Refs for private tours in Angor Wat and in India..

[luvtahoma]

Would appreciate info on local tours to see Angor Wat and also your opinions of local vs Seabourn for tours in Vietnam and in India.  We have not visited SE Asia before, so we are wanting to include all the “must see” attractions!  Thanks....this will be our 7th Seabourn Cruise!

[j_anandu]

Hello, don’t know if any private tours in Cambodia but do know of one in India. Visiting there in November and my friend used them last year too. Not sure if I’m allowed to post their info here 

topindianholidays. Contact is Nand, he’s been absolutely amazing and very professional. My friend had a party of 2 and was highly impressed. 

 

Tell him Josephine gave you his info, touring with him in November. Good luck !

[Ka Honu]

My wife and two friends took a 3-day, 2-night Abercrombie and Kent tour of Sim Reap/Angkor Wat in February 2019 - left the ship in Sihanoukville and reboarded in Saigon. They loved it and it came in at about US$1,000 per person less than the Seabourn version. Transportation, lodging, private guides, most meals - all at least as good as or better than the ship's tour (which was a group of 50 or 60 as I recall). You might have to handle your own visas and will need a letter from Seabourn allowing you to disembark/reembark (all easily done).

 

In general, if the infrastructure is present, private tours are almost always better than those sourced through a cruise line. They're usually much less expensive and you have the luxury of not traveling in groups of 30-60. I don't have any specific recommendations for Vietnam and India but will say that toursbylocals.com have always done well by us.  

Edited May 8, 2019 by Ka Honu

[jenidallas]

I’ve not done the Abercrombie and Kent tour in Siem Reap, but I’ve bumped into them among the temples on prior visits.  I’d recommend them solely for their excellence in coordinating logistics for these mid-sailing tours.

 

If I was going to do Siem Reap as a pre/post addition, I’d be inclined to do it independently.  I’ve visited three times now and it’s fairly easy to coordinate independently.  On my first visit, I coordinated in advance through a local guide and realized I could have easily done it on my own.  You secure a tuk tuk driver for the day (don’t go through your hotel as they will take a huge cut - I’m taking 200-400% markup) and then can easily hire a guide for the day at the entry gate to the Angkor temple complex.  All licensed guides at the Angkor temple complex have to go through the same educational and certification program.

 

i highly recommend going to Angkor Wat at 5:00-5:30 to see the sunrise (which is at peak around 6:00) and then touring Angkor Wat immediately after before the crowds get crazy.  For a short 2-day visit, definitely also see Ta Prohm (the “Tomb Raider” temple) and Bayon (Angkor Thom).  

 

The second morning is great for a pre-dawn visit to Tonlé Sap to see the floating villages.  That is one of my all-time travel highlights... just me, a guide, and a boat driver out on the lake at dawn watching the floating market vendors (ladies in rowboats selling vegetables from house to house) and children paddling themselves to kindergarten on trash can lids.  It’s really fascinating to see how an entire community adapted to seasonal flooding by figuring out how to build their community around the flood lake.

 

I absolutely love Cambodia and the surrounding areas - my parents both (separately) lived there (Laos and Cambodia) before I was born and I’ve always had an affinity for the people and culture.

[Hoyaheel]

@jenidallas - thank you for stating it's easy to find a guide onsite! We're doing a Mekong river cruise in August and spending a couple extra days in Siem Reap at the end on our own. We will have some touring at the temples included with our river cruise so we didn't really feel like booking a guide in advance for our solo time as we're not quite sure what we'll want to see/do at that point. Most things I've read led me to believe I could arrange once there but it will be nice to reassure husband again ;-)