We had a wonderful time with our 9-day private tour of Cairo/Nile cruise provided by China Travel Guide. This is the second time we have picked the same company because of the great satisfaction from last year’s trip to China. For both trips thanks to the company’s senior travel consultant Wendy Lee for her dedication, details, and coordination throughout the entire planning process. Wendy was very responsive and patient to customize the itinerary to meet our desires, including payment options, airport transfer/drop-off, hotel accommodation, cruise selection, and local tour guides/drivers. The total package cost was very reasonable, exceeding the standard itinerary provided by most tour companies. We not only visited both the Giza Grand Egyptian Museum and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo but also had a wonderful camel ride around the pyramids and got inside the Khufu Pyramid to see the burial chamber. Towards the end of Nile Cruise at Aswan, the tour also offered a private shore excursion to Abu Simbel.

In summary, the Egypt trip was a lifetime experience provided by the China Travel Guide. We will highly recommend Wendy to our friends and families for her professionalism and dedication.

Through the years we had seen may films and TV shows featuring the British Raj and how they all moved to Shimla in the summer.
Using the standard Agate tours for Northern India we built this program which also included a visit to Dharamshala as suggested by a friend who lives in India.
We arrived in New Delhi in the early hours of the morning from a separate Agate tour in Uzbekistan. We spent the rest of the day recovering then headed out by train to Chandigarh - this was an experience in its own right designed by a French Architect - remined us of Frank Lloyd Wright .
Continued our journey by road and toy train to Shimla. We were not disappointed and enjoyed seeing the buildings from the British Empire days.
We continued on to Manali in the mountains - blue skies big mountains temples
The final leg was to Dharamshala with its tea plantations. We returned to New Delhi by plane and finished our time in India by a tour of Delhi.
This was not the usual first visit program to India but gave us exactly what we wanted.
Our driver did a wonderful job even with the construction obstacles on the way to Dharamshala. The local guides were all knowledgeable and could not have done a better job for us.
Again credit to the local operations staff who made it all happen on time.

We chose a private tour so that the journey and activities could be done at our pace.

I commented more than once that my video camera couldn't do justice to the views we saw.
From our very late night / early morning arrival until our early morning departure the whole trip went amazingly well.
Our guide and driver came from a local Ulaanbaatar company Amicus. Enya and Erdernebat took great care of us throughout the whole trip.
We carried with us a travelling wheelchair and apart from a couple of occasions my wife was able to enjoy the whole trip.
There are 58 million horses / sheep / and goats to see - every herd and flock was a magnificent sight on the hillside with the accompanying cowboy either on horseback or motorcycle
We had chosen accommodation which included a private bathroom. Each Tourist Camp we stayed at had something special. The Gers were very spacious twice the size of your average hotel bedroom. Ah the warmth you get from the wood burning stove.
Food was plentiful and nicely presented.
Once you get a taste of the dirt roads you will not want to go back to metalled roads again.
Some of the days were long but there was always something special to see during the journey.
Sunset over Lake Uggli is still in our head.
We were able to use a Park Ranger telescope to view the Hustai Park wild horses.

Go and see for yourself

After reviewing several fixed program tours we eventually arrived at this 9 day program.
We wanted to explore as much of the silk road as we could having already visited China.
We had a late evening flight from Istanbul and went straight to our hotel.
The following day we set of by train for Samarkand. We were met by our guide and driver and after dropping our luggage at the hotel and having a quick lunch we set of to explore the first of these great cities.
Our journey then continued by train to Bukara - Live just got better and better.
Just being there seeing real history was an amazing experience.
Our journey continued with a drive across the desert to Khiva.
The hotel was opposite the main city walls and presented a wonderful sight.
We turned to Tashkent by flying from Urgench.
Our tour finished with a day tour of Tashkent.
All of the drivers and guides were great - everything worked to plan.
We had great food and a wonderful experience all round
I should not forget Emily who helped to plan our trip and the local operations crew who made it all happen.
We learned to love Uzbekistan and its people

My family and I had a great private tour of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Wendy from Agate Travel did a great job coordinating everything—she worked closely with me on the itinerary and made the e-visa process smooth.

The local tour guides and drivers were all polite, respectful, and always on time. The guides were generally knowledgeable about the region’s history, though at times the storytelling didn’t align with historical records.

The only minor downside was the limited availability of vegan and vegetarian food options—but honestly, it wasn’t a big deal for us!

