Luxury culture vacations
Tours & vacations in 2018 & 2019

Memorable parts? EVERYTHING - it was just great! Tips? To inform themselves very early (6 month before booking) to get the most out of it. We therefore had the best vacations ever and people we met on our tour were just jealouse, because we could do all the cool stuff (we had organised the permits for Huayna Picchu, the Trek to Huchuy Qosqo etc.) Local benefits? Yes I do Overall rating? Great! (more)Barbara Buchegger

The most memorable was seeing wild elephants in a family group. The scenery and people. Visiting a hand weaving cooperative outside Galle- which took a little finding! (more)Steven Morgan

We stayed at a wonderful place called 'Banyan Lodge' in Sri Lanka. It was a eco-lodge and a very unique experience in a peaceful environment with nature all around... (more)Clare Lucas

Sigiriya in was visually stunning, and it was fabulous to stay at a hotel with a great view of the rock in at the end of our vacation; the elephant safari in Uda Walawe was for the most part a peaceful and enjoyable afternoon; the Barefoot cafe in Colombo was a lovely place to look around and have lunch. (more)Sally Roth

The most memorable was visiting Anuradhapura with my excellent guide Kapil and the Buddhist Temples during Vesak Poya (one of the main Buddhist vacations celebrating the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha) with serene Sri Lankan pilgrims all dressed in white and poya lanterns lining the roads floating in the breeze - truly magical. (more)Smita Shah

I would rate it very highly, great experiences, well organised, we felt very wwell looked after and entertained the whole time. (more)Cath Errington

I booked with Jith, who helped in every way he could, to make it a great trip, in particular when we had to change flights and plan. His driver, Upali, was wonderful and made sure that my time in Sri Lanka was as good as possible. He gave me lots of information about Sri Lanka, the people, history and country. (more)Karen Pedersen

The most memorable moments were was the beautiful scenery, the exciting wildlife, the friendly people and delicious food. Absolutely fantastic! Everything was perfect from the initial booking with our tour operator, the superb accommodation and the planned activities and safaris. (more)Catherine Huzzey

Whale Watching and Wildlife Safari was the most memorable part of this trip (more)Phil Miller

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. (more)Ruth Le Guen

Probably the most exciting thing was seeing two tigers (on separate visits - one on the boat safari and one on a land safari) in Nagarhole National Park - astonishing. But equally memorable was the temple tour in Madurai - it felt a privilege to visit when so many pilgrims were also worshipping at the temple. (more)Lynn Crowe

My stay at the Wild Mahseer in Assam was very special. Great hospitality, beautiful lodgings and interesting environmental projects. (more)Liz Mcmanus

I have told the vacation provider that they do a great job . (more)Joel Montague

Remarkable - This was a wonderful vacation - The itinerary put together by Shanane gave us everything we wanted and more!! (more)Scott Paget

We had the most marvellous vacation ever, as everything had been superbly and seamlessly put in place by our tour organiser. Everything about the trip was exciting and memorable, because it was so different from Europe in every possible way. Of course, the Taj Mahal was a highlight, but so were the Aravelli hills, the city of Bikaner... (more)Annette Jones

The safari to Koeladeo National Park was the most memorable moment. One of the best vacations we have ever been on. (more)Jane Fisher

The diversity of it all was fantastic. (more)Jane Cartwright

Staying at the Turtle Research Centre Carapace Lodge and seeing turtles nesting at dusk and getting up at 5am to see them returning to the sea. (more)Trevor Storer

Visiting some of the interesting sights as we got inside Oman, the forts, the castles, the desert, wadis and swimming in the sinkhole was a fun highlight for me on a hot day! (more)Julie Forshaw

Interacting with the people of Jordan will be the first memories we keep. The beauty and majesty of the country, combined with the living history was exciting to experience. From the green fields of the north to the southern desert, preserved roman Jerash to Nabatean Petra, all beautiful to see. (more)Scott Cupp

There are so many... Jerash, Petra, Wadi Rum, Feynan Ecolodge... but most of all it is the friendliness of its people that made the biggest impression. We had a wonderful time, felt very welcomed and secure. (more)Louise Carrier

Magical. Loved every minute. 4 days that felt like 2 weeks they were so full of sights and sounds and wonderful people. A brilliant short break. (more)ali king

We enjoyed it all - wonderful food, pleasant, well informed guides, new experiences. Hanoi is a beautiful and really buzzing city; we'd love to go back. Mai Chau valley is beautiful and developing fast; Halong is like visiting another planet - so strange, so awe-inspiring. (more)Patricia Stoat

It was a great vacation, and it is very hard to single out one thing. Our trip to the northeast was one of the best bits (I was honoured to be invited to join the other giggling grannies on the floor of the Tay house - if only I was as limber as they are!). (more)Margery Nzerem

The most memorable was the surf lesson. (more)Iris Halm

We are a family of five with three children aged 11-16, and all enjoyed our whole trip - huge variety of places and activities. The kids particularly enjoyed the beach and nice hotel at the end. (more)Maggie Scott

The snorkelling at Menjangan Resort was absolutely fantastic. I have never seen so many different beautiful and unusual fish and corals. Ubud was fascinating and a real insight in to Bali culture. Finally Sarimbwana ecolodge was amazing, remote, peaceful and a real retreat from busy life. (more)Lucy Thomson

Memorable parts? History and culture. I enjoyed the amazing hotels we stayed in that were beautiful locations and historical. Tips? Due to distance between locations, ensure there are two nights at every hotel. There is significant time spent driving (in a car) between each location. If flying from Delhi during December / January be aware of fog delaying / cancelling flights. Local benefits? We visited local communities (e.g. Bishnoi, Samode) but not sure how it benefitted... (more)Tracey Warren

