Vietnam Luxury Hiking Trips & Packages Tours & Trips

What travelers are saying

"Our family had an amazing time with Realistic Asia’s package. The tour was very suitable for my family, which included children since we loved trekking. We enjoyed the stunning views, and the trek was at an easy pace for our kids. The tour guides and the staff are very professional and enthusiastic. I was very impressed with their attitude. We were very happy with the service and the places we have been to."

What travelers are saying

"Our family had an amazing time with Realistic Asia’s package. The tour was very suitable for my family, which included children since we loved trekking. We enjoyed the stunning views, and the trek was at an easy pace for our kids. The tour guides and the staff are very professional and enthusiastic. I was very impressed with their attitude. We were very happy with the service and the places we have been to."

What travelers are saying

"Our family had an amazing time with Realistic Asia’s package. The tour was very suitable for my family, which included children since we loved trekking. We enjoyed the stunning views, and the trek was at an easy pace for our kids. The tour guides and the staff are very professional and enthusiastic. I was very impressed with their attitude. We were very happy with the service and the places we have been to."

What travelers are saying

"It is a difficult job to make everybody happy all of the time, but you ladies do a superb job. We were definitely off the beaten path, and when following that path there are sometimes unexpected surprises, but every bump was handled beautifully."

What travelers are saying

"We booked a trip with TravelLocal and received a local guide in Jordan. The communication was bad and we had to keep correcting the information. We finally had an itinerary with the correct information and no notification of cancelation fees so we went ahead and confirmed it. Less than a week later we experienced an emergency and reached out to cancel. We were then told there were no refunds. Then told the cancelation policy was in the booking offer (as TravelLocal's policy says), but it was proven not to be included in the offer. We were then told we would be given a minimal refund, which we refused holding onto the truth. We were then told the cancelation policy was 30%, then we were told 20%. The story kept changing. What did not change was the RUDE, UNPROFESIONAL, ACCUSING communications from the tour guide we were given by TravelLocal. We reached out to TravelLocal for assistance and received NO RESPONSE. Here is an example of one communication: "th way i see it , even with cheaper price , adding the cancellation fees , you will end up paying more that original amount. i can see and advise you that COmpleteing the booking with us as it is wiuld actuially cost you" It was a horrible experience and I will look for a professional company I can trust with my future travel needs."

What travelers are saying

"It is a difficult job to make everybody happy all of the time, but you ladies do a superb job. We were definitely off the beaten path, and when following that path there are sometimes unexpected surprises, but every bump was handled beautifully."

What travelers are saying

"First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfortable and happy (MTSobek tour guides are independent contractors. Tomomi also works for other Adventure/Tour companies) Secondly, Japan is beautiful, clean and the Japanese people are very welcoming. The hiking in the national parks was amazing. It could have been a truly five-star experience if MtSobek had not cut corners so egregiously. The website said (at the time) group tours are 5-22 people. The tour gets canceled if the minimum is not met. When I paid there were TWO other people booked-a mother and daughter duo. Shortly before our departure date I called to see if the tour would be cancelled. I wanted my money back but Mt Sobek was “pleased to say that the trip would not be canceled”. In other words, I could not get a refund. At the last minute a guy named Matt signed up so there were four of us. Five days into the trip Matt left and took a train back to Tokyo. I said to him “You realize Mt Sobek is not going to refund you”. He said, “I don’t care, Mt Sobek scammed us.” With tax, the tour costs $11,645 for 13 nights. For that price there is an expectation that the accommodations Mt Sobek chooses would be decent and clean. We all fully expected a ‘traditional Japanese experience’ which often means no private bath and 8 out of the 13 nights we slept on futon mats on the floor. However, Mt Sobek consistently booked us in the cheapest Ryokans (hotels) in each area in which we travelled. Most of these hotels were unclean and very out-dated. One Ryokan they booked us in was listed on a hotel website for $40 USD/night when there were much nicer accommodations nearby for $100 USD/night. (The Japanese yen is way down, the luxury Park Hotel in Tokyo was $200 USD/night. A comparable hotel would have been about $800/night in Austin.). We were the only people staying in several hotels that accomadated many more people. The most egregious example of MtSobek’s booking the cheapest rooms is when we were booked at a large traditional ski lodge at the base of a spectacular mountain. It was beautiful on the website but had two very different wings. One wing was modern, clean and beautiful with simple beds. The other wing was very old (similar to a cheap Motel 6 that had not been updated since the 1970’s). The carpet and bathrooms were disgusting and like many of the Ryocans where we stayed the futon mats seemed as though they had not been cleaned In 30 years. Only after our tour guide checked us in did we realize we had been booked in the cheap rooms. I asked Tomo why. Immediately someone from MtSobek reached out to me and said, “gosh, I’m sorry you did not realize you were going to have a traditional Japanese experience”. Really? “Traditional” experience depends upon one’s budget. In the US, “traditional” to some people may be the Marriott, a Motel 6 or the Four Seasons Hotels. We were paying for a Marriott experience and received the one-star Motel 6 experience. Upon arrival in Tokyo I expected to be met at the airport by a driver (as many tour companies do). However, several days before our arrival dates in Tokyo, MtSobek sent an email telling us how to locate taking a city bus from the bustling Tokyo airport. That is interesting if you do not speak Japanese. MtSobek cleverly uses great photography and elaborate descriptions of the national parks and the hiking while using terms like “traditional Japanese experience with tatami-mat sleeping” to disguise sub-standard accommodations. At one point we were looking on-line at the very hotel where we were staying and did not even recognize it from the website pictures. The hiking was amazing. The group size was disappointing with just the three of us. I would absolutely recommend a hiking tour through Japan, just not with MtSobek."

What travelers are saying

"Our most recent trip with Hidden Places, the La Rioja Bicycle tour, has only confirmed our high regard for the quality and attention to detail that make their trips beyond parallel. Starting in Pamplona, we enjoyed seven days of riding through gorgeous, verdant green countryside, through lovely historic hilltop villages, through wildflowers, vineyards, fields of wheat and oats, and alongside many pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. We toured an underground winery in Laguardia, a monastery dating to the 11th century, the Frank Gehry designed winery in Elciego and the most amazing wine museum, Vizcano, with a world class collection of everything wine! Our lodgings, always beautiful and a welcome sight after a day’s ride, varied from a repurposed flour mill to historic convents. And the food . . . beyond description, always fresh, always beautifully presented, and always nearly too much ☺ The trip was more than we ever could have imagined, the hallmark of Hidden Places Travel. It would be remiss not to mention the best part of it all, our guides Lukas and Laura who took great care of us, made us laugh, taught me more wildflowers and kept us all going and enjoying. Again, Dag and Maria always get the best! Thank you!"