Like any great travel destination, the more you explore Central Asia, the more there is to see. Japan constantly surprises me – I never fail to be amazed at both its non-stop energy and fiercely-held traditions. It’s a country I keep coming back to – Tokyo’s buzz is addictive, and only the terminally unromantic can failed to be moved by Kyoto’s blossom, tea ceremonies and zen gardens. I probably prefer the capital though. It’s got the bustle, from the early morning mayhem of the fish market to late-night karaoke and jumping nightlife, but it’s also got a blissfully peaceful side of shrines and gardens – a great mix. Away from the cities, I was bowled over by the mountains, not just Fuji, which is perfect, but by the Japanese Alps – so close to the city and really unspoilt. It’s obvious when you’re walking the pristine hills just how much the Japanese revere and care for their outdoors. A few days in the cities, then some time in the countryside walking and soaking in the onsens, all the while feasting on what I reckon is the world’s finest cuisine, is the ultimate Japanese holiday. I reckon ten years from now Central Asia is going to be one of the hottest adventure destinations. I visited Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and they’re both incredible – the former for the grand buildings that rose out of its religion and silk route history, the latter for astounding scenery that is often literally untouched. There are giant 5000+metre mountains everywhere in Kyrgyzstan that are begging to be explored. I did a couple of walks in the valleys and foothills that are often alpine in feel, but without any development. It’s how I imagine the Himalayas or Europe’s Alps must have looked a couple of centuries ago. I’ll definitely be back for more exploration. And maybe next time I do I’ll also be able to take in Mongolia – stories I’ve heard and photos I’ve seen from friends who have been there have never failed to turn me green with envy! It looks full of endless plains and enormous skies, and if I’m feeling adventurous I’d head to the west where the Altai Mountains rival Kyrgyzstan in offering the last word in remote, wild trekking.
Your safety is our top priority. It’s one of the main things we consider when designing and operating our trips. Here’s some of the ways we help to keep you safe, and a few of the things you can do to make your trip memorable for all the right reasons. Before you travel We monitor travel alerts provided by the Australian, UK, USA and Canadian governments on a daily basis. Before a tour goes on sale we assess any risks and decide how to reduce and manage these. If we determine that an entire trip, part of a trip or an activity is too risky we won’t do it. It’s as simple as that. If we can’t address the issues and improve conditions we might modify an itinerary, change the accommodation or even decide not to travel to a certain location. Our overseas staff and local leaders are trained to address any health and safety concerns during trips. Before you travel, we’ll give you an emergency phone number. You’ll also get comprehensive pre-departure information, with information about vaccinations and other relevant health issues. We’ll also tell you if there’s any special clothing or equipment you need to bring. During your trip: You local leader is trained in first aid and always carries a first aid kit. Being a local means that if something does go wrong they know fastest and most effective way to get help. We’ll also give you a 24-hour emergency number in addition to the emergency destination telephone number. What you can do: Read through all the information we send you. If you’ve got any questions we’re always available to help. Keep an eye out for travel alerts by consulting your local Foreign Office. We also monitor these daily so that we can modify tours if necessary. Get some medical travel advice about the countries you are visiting, particularly about vaccinations and the type of personal first aid kit you should carry. Make sure you tell us any medical conditions, special needs or dietary requirements you might have. Get your vaccinations and take relevant medication well before travelling so they have time to take effect.
On Saturday 2 June this year, the Queen will celebrate 60 years on the throne. Celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee are happening right across the UK, culminating in a special event this weekend.
So when all the ceremonies, parties, soirees, processions and concerts wind up, we figure a few...
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Asia is incredibly diverse in its landscape and topography – from volcanic ranges and snowy peaks to sun drenched beaches and tropical rainforests. It’s also home to some of the best, most rewarding and scenic treks the world has to offer.
Here are four of the best:
...
Read on...
Monique Engler says from the end of March to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan. The cherry blossoms come and go, but not without being noticed.
Everyone stops. The whole country drinks sake until they can’t walk, and stare at the blossoms until the last pale petal floats to the...
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This is the next in our Why We Love It Series. We are using this series to showcase some wonderful blogs written by passionate Peregrine staff members. Each blog focuses on a different destination, and today's is about Japan:
Japan...what a place! Definitely a world of its own. From the...
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Think Buenos Aires and the strains of the tango accompany the images; memories of Cuba come with a breathless dash of rumba music and separating the sounds of West Africa from its people is nigh on impossible.
Music is the lifeblood of many countries, and catching a local performance is...
Read on...At times there were options to take overnight sleeper trains or buses that would have been a better service time wise, ie from TLG back to Kunming an overnight bus would have been good.
What an excellent trip - from rural Yunnan and the highlight for me of Leaping Tiger Gorge to the other epic sights of China: The Great Wall, X'ian, Forbiddan City, Yangshou and the Yangtze this really covered it all! Travelling in China could be really hard without speaking Chinese but this made it so simple to get around and cover some huge distances (5 overnight trains!) trouble-free.
It would have been great to have a few more planned activities with the group. Luckily I had a great group of people to spend all our free time with.
As a first time solo traveler, you can assume that I'd want my first experience overseas to be amazing. This tour was nothing short of that, it wass action packed with fun, unexpected AND interesting activities (not the usual boring museums etc). To top it off our group was lucky enough to have a small size of just 6 which was a combination of the 'Legends of China' and 'Iconic China' tours. Our tour leader Alan was a well-spoken english, and at times humourous yet reliable source of valuable information which allowed us to move around the cities quite easily. Thanks Gecko's/Alan!
