Our latest niche tours to be unveiled allow guests to embark on a photography workshop with leading international photographer Gunther Deichman. It’s a rare opportunity to explore the unique cultural practices of a country while gaining insight into the architecture and heritage of a destination that few tourists see. The opportunity for spectacular photographic opportunities is unrivalled in these tours while witnessing dramatic landscapes and meeting intriguing people that make remarkable subjects.

Vietnam through the lens: Tours for photographers, designed by photographers – 11 Days / 10 Nights

To view the full program click here

Myanmar through the lens: Tours for photographers, designed by photographers – 11 Days / 10 Nights

To view the full program click here

Cambodia through the lens: Tours for photographers, designed by photographers – 9 Days / 8 Nights

To view the full program click here

Laos through the lens: Tours for photographers, designed by photographers – 6 Days / 5 Nights

To view the full program click here

Dear Partners,

Please note the below changes in working hours for our offices in Asia over the New Year period.

Thailand

Closed Saturday 31st December – Monday January 2nd inclusive

Cambodia

Closed Saturday 31st December – Monday January 2nd inclusive

Japan

Closed Friday 30th December – Tuesday January 3rd inclusive

Laos

Closed Saturday 31st December – Monday January 2nd inclusive

Vietnam

Closed Saturday 31st December.  Operating with a skeleton staff on Monday January 2nd.

Indonesia

Closed Saturday 31st December – Monday January 2nd inclusive

Myanmar

Usual business hours

During this period all client services and our emergency numbers will be operational as usual.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Spiritual Vietnam is an 8 Day/7 Night program that runs south to north beginning in Ho Chi Minh City and finishing at Halong Bay, combining classic touring with a focus on experiential activities involving monks, martial arts masters, fung shei specialists, and even a street food tour to heighten the senses! Visit renowned sites such as the ancient Citadel in Hue and the stunning limestone karsts in Halong Bay as you set sail on a replica steam ship.

Click to view the full ‘Spiritual Vietnam’ program

Please contact vietnam@exotissimo.com for more information

The village library in Muang Shwe Lay has now been officially opened at a recent ceremony, after Exo Foundation offered financial support for the establishment and running of the project. The library has been a huge success, proving extremely popular amongst villagers whom show great appreciation for the facilities provided.

Since its soft opening in July 2011, nearly 200 new membership cards have been purchased providing additional revenue that will be important for future investment and its long term success. The 100 items every day that are currently being checked out are testament to its popularity.

In attendance at the opening ceremony was the Head of the Kyauk Ka Lart village group, an Inspector from the Information & Public Relations Township Department, local school teachers and the Head of the Village. At the end, two boxes of books and some chairs were presented to the library on behalf of Exo Foundation. Plans are now being made to increase the current size of the library to accommodate reading areas and further book shelves, and possibly even a classroom added. Exo Foundation will help guide and plan these developments with the villagers and staff at the library over the coming year.
To learn more about the village library and other projects please click here.

Due to heavy and persistent rain over the weekend downtown Siem Reap along with riverfront properties and access to the Tonle Sap are currently flooded.  Several of our restaurant and spa services are currently not in use along with visits to the Old Market and Artisans D’Angkor currently not possible.  The temples are still operational as are all major services.

Areas of Tonle Sap are currently inaccessible for tours. We are in contact with all clients booked on these trips and making alternative arrangements.

More rain has been forecast for tonight and later this week. We can expect localized flooding to continue for the better part of this week though this presents only a minor disruption to transfers All major roads are operating as normal.

Currently there is heavy flooding in the Central Plains north of Bangkok with Ayutthaya being one of the worse affected areas. Overall the situation in Bangkok remains stable, there is minor flooding around the riverside but the rest of the city is not affected and operating as normal.

At this stage all Exotissimo tours in Bangkok are operating normally but we are monitoring the situation very closely and ready to make changes or adjustments to any tour as necessary. Safety is the number one priority and we are taking every precaution to ensure clients are looked after. If required, and where possible, we will make alternatives plans so the clients can continue to enjoy their trip.

The whole city of Ayutthaya is flooded and inaccessible, it is likely that clients will be unable to access the city and historical sites until early November. Overnight cruises on the Chao Phraya River are cancelled. Highway number 1 northbound is inaccessible around Ayutthaya and central plains, currently no vehicles can pass through this area. Some vehicles are diverting via Suphan Buri but the route is slow and crowded. Northbound train line is flooded and all trains departing Bangkok northbound are cancelled until further notice.

The situation north of Uthai Thani is better and all tours can operate as normal. Sukhothai and Chiang Mai are OK with only minor flooding in some areas however this is not affecting any tours, the historical park in Sukhothai is open and operating as normal.

For overland tours travelling northbound from Bangkok we are suggesting to divert clients to spend a night in Kanchanaburi with visits in this area. Then one full day drive to Phitsanulok / Sukhothai using outer ring road via Supanburi, NakornSawan (avoiding Asian Highway through AYU) and north on highway 11. Please note that this route will take up to 9 hours to drive.

