For those wanting to avoid grey skies and shuddering winds this winter, we still have 2 places remaining for our very exotic Laos and Cambodia tour in November.

Starting in Thailand, we fly to the golden town of Luang Prabang on the Mekong, take a fleet of local boats through the jungle towards China, ride tuk tuks through the ancient jungle city of Angkor (where ‘Tomb Raider’ was filmed), take a traditional boat expedition through the seldom seen middle of Cambodia to see how ‘river people’ live, and finish in exciting Phnom Penh – the Pearl of Asia.

Warm, + 30 degrees weather guaranteed. What are you waiting for? Even Sue Perkins has been here….

For those coming with us to India this November, you’ll be staying in several old palaces along the way. In Bikaner you’ll stay in Bhairon Villas; the owner, a cousin of the Maharaja, is a friend of Angel Holidays and you’ll probably spend time with him in the bar. This first picture is the ‘purple suite’ and there are many, with different colour combinations, like it.

In Jaisalmer, you will stay at the Mandir Palace – the Maharaja of Jaisalmer also lives there. This second picture shows the palace’s swimming pool.  This old stoned building sits beneath the citadel and just 60km from the Pakistan border.

In Jodhpur, you’ll stay in the old colonial British hotel: the Polo Heritage (Prince Charles has visited) before eventually arriving in yet another palace – the Bissau, the owner is also a family friend of Angel Holidays; our last picture.

Indian palaces, represent a step back into another time; eloquence, style and flamboyant colour, that today is seldom seen. We’ve just 4 places remaining on this unique trip, if you might like to have this experience.

For those coming with us on our tour of Nepal, you may like to bring a torch. In Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, you’ll stay overnight in a monastery (simple rooms are en-suite). This is a simple town, just 15 miles from the Indian border, and largely in the ‘middle of nowhere.’

This means that, with little or no light pollution, the night-sky could be pitch black – perhaps, something unique from the modern world.

Down the road this is a simple track-side bar with plastic chairs, overlooking another monastery,  something to ease the dark night away, in quiet contemplation.

The following morning we drive north. An eventful drive, up through the Himalaya, until we reach Pokhara, below the Annapurna range of the Himalaya. And an altogether more lively and different combination. We’ve now just two places remaining, if anyone would like to join this special tour.

Just over a week ago, travel food writer Anthony Bourdain sadly committed suicide. Here is a snippet of earlier – happier – times, with President Obama in Hanoi.  It’s interesting how fellow diners continue in conversation without bothering the famous pair.

This small café, is just a walk way from the hotel Angel Holidays will be using on our tour of Hanoi.  You too could come here and dine for just around £2.

Upstairs, as a memorial to the visit:  they’ve since encased the table, plastic seats and all, in glass.  Anthony Bourdain loved Vietnam; its people, its food.  God bless him.  If you might like to join our mailing list for our tour there next April, contact us on this website.

Nepal: and our tour there this year, we will co-inside with the festival of Deshain, the biggest in the country; both intimate between families, and extrovert in society. Guide books suggest, crudely and simplistically, it is a festival of good over evil, but it represents a more subtle sentiment than that – with no celebration of good over evil at all.

Instead it is a celebration of the Universe, the coming together of Gods and souls – both the souls of animals and humans: dogs, birds, cattle, elephants and even crows are blessed, most are given ‘Tikas’; red vermilion powder mixed to a paste – on what would be the forehead.

Yet there are animal sacrifices too – in the belief they will be reborn in a ‘higher realm,’ as a human. Goats for example, will be asked if they want to be sacrificed by the sprinkling of water over their eyes;  this results in the goat shaking its head, a Hindu agreement and ‘yes.’  Being cut off from the outside world until 1959, Nepal is one of the few countries that practices sacrifice.

Unusually, it is also celebrated by Buddhist’s and Hindus (the Buddha himself was a Hindu).  Like Christmas in the West, it is the coming together of families; and feasting. Our tour is quite privileged to see Nepal at this time – we’ll give you an intimate knowledge, not only about this festival but the people, their culture and how they celebrate it. There’s a lot of fun, merriment and affection at this time, and it will be interesting to see how this festival reinforces what it is to be a Nepalese.   Deshain may only represent part of our tour, but it will enrich your visit.  Here is a picture of one of the many makeshift swings put up in the Himalaya at the event.

For those coming on our Real Exotic Marigold Hotel adventure next March, you may like to watch this video. Like the television series, you will stay in the same home featured here in the video with Miriam Margolyes, Jan Leaming, Wayne Sleep and others, to see what retirement in India might bring. Make sure you come with plenty of ideas, this is no holiday, but you will have an experience like no other.

If you might like to take part in this once in a lifetime experience, contact us soon, for some final places.

On the 14th October this year, we’ll be setting off on a tour of Nepal, hosted by Radio 4’s Steve Carver who has 12 years experience in the region. A dedicated 40 page guidebook on the tour, is given to each traveller on arrival, so that they can further understand the magical nature of this journey. As with all our holidays, you’ll be treated as travellers not tourists, and have free time to explore, in this very safe, relaxed country.

