Asia Budget Cooking Trips & Packages Tours & Trips

Highlights

• Learn how to prepare and present the traditional 11-dish Northern Thai speciality khan tok and experience Thai life from a local's perspective at a village homestay.
• See dishes whipped up before your eyes, like kaeng som, spicy fish cakes at a community farm and roti sai mai at a market food stall in Ayutthaya.
• Cruise Bangkok’s floating market on a paddleboat and sail aboard a longtail boat to an island Buddhist temple in Ayutthaya
• Tuck into your favourite iconic Thai dishes and discover new ones along the way: guay-tieo-ruea (boat noodles), roti sai mai, khao soi, som tum, larb and more.
• Dine on a plant-based meal at a Chiang Mai restaurant that sources organic, local vegetables for their daily array of delicious meals.

Highlights

• Learn the tricks of the trade when you take part in a hands-on sushi-making class in Tokyo, pick local produce from the market before a cooking class in Kanazawa and make your own okonomiyaki in Osaka.
• Meet local farmers during a day trip from Kyoto to the Uji region, the home of green tea production. Tour the green tea and matcha farms, enjoy a hot cuppa, then walk the streets of Uji city, stopping on the way to see the Ujiami Shrine.
• When you’re not busy eating, enjoy iconic experiences like wandering the streets of Tokyo, Kenroku-en garden in Kyoto, the glowing signs of Osaka’s Dotonbori district, learning Buddhist history in Koya-san and walking through Kyoto’s Gion district.
• Feast on delicious Japanese cuisine, from street food to restaurant favourites – including ekiben, sushi, matcha, takoyaki, okonomiyaki and fresh seafood.
• Sip on sake, the national drink of Japan, during a visit to a local sake brewery in Kyoto. Learn how sake is made and maybe even pick up a bottle (or two) to take home.

Highlights

• Embrace your adventurous side on a tour of Hue’s imperial monuments from the back of a motorbike (the local way of getting around). Then be treated to lunch, specially prepared for you by a chef who is the descendant of the royal family in the garden of their family home.
• Don’t just taste your way around this foodie haven, don your chef hat and learn the recipes behind these incredible eats, too. Learn the secret spices directly from local chefs (often in their own homes) and be guided to the freshest ingredients in authentic local markets.
• Explore the Mekong Delta – known as ‘Vietnam’s rice bowl’ for its abundance of rice paddies, fruit and flower orchards. Cruise on a traditional sampan, then meet fresh produce vendors along the way to your veranda-wrapped homestay for the evening.
• Visit Ha Long Bay, a truly bucket list experience, and set sail on the emerald-green waters, gliding between limestone karsts and staying on a traditional junk boat for the evening.
• Discover the real flavours of Vietnam, digging into authentic eats like pho, banh mi, bun cha, bun bo Hue and a traditional seafood hotpot – a true feast for the senses.

Highlights

• Get a true taste of some of India's finest culinary traditions – Mughal, Rajasthani, and the Portuguese-tinged flavours of Goa – while feasting in local restaurants, street food stalls, rural homes and cooking classes. 
• Leave with authentic recipes under your belt after you take part in a plant-based cooking class in a Jaipur home, learn how to make thali in Udaipur and find out how to cook Malvani cuisine in Goa.
• See the rich tapestry of India’s culture and history on display, meeting chai wallahs in local markets, visiting local farming communities and spice growers, and dining in Sikh and Jain temples.  
• Bask in the ivory glow of the inspiring Taj Mahal in Agra, explore Old Delhi and Jama Masjid, and stand in awe of the Hawa Mahal and Amber Fort in Jaipur.
• Grab a fork and dig in – this trip introduces you to some of India’s most iconic dishes like kachori, kulfi, chai, paratha, chaat, thali and heaps more.

Highlights

• Get to the heart of Turkey and the Caucasus’s with experienced local leaders – enjoy guided city tours, stroll the ancient streets of Ephesus, learn the secrets of Troy, marvel at Baku’s diverse architecture, explore Tbilisi’s winding narrow streets, and uncover the history of ancient Yerevan.
• Enjoy Feature Stays in Cappadocia, with elegantly decorated rooms carved from stone, and at the foot of the Tsiv-Gombori mountains, with unforgettable views of the Alazani Valley.
• Uncover the real Turkey during Exclusive Experiences, including a cooking class with a celebrated chef, visit to an empowering carpet weaving cooperative, cruise around the southern coast, and traditional dinner at a local’s home in Cappadocia
• Visit the Tserovani Refugee Settlement in Georgia during an Exclusive Experience, where you will visit a jewellery making workshop aimed at providing employment to displaced women within the camp, create a piece yourself and learn about the issues surrounding long-term displacement.
• Marvel at ancient wonders and otherworldly sights, from the Cotton Castle of Pamukkale and psychedelic rockscapes of Cappadocia to the open-air archaeological museum of Qobustan in Azerbaijan and the magnificent cave town of Vardzia in Georgia.

Highlights

• Learn how to make everybody’s favourite pickled dish – kimchi, of course – at a cooking demonstration in Jeonju, then try the city’s iconic bibimbap (declared an intangible cultural asset, it’s just that good).
• Meet the local stall holders in the Gwangang market of Netflix fame and try the best street food that Seoul has to offer. Then, wander the Jagalchi market – a huge seafood wonderland by the Busan port.
• Experience Busan’s vibrant food scene with a hands-on cooking class, where you'll prepare your own lunch. In the evening, indulge in a Korean-style lamb skewer dinner, featuring a self-rotating grill that ensures perfectly cooked meat.
• Rub shoulders with the locals in a hanok (traditional home) in Jeonju, then learn about the everyday life of monks during a unique temple experience in Gyeongju.
• Feast on all the iconic foods of South Korea, including Korean fried chicken, bibimbap, japchae, kimbap, a seafood barbeque and of course, Korean BBQ.

Highlights

• Spend the night in a women-run guesthouse in the Pankisi Valley, surrounded by lush, green mountains, and take part in a zhizhig galnash cooking class to learn the local cuisine.
• Enjoy cooking demonstrations and masterclasses by local cooks and artisans, including learning how to make churchkhela (traditional candle-shaped candy) and khinkali (Georgian dumplings).
• Meet local producers at the Telavi markets, then head to a local farm and cheese maker for a tour of the factory and a delicious, included tasting.
• Take a hike in the striking Caucasus mountains to perhaps one of the best positioned churches in Europe – Gergeti Trinity Church.
• Taste some of Georgia’s favourite cuisines and dishes with included lunches and dinners, including khachapuri, khinkali, churchkhela and qveri wines.

Highlights

• Journey to the Svaneti region, a remote and alluring land of snow-capped mountains, discover the iconic tower houses dotted amongst mountain valleys and learn of one of the highest settlement in Europe - Ushguli people and its fascinating culture and traditions.
• Get active on hikes in the shadow of magnificent snowy peaks of the Greater Caucasus to medieval villages and one of the biggest glaciers in Georgia, Shkhara glacier.
• Take guided walking tour of Tbilisi a fascinating eclectic mix of architecture, and culture; hear stories of kings and queens and intrigue and mystery from your local guide.
• Mingle with the locals in markets, learn the secret of Georgian Cheese and indulge in the national cheese bread of khachapuri.
• Relax in the seaside Batumi with plenty cafes and restaurants to explore and admire the amazing modern monument Ali and Nino at the beach that set a tender and romantic tone to the city.