Asia Adventure Travel » China, India, Bhutan, Thailand

READ Bhutan: Mongar and Trashigang Tsechus

Experience the Himalayas, Textiles, Festivals and People.

A trip for those who want to understand the diversity of Bhutan and truly get inside the culture of the country!

Join READ Global Founder, Dr. Antonia Neubauer in Bhutan, not only to sightsee, but to meet and talk with the local people involved in building Community Library Resource Centers (CLRCs) throughout the country, visit the new CLRCs to see how they are operating, and understand the history and culture of this country, where “Gross National Happiness” instead of “Gross National Product” is the marker for success.

ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
WHERE: Bhutan, ASIA
AVAILABILITY: November
FROM: $4,130.00 per person
DURATION: 13 days
AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!
MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Find out more here...

Shaman Festival and Artistic Heritage of Amdo

Rhythmic drumbeats accompany men piercing their cheeks or backs while ritual dances are performed. Here, in far-off Amdo, you witness the shamanic festivals of three different villages- Mayba, Sakkyi, and Lhanggya. You'll explore monasteries filled with artwork, carvings, and sculpture; pray and sip salt tea with the monks; visit Amdo's biggest stupa, admire its scenery, and bring back memories.

ACTIVITY: Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
WHERE: China, ASIA
AVAILABILITY: July
FROM: $5,595.00
DURATION: 21 days
AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!

Highlights of Turkey

Travel to Turkey's three most important cultural and political centers: Istanbul, Cappadocia and Ephesus. Our tours to Turkey begin exploring Istanbul on foot and by local communter ferry along the Bosphorus, into the spice market and covered bazaar, local neighborhoods, and our favorite restaurants. Wander through ancient Ephesus and some of the most surreal landscapes on earth in Cappadocia; bizarrely eroded rock formations, dramatic volcanic gorges, and underground cities with elaborately frescoed rock churches.

ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
WHERE: Turkey, ASIA
AVAILABILITY: All year
FROM: $3195
DURATION: 9 days
AUDIENCE: Solo Adventure Travel and Singles Vacations, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!, Vacations for Couples & Partners
MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Highlights of Turkey

Phnom Penh to Siem Reap Temple Safari & Kep, Kampot & Sihanoukville Beach Safari

First class safari travel in Cambodia!

Imagine waking up at dawn to see sunrise at Preah Vihar or exploring Preah Kahn by torchlight. Picture yourself sleeping in comfortable safari tents in the Cambodian jungle with first-class service and delicious food. Enjoy prestigious hotels and explore unique sites in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
WHERE: Cambodia, ASIA
AVAILABILITY: February, October
FROM: $4,995.00 per person
DURATION: 15 days
AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!
MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Find out more here...

Overland Beijing to Lhasa

Crisscrossing Adventure from China to Tibet

A kaleidoscope of people, scenery, religions and culture, China truly boggles the mind. This very special trip takes you from Beijing and the sea-level world of the Han Chinese all the way across the continent up onto the Tibetan Plateau at more than 11,400 feet and then back to the coastal city of Shanghai. Along the way you will visit a myriad of world heritage sites from the Forbidden City and the Great Wall to the Terracotta Warriors and the Potala Palace in Lhasa to Shanghai´s Nanjing Lu. You will come in contact with farmers, Khampas, monks, and many many others. This is a true adventure crisscrossing the vast continent of Asia.

ACTIVITY: Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
WHERE: China, ASIA
AVAILABILITY: April, May, October
FROM: $6,995.00
DURATION: 18 days
AUDIENCE: Family Vacations & Adventure Travel, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!

Unexplored Gujarat: crafts, Wildlife and Archeology

An Indus Valley civilization more than 8,000 years old, remnants of the Buddhist Emperor, Ashoka, the first British commercial outpost in India, and the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi this is the fascinating state of Gujarat. The area is known for its silk, handicrafts, and fine carved furniture, as well as its unique wildlife and pilgrimage sites. Travel to the legendary city of Bhuj and the Rann of Kachchh, the cities of Ahmedabad and Surat, the flat barren plain of Surashtra, and the charming former Portuguese island of Diu.

ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
WHERE: India, ASIA
AVAILABILITY: January, October, November
FROM: $6,245.00
DURATION: 18 days
AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!

Guizhou - Textiles and Festivals of the Miao and Dong

The spring festival occurs only once every 13 years - DON´T MISS IT!

Enjoy the Sister´s Meal Festival (Valentine´s Day for the Miao) in April and the famous Lusheng Festival in November amid a kaleidoscope of colorful local ethnic groups. Incredible artistry, textiles, embroidery, jewelry, the hill tribe villages in Guizhou... this trip is an ethnologist, textile collector or designer´s dream.

Sit down with the villagers, learn their sewing and batik techniques, enjoy the ceremonies, and eat delicious food. Not only is this a journey of people and wonderful villages, but you can shop and shop and shop!

ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
WHERE: China, ASIA
AVAILABILITY: April, October
FROM: $3,695.00
DURATION: 10 days
AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!

The Sacred Chomolhari Trek

Trek Bhutan’s Himalayas – wildflowers, white peaks and magnificent Bhutan.

The trek to Chomolhari is a sacred one. In Bhutan, people look at the mountains as some sort of divine power. In Bhutanese, Chomolhari is pronounced Jumolhari and means the heavenly deity of animals. The nomads in the region will not allow any climbing on the mountain. They believe that the deity could be upset and their yaks, sheep and other livestock might perish.

We recommend this trek for alpine flower lovers in the months of June to August. The only disadvantage is some mountain rain. Paro and Thimphu are also part of this journey.

ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
WHERE: Bhutan, ASIA
AVAILABILITY: May, October
FROM: $3,595.00
DURATION: 12 days
AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!
MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Find out more here...

The Lake Guardian and the Potato Farmers

Trek the Himalayas, experience local life, and shop local markets.

Trek untraveled tourist routes to a village that is home to many of the Bhutanese with whom we work, a village that has seen minimal westerners to date.

In April the hills are covered with rhododendrons, and in October see people harvesting their crops. Tour Paro, the largest city in Bhutan, then drive towards Thimphu and the old Dagala trail for 6 nights of trekking through forests, beside alpine lakes, across high altitude tundra, and along ridges with views of the Himalayas, up to tiny Shelmakha. Then drive down to Thimphu in time for the weekly market.

ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
WHERE: Bhutan, ASIA
AVAILABILITY: April, October
FROM: $2,995.00
DURATION: 11 days
AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!
MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Find out more here...

Across Bhutan

A trip for those who want to understand the diversity of Bhutan! Where most people go half way across the country to Bumthang, you will travel from Paro in the west, all the way across the country to Mongar in the east, and into India at Guwahati. Along the way you can stay with families or in small hotels, visit monasteries and holy sites, sip tea with monks, explore markets, and meet with the artisans and local people. In the fall, you have the opportunity to see both the Mongar and Trashigang Tsechus – quite a special way to get inside the culture!

ACTIVITY: Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration, Wildlife, Safaris and Photography Vacations
WHERE: Bhutan, ASIA
AVAILABILITY: March
FROM: $3,895.00
DURATION: 12 days
AUDIENCE: Family Vacations & Adventure Travel, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!