What some previous participants say about Carrie’s Kyoto tour:
“I recently had the pleasure of participating in the Kyoto Tour offered by Carrie Meyer. I can’t recommend this tour highly enough. Carrie’s experience as a Kyoto resident, yoga teacher, observer of beauty, and skilled travel guide made for a wonderful experience. This is an aesthetic tour of Kyoto with visits to major attractions and tucked away places that are often missed on group tours. The pace is gentle enough to allow travelers to soak in the ambience of a beautiful park, temple, or garden. At the same time much territory is covered, so be prepared to walk. Carrie personally visits each location to ensure the quality of every experience. The dining options she chooses are exquisite and memorable. She goes out of her way to make sure that each traveler is comfortable. A highlight for me was our daily yoga practice at the park surrounding the Imperial Palace. Even though my trip was months ago, I can still close my eyes and imagine myself there – practicing yoga under the trees with the warm breeze enveloping me as I experience the peace, beauty and joy this tour provided.”
-Susan Twining
“Carrie did an amazing job of researching, planning, and selecting sights, activities, accommodations, and restaurants.The tour was a perfectly paced, fascinating time in Kyoto. I never felt rushed, nor did I ever feel restless. We saw beautiful places, ate wonderful food, and stayed in comfortable lodgings. Carrie’s knowledge of Kyoto and familiarity with Japanese language and culture ensured that the whole tour went smoothly and seamlessly. In short, this was an incredible experience, start to finish. I felt very well cared for (and cared about). Thank you, Carrie!”
-Breck Jones
“Trying to describe the Kyoto journey with Carrie Meyer in words is not an easy task. It is an experience of the senses….the extraordinary and other worldly sights of the ancient temples, sacred shrines, incredible landscaping and polite people. The unusual sounds of the crows in the park with our morning yoga sessions and calming water features. The delicious tastes and wonderful aromas of all unusual and varied foods at amazing, beautiful and fun restaurants. The feel of the stone carvings, textures of materials and sensations of being barefoot frequently. I cannot think of a more gracious and lovely hostess to guide us on the adventure. Carrie’s painstaking research, dedication and hard work in rounding out a full itinerary to please a variety of personalities was evident. There is soooo much to see in Kyoto and Carrie’s sensitivity to the blend of aesthetic choices could not have been better. This was truly a life changing journey for me on so many levels. I was a novice world traveler before I started this trip. Carrie gave me the confidence and navigational tools to venture out on my own on a free day. I want to go again and again to this astounding place. I would recommend this opportunity to anyone even remotely interested in Japan. I will forever be grateful to Carrie for the opportunity of a lifetime that will remain in my soul forever !!”
-Jane Moore
“My Kyoto trip was exceptional, in the main because it combined a large number of learning options with a tremendous amount of freedom to relax and simply enjoy what was off the menu. Kyoto is a beautiful city with an incredible history. It also has very good transportation systems and a populace willing to help tourists. The question is, how much of Kyoto can the novice appreciate? Here is where Carrie’s insider knowledge and incredible organization made the trip outstanding. Her preparation level (including earlier visits to the city in order to explore options for us) exceeded anything I’ve encountered on other trips. Since we returned from the trip, conversations with others who have visited Kyoto have made clear that we experienced far more than did they, and we clearly were provided considerably greater understanding of the regional culture. Henceforward, this is the trip I will use as the gold standard.”
-Joe Sheley
“Both for seasoned travelers and for novice adventurers alike, Carrie’s tour of Kyoto is not to be missed. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively, and this was one of the best vacations of my life. The trip was extremely well organized. Carrie knows the area so well and has done a wonderful job of selecting the best places to visit, eat, and shop. Being able to do yoga each day – often on the grounds of a beautiful park or temple – was an added bonus, as the surrounding areas are beautiful beyond belief. The opportunity to visit here with someone so knowledgeable about the language and culture, makes this trip a great way to experience one of the world’s most treasured places.”
-Bernadette Halbrook
“Kyoto tour with Carrie is a “must have” adventure to an amazingly stunning place and into a culture that has stayed with me well beyond my return home. Carrie’s sense of the aesthetic was so evident in the sights and places that were part of the planned itinerary. Also, the free travel days gave each of us an opportunity to experience things that were of interest to us as individuals but perhaps not necessarily to the entire group. Those days, which Carrie generously helped us plan, even down to writing out for us in phonetic Japanese what to ask for and where to go, provided an exciting opportunity to explore as an independent traveler… a “stranger in a strange land” in the very best sense. YOGA in the Imperial Palace Park in the early mornings (only if you chose to) was an added pleasure. Carrie is meticulous in her planning and in the information she provides before the trip as well as while you are there and her knowledge of this beautiful area and the language helps ease YOUR way on what will be a unique and unforgettable trip. So glad I had the opportunity.”