Both countries are rich in history, especially during their golden age from the 9th to 13th centuries. Unfortunately, most of the original buildings from that era hasn’t survived—due to factors like the use of fragile sun-dried bricks, destruction by Mongols, and earthquakes. Many sites have been reconstructed, especially during the Soviet era. That said, the buildings from the Timurid period (14th and 15th centuries) are still in good condition and truly impressive.

Amazing trip. Our guide Deema was excellent. 5 day road trip starting and finishing in Ulaanbaatar, full of culture and activity. Accommodation including Gers was excellent. Had so much fun.

Everything worked out beautifully. It was a perfect mix of personal guides and free time. Guides were on time everyday. We were able to have some fun experiences such as sushi making, samurai class, tea ceremony, bike riding, and on river adventure. I was a little hesitant with the payment to be a bank transfer but did use a credit card and this worked fine.

We did a customized private tour for just 2 of us throughout Poland for 16 days. Wendy Lee was excellent to work with, and always quickly responsive in answering any of our questions. The tour operator they provided in Poland was also excellent. Hotels, private drivers, trains and multiple tour guides throughout the country met every one of our expectations and even exceeded most! It made the trip one of our best. We highly recommend this company and would certainly use them again!

Trip: We did a private tour for 14 days and had a great experience. Everything was very well organized. The five guides we met during our trip were knowledgeable, answering our questions about history and society, and very helpful in suggesting restaurants serving local dishes.
Travel agency: Kina, our contact with the travel agency to establish the program, was helpful and very efficient, and we thank her for her suggestions. Umi, the local contact, was also efficient during our trip.

I set up the trip with Amy of Agate Travel over a period of months, revising the itinerary so we could see everything we wanted in the 9 days allotted. She was great and easy to work with. We had the same guide/driver, Ken, for the whole time and he was wonderful. He looked after our needs and requests. He was knowledgeable about everything we saw and he was flexible so we could move things from one day to the next, if needed. He even threw in a tour of chocolate factory, which was delicious. I highly recommend working with these local people

My husband and I did a custom private tour in Madagascar with Agate Travel that included Morondava, Tsingy, Andasibe and Antananarivo. It was a fabulous experience. The driver/guides were so friendly and knowledgeable, the accommodations were perfect, and the itinerary took us from west to east to see so many amazing sights. Loved the small villages we passed through, the baobobs, the rainforest and the lemurs and chameleons. It was exactly what we wanted and an experience we will never forget.

We just came back from an amazing visit to Jordan. This is the second time we have used Agate Travel for a trip and like the first time, everything was meticulously planned and executed. We had a personal driver (Radwan Alshwikee) the entire time who went to great lengths to make sure we were taken good care of everywhere we went. He provided insights into the culture, took us to great local restaurants, and helped us with anything we needed every step of the way. In Jerash and Petra, we supplemented our visits with extremely knowledgeable tour guides who shared great insights and information about these ancient sites. We went back to Petra in the evening to experience it by candlelight and with the help of our driver, Radwan, we were able to be among the first people to get in, so we largely had the place to ourselves before other people showed up. Jordan is a wonderful country to visit, the history is unmatched, the desert is spectacular, and the people are very friendly. If you are contemplating visiting: Go! You won’t regret it.

Great company to deal with, responded to any queries overnight. Good value for Money all hotels were well located and of a good standard. Have used this company before and would not hesitate to use again

A fun time and an easy way to see so much in a short time.

In Hanoi, our guide Tony was excellent. He was very enthusiastic, knowledgeable about the area, and informative throughout the whole trip. We enjoyed visiting a hat making village and the walking the old quarter

In HCMC, Khang was an outstanding tour guide. He was extremely knowledgeable in both the area and culture and gave good recommendations for food and activities. With his guidance, HCMC became our favorite stop on our trip.

The communication with Kia to help plan our trip made it so easy and she was able to accommodate all my requests.

If you’re looking for someone to take care of all the details, I’d recommend agate!

I highly recommend Agate travel for Sri Lanka, they are a very professional, patient, knowledgeable and friendly and better quality than most of the popular American and European travel agencies in my opinion that offer the same quality at a higher price or the same price at a lower quality. The hotels were all 5 star and the food was delicious. I never felt unsafe nor did I have any food problems. The food was delicious and the fruits were divine especially the pineapple. There is plenty of vegetarian or vegan food for you if you have dietary restrictions. The guide and driver were polite, professional and knowledgeable. Sri Lankans in general are very friendly and always have a smile on their faces. If you love elephants, Sri Lanka is the perfect country to visit!

