Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand overland tour
Highlights
Hanoi | Halong Bay | overnight train back to Hanoi | Hue | Hoi An | Nha Trang | Ho Chi Minh City | Mekong Delta | Phnom Penh | Siem Reap | Angkor Wat | Battambang | Bangkok |Description of Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand overland tour
This classic Southeast Asia tour takes in three of the region's most endearing countries, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, to leave travellers in awe of what an overland tour has to offer. Indochina tours overland appeal to the adventure travellers in all of us with hectic Hanoi in Vietnam providing the perfect place to get the wheels rolling before heading to the beautiful setting of Halong Bay.As the journey continues south, travellers will encounter Hue, Hoi An and Nha Trang en-route to Ho Chi Minh City, with a superb selection of beaches and historical sites to enjoy along the way.
Next this Southeast Asia tour takes to the Mekong and crosses the border into Cambodia in order to reflect on experiences and prepare for the all too raw emotions of Phnom Penh and the surreal surroundings of one of the world's most recognisable ruined citadels, Angkor Wat.
As with any well-designed Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand overland tour, the end game in Bangkok promises a well-deserved chance to explore and soak up the ambience before finally your three weeks will come to a close as you head for home with much more than just souvenirs.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com
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Small group adventure
What is a small group adventure?It's a great way to travel! Whether you are travelling on your own, with a partner or with friends, a small group trip is a fantastic way to see the world. You'll travel on a fixed itinerary that has been designed to help you discover the best of region. From the known highlights, the hidden gems that you won't find in the guidebooks.
Itineraries run on set departure dates, accompanied every step of the way by an English speaking local group leader. You chose the itinerary and the date that suits you best and you book on.
Why travel on a small group adventure?
Small groups allow us to explore where larger tour groups can't. Our maximum group size of 16 travellers allows us to use local transport to get from A to B, to visit rural villages, spend time with the locals and even stay at a local home overnight, and it allows us to give our travellers genuine, real life experiences of the countries we are visiting; what you'll be doing and how you'll travel depends entirely on your chosen itinerary.
Is an adventure right for me?
The word adventure means something different to everyone, and our range of trips reflects that. Whether you want to explore local markets, visit out of the way temples and meet local people or go on an early morning safari drive searching for the 'big five', we'll have a trip for you. If you are looking for a physical challenge such trekking the Kokoda Track or summiting Kilimanjaro, we can help with that too.
So what can I expect on this trip?
This is a classic style of small group adventure. You'll find your trip combines a good mix of included activities and free time, with some meals included as per your itinerary. We don't want you to feel chaperoned, it's your holiday not ours. Your group leader will be on hand to assist with organising anything you might wish to do in your free time, but how you spend it is up to you. Anything listed as included in your itinerary will be included in trip price; whereas anything listed as optional will be at an additional cost should you wish to take part.
These trips are great value, including things that you would struggle to organise independently, such as a night at a homestay in a remote village, or local guides around a remote place of interest. Transport will be a combination of private vehicle and public transport, whichever is the most appropriate for the route we are travelling; this might include train, plane, camel, tuk tuk, bicycle, boat…
On a majority of these trips you'll stay in 2-3 star accommodation, locally owned and reflective of the region you are travelling through. All solo travellers will be automatically roomed on a twin share basis with another group member of the same sex, unless you opt to pay for your own room at time of booking. There are no compulsory single supplements for solo travellers willing to share. Single rooms aren't available on camping trips, and you will be expected to help out with camp tasks such as setting up and breaking down your camp.
Can I book my flights with you?
Yes! We are a fully ATOL bonded tour operator meaning that we can book flights from the UK as part of your holiday package. Just ask us for a quote including flights when you make your enquiry.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
As a global operator, we take our role in the tourism industry very seriously. We recognise the impact that tourism has on local communities and the environment, and we plan and operate all our tours with this front of our minds. We believe that every tour operator must be responsible in the way they conduct their business, to ensure the welfare of all people and the conservation of the environment.We are committed to operating in a responsible manner, incorporating the principles of sustainable development in the way we provide our travellers with real life experiences. These values are more than just words on a page; they are ingrained in our culture and the daily operations of every office and every trip. In addition, we expect our staff and travellers to demonstrate the principles of responsible travel - respecting people, cultures and local environments; in the distribution of wealth; in good will and cross-cultural sharing; and in contributing to sustainable development.
