Best Of
Re: The very first tour of this itinerary
Sam, the tour includes a two hour fast jet boat ride which is fantastic but different to the Shotover experience. I found the ride up the mountain to the Shotover River on that very narrow road with massive drop offs right there more frightening than the Shotover boat. The trip to the river on this tour does not have that, thank goodness.
British
Re: Dirhams
Our guide gave each person or couple a small hand-made pouch with enough Dirham to use for tips or pay toilets for the trip. The hotel in Rabat changed a small amount of dollars for us at check-in also, which we mostly spent on some extra tipping and used the rest at the airport on our way out. Credit cards were accepted everywhere.
Re: The very first tour of this itinerary
Thanks for the info. Doesn't change anything. It's a morning ritual and I like it.
Goddess
Re: The very first tour of this itinerary
British - I forgot, my guess for your special substitute activity in Queenstown is the Jet Boat Ride on the Shotover River. That is one of the more famous Queenstown activities.
If there is free time in Queenstown and the Jet Boat Ride isn't on the itinerary I think people should look into adding it. It's a great activity.
Re: Trip Report - Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand - October, 2025
@billzappa - It is quite a distance from the hotel, but the tour people will pick you up in a nice vehicle and drive you there. Everyone is different, but it's a sight I didn't want to miss. I'll probably never go back to Hanoi. I think I'd regret missing it.
I documented our trip to Ha Long bay at https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2024-1Vietnam-01.htm (about half way down the page) and tried to put in how long the drive was. I'd encourage you to consider visiting it.
Re: Trip Report - Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand - October, 2025
Here is Halong Bay in 2018. It was a Tauck overnight trip on a lovely wooden boat. I recommend an overnight, you will see more, floating fishing village, caves, monkeys etc etc. sunset and dawn.
British
Re: Question regarding appropriate attire
Did the Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos trip in January a few years ago. It was my first Tauck tour! I'm about to take my 6th and I've already booked two for next year. Every place was warm and down south, downright HOT. The type of lightweight [Patagonia, Columbia] pants that zip off into shorts were perfect - plus some 'longish' shorts, no Daisy Dukes! Ladies (and gents) - no muscle tees/camisoles in Cambodian temples - they will make you leave! Please cover your shoulders. Leave your jeans at home, unless you need them for travel to/from home. I'm glad to see an elephant sanctuary in Laos, instead of a Rice Commune with mud and water buffalo. We didn't mind the mud, and the water buffalo was a sight to see, but Americans are not supposed to visit farms/come close to livestock, according to our customs forms. We brought old sneakers and left them behind.
Ann K
Re: Question regarding appropriate attire
The elephants were supposed to be rescues from logging, land mines and so on. One had a visable damage from a land mine. My elephant was a bit naughty, so I chose to get off after quite a short while. Another person got on after me and he was naughty with him too. But otherwise, I would have thought that this was a better experience for the elephants than other places where humans ride them. They go into the river as you can see from the dark stripe on Mr B’s elephant. The mahout gets off too. Mr B had a great time, hope the elephants did too, certainly better than when they were logging and so on. Laos was our favorite of the three countries, it’s a shame Tauck are no longing doing the tour going forward, does anyone know why?
When we went on the India tour, we chose not to ride the elephants up to the palace in Jaipur because our tour director told us they were badly treated and had to walk up the steep hill with many people on their backs. We did not want to ‘Walk with the Lions’ in Zambia because once the cubs get too big, they go to a place where they are enclosed and shot by hunters paying big bucks.
British
