Southern Exposure Tours

Japan Walking and Culinary trip - May 2023SET took us to parts of Japan that would not be on most itineraries.Highlights for me were hiking up a river valley in the Japanese Alps with snow topped mountains and clear mountain streams. Then walking parts of the Nakasendo Trail along ancient routes through lush green forests, small traditional wooden villages and rice paddy farmlands.Staying in traditional inns, houses and Buddhist monastery in the countryside through the tour and finishing the day wrapped in a cotton yukata and a warming onsen bath was delicious.The culinary side allowed us to feast on multicourse Japanese meals, experience the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of various fish and food markets, search out some amazing small bars and restaurants and partake in ancient Japanese culinary rituals.Travelling by local bus, train, cable car, van and foot allowed the local flavour of the area and its people to be absorbed more fully.What a fantastic, fun trip. A huge thanks goes to the wonderful, enthusiastic Japanese guide Ryoko and SET's marvelous tour leader Silvana.Pip

I travelled to Sri Lanka with Southern Exposure Tours in September. This was my first tour without my other half and I was a little nervous but I shouldn't have worried at all. I loved every minute of the trip. The tour ran seamlessly from start to finish. The itinerary was well thought out...busy and exciting but with enough down time to enjoy the places we stayed and explore our surroundings. Our tour guide, Arnie, was the best! He had great local knowledge and made the tour a lot of fun. I am looking forward to doing another tour with SET in the future and would definitely recommend them to either solo travellers or in a group.

We went to Japan with Southern Exposure tours. The trip exceeded my expectations, was well organised and took all the stress out of travelling around a busy foreign country. Silvana and our Japanese tour guide Ryoko were amazing and as a result, we have booked another Southern Exposure Tour to Europe in August.

Over the years we have been on six trips organised by Silvana , Southern Exposure Tours .Some of these have been standard small group itineraries such as Patagonia while in other cases Silvana has created a specific itinerary, sometimes for our small group, sometimes for just the two of us.Silvana's knowledge and enthusiasm is unmatched, she has been our first port of call when thinking about travel to, for us, unknown destinations. The trips have always been interesting, accommodation often unique, and best of all we can just enjoy the holiday without taking time to figure of transport and accommodation and where to go next. Most trips have included a local guide, great when you don't speak the language.The small group size allows opportunities not possible with larger groups, additionally we have made many good friends while travelling.If you want a hassle free, value for money holiday get in touch with S.E.T.Highly recommended.Carol & Vance Boyd

I have just completed my fourth small group tour with SET and have always been made to feel part of a very inclusive travelling family". The leaders are always professional and enthusiastic

This tour of Japan far exceeded my expectations. The trekking of the ancient Nakasendo Trail was a real highlight and it was great to get off the regular tourist route and experience the beauty of natural Japan. Spring is a perfect time with all the new growth and wild flowers. The colour was extraordinary!The food was both a visual and taste sensation.Our guides Silvana and Ryoko were fantastic and gave us some great experiences. Also good to experience the different accommodations and stay with local people in their homes.If you're thinking about it, just do it!

Our Trans Mongolia and Siberia adventure in August 2019, starting in Beijing and ending in St Petersburg, was a magnificent experience from start to finish. Superb organisation by SET guaranteed a tour without any setbacks; the local guides and drivers were excellent; and the carefully crafted itinerary ensured we gained lasting impressions of 'real life' as lived by local families. SET is far and away our No 1 choice of travel company. May it thrive in a post-Covid 19 world.

Totally fabulous trip to Japan. Two very experienced guides - Silvana from SET and Ryoko the local guide based in Japan. Thanks to both of them everything went totally to plan. Not a train missed even though on a couple of occasions we caught three back to back. Ryoko is slick when it comes to organisation and even the busiest of days were paced so we got maximum enjoyment from the experience. Japan itself was just beautiful and turned on great weather for us, particularly the days we were tramping. The Japanese Inns were a great experience, one not to miss. Overall just loved the experience that SET provided. Thank you Silvana and Ryoko. First class :-)

Have just completed the Japan walking and culinary SET trip and had a wonderful time. The combination of food and walking is great. Even in urban areas we walked a lot, so no worries about the waistline. Rural and wilderness sights are worth the effort. Congratulations to Silvana and Ryoko for their organization of this trip.

I loved this Southern tour. It was excellent value and in the hands of Silvana with her local knowledge tremendous fun. We enjoyed meeting fascinating artists at their work site. Great to find hidden gems and support local talent. A high light also was several close-ups with Hector dolphins. Can't believe how lucky we were. I was a new member of this group and hope very much to travel Southern Exposure Tours again. Thank you Silvana.