The highlight was staying in Ella and walking in the hill country and snorkelling in the Maldives. Very good, loved the Maldives. (more)Annmarie Woodcraft

The most memorable part of our vacation was snorkelling in the Maldives. It was amazing to see sharks, fish and sea turtles on the reef. It was a surreal experience...Overall, I would rate our vacation 10/10. We had a great time in all the countries we visited, the locals were very friendly and hospitable. (more)Tracy Watson

Flying in a seaplane over the Maldives and landing in the lagoon by Filitheyo Island where we spent an amazing week was the most memorable part. (more)Greg Harris

Most memorable were Seeing the (many, many) elephants by jeep safari in the national park...Climbing up Sigirya rock and admiring the spectacular views, and then swimming in the hotel pool beneath during the stormy monsoon rain....We really enjoyed our snapshot of Sri Lanka and would love to go back sometime. (more)Joanna Brown

A great experience with a good insight into the diverse nature and culture of Sri Lanka and its people and religions. It was definitely worth all the planning and the cost and we would probably go again given the opportunity in the future. (more)Alastair Francis

The most memorable part was definitely the look of pure joy on my wife's face when taking a bath with an elephant at the Millenium Foundation... (more)John Dodson

It was an amazing wildlife adventure - I feel very fortunate to have seen freshly hatched baby green turtles and wild orangutans. (more)Claire Onody

There were many memorable moments. Too few to fully list out! One destination was the Gomantong Birdnest Caves. The main cave tests all your senses. Certainly a location for the next Indiana Jones film, not for flip-flop wearing tourists! (more)Jonathan Reed-Lethbridge

The most memorable part was walking down Wadi in Dana National Park to Feynan...It was wonderful. So beautiful and so much to do and see and the Jordanians were very kind and helpful. (more)Stephen Pick

Jerash was incredible as was the site of the Baptism of Christ. The countryside of Jordan an all its aspects. (more)Geoffrey Gurling

Was exciting from beginning to end...Excellent. Would recommend this operator. (more)Denise Brooks

Gwalior Palace and Khajaraho Jain temples (more)Paul Street

Indian train travel, sumptuous hotels and beautiful new Delhi were the most memorable parts of the vacation. (more)Lydia Walton

It was all highly memorable. We particularly liked our visit to a village outside Hanoi where we met with local people and were able to ask questions. (more)Alison and Paul Crowe

The tour operator is a superb company - highly recommended. (more)John Richardson

Excellent - very interesting, some spectacular scenery and great weather and people. (more)Mark Stamper

Memorable parts? Difficult to say as all four venues were wonderful but Pangkor Laut Island was just perfect. Not cheap but worth it, the resort and staff were absolutely fantastic, definitely a 5 star location. Tips? Bear in mind the travel required, most transfers were around three hours so this can eat into a day in soom places so book an extra night where you think you may not have enough time but on the whole 2 or 3 nights is plenty to get a good view of all the areas. Local... (more)Julie Dyson

Each section was a highlight in different ways - Iguassu Falls, chance sighting of jaguar in Pantanal away from main spotting area, architecture of Brasilia by night and lakeside restaurant with local families, knowledgeable and interesting local guides (more)Margaret McDermott

Wonderful! (more)Christine Waddington

The Noto Peninsula except for Wakura and the villages in the various parts of the countryside. Having a car made the difference. (more)Geraldine Hickey

Not the best vacation we have ever been on, too many problems, Some poor hotels, Guides who weren't that knowledgeable. Japanese not too helpful. Poor signposts not many in English, (more)JULIE HARRISON

The autumn colours were just amazing in Japan. Its a fascinating culture with so many memorable experiences, just a few spring to mind, walking the Nakesendo highway, staying at the Mitsui Garden hotel in Tokyo, the views are mind blowing from here, Geisha spotting in Kyoto... (more)Katherine Windibank

Amazing, interesting (more)Hefin Salisbury

Every moment was a memorable moment...Jerash in Jordan was a surprise...Petra Kitchen was a lot of fun ...Dinner at Fauzi Azar Inn, and singing and dancing at Bedouin Camp was great too! (more)Helga Trim

9/10...Jordan - particularly Petra which lived up to, and surpassed its reputation (more)Jean Ross

Memorable parts? Loved the Colombian people; loved Bogota; Medellin & Cartagena. Tips? Be aware in advance of the length of time it takes to get served in restaurants and the blandness of the food. Also we found the guides to be uninspiring. Colombia needs to invest in these areas in order to drive tourism in a positive was. Local benefits? Yes. Overall rating? It was good and very enjoyable overall - we saw a huge amount of the country and had many different experiences. (more)Helen Cosgrove

Memorable parts? There were two big parts of our vacation: the culture and the nature. From a cultural perspective, we learned so much about the history of various cultures within Rajasthan. The forts we visited (Mehrangarh, Roopangarh, Amber) were amazing, but the highlight was definitely staying at Jog Niwas, where our host/organizer Shanane Davis lives. She taught us so much about patronage and connoisseurship, sharing with our whole family a remarkably vast knowledge about textiles, art,... (more)Robert Macauley

Memorable parts? It's difficult to choose one moment. The train ride from Pwin Oo Lwin to Hsipaw was wonderful. Spending days on Inle Lake was fabulous. Seeing the ancient city of Bagan from the basket of the hot air balloon was magic! Tips? Try not to do too much on any given day. Take some time to sit and watch people as they go about their daily lives. Don't stick strictly to any given itinerary. Local benefits? Local people were employed as guides and drivers. We supported... (more)Irene Chisholm