26 days in Indochina
Vientiane & Luang Prabang
Sleepy Laos is arguably the most serene of South East Asia's nations. In the charming capital, Vientiane, we stroll along the wide boulevards and admire the many wats (temples) which adorn this friendly city. Vang Vieng is a beautiful, quiet village on the banks of the Nam Song; we spend time relaxing or cycling through the countryside. We continue north to Luang Prabang, a royal city placed on the confluence of two great rivers and surrounded by high mountains. From here we board a motorised craft to the Pak Ou Caves, where hundreds of Buddhas are crammed into the rocks.
Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh
Crossing into Vietnam, we have time to explore the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, then take a cruise among the spectacular limestone islands of Ha Long Bay. Boarding the 'Reunification Express' to Hué we explore the former Imperial Palace and ride a boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda. There's time to relax in the old colonial seaport of Hoi An before heading to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Old Saigon), where we take a trip to the infamous Cu Chi tunnels, the Viet Cong's underground wartime base. We will also take a boat trip in the Mekong Delta where we spend the night at the home of a local family.
Phnom Penh & Angkor
We then travel to Cambodia, a country with one of the richest cultural legacies in South East Asia. Our first stop is the capital, Phnom Penh, where we visit the National Museum of Arts, the Royal Palace the horrifying Tuol Sleng museum and the 'Killing Fields' of Choeung Ek. From here we drive to Siem Reap, our base for exploring the ancient and spell-binding city of Angkor built by the Khmer kings some 800 years ago. This site has the greatest concentration of religious monuments in the world.
Itinerary:
Day 1 Join Vientiane.
Accommodation: 23nts hotel, 1nt sleeper train, 1nt homestay; 24 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 1 dinner included.
Transport: Bus/Train/Boats/Flights as itinerary.
Comment: We include the major sights of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Group: Approx. 13 to 18.
Staff: Explore Tour Leaders (one for each country) plus driver(s), boatmen and some local guides.
From: $3450.
Swiss Alps Winter Activity 
Week
8 Days - from $1900
Superb Swiss mountain scenery and a variety of winter fun on this mixed activity week.
The base for this trip is the famous village of Kandersteg, full of Swiss charm and located in a valley ringed by the imposing snow-capped summits of the Bernese Oberland. Cable cars lead up to the Oeschinensee, a beautiful frozen lake surrounded by ice-clad cliffs, and to the high valley of Sunbuhl at 2000m. There are a few downhill pistes, but most winter visitors come for the wide range of other winter activities available, including cross-country skiing, winter walking, ski-touring, ice-skating, curling and tobogganing. Our busy programme combines a full range of activities, all of them relatively undemanding, and some of them easy to master!
Itinerary:
Day 1 Start Kandersteg. 2-3 Two days of cross-country skiing; instruction in the mornings, and guided tours in the afternoons. 4 To Oeschinensee Lake by cable car - tobogganing back into town. Ice-skating in the afternoon. 5 Free day. Options include train to Interlaken, or downhill or cross-country skiing. 6 An easy half-day snowshoe walk. Afternoon back at the ice-rink to try curling. 7 Walk from Sunbuhl cable car towards Gemmi Pass, either on a compact snow-track or with snowshoes. 8 End Kandersteg.
Mode of travel: 5 days of winter activities, no previous experience is required but reasonable fitness helps for cross-country skiing. Grade moderate.
Group size: Min. 6, max. 14, plus leader
Accommodation: Hotel Blumlisalp\r\n *** hotel\r\nThis Swiss chalet-style hotel has comfortable en suite rooms with satellite tv. The hotel offers a sauna, sun-bed and jacuzzi, ideal for rejuvenating after a busy day of winter activities. The residents lounge has fine views over the Blumlisalp mountains and features an open fire-place.
Food: All breakfasts included.
Optional Single Supplement: from $150.00
Dates: 20 Dec 2008 to 27 Dec 2008 From $1900.
27 Dec 2008 to 03 Jan 2008 From $2100. 
