Asia Budget Culture Tours & Packages Tours & Trips

Highlights

• The Taj Mahal is one of the most recognisable buildings in the world, with its poetic history and beauty having the power to surprise even the most jaded travellers.
• Discover the rich history and architecture of the Amber Fort, with the expertise of a local guide. The kaleidoscopic magic of the Hall of Mirrors is unforgettable
• India is famous for its great sleeper trains and you'll be tucked up nicely in your own padded bunk
• The Thar Desert is a vast space, but the locals treat it as their own back garden. Relax watching the sunset and sleep under the stars
• A hot air balloon experience above Jaipur is extraordinary. Float high over the spectacular palaces and forts with the ultimate bird's eye view

Highlights

• Travel from Thailand's lively capital and activity-filled Chiang Mai, to the riverside tranquillity of Laos and its stunning scenery.
• Discover just why Luang Prabang has UNESCO status as you uncover the French influence, beautiful temples, traditional arts and the world renown night markets.
• Discover impactful local organizations that support local communities in various ways, including empowering local women through preserving traditional textile making, or caring for those who have been injured by the multitude of unexploded ordinance across the country.
• Explore the mysterious beauty of the Lao jungle as you walk side by side with recently rescued elephants on stroll through their natural habitat at Mandalao. Read more about this Intrepid Foundation supported project here: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/elephant-sanctuary-laos/
• Rise with the sun and watch saffron-robed monks shuffle between houses, where the faithful wait with offerings as part of an alms giving ritual.

Highlights

• Cycle through the backcountry of Yogyakarta – a world of flower-studded fields and friendly locals, this cultural centre is one of South East Asia’s standouts.
• Take a guided walk through the jungle and rice paddies of Seloliman Nature Reserve, then sit back, relax and soak up the ambience under the stars in a local guest house.
• Climb Mt Bromo in the early hours of the morning. If the conditions are right, you'll be rewarded with a dazzling view over mist-laden volcanoes.
• Explore Bandung – a city of contrasts – and feast on delicious street food in this unofficial food capital. Sit down in a 100-year-old café for a local cuppa, hike around volcanic craters, then soak your weary muscles in the hot springs.
• Balance out all of the activity and adventure with plenty of time to chill out away from the crowds at beachside paradise of Pemuteran on Bali’s less-visited north coast.

Highlights

• Fall in love with Vietnam one bite at a time, from pho, slurped on a busy street corner to a vegetarian feast in a Buddhist nunnery.
• Sail through Halong Bay's limestone karsts and island caves, visit a centre that turns the bay's discarded trash into treasures and spend the night checking out the stars on an overnight cruise.
• Travel like a local on a motorbike tour, riding pillion and taking in the historical pagodas, bridges and villages of Hue.
• Embrace a slower pace during a private boat tour of the Mekong Delta and meet local craftspeople in the villages that line the river's myriad waterways.
• Wander through the remarkably well-preserved streets of Hoi An's Old Town on a guided tour, where elegant wooden buildings line the canals.

Highlights

• This is our most popular trip to Rajasthan and one of the top-selling trips in our entire range. Opulent, whimsical, and endlessly fascinating – Rajasthan will no doubt capture your imagination and your heart too.
• Don't worry if you find the idea of travelling to India daunting at first - your local leader will be on hand to give you all the insider info to help you have a memorable experience of this captivating, but sometimes challenging, country.
• Walk past hills, shimmering lakes, and marble palaces of Udaipur – India’s most romantic city and one of our favourites.
• Keep your adrenaline charged with an evening tiger-spotting safari among the lakes and jungles of one of India's best known national parks - Ranthambhore.
• Visit our local friends in their home on the border of sacred Pushkar Lake and the evocative Thar Desert. Share a meal together and gain insight into local life.

Highlights

• Begin in Bangkok and finish in Ho Chi Minh City – with plenty of opportunities to further explore these Southeast Asian hotspots, maybe add an extra couple of days to enhance your adventure and indulge in more Thai massage and Vietnamese coffees.
• Let a local expert bring Cambodia’s ancient history to life as you temple-hop at the Angkor complex with your small group – one of South East Asia's most stunning attractions.
• Take a boat tour through the floating village of Tonle Sap Lake – the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia – and learn about the locals’ unique lifestyle of living on the water.
• Learn the confronting yet important history of Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21) and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh with a full-day experience.
• Enjoy a trip that’s packed full of experiences, giving you a great insight into Cambodia, all in a short time – perfect for the traveller passing through or those with limited availability.

Highlights

• This short but sweet adventure is packed full of experiences that will give you great insight into Cambodia and the contrasts between three of the region's most fascinating countries.
• Watch the sun rising over Angkor Wat as it did over 800 years ago with your leader. Wander through the amazing ancient temples on a guided tour and with a three-day Angkor pass to cover your whole time in Siem Reap, you can explore this incredible temple complex as much and as often as you like.
• Discover the countryside around Battambang on a bike ride around rural farms to meet with local producers, through an Intrepid partner and social enterprise that supports the local communities and provides training opportunities.
• Experience life on water on a boat tour visiting the floating villages on Tonle Sap Lake and understand the deep bond between the lake and the local communities.
• Join in a confronting yet important tour in Phnom Penh to The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and reflect on its devastating impact on the modern Cambodia.

Highlights

• This is one of our most comprehensive trips in China, covering huge distances and taking in key destinations from north to south with plenty of variety in experiences and sights along the way
• Zip through the country from north to south on its efficient high-speed rail network.
• Take through the iconic scenery of the Yangzi River as you meander through the dramatic Three Gorges on a three-day cruise
• No matter how many guide books you have read, nothing truly prepares you for the grandeur and immensity of historic sights like the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Leshan Big Buddha and the Terracotta Army. However, the country's modern man-made sights refuse to beoutdone, and you can see the modern equivalence of those ancient feats in the skyline of Hong Kong and the Yangzi River's Three Gorges Hydroelectric dam
• Get up close to giant pandas in Chengdu and learn about the preservation work required for this ancient species.