journey is an intriguing exploration of the culture, landscapes and history of the Land of Smiles. A stay at the award-winning locally run Lisu ecolodge near Chiang Mai is a key feature of this journey.
The Lisu people are one of the many hill tribe ethnic groups living in the north of Thailand who migrated from Tibet in the 1920s. The Lodge has won several awards for its wonderful mountain atmosphere, and its employment of local people as managers, cooks, and hosts. During our stay here we have tea with a village shaman (witch doctor) – with your guide acting as a translator you will learn a little more about the life of the fascinating Lisu people.
In Chiang Mai you will also have the opportunity to learn something of the wonders of Thai cuisine in a local market visit to buy fresh Asian vegetables and in a cooking class run by a friendly Thai family set in a Thai style house. This journey also includes a visit to Baan Lorca village, a community-run tourism project with entrance fees going directly to the village. During this journey we actively encourage our travellers to patronise or financially assist numerous not-for-profit organisations in Thailand including Cabbages and Condoms in Bangkok (a restaurant which helps fund Thai family planning projects).
On this journey our local guides are trained to share their knowledge of cultural and other local issues in a balanced, informative way; in this journey alone you are likely to meet several local guides from different provinces in Thailand. They share real experiences from their own lives and insights into their family life, influences and beliefs, thus providing our travellers with a deeper understanding of the places they visit. This is what motivates our guides, not shopping commissions.
The love affair with Asia started in 1993 when our co-founder, Paul, ran our first small group tour to Vietnam. With Paul still heading up the company, we’ve now grown to offer quality holidays to 11 destinations across Asia. Starting with a small and start-up office in Saigon we now have offices in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, as well as reservation teams in the UK, the United States and Australia. Having one foot in Asia really helps us create truly authentic and responsible journeys that focus on the people, culture and cuisine, all delivered at a truly fair price.
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