Cultural tours are often the best way to see the the main highlights of a country & immerse yourself in it's culture. All our cultural tours & vacations are run by responsible operators who will also ensure that your vacation benefits the destination & local people.
These full and frank independent cultural tours vacations reviews are from travelers who have booked directly through responsibletravel.com. They are not edited by us or any of the companies we work with. Find the real story, from real travelers below.
Every step of the trip went very smoothly and having English speaking guides and drivers made the whole experience very personal. Often the local guides enriched our experiences as they espoused more than mere information, passionately imparting their knowledge and opinions.
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Near Mari we had a tyre blow out on the bus and had to stop to get it fixed. Within minutes the whole village had turned out to see what was going on and wanted photos taking and to talk to us. We were only 10 miles from the Iraq boarder but the people could not have been any more friendly. In some ways it was the high spot of the vacation. (more)
So many highlights it is difficult to seperate out just one.... it was a great trip all around ! 10 out of 10 (more)
We were really impressed with the genuine warmth of greeting from this Bedouin based community project, the welcome tea drink, the sunset walk with more tea around a camp fire! The candle light, with candle made by local Bedouin women was enchanting. (more)
The desert camp and seeing the turtles were amazing...A fantastic family adventure with great contrasts. (more)We thoroughly enjoyed our two weeks... The knowledge and hospitality of the tour leaders, Suraj and Ravindra, made this a particularly memorable trip - by the end, we really felt more like we were with friends than on a 'tour'. (more)
Watching the sun go down on Everest on the most perfect evening. Celebrating Diwali with the locals were the most memorable parts of the vacation (more)Excellent. The places are really worth seeing, people are all very kind, the guides were all absolutely wonderful. The young guide in Bhutan and the driver really did all that they could to get the most and the best out of the time we had.
(more)The vacation was full of memorable experiences from our first day when we met our fantastic driver/guide, Kapila. He seemed to really enjoy sharing his knowledge of the history, culture, flora and fauna of Sri Lanka. He was also really good fun and so caring about our enjoyment and welfare - he became a real friend and we will keep in touch. (more)
The accommodation was the most luxurious, most welcoming, most helpful place we have ever stayed in; and the walks through the tea estate with idyllic views of the reservoir and surrounding hills, both relaxing and inspiring.
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The whole vacation was amazing, but if I had to name the top three things I would say (in no particular order!) going to Iguazu Falls (especially the boat ride under the falls!), the boat trip we went on in Paraty and just being in Rio. (more)
Thanda Game reserve has to be the most memorable although it was hard to pick a specific part of it. It was fantastic and we couldn't have been treated better or had a more pleasant experience ... we will be back. (more)
The good memories started from our very first contact with responsible travel. They put us in touch with Mark and his wife and the wonderful chateau they live in which became our B@B for 3 nights. I felt we were visiting friends at the wineries because of Mark's relationship with the small vintners. (more)
Everyday of the vacation in Kathmandu and Tibet was a feast for the eyes and senses. Breathtaking views, ancient temples and exotic people. (more)
There were several highlights. The Golden Temple at Amritsar, Jairpur's Amber Fort & Palace, the backwaters of Kerala and our homestay in the Nilgiri Hills. (more)
Absolutely first class. From a tourist point of view, Syria does not deserve its reputation. The people are charming and very welcoming... The ruins can be truly impressive. Damascus and Aleppo are cosmopolitan cities.
(more)Easter Saturday night in Lalibela churches was the most memorable part...A must for the ones that want to discover different cultures, people and places.
(more)We invite every traveler who books a vacation via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the vacations they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same vacation can have different views!
Few of us enjoy the feeling of sticking out like a sore thumb when we are on vacation. We giggle about the strange habits of overseas tourists here in the UK, but maybe it’s them laughing at us when we are away on vacation? However sometimes cultural faux pas are no laughing matter. Although our intentions might be good some of our behaviour can inadvertently cause great offence in destinations. For example, that little pink mini skirt which looks great in Brighton or Miami can, when worn away from the beach in Muslim countries, cause offence. The same types of culture clashes happen in conservative Christian communities in Polynesia, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Beyond causing offence to individual people tourism can impact on the culture in entire destinations. The tourism industry packages up and sanitises religious rituals, dress, ethnic rites and festivals to conform to tourist expectations. Once a destination begins to see itself through the eyes of tourists it begins to lose its sense of itself and its identity (and pretty quickly the reason why tourists came in the first place). Read more about cultural vacations in this cultural vacations article.