Honestly Allen was our tour guide and did the BEST Job Ever. He didn't just do what he had to do. He did everything and beyond. If theres something we needed, he helped us. If we wanted to go somewhere, he took us! The Best tour ever. Because of Allen, I would go on anoother Geckos tour again!
My trip to China actualy started 29 April, however I have been travelling so not able to provide feedback for this trip. China was a culture shock as Beijing was so full of people...the trip did provide good access to the highlights of this tour, the tour guide Michael Chong (I think) gave good advice, information, was always helpful and even post tour rang to ensure I was ok in Shanghai.
The tour was well planed with plenty of free time to do extra activities of your own choice.
A great way to see a lot of China, but sometimes very hard work.
Absolutely loved this trip! Jacky and Bruce were both great, very informative and went above and beyond their duties! The Silk Caravan was the perfect trip, probably a bit off the beaten path compared to the other China trips offered as we saw very few foreigners once we left Xi'An. I think this was a great route to take and I absolutely loved Dunhuang and Kasghar. Will definitely be heading back to China with Gecko in the near future!
This trip is a great budget option for those on a budget but also enables you to do additional activities for additional cost if you wish.
The structure of the tour means you will get plenty of free time to do the things you wish to do outside the itinerary.
Having a local guide was helpful for getting an insight into Chinese culture and way of life.
Sophie-(Hui) made the trip. She was exceptional. She helped several members of the group get medication & interpreted for me to a Doctor. She was always professional, even though we had one very difficult member in our group, ie: trying to change the itinary to always use bullet trains instead of the regular sleeper trains. I guess this person didn't read the itinary very well. It was exactly the way it should have been, so as we could get the full experience of travelling the way the locals travelled & seeing how they lived. That is why I picked this tour. Sophie would just smile & do her best to accommodate everyone. I would like to thank Sophie again for a wonderful trip. It is because of her that I will book another trip through Gecko. Thank you.
Overall I felt the trip covered what China has to offer very well. This fact combined with a wonderful guide and travel companions made for a great experience!
I had the time of my life. I would and will recommend geckos to all my friends and family. I got to experience china properly, especially with the local dining.
I had a fantastic time! As there were only 4 of us on the whole tour, I got to do and see everything that I'd planned and more. Less people, less hassle. We had a great tour guide also, he was very knowledgeable (we nickname him Mr Google),attentive and caring. We were like a family. It has been the best tour I've done. Will plan to do more Gecko tour in the near future.
This was my first Geckos tour, and my first time to China, I loved it, the people are so friendly, and its great to get out of the big cities and see the country side.
My highlight would be the tiger leaping gorge, the views are amazing, if your thinking about it, just do it.
Richie,
Thanks for another excellent trip Gecko's!
This was a very interesting, well-paced trip that showed me China's highlights really well. The accommodation provided and transport were very good.
By far the best thing about the trip was our guide - Allen Zhuang!!!
China is a great place to visit, the people are friendly & there is lots to see. The bonus of being on a Gecko trip is that we had an excellent tour leader who made all the arrangements & had local knowledge. We didn't have to struggle to read impossible signs or to make ourselves understood. We particularly enjoyed using public transport & thus mixing with the locals.
Tiger leaping gorge was great. Our tour guide Benny was excellent she was thoroughly organised, funny and knew great places to eat cheaply and well . She provided excellent insight into china and tirelessly answered lots of questions throughout the tour. She always asked the group what we wanted to do so that the trip offered flexbility of activities in each city. Could have stayed in Dali more.
Trip was well organised.All connections went smoothly&accommodation was always organised. Could have done with more days...another 2-3.Perhaps do Tiger LG in 2 days as had plenty spare time. Add Shangrila.
A very rewarding trip to a very amazing country. Our fantastic guide was able to give us a very personal look into Japan and what is Japanese I feel so lucky to have been on 'my tour' this April gone, the Sakura (Cherry Blossom) started late, just perfect and everything else just seemed to follow that lead. I am a much richer person from my latest holiday with Grass Roots, Gecko, Thank you very much.
Overall this was a great trip and I had a wonderful time. I definitely recommend the Yunnan Province - Dali and Lijiang were wonderful, the hike through Tiger Leaping Gorge spectacular, the food amazing and seeing the various minorities going about their daily chores dressed in their traditional costume was really quite special and something that we didn't see anywhere else in China. Visiting the Yunnan Province is an ideal way to start your travels in China.
Great trip! Good itinerary and flexible enough to allow me to follow some of my own interests. Impressive guide! Friendly, obliging, informed and could not have been more helpful. Taiyo Kan.
A superb intro to Japan!
Satisfied customer (again) having been with this company to Botswana a few years ago. Many thanks
would recomend that the portion from Kunming prior to joining at Yangshou that there be a departure directly from Lijiang to Yangshou instead of returining to Kunming and then to Yangshou. The stay at tiger leaping Gorge at the Tibetan Gust House was excellent and should be used for future trips. Both tour leaders on the 2 portions of the tour were excellent and did a great job looking after the people on the tour and with their knowedge and organising the logistics.
The trip was ace! Would have liked to spend more time in all the cities from Yichang to Beijing, especially Xian. One night is definitely not enough to spend in Xian!
Everything was great except the yangtze cruise, I think that was maybe a day too long.
The other thing that would be helpful is more easy access to wifi.
Great tour. Guide was very flexible and accomodated the various personalities on tour.
good introduction to a non english speaking country :)
The trip was absolutely fantastic! It was so much better organized then expected. I had the best time honestly. The local guides we had in various cities though could have been better. They meant very well and they were so nice, but I wish they spoke English better so we could learn more from them about the region.
We were unsure what to expect before we joined the trip, but came away really loving China. Once we got over the culture shock, we really enjoyed ourselves. The people and scenery were fantastic.
