Halong Bay

“Local Tour Guides for both Vietnam and Cambodia were excellent. Hotels/ boat at Halon Bay were also very good in all the places that we stayed. Not enough time at some places to explore. The Great Rail Journey guide ( Caroline) was also very good (friendly, approachable). She had to cope with a broken ankle that happened to one of the tour members (half way down a motorway at a service stop on day 2). Possibly a bit more help for her when these things happened (training /local contacts). We had one problem with Cambodia Visas. We obtained them from the Cambodia Embassy in the UK before we went on holiday based on the border crossing given in the itinerary. This was changed and we had to pay again for both our visas as they were not valid for that particular crossing (an extra $60) The procedures for dealing with luggage on and off coaches/ hotels etc like our previous Great Rail Journey in India were excellent. A slightly smaller group might have helped. A few on the group wanted to change some aspects of the prearranged trips which must have been very annoying for both the local guides and Caroline Overall a very good holiday and a good introduction to Vietnam and Cambodia. Regards, Philippa and Michael Hope

“The most fantastic experience. Superbly organised and run with a wonderful overview of both countries … including all the best bits and a wealth of local insight.