1 independent reviews for Laos and Cambodia tailor made tour
Reviews for Laos and Cambodia tailor made tour
Tracey Colchester review 1 May 2026
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Animals - buffalo and elephants in Laos. Hero rats in Cambodia. The mountains in Laos were stunning. Lovely views from river. Cambodian temples - especially those in more remote jungle locations. Lunches with our guide and friend Kia in Cambodia Our guide in Laos. Gardens in Laos. Hotel Pavillon d’ Orient in Siem Reap. The people of Cambodia.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Avoid traveling by road in Laos. Use river and/or railway. Visit buffalo farm. Nam Kat Yorla Pa - you’ll see more nature walking along the cycle path than the sky bridges. Kuang Si Waterfall is so full with Chinese tourists it’s probably not worth a visit. Go to the elephant sanctuary. Nong Khiaw is fun but aimed at backpackers.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Only a bit and only because we worked hard with our guide to buy from the people and used restaurants away from the hotel and from markets not tourist shops. Without a guide we wouldn’t know the difference. There were half hearted attempts at “eco” hotels but they were mostly pretend. The forest was protected- but you could book zip wire and 4x4. The hotels wrapped goods prettily but they were full of single use plastic. We were pleased to support animal sanctuaries and visit rural locations - but boats were filthy diesel and we struggled to avoid plastic bottles. We definitely worried about our environmental impact in huge cars- partly our fault for choosing luxury hotels on the whole. We did support animals but I can’t see how we helped much. More harm than good.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Mostly excellent with brilliant organisation. Our guides were absolutely superb. I’d like the vacation company to put more pressure on hotels and venues to be genuinely eco friendly. They don’t really get it. We are in love with Cambodia. I would return. Laos is so hard though. I definitely would not travel by car again there unless I had to. It’s too much. I’m not sure I understood how hot it is this time of year having previously travelled in July. It was a bit grim at 40 degrees! We would love more opportunities to walk and explore but these were pretty limited and the heat made it worse.Holiday Reviews
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