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country and with Agate travels, you can experience and see this beauty. Sri Lanka is a top 10 country for me thanks to this agency. The only bad thing about my trip was it was too short, I wish I stayed longer in this tropical paradise but I had few vacation days.

Fantastic holiday. So many things to see and do. We went to Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Halong Bay, Dong Hoi, Hue, Hoian and HCMC and would repeat the exact same holiday again without exception. Agate Travel (Amy) were brilliant every step of the way.

Trip of a lifetime! Travel China Guide worked with me to create an excellent itinerary, booked great hotels, and connected us with wonderful guides. TCG took feedback in real time and made adjustments for the group (for example, my 81 yo mother was having difficulty walking and climbing and TCG worked with the guides to make modifications that really made the trip more enjoyable for her).

Our tour went the length of Vietnam and also included Siem Reap in Cambodia. It was a whirlwind trip, but there is not a single thing I would change.

This is my second time working with TCG (first time was in China in 2017, also with a family group). The company is reliable and excellent to work with.

Wonderful and enjoyable stress-free experience, not only getting to know the amazing attractions but thanks to the conversations with the guides, you get to immerse in the culture and nuances of this distinctive nation. We had a personalized private tour by Agate Travel and it was flawless!

This review is for 18 day Vietnam/ Thailand trip with Agate travel. We went with this travel agency because of the reviews, and reasonable pricing. It was a private tour, so we ended up doing some changes in the itinerary (Hanoi/Halong Bay/Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City/Bangkok/Chiang Mai/Phuket). Overall, communication with the company was timely, and they were very responsive. The itinerary offers a variety of experiences and covers the highlights of the area. The drivers were excellent throughout, but the guides were a mixed bag. The best guide we had was in Hanoi, Mr Xuan, who said his name meant spring. He was in a class by himself, knowledgeable, kind and really caring. The rest were ok but did not reach to Mr. Xuan’s level. Given that English is not their language, I should be more charitable, but when it’s so hard to understand what is being said, it does distract from the experience. The hotels were well chosen, and in populous locations with lots of eateries around. The flights were as advertised in the itinerary. The included meals were acceptable and in varied settings. Finally, if you are from a country other than USA, make sure you are quoted in US dollars to avoid fluctuating rates of the home currency

I took a last minute 4-day solo trip to Malta, and had a private driver (Gerald) and guide (Mariella) to show me around the Archipelago and take in the history and culture. I was picked up and dropped off at the airport.

Mariella gave me a tour of Marsaxlokk, Hagar Qim and Valletta - she was very knowledgeable and knew all of the best places to see, we were also able to get speedy entry into places like St John's Co-Cathedral.

The team professionally adapted to my needs on the fly, allowing me to deviate from the original plan the next day to instead visit Gozo Island (Victoria and Rabat), and then onwards to Mdina where I saw beautiful architecture and learned more about Malta's history whilst also being able to pick up some wonderful display artwork for my home.

we booked a private tour with Agate, the travel agent Wendy is very organized and responsive, answered all my questions, made suggestions for our itinerary and adjusted with our preference. it was very pleasant experience to plan the trip. once we arrived the airport, our guide and the car were waiting for us. we shared a van with 2 more families, all 3 hotels are very close and we are the third stop, detour was like 15 minutes. very smooth.
we had a guide in Tokyo, she is very knowledgeable and good to tour around, she lived in Canada for about 2 years, served as translator for special Olympics and her English is awesome. She knows all the short cut and fun spots to check out. out bullet train tickets were delivered to our hotel front desk, and our guide walked us all way to the train cart. super nice.
the guide in Kyoto showed us in Kyoto and Osaka. He is super knowledgeable too, and both guide came prepared with binder that has introductions of all sorts Japanese history and cultures. my kids even learned a lot from all the visit. He also knows all the best picture spot. The intermarry was slightly adjusted with the sunset time, so we got a chance seeing the beautiful sunset view in the Kinkaku-ji temple, which become one of the highlights of the trip.
all of my family are very happy with the tour, we don't have to worry about the logistics and be able to bypass the crowds, truly enjoy our trip. we will definitely contact them for the future trips

We thoroughly enjoyed our private tour. Communication with Emily at Agate tours was very good. She answered our questions promptly and clearly. Our guide/driver John was excellent! His English fluency and extensive experience made our tour seamless. The accommodation, park guides and community visit he arranged were amazing. I would not hesitate to recommend Agate Tours. However, be aware that the company is based in China and this does complicate making the tour payment.

We had a great experience with Agate Travel. They were very helpful and responsive and planned a wonderful vacation for our family. We added and changed some details to make it the perfect trip for us. Thank you for your attention to detail and great travel planning!