Alternatively we are suggesting that clients can fly from Bangkok to Phitsanulok with Nok Air or Sukhothai with Bangkok Airways and continue overland to the north, or fly Bangkok to Chiang Mai and include extra options in CNX and the north to fill in the itinerary – flying will be subject to the supplemental charge.

Currently the situation in Bangkok is ok and the city is operating as normal, however it is expected it may get worse towards the end of the week. We are currently operating all river tours including dinner cruises and Klong tours as normal with high caution. The guides are instructed to monitor the situation and water level carefully before boarding any boats and to change arrangements if there is any uncertainly over client’s safety.

Should the situation become worse towards the end of this week and flooding appears in the streets around the river and Bangkok, we will provide alternative tours to locations outside of the flooded areas.

Floating Markets and Kanchanaburi are operating as normal with minimal or no impact from the floods. The main riverside hotels including The Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Millennium Hilton, Anantara Riverside, The Chatrium have informed us that the situation is all okay with no flooding yet, they have built the retaining walls and put up the sand bags to protect against the water which may rise in the coming days.

Please note that we are monitoring progress closely and are in regularly updating clients affected by the floods. All of the above actions will be reviewed if the situation changes.

Please contact marketing@exotissimo.com for more information.

Even though the serious floods hit Cambodia hard, we are happy to announce that the situation is calming and tourist trails are open.

Heavy rain in the Northern provinces has caused the water levels to rise which has resulted in some localized flooding in Siem Reap. This is limited to river front properties, downtown Siem Reap and Tonle Sap access points. All hotels are fully accessible and operational apart from Villa Kiara whose access road is blocked. The floating villages of Chhong Kneas and Kampong Phluck are currently not accessible and our clients are rerouted to Kampong Kleang. Further services that are currently suspended are the quad bike adventure, microlight flights, horse back riding and the camping experience at Wat Amphil, as well as some restaurants along the river. All other services continue to operate as normal and all major Angkor temples are open for visits. In order to protect the UNESCO World Heritage from erosion, only small vehicles of less than 25 seats are currently allowed on the roads around the Angkor Park.

In Phnom Penh the water levels of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers are high but have not resulted in any flooding and the Cambodian South Coast is not affected by floods. Low lying farm land is flooded along the Northern parts of the Mekong. However, access to tourist destinations is possible in all areas. Sambor Village Hotel in Kampong Thom will remain closed in October for renovation because of previous flood damage. Please rest assured that travel in Cambodia is still possible with little disruption and we are taking the best possible care of clients who are affected by any changes in their itinerary and will augment or upgrade services where possible. Whilst the situation is changeable, our operations team are constantly monitoring and will keep you updated on any developments.

Please contact cambodia@exotissimo.com for more information.

Exotissimo Travel will be present at a number of travel trade shows later this year and would be more than happy to answer your questions at these shows. Alongside ‘Pure Life Experiences’ in Marrakech and ‘World Travel Market’ in London, we will also be attending ‘PAICE’ on 09/11/2011 at The Skycity Auckland Convention Centre in New Zealand. You can find us on stand 67. For more information please visit: www.paicexpo.co.nz

Visit Mr Olivier Colomes, our CEO at EIBTM in Barcelona, Spain. This fair takes place between 29 November – 01 December 2011 and you can find Exo at booth E520. In Brussels, Belguim Jean-Marie Mell, Director Exotissmo France will be at BTExpo 2011 between 8-9 December. This is the very first time Exo have exhibited at this show so please come by to say hello.

For more information on any shows or to book an appointment, please contact marketing@exotissimo.com

Hue’s Phu Bai Airport will be closed from May 05th – June 05th 2011 for urgent runway maintenance.  Almost all confirmed bookings flying into Hue during this period have been suggested alternate routes in and out of Danang Airport. All flights into Hue during this period will be rerouted or rebooked to/from Danang by airlines without fee for all issued tickets. Other central region airports close to Hue include Dong Hoi to the north however flights to and from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are not daily and flight times are limited. For any future requests Sales Consultants will suggest new routes according to requested programs. For any further questions contact vietnam@exotissimo.com.

We have just been informed that the International Airport Tax payable for all passengers leaving from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh International Airports will be included in the air tickets effective of 1 April, 2011. Exotissimo Cambodia will include this tax of USD25 per adult and USD13 per child in the air ticket price for all tours starting on this date.

All clients with existing bookings for travel dates starting 1 April, 2011, that have already been confirmed and paid will be required to pay a supplement of USD25 per person to Exotissimo Cambodia on arrival. All partners with these affected bookings have been contacted by Exotissimo Cambodia.All clients travelling before 1 April ,2011, will still be required to pay the International Airport Tax separately upon departure at the airport. For more information please contact, Cambodia@exotissimo.com.