The journey begins in Kathmandu valley where in addition to seeing the sights, you have access to a more in depth experience of Nepalese life in the city – how people live, their daily rituals, seeing inside their houses, learning about local aspirations and family life is just as important as seeing architectural or religious gems.  Travellers will have experiences to the extremes; from witnessing cremations alongside a holy river, to flying over Everest by light aircraft.  Mixing with the Nepalese (most staff are Nepalese) you’ll have a much richer experience – and a lot of fun too – the Nepalese are very warm hearted with a great sense of humour.

After the Valley the group will drive south towards the Indian border, staying in a small jungle town surrounded by elephants. It’s here travellers will have the chance to explore the Nepalese jungle and bush. After this they’ll drive to Lumbini – the birthplace of the Buddha (he too was Nepalese). Travellers will rest the night in a guest house inside a monastery.  They’ll be able to cycle around too.

Next, they drive north and into the lower Himalaya, staying at the beautiful lakeside town of Pokhara. It’s here, on clear days, that you’ll have stupendous views of the Annapurna range of the Himalaya. There’s lots to do here too; from adventure sports, to hiking, sampling its many restaurants along the lake – and shopping for a mixture of Nepalese and Tibetan goods.

We’ve a good, friendly group coming along on this colourful trip. If  you’d like to join us, please contact us soon.

This November’s tour of India will be quite special. Rather than languishing under the grey skies of the UK this winter, our group will be heading out into the warm sunshine.

They’ll travel to the edge of the silk road, camping under the stars for the night in the desert. They’ll ride camels, stay in a palace at the cousin of a Maharaja, sleep in a fortress with the Royal family of Jaisalmer, enjoy a British Polo Heritage hotel (frequented by Prince Charles), see the Exotic Marigold hotel used for the movies, stay in the 17th century Bissau palace of Jaipur (the oldest in Rajasthan), see the Taj Mahal, and visit the Pushkar camel fair – the biggest coming-together of camels (over 20,000) on earth. It’s difficult to muster up the words that best describe the experience over the two weeks;  ‘magical’ or adventure?  Or both?  This is the last year Angel will take visitors on this exact, particular tour. We’ll go out on a high. If you want to take up the final places, let us know.

Viet Nam – and plans are in place for our new Vietnam tour, the first of which will take place next April. This tour will complement our already adventurous trip to Laos & Cambodia; in fact anyone who has booked Laos & Cambodia for this year, or has come with us before, will be entitled to a discount on any future Vietnam tour.  The Vietnam trip will start in the capital Hanoi, descending down the coast by a mixture of train, private bus and boat until we reach Saigon. It will be 16 days in duration, and like all Angel Holidays’ we’ll give you time to explore, whilst having the support of the group.

This new Vietnam holiday will complement well, our exotic Laos & Cambodia tour, which is nearly fully booked this year. As many of you know, our Laos and Cambodia holiday really takes you to ‘parts unknown’ seeing some beautiful landscapes that no ordinary tour sees; taking you across Asia’s largest lake, seeing remote cultures, as well as visiting exciting cities such as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ Phnom Penh and golden Luang Prabang on the Mekong. For many, Laos & Cambodia is our best tour yet.  Hopefully, Vietnam will live up to expectations too, as it deserves a two week holiday in its own right.  Watch this space for details

Climbing Everest is an elitist sport in Nepal. Per person the permit is $30,000, and to join a climbing team led by experts, another $35,000 – $50,000 per person. One needs to add extra equipment travel costs and insurances too. Most climbs cost around $100,000 per person.

Until a few years ago, no one could attempt the summit until they had already climbed three other peaks over 6,000 metres (Everest is 8,840 metres). These days however, with the increasing lucrative commercialisation of the climb, this has been laxed and anyone can attempt it, provided they have sufficient funds.

To climb the mountain you first have to fly (20 minutes) to Lukla from Kathmandu, a small town in the lower Himalaya, followed by a trek to Everest Base camp. The trek to base camp is around 37 miles, but can take over two weeks to allow for acclimatisation and stops between walks.

Base camp is around 5,600 meters above sea level, leaving a further 3,200 vertical meters (around 2.4 miles) to Everest’s summit. In walking distance (climbing approximately 1 metre in every 3) it is around an 8 mile walk. The summit itself is around 10 feet by 6 in dimension.

The most dangerous part of the climb, known rather crudely as the ‘death zone’ is the initial descent after the summit. With modern breathing equipment, deaths are extremely rare these days.

A friend of Angel Holidays takes groups of wealthy clients, around three times a year, to climb Everest – which is a very lucrative business.  The only way to climb Everest more cheaply, is to gain sponsorship or ‘climb for a cause’ offering some kind of publicity.

On our Angel Holidays tour of Nepal, we may not climb the mountain, but we certainly give you the chance to fly around it by light propeller aircraft – which is quite an experience.