This trip was absolutely fantastic! Our guides were amazing and the sights unforgettable, from the baobabs to the beaches, and everything in between. We saw so many lemurs and other animals. It was a five star experience. Thank you!

Agate did it again! This is my second trip with Agate. Wendy worked excellently with me in creating one of my most memorable trips over the years. The in-country tours were excellent with knowledgeable, kind, and funny guides, the personal touches they each gave of their life in Vietnam were eye-opening. All the excursions we went on were excellent, from the HCMC Vespa food tour to the Backstreet Hanoi Food tour, and the Hoian basket river experience. I can't wait for my next tour in China!

My husband and I wanted to visit Cambodia for quite some time. When I was planning our trip, I knew that a visit to the historic Angkor Wat temples was definitely on our list, but I wasn’t sure about what else to visit in Cambodia.
Mrs Wendy Lee from Agate Travel did a really nice job helping us to plan our trip. We had a few conversations with her to describe what we were interested in doing/seeing and she came up with a suggested itinerary and made all the arrangements. From the moment I first contacted her, 6 months prior our trip to the conclusion of it, she always replied quickly via email. The price she quoted us was great, better than the prices of other companies I had also contacted.
Cambodia is an amazing place with so much to see. During our 14-day tour we visit Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Battambang, Kampot and Koh Rong Island. The country is incredibly rich in culture and natural beauty. Every place we visited had something unique and special that made it stand out. Cambodian people are incredibly kind, gentle and their hospitality is superb.
From beginning to end, everything was perfect and there were no mishaps. The hotels were really good, the service outstanding and the guides and drivers knowledgeable, caring and concerned for our safety.
Of the wonderful places in Cambodia, Siem Reap temples were the most amazing experience made only better by our guide, Mr Heng Sourchanrith. He was brilliant in ensuring that we not only saw a range of sites, but we also had a lot of background information, giving us detailed explanations about the places, the historical context, the art and meaning of the symbols and writings that cover the walls and piles of the temples. Also explain to us many legends about the places we visited and the people who lived there in those times and about the live and the culture of the in Cambodia in nowadays. I also must note he was particularly good with the timing of our visits to the busier places, which avoided most of the crowds.
Thank you for an amazing trip. We have no hesitation in recommending Agate Travel. If we return to Southeast Asia, we will book through them again.

We visited a number of cities in China, Japan and South Korea during 24 days. Emily planned the perfect trip for us: all selected hotels were of good quality, the guides in each city were knowledgeable and courteous, always willing to help, cars were clean and of adequate size.
Coordination of so meny different resources across various countries is a logistics challenge, however, everything worked to near perfection.
This was a wonderful one on one experience so different from mass tourism.

We had some doubts about how this tour would operate. The tour operator is in China, and the tour is in Croatia. How could this possibly work? Very well, in fact. The tour operator was always very responsive to any questions I had. There is a local operator in Croatia who was both pro active, advising us of what and who was coming next, and responsive whenever I had questions. We were setup with a driver who was courteous and helpful. He knew quite a bit to tell us as we went along, but was not intrusive. The tour arranged excellent hotels, had very good and interesting suggestions for restaurants, and a fine itinerary. When bad weather meant that we missed our trip to Hvar and the Blue Cave, they were ready with a substitute. In short, this was a memorable tour. Expensive, but strongly recommended anyhow.

Agate Travel (and Emily in particular!) did an incredible job helping me and my family with the paperwork to travel to Turkmenistan, which is perhaps the most difficult country for a Westerner to travel to. We were always given clear and exact information about the whole complicated process. The itinerary was exactly what we wanted, but even if it hadn’t been, Agate Travel affords you great freedom to customize your trip.

This was proven when, in the last minute, I decided to slot in a trip to Armenia in between the Turkmenistan trip and a Türkiye trip with another company. Despite the lack of time before my vacation, Emily, my Agate Travel Travel Consultant, managed to book the trip and customize it according to my desires.

Both trips were sensational, and the only hiccups I came across were because of the companies hired on Agate Travel’s behalf (guides, drivers, cars etc were arranged by different, local companies, and Agate Travel served as an intermediary). As someone who’s been to 28 countries so far, I highly recommend both Armenia and Turkmenistan if you enjoy exotic trips where you get to know the countries thoroughly.

The tour was very well planned. For a first comer to India, I saw the main landmarks of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, which were fantastic. My driver was very attentive and (huge bonus for me) three of my guides were female. This made the communication easier (being a woman) and very interesting. Thanks to the excellent service!