-Evelyn Harlan
“This tour of Kyoto was obviously designed by a yoga teacher who once lived in Kyoto. It had an obvious flow, a perfectly-timed sequence, never rushed and we would stay in the coolest places for just the right amount of time. When I showed our itinerary to a Kyoto local, she said: “You saw all my favorite places”, which included the mountain hot springs. She also said she couldn’t believe we saw so much. There was never a moment when it felt forced, just like Carrie’s yoga classes. This trip far exceeded my expectations.”
-Mike Powell
“In May 2015 I had the exceptional pleasure of traveling to Kyoto with Carrie Meyer. I knew her as a superb yoga teacher and was pleasantly surprised to find she is also a knowledgeable and thoughtful travel guide. Carrie lived in Kyoto for some time and has a genuine interest in showing her guests many of the subtle and out-of-the-way charms of this historic city. Carrie limits her tours to seven guests – that’s two taxis full, including her as guide. This intimate size assures great flexibility and access to some of the smaller and quieter temples, shrines, restaurants and other sites. This was billed as an “aesthetic tour” and Carrie did not disappoint. She is very perceptive and responsive to the needs and desires of her guests, going above and beyond to ensure a memorable experience. A highlight of the tour was the daily morning yoga session within the Imperial Palace gardens. The physical benefits of starting each day with a wonderful, peaceful stretch routine was invaluable; while the early morning air, the smell of the pines, will remain among my fondest memories. Our accommodations were great – conveniently located, clean and comfortable. The mid-week switch to a traditional Ryokan style inn was a real treat – Carrie’s instinct for a blend of historical, cultural, and contemporary experiences was spot on. I have never felt more cared for on a tour in my life – small group travel doesn’t get any better than this.”
-Peter Saucerman
“I was in the Class of 2015 (my group experienced Kyoto with Carrie in May 2015) and I echo the superlatives of all the previous testimonials. I give Carrie’s Tour a 10-10-10 for scenic beauty, uniqueness, and tour organization. Kyoto is truly one of the most beautiful and serene cities in the world and with Carrie’s intimate knowledge of the city, she will take you to the most interesting and coolest places to visit. The length of the tour is 10-days with 3 free days. Being in one city for 10 days gives you enough time to make you feel like you really know the city and its neighborhoods rather than just passing through. She keeps the size of the tour group very small (7 in our group) which makes the logistics of getting around,seating at restaurants, and touring sites very easy and manageable. Also the small group size gives you plenty of opportunity to get to know your fellow travelers. The camaraderie of our group was wonderful.If your desire is to experience a truly unique adventure – Yoga and Kyoto – this is a must do tour. This was one of the most amazing tours I’ve ever experienced and I recommend it highly.”
-Geno Masuda
“In May, 2015, when a trip we had planned to Amsterdam fell through, we heard about this tour to Kyoto, given by a yoga teacher. Japan was nowhere on our radar, and going with a small, unknown, private tour guide was something we would never had considered. However, we liked the idea of trying something new and practicing yoga daily. To our surprise, we loved the trip. We loved Japan, the kindness of the people, the excursions we took, and the safety we felt. We especially felt cared for and responded to by Carrie, our tour guide. She was extremely accommodating to everyone’s personal needs, turned out to be a wonderful yoga teacher, and provided us with an experience of Kyoto that far exceeded our expectations. It was definitely a memorable and special vacation. We would not hesitate to do it again.”
-Penny Fable and Irving Hellman
“We had the wonderful opportunity during May of 2016 to accompany Carrie as our guide to Kyoto and its beautiful surroundings. Carrie was able to reveal to us the fascinating aspects of this intriguing city far beyond that we would have experienced had we visited by ourselves or even with one of the big ‘commercial tours groups.’ Carrie’s deep knowledge of the culture, aesthetics, and religious aspects of this unique city and its surrounding precincts allowed us to get below the surface and see Kyoto more intimately. The tour was arranged with her very personal attention to all the myriad details that are required to make the experience run effortlessly for the small group traveling with her. It was obvious that Carrie had beforehand undertaken meticulous research and carefully planned all aspects of the tour, which allowed it from our point of view to run seamlessly. We were extremely comfortable with the pace and scope of the tour and were immensely satisfied with the accommodations, exquisite cuisine, cultural events and transport arrangements that had been made. The balance of having our own time to explore and relax was much appreciated. Lastly, Carrie’s mission and dedication for us all to have a unique and worthwhile experience in a magnificent part of Japan was more than obvious.”
-Malcom Ettin and Denette Dengler
“I’m so glad and grateful that I went to Kyoto, Japan on Carrie’s tour. She offered insight into Japanese culture and traditions that helped each of us connect to Kyoto and its people in our own way. Quite simply, it was a beautiful journey into breathtaking and sacred gardens and temples meticulously cared for and of which you will have the chance to witness at your leisure. Overall, Carrie’s thoