Discover Thailand, Laos & Cambodia -Cultural Holiday

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 42 reviews.

christine cottam

DISCOVER THAILAND, LAOS & CAMBODIA

Written March 2013
A varied trip through 3 amazing countries. I did not read trip details properly and wrongly thought there would be walking involved, especially as it is described as 'moderate'. In fact it is an easy trip. I loved Thailand and in fact stayed for a few days extra at the end on my own to visit the beaches, you can fly from Bangkok to Koh Samui very easily.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Loved it all really, the lazy trip along the Mekong, the bustle and food in Bangkok, and of course the sobering visit to Cambodia where one realises again and again that we have never had it so good. Our guide for the Killing fields and the prison was inspirational.
What did you think of your group leader?
We had three different leaders, two at the same time for the visit to Laos, which was not necessary. Our leader in Cambodia was excellent.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
A lot of travelling so be prepared to relax, read and sit around, not a trip for those who want lots of exercise, although there are some opportunities to swim and kayak. Also need clothes for lots of temples, with sleeves and cover the knees.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Excellent food is very cheap. Hotels are generally of a good standard, only one was below par but that was in an undeveloped area of Laos and was only for one night.
Sudhakar Pandit

DISCOVER THAILAND, LAOS & CAMBODIA

Written March 2013
An excellent way to see a lot of Laos and Cambodia in a relatively short time. There is quite a lot of travelling involved but that is inevitable in covering so much ground and is never boring
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The 2 day trip on a slow boat on the upper Mekong; the charming city of Luang Prabang; and, of course, Angkor Wat.
What did you think of your group leader?
Both the Thai/ Lao and Cambodian leaders were very good: knowledgable, helpful, willing within reason to accomodate preferences and with a good sense of humour.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Be prepared for 2-3 days of long road journeys on not very good roads. The hotels were of variable quality but given the overall cost of the holiday I was pleasantly surprised by the qualtiy.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
A great trip. I am glad I did it!
Claire Makin

DISCOVER THAILAND, LAOS & CAMBODIA

Written March 2013
I went to Burma with you last year, and it was a full-on trip. We were up from dawn to dusk, so it was tiring, but we all felt we had seen as much as possible in a fortnight. I expected the same from Laos and Cambodia, but it was much more relaxed with later starts, and I felt that I had not done the two countries justice - we could have fitted in more, particularly in Siem Reap.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Luang Prabang at dawn, watching the monks receiving alms, the Genocide Museum and Killing Fields in Phnom Penh (depressing but a must) and the magnificent Temples at Siem Reap (shame about the crowds - we should have started earlier!)
What did you think of your group leader?
Both team leaders were good, friendly and well organised.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Busy trip, go to Burma
Relaxed trip, go to Laos & Cambodia
Gavin Orton

DISCOVER THAILAND, LAOS & CAMBODIA

Written March 2013
The trip is really about Laos and Cambodia, with Thailand being more of a staging-post. Laos is scenic, rural and sparsely populated, while Cambodia is busier and historically more interesting. The pace of the trip is generally leisurely, especially in Laos.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Two in Cambodia. Firstly, the torture chambers and killing fields of the Pol Pot regime. We had an excellent local guide who had himself suffered as a child under the Khmer Rouge. He also gave an interesting account of Cambodia since the Vietnamese invasion and the fall of Pol Pot.
Secondly, the temples at Angkor. The temples come in a variety of styles and I felt that some of the smaller temples were even more attractive than the grand Angkor Wat.
What did you think of your group leader?
The Thai and Cambodian leaders were competent and friendly. The Thai leader was supplemented in Laos by a local guide who was rather less competent.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Read up about Laos and take a guide book as you will learn very little about the history and present set-up of Laos on this trip. There was not even a guided tour of the historic town of Luang Prabang. The local Lao guide was uninformative, though he was possibly wary of the repressive Communist regime.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The hotels were generally good and nearly all had free Wi-Fi. Food was plentiful and cheap, and I had no problems as a vegetarian - I declined the offer of fried tarantulas.
Sally Holt

DISCOVER THAILAND, LAOS & CAMBODIA

Written March 2013
Excellent value busy trip. If you are used to "activity" holidays you might find it too relaxing. If you are used to luxury holidays still give it a try as 3 star hotels in Thailand/Cambodia & Laos are in keeping with the countries and with the exception of just one night in a poor guest house (Phetsokxai at Pak Bang) all the accommodation had good showers, firm beds and functioning air conditioning.We were taken to a wide variety of restaurants all of which were able to provide authentic food for those who like to try local dishes and european dishes for those who do not.The two long coach trips pass quickly as there are stops every couple of hours plenty to see and the two days on the Mekong are on a private slow boat so you and your companions have plenty of space to stretch.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Best views:
Angkor Wat sunrise
Best activity: Optional visit to Elephant Village from Lunang Prabang
Charities:
COPE providing prosethetic limbs - the guide will refer to this as "The bomb harvesting" museum - there is more to it than that and you can support the charity by purchases or donations etc, very interesting
Marum restaurant in Siem Reap which trains and employs former street kids - a Cambodian version of Jamie Oliver's "15"
What did you think of your group leader?
NOK in Thailand and Laos was excellent. Humorous, knowledgeable, surperbly oganised and thoroughly enjoying her job. She tuned in to under-currents in the group and gave inspirational low key speeches aimed at anyone not chilled out.