As company our responsibilities don’t stop when our tours end. Our own in house foundation has been in operation for over 10 years; a not-for-profit fund that has distributed over AU$3 million to more than 70 non-government organisations since 2002, from health care, education, human rights, child welfare, sustainable development and in environmental and wildlife protection. Donations come from our travellers and are then matched by us dollar for dollar.
The Impacts of this Trip
We believe that responsible travel is about the attitude you take with you and the choices you make when travelling - to respect and benefit local people, their cultures, economy and the environment. On trips like this through Asia for example, dress standards are conservative, and we recommend loose, lightweight clothing so as not to offend, particularly outside of the major cities.
We take care to use local transport throughout, and stay in small, locally owned hotels and guesthouses. We source produce locally throughout the trip, eat at local restaurants and encourage our travellers to purchase souvenirs from local artisans and recruit our on the ground team from the local community. This not only gives a fantastic insight into the country and a snap shot of day to day life, but it also puts valuable financial resources back into the local economy, creating jobs and supporting local businesses.
The ruins of Angkor are protected under UNESCO World Heritage listing and as such, part of the money received from entrance tickets contributes to the amazing site’s conservation. Your local guide will also give you plenty of guidance on what is appropriate when visiting the ruins and you will have the chance to interact with many of the local kids.
Travelers will have the option of visiting the land mine museum in Siem Reap and any donations are gratefully accepted. At the end of our journey, travelers may donate any unwanted clothing, medicines and bandages, which are distributed to appropriate local charities.
As a global operator, we take our role in the tourism industry very seriously. We recognise the impact that tourism has on local communities and the environment, and we plan and operate all our tours with this front of our minds. We believe that every tour operator must be responsible in the way they conduct their business, to ensure the welfare of all people and the conservation of the environment.We are committed to operating in a responsible manner, incorporating the principles of sustainable development in the way we provide our travellers with real life experiences. These values are more than just words on a page; they are ingrained in our culture and the daily operations of every office and every trip. In addition, we expect our staff and travellers to demonstrate the principles of responsible travel - respecting people, cultures and local environments; in the distribution of wealth; in good will and cross-cultural sharing; and in contributing to sustainable development.
As company our responsibilities don’t stop when our tours end. Our own in house foundation has been in operation for over 10 years; a not-for-profit fund that has distributed over AU$3 million to more than 70 non-government organisations since 2002, from health care, education, human rights, child welfare, sustainable development and in environmental and wildlife protection. Donations come from our travellers and are then matched by us dollar for dollar.
The Impacts of this Trip
We believe that responsible travel is about the attitude you take with you and the choices you make when travelling - to respect and benefit local people, their cultures, economy and the environment. On trips like this through Asia for example, dress standards are conservative, and we recommend loose, lightweight clothing so as not to offend, particularly outside of the major cities.
We take care to use local transport throughout, and stay in small, locally owned hotels and guesthouses. We source produce locally throughout the trip, eat at local restaurants and encourage our travellers to purchase souvenirs from local artisans and recruit our on the ground team from the local community. This not only gives a fantastic insight into the country and a snap shot of day to day life, but it also puts valuable financial resources back into the local economy, creating jobs and supporting local businesses.
The ruins of Angkor are protected under UNESCO World Heritage listing and as such, part of the money received from entrance tickets contributes to the amazing site’s conservation. Your local guide will also give you plenty of guidance on what is appropriate when visiting the ruins and you will have the chance to interact with many of the local kids.
Travelers will have the option of visiting the land mine museum in Siem Reap and any donations are gratefully accepted. At the end of our journey, travelers may donate any unwanted clothing, medicines and bandages, which are distributed to appropriate local charities.
1 Reviews of Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand overland tour
Reviewed on 30 Jul 2019 by Charlotte Rothermel
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Zipline in Cambodia. Above the trees, away from the crazy crowds at Angkor Wat.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don't book it. Not much adventure. Cambodia I would skip entirely. Felt like we were hamsters on the Intrepid wheel. So many groups everywhere we went. Same hotels, same restaurants, same activities.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Benefitted locals to some degree. But the other 2 ... not so much. Taking care of the environment in these countries is not a priority for them. We contributed to the impact especially at Halong Bay.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Probably a low 4. It was a good learning experience for me for my own future solo travels. I needed the group thing at first, but then the schedule just became a bit of a pain. And the first part of my trip the group was 6
70+ yr old, and 6 younger 20s to early 50s. So bit of a split from the start.
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