Expertise and Specialisation

As an established tour operator with a background firmly in adventure travel our focus has always been on showing our clients the real counties through which we travel. We do this by mixing our unique knowledge of the better-known and little-visited places to see and stay with comfortable chartered transport and local transport options together with enthusiastic, trained and knowledgeable guides. This combination of skills means the traveller becomes immersed in their journey, not simply a tourist seeing the sights. It’s something we love and excel at.

Licences and Associations

Khiri Travel are members of ATTA (Association of Thai Travel Agents), TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand), ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents), LATA (Lao Association of Travel Agents), TIES (The International Eco-Tourism Society).

Responsible Travel

Khiri Travel has always strongly believed that responsible tourism promotes sustainable development of the region. From our establishment in 1994, years before ‘Responsible Travel’ became a buzz-word, we have had ethics as the basis of our existence.

We give priority to suppliers and grassroots projects that stimulate nature conservation and environmental awareness. Moreover, we provide financial and other support to individual initiatives that promote local arts and crafts and projects involving the disabled and less fortunate. We actively support, stimulate and facilitate traveller involvement in an orphanage in Laos, a refugee camp in Thailand and an NGO that is involved with underprivileged children in Cambodia.

Our region of expertise encompasses some of the world's poorest nations, where the gap between rich and poor is huge and the threat of destruction of natural resources a real, not imagined, concern.

Khiri Travel’s responsible travel ethos runs through all aspects of its business - through its trips, its offices and its staff.

Multi-Country ‘Discovery’ trips

Season: Year round

Our cross-border Discover Trips designed for avid travellers for whom getting from one place to the other is at least as interesting as the destination itself. We are passionate about our trips which include obscure new border crossings between Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand and the amazing experiences we have along the way.

 

 

These programs offer plenty of adventure and opportunity to explore on ones own and, wherever possible, we have arranged centrally-located lodgings.

 

To keep these multi-country trips affordable, some excursions may be done in small groups made up of international like-minded travellers. Khiri Travel’s links through the region means the quality of these excursions is second to none. We believe that in order to experience our destinations on a Discover program, you want to take your time: single-country Discoveries are designed to last around 16 days, and 18 to 24 days for multi-country trips.

Food and Beverages

As food is a highlight of any visit to the region, offering a fantastic culinary experience, we prefer to operate our tours on a bed and breakfast basis. This leaves the traveller free – with or without the help of our guides – to choose their own eateries. Whilst trekking we supply drinking water, while on homestays or when overnighting in villages meals are usually provided.

Accommodation

We have handpicked the accommodations, with a strong preference of small, locally-owned hotels and guesthouses. We have a range of boutique hotels to choose from. With one eye on the budget and yet unwilling to compromise on cleanliness and comfort we have some great places on offer.

Note however that accommodation can on occasion sometimes be rather spartan, as some of our Discover programs include off-the-beaten-track areas some of Southeast Asia’s least developed regions.

Transport

Transport on our Discover cross-border programs varies. We use night trains with comfortable sleepers, 4WDs, boats, minivans, the occasional pick-up truck when no other vehicle can be found to get to the place we do not want you to miss, and as many boats as possible. The sheer variety of transport is in itself a draw for many people. We should point out that your safety is our prime concern: we have a strict Safety Policy in place for our transport.

Local Guides

Our guides and leaders come from a wide range of backgrounds but have all been chosen with some key strengths in mind. They are first and foremost, friendly, professional and capable, able to deal with the inevitable minor issues that arise on adventurous travel in developing countries with a clear head. Next they are experienced and knowledgeable, trained by us to meet your needs. Finally they are enthusiastic with a genuine love of what they do. Our staff are the public face of Khiri and we are proud of their reputation.

Age Restrictions

As our cross-border programs can involve quite long journeys and in some cases basic accommodation. We therefore recommend caution with bringing children under the age of 11 years; we don’t advise against it, however it’s not every family that this type of travel suits. The educational value of our trips can make, under proper parental guidance, a fantastic experience for kids of 8 years and up, giving long lasting memories.

What to Bring

Each of our trips is different – on some you’ll need trail boots, on others you’ll get by with sandals and trainers. In each tour’s description we give advice.