Kimphak in Cambodia was brand new to Exodus and now has been educated about the "tipping kitty" which avoids the need to make daily judgements on fair amounts to tip all and sundry. He was very educated and amiable.

Sam who only had us for one night in Bangkok was able to round us up and make sure we left his native soil safely!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
If you are prone to a lot of insect bites try Incognito available from Holland & Barratt - I used this throughout the trip and was not biten at all whereas some people covered in DEET stil got bitten.
Freeze bottled water as apart from the long day at Angkor it will stay frozen most of the following day
LADIES; Consider wearing a loose short sleeved dress as this avoids the heat of having a waistband and layer over the top. You will be allowed in all Royal Palaces and temples as long as you have little sleeves & covered knees. Take a shawl or wrap which can be used to cover arms in one of the cave temples on the Mekong. Also one lady soaked it in water and wore as a veil when she was suffering from the heat and also wore it to ward off insects at night
MNEN: If very tall bes careful at Villar Rakhangthong hoel in Luang Prabang as one chap cut his head badly on a low beam over the stairs. ALl men: Take shorts that cover the knees as these are acceptable in many temples/palaces - you will need long trousers in Bangkok for the Royal Palace.
Take a lot more money than the tripnotes suggest - we had a small one course lunch with a drink and one course dinner with two alcoholic drinks each day at a cost of around £20 pp per day. I used a debit card successfuly in Laos. In Cambodia the machinrs sometimes give you $100 bills so you will need to change these down.
You will only need a warm top on the early morning start on the 2nd day of the slow boat along the Mekong - it's never cool at night or in air conditioning so save room inyour lugguage.
If you are not willing to compromiose don't share a room - some members of the party were constantly complaining about their room mates which spoiled the atmosphere at times.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
As Nok our guide told everyone:

You have worked hard to pay for this holiday so you must enjoy yourself! Aimed at some fussy or inexperienced travellers expecting western standards etc I suspect
Think like a Budhist: Smile serenely, stay calm count your blessings andyou will feel contented and not too over-heated!
Ewa Krystek

DISCOVER THAILAND, LAOS & CAMBODIA

Written March 2013
The trip followed a familiar Exodus formula. We travelled through a variety of landscapes,visited palaces,simple villages,traditional and colonial towns and cities,temples and ruins. We learnt how historical and recent events in Laos and Cambodia have shaped the countries and their peoples,left their mark and influenced their philosophy on life. A varied and interesting trip especially in Laos as most of us knew little about this lovely and gentle country. Not a trip though with a "wow" factor.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
A thought provoking visit to the charity "COPE" while in Laos, which was optional, to be told how it works to provide injured people with prosthetics and how teams of young people are trained to locate and clear unexploded cluster bombs. Not a depressing experience but a reminder that this work is ongoing and funded by donations.
Seeing groups of young people clearly enjoying going to school and trying to make the most of their education. Something that not all children in these countries have access to.
A very positive and uplifting atmosphere in the places we visited as people try to get on and better their lives.
What did you think of your group leader?
Nok, our main guide in Thailand and Laos,was a very warm,thoughtful,organised, humorous and wise woman.I remember a little conversation with her about the difficulties of looking after adults on group trips.Not easy when everyone has their own agenda! The additional guide in Laos, while a pleasant enough person, was fairly inexperienced and had poor English.In Cambodia we were looked after by Komphak,new to Exodus, but again a thoughtful guide with his own family experiences during Pol Pots regime. Very quick to smile and laugh.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
You know it's going to be hot, but the heat really saps your energy and affects your mood.Drink lots of water but don't forget to replenish lost salts and sugars to keep energy levels up. Loose clothing is a must.
Heavy drinking of alcohol and heat isn't the best combination.
Read the trip notes as it was obvious some people on my trip hadn't. Any questions asked about the itinerary,modes of transport,airport transfers and most importantly, the reasons for the group kitty to tip staff at hotels,drivers, local guides etc were all covered and explained.
Mosquitoes weren't a major risk in March as it wasn't the rainy season, but some people will always get bitten so need to take more protection than others. Take what works for you but I believe the majority of us were on anti-malarials though not all on DEET.
American dollars were the most practical currency to take.
An average evening meal with a drink and tip usually worked out to $10. Quality of food in simple cafes to stylish restaurants was mainly very good.
Take ear-plugs to cut out the noise of bed-room air-conditioning. The quality of hotels was better than expected by me.
SE Asians are a very polite people.Things may not happen as they do in the West nor as quickly. Leave pre-conceptions behind. Go with the flow.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
A busy trip most days,relaxing on others when watching the world go by sailing down the Mekong River and looking at passing scenery on 3 days driving on fairly good roads in comfortable modern mini-buses. Plenty of stops.
On any of these trips,if travelling with friends or as a couple and you can't be separated or be inclusive, then don't come on a small group trip as this influences the dynamics and affects those who have come independently.
Josephine Mitchell

DISCOVER THAILAND, LAOS & CAMBODIA

Written February 2013
The best of over 10 holidays we've had with Exodus. Organised like clockwork, plenty of variety, good hotels and excellent local guides.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Riding elephants through jungle and river rather than round a field. Cayaking down river. And of course the truly amazing temples.
What did you think of your group leader?
2 local group leaders, both well informed and informative. Both looked after us well.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
An extra 2-3 nights in Bangkok at the end was worthwhile (stay in the same hotel) - plenty of local markets, trips on the river, the evening Siam Niramit evening show of music and dance very worhtwhile. Or you could add on a bit of sea and beach.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Go for it!