An authentic holiday experience may mean sacrificing a Western-style bed in favour of more basic overnight accommodation, but at the same time bringing with it all the enjoyment of learning about new cultures and traditions, and very often a much better night’s sleep!
In some countries we are able to offer upgraded accommodation should you wish for something slightly more luxurious. Ask about your chosen destination.
Have a look at a few of our more unusual types of accommodation:
Hammock – Cambodia Jungle Trek
If it’s a room with a view you’re after you can’t get much better than this view from your hammock of the O’Plong river and the beautiful Virachey National Park in Cambodia. Enjoy a campfire meal and a night hike looking for pygmy slow loris and civets. Your park trek continues for two more days, with one night spent in a tribal homestay. A walking tour of Angkor Wat temple complex completes this intrepid adventure.
Yurt – Natural Wonders of Uzbekistan
Rather than at a noisy music festival, nothing can beat the peace of staying in this traditional nomadic dwelling in its Central Asian country of origin. Stay at a yurt camp in Uzbekistan, where the yurts are deceptively large and, though monotone on the outside, will be decorated with brightly coloured fabrics and bedding inside. Walk in the Great Chimgan Mountains, learn how to cook traditional Uzbek cuisine in homestays and visit this country’s numerous beautifully decorated mosques and monuments.
Homestay – Hidden Hill Tribes of Vietnam
Trekking from one remote village to the next, escorted by your English speaking guide and Black Hmong tribe porter team, enables you to gain an insight into the local way of life, but this is taken to the next level by spending each night in a local tribe’s homestay. Stay in homestays offered in Ta Van village (Giay people), Ban Ho village & Thanh Phu village (Tay people). Get your taste buds going at the end of the trekking day by participating in a family-cooked meal before relaxing in a comfortable bed in a traditional bamboo hut or local house.
Ryokan – Ancient Trails of Japan
Japan offers every type of accommodation from the modern hi-tech capsule hotels in Tokyo to the traditional guesthouses or inns known as ryokans. Ryokans pride themselves on providing the immersive traditional experience where every effort is made to ensure guests are relaxed and comfortable. Your bed will be a futon laid onto the tatami (rice straw mat) in your room and you will dine together, dressed in your provided yukata (kimono), on a selection of elaborate and delicious Japanese food reflecting local and seasonal specialities. Before dinner you will have the opportunity to relax in a communal hot spring (onsen). A ryokan experience is not to be missed.
Trullo – Italy’s Beautiful South: Explore Puglia on Foot
Nothing characterises Puglia like a conical shaped trullo. These pretty dry stone huts only appear in the Itria Valley of Puglia and their original use was as temporary shelters or for storage. Many of the quirky properties have today been modernised to provide beautiful holiday accommodation. The pretty town of Alberobello is where the majority of trulli are situated and where you would be experiencing your trullo stay. Embrace everything this inviting region has to offer from history and culture to delicious Italian food and locally-produced fine wines.
Contact us for more information on any of these walking holiday options.
