South East Asia Adventure Family Holiday

Guide

Generally, we use different staff and vehicles for each country. For this trip, there is a Vietnamese leader to start, followed by a Cambodian leader in Cambodia, then a Thai leader in Thailand.

Meals

13 breakfasts, one lunch and two dinners are included. The food on this trip is a real highlight for many. Southeast Asian cuisine is known for its abundance of freshly prepared dishes with strong aromatic flavours. There is a focus on herbs and citrus to ensure each dish packs a punch; chilli does feature highly but is easily avoided if desired. Food is cheap in all three countries and Western food is readily available almost everywhere, with the exception of the night in the Mekong Delta. Breakfasts are usually buffets and there is plenty to choose from: fruit, bread, cereal/yoghurt (sometimes) and cooked breakfasts. For lunch and dinner, allow at least US$12-US$25 per person per day. You can eat out very cheaply, but if you go to the more expensive restaurants most of the time, you will spend more than the suggested amount. Vegetarian food is widely available; however, the offering is fairly similar in most places within each country. Please advise at time of booking if you have any dietary requirements. Please note, the availability of certain products is minimal or non-existent, for example wheat- or dairy-free, please be prepared for this and you may need to bring these from home.

Others

Sample delicious varied cuisine and master chopstick skills! A night in a village homestay Cruise the waterways of the Mekong Delta by dug-out boat Crawl through the Cu Chi war tunnels Fruit and pepper plantations of rural Cambodia Cycle tour of the Angkor Wat temple complex Bangkok’s glittering Grand Palace and huge reclining Buddha

Transport

We use a private coach/minibuses, which will be quite comfortable, usually with air-conditioning. There are a couple of long driving days on this trip (up to eight hours). Road conditions are often not good, and progress can be slow. Boats are used at various points in the itinerary; these are nearly always private and vary from converted trawlers to small riverboats.

Accommodation

We spend 12 nights in comfortable hotels and one night at an island homestay on the Mekong Delta (shared bathrooms). Surrounded by small cottage industries and tropical orchards, our accommodation for the night in the Mekong Delta is a simple guesthouse built in the style of a traditional local house. We feast upon sumptuous regional dishes while listening to the tranquil movements of the Delta. Almost all hotels have swimming pools and there will be the opportunity to swim at the beach in Kep. We have endeavoured to select hotels for their location as well as character, and in the rural areas use the best available accommodation. These have private bathrooms, reliable electricity and water supply, good service and some added amenities. There may be instances when you specifically want a single room. Perhaps a grandparent needs one, or parents of a family of three or five want to ensure they get a bit of space! Single supplements are available upon request (see price details below). Please advise as time of booking. A single room is available on hotel nights only. While we do our best to ensure families are roomed close together (in some cases, we can arrange adjoining rooms), we can’t guarantee this. Most family trips occur during peak season and we sometimes have little control over where you are put.

Others

— Travel Insurance — Single accommodation (available on request) — Visas or vaccinations

Flights

International flights are not included.

Optional

There are a number of optional activities, which if you wish, your leader can help arrange for you. Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) trip, Siem Reap: minimum donation of USD 3 but transport extra. Flight of the Gibbon ziplining, Siem Reap: GBP 78/USD 120pp (discounts for under 16's) Khmer cooking class GBP 15/ USD 24pp Boat trip on the Tonle Sap Lake 6- 8pax GBP 9/USD 15pp

Insurance

Insurance is not included. It is a condition of joining any of our holidays that you must be fully insured against medical and personal accident risks (to include repatriation costs and air ambulance or helicopter rescue services where appropriate). On arrival in destination for your trip, you will be asked to present details to your leader or local representative of your policy.