Other Options...

Botswana sounds and looks fabulous. And great to hear about someone else on NatHab - they have several trips that are now on my bucket list!
When we did the South Africa ABD, our daughter was 6 which was the minimum age. Turns out, that age is set by the private reserve for all guests as presumably kids that age and older will quiet down when asked. And our guide made clear if she did not listen and comply, there would be no more game drives. Fortunately she is a rule follower and did not test him.....
 
Botswana sounds and looks fabulous. And great to hear about someone else on NatHab - they have several trips that are now on my bucket list!
When we did the South Africa ABD, our daughter was 6 which was the minimum age. Turns out, that age is set by the private reserve for all guests as presumably kids that age and older will quiet down when asked. And our guide made clear if she did not listen and comply, there would be no more game drives. Fortunately she is a rule follower and did not test him.....

Where we stayed in Zambia last year and are staying again next year, they have an age policy if you want to stay out at one of the small bushcamps. At the main lodge, if you want to do walking safaris, then the children have to be 12 and older. Younger children can only ride in vehicles. At the outer camps, they will take children 12 and over but if you want to take children younger than 12, you have to book out the entire camp and book a private guide and truck to travel with the children in their own vehicle if the adults want to do walking safaris.
 


At first I thought it said you saw 3 in your TENT in Zambia!! :eek::eek::eek:

Sayhello

No, none in the tent lol. We did find a paw print in the dirt outside our tent one morning though. The camp is open to the animals so no one can leave their tent on their own unescorted after dark. We also had a hippo on the lawn at the main lodge that the bush camp belonged to. The staff at the main lodge told us that they had to move one couple one night because they couldn't access their chalet since there were 3 lions camped right outside.
 


This thread is fabulous, thanks to all who contributed! Read it all :)
We are going to China next year (couple 30,40 no kids). Initially was looking at private but we are a bit introverted and I don't want to talk to guides the whole time. Looking for a tour that has more scenic/natural beauty, hikes etc. G adventures had some options, but am concerned about the level of the accommodation being too basic. Does anyone have any suggestions? (3-4kishmark ideally start/end shanghai/ Hong Kong to do parks..)
TIA
 
This thread is fabulous, thanks to all who contributed! Read it all :)
We are going to China next year (couple 30,40 no kids). Initially was looking at private but we are a bit introverted and I don't want to talk to guides the whole time. Looking for a tour that has more scenic/natural beauty, hikes etc. G adventures had some options, but am concerned about the level of the accommodation being too basic. Does anyone have any suggestions? (3-4kishmark ideally start/end shanghai/ Hong Kong to do parks..)
TIA
Depending on how long you're looking for your trip to be, you might want to check out OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel). I have a friend who traveled with them to China & really enjoyed it. But the trip is 22 days long. I think it tends to attract retirees a lot. :)

https://www.oattravel.com/trips/sma...neraries?icid=global:itineraries:asia:ya42020

Sayhello
 
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We were looking at this tour company when we were considering China China Odyssey Tours. National Geographic also has a variety of trips. They have a few Journeys which are run by G Adventures but with better accommodations. Nat Geo China Trips
Thanks for the reply! I like the look of the scenic tours from China Odyssesy , I might ask them for a quote. It is private touring though. Can compare it to the other company I asked. Nat Geo tours don't seem to have any that concentrate on the scenery, interestingly. The G adventures only seemed to have one with "upgraded " accommodations (not super fussy, just don't really want to stay in someone's house..)
 
Depending on how long you're looking for your trip to be, you might want to check out OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel). I have a friend who traveled with them to China & really enjoyed it. But the trip is 22 days long. I think it tends to attract retirees a lot. :)

https://www.oattravel.com/trips/sma...neraries?icid=global:itineraries:asia:ya42020

Sayhello

Thanks for the reply, Sayhello! Looks like a great tour, and good price too. Unfortunately don't think will be able to take that long off work, would end up being about a month with disney as well. Would be really nice though.. (a long way off retirement lol :) )
 
Thanks for the reply! I like the look of the scenic tours from China Odyssesy , I might ask them for a quote. It is private touring though. Can compare it to the other company I asked. Nat Geo tours don't seem to have any that concentrate on the scenery, interestingly. The G adventures only seemed to have one with "upgraded " accommodations (not super fussy, just don't really want to stay in someone's house..)

This might be too far in the scenery/wildlife direction, but I thought I’d point it out. We just got back from Botswana with Natural Habitat and I am definitely planning to travel with them again. It was an amazing trip, and Nat Hab was top-notch. Definitely pricey though.

https://www.nathab.com/asia-adventure-travel/wild-china-panda-tour/
 
Thanks for the reply! I like the look of the scenic tours from China Odyssesy , I might ask them for a quote. It is private touring though. Can compare it to the other company I asked. Nat Geo tours don't seem to have any that concentrate on the scenery, interestingly. The G adventures only seemed to have one with "upgraded " accommodations (not super fussy, just don't really want to stay in someone's house..)

China Odyssey does do private touring but the reason we were looking at them (other than the private aspect) is that they are based in China which means we'd get a better rate by booking with them than through a local company that is going to turn around and book with the trip with a China based company and charge us more.

We've done a number of private tours and you can chat with your tour guide as much or as little as you want. Also, private tours give you a little more leeway in doing things. If you want to spend more time at a location you can. We actually find them more flexible than a group tour. Here's an example of what I mean. When we were in Africa last year, the second safari camp we were at there was us (my mom and I) and a tour group of 14 people (2 guides + 12 guests). One night as we were preparing to head out for our night safari, one of the tour guides insisted on coming back to camp after the river safari, saying they didn't want to go out in the truck afterward. All 14 people ended up skipping the night drive and only doing the river safari. Meanwhile, my mom and I ended up zipping back along the river and hopping into our truck to head off and track the lions that we'd seen earlier. Also, we were given the opportunity to take extended morning drives if we wanted because it was just us and the driver/guide. One morning we were out for almost 6 hours when the standard is about 3. We also went much further afield.
 
China Odyssey does do private touring but the reason we were looking at them (other than the private aspect) is that they are based in China which means we'd get a better rate by booking with them than through a local company that is going to turn around and book with the trip with a China based company and charge us more.

We've done a number of private tours and you can chat with your tour guide as much or as little as you want. Also, private tours give you a little more leeway in doing things. If you want to spend more time at a location you can. We actually find them more flexible than a group tour. Here's an example of what I mean. When we were in Africa last year, the second safari camp we were at there was us (my mom and I) and a tour group of 14 people (2 guides + 12 guests). One night as we were preparing to head out for our night safari, one of the tour guides insisted on coming back to camp after the river safari, saying they didn't want to go out in the truck afterward. All 14 people ended up skipping the night drive and only doing the river safari. Meanwhile, my mom and I ended up zipping back along the river and hopping into our truck to head off and track the lions that we'd seen earlier. Also, we were given the opportunity to take extended morning drives if we wanted because it was just us and the driver/guide. One morning we were out for almost 6 hours when the standard is about 3. We also went much further afield.
Very good points, thanks. I totally agree RE in country tour organisers. I have a Chinese company costing up a tour for us currently, will see what it comes back as :)
 
Any recommendations here on Galapagos? Looking into TB and ABD. My son would be 6.5 or 7 depending on when we decide to go. Debating next year December or March 2021 or July 2021. :)
 

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