Today is international happiness day so to mark this, Tucan Travel have put together some of the places that we have travelled to that made us smile. :)
Laos
Kicking off the list is probably one of the happiest places I have ever visited. Although the small South East Asian country has a troubled past, the locals are the most genuine friendliest people I have ever met and you will always be greeted with a smile. It’s a peaceful country with French colonial...
We had barely met our tour leader when he suggested staying in a heritage listed hotel for a night. It was Day 1 of our 28 day tour of India and Nepal and he wanted to give us plenty of time to think about it. It was an option for Day 18 to replace the scheduled hotel in Khajuraho. Instead we would stay at the Hammeer Garhi Heritage Resort in a village called Basari for only an extra $10US each. Surprisingly for a group of seven the decision was immediate and unanimous: 'Yes!'
This was...
I’m sure everyone is aware you have to be relatively fit to do this trek. I was told you don't need to be the ultimate athlete (I'm most definitely not!); you just have to make sure you’ve had some form of physical preparation for a few months before your trek. After speaking to friends who have done the trek, I was advised some trekkers train for an entire year prior to the trek however, if you do regular exercise and are relatively fit, you should be fine. I hope so as I definitely...
The World Land Trust is an international conservation organisation that takes direct action to save rainforest and other biologically important lands. Since it was founded in 1989, it has helped local conservation organisations to purchase and protect over 400,000 acres of threatened habitats in Asia, Europe Central and South America.
Tucan Travel has been working to raise money for the World Land Trust since 2009 by adding a further 10% of all money raised in their Carbon Offset Scheme...
One of the best things about traveling to a distant, exotic, foreign countries is meeting the people who call those countries home. You can see different temples, shopping centers, restaurants or any kind of attractions in every country, but people are what really makes the difference. Cambodia didn’t disappoint – not with temples and definitely not with its wonderful people. Khmer people always had a big smile on their faces. They also seemed very sincere and genuine, possibly because...
It was only a matter of minutes after stepping out of the dugout canoe when our guide, Bishnu came running out of the jungle to say that he had spotted our first rhino.
The irony of the situation was not lost on me. Having spent two weeks in eastern Africa on Tucan Travels Gorillas & Game Group Tour, we had spent days criss-crossing the national parks searching for the fascinating creatures but to no avail. Now, I was here in southern Nepal, much closer to South East Asia where demand...
There is a lot more to India than just the typical Golden Triangle route, which of course is an epic tour on its own. If you choose a tour that explores the Rajasthan area, then you will notice many visit Jaisalmer, and there is no denial why. It is a very beautiful and historic city painted in yellow sandstone, headlined by its very impressive “Golden Fort” which also doubles as the world’s only inhabited medieval fort. You can get some spectacular city shots from the top, and...
After two fantastic weeks on my Tucan Travel tour around South East Asia I have put together a list of my top insights in to Laos.
1) It is not as scary as you thought it would be.
Before getting on the plane, I was starting to get nervous. I was heading into what felt like the unknown having never travelled this far before! I ensured I had every safety measure covered including having the correct jabs and worrying about the ones I didn't have! I soon realised that...
On arrival in Hanoi I got my first taste of the sights, sounds and smells of Vietnam. This hustling bustling city will have you on the edge with an adrenaline rush as you simply try to cross a main road. Scooters zip by, cars dodge in between lanes of traffic and pedestrians do their upmost not to get run over, amidst a never-ending cacophony of sound.
A city tour is a great way to see the temples, visit the ceramic workshop, take a walk through the park by the river or visit one of the...
My adventure to Burma this past year was amazing. I would like to say that there is nothing that I would change, but there are a few things that I would do differently if I could. On reflection, I would think more about how my packing for Burma.
Until this trip, I had a very bad habit of assuming that everything will sort its self out. I didn't think I have to rush to get bug spray. I presumed that someone will have some to purchase there. Anyway, English bug spray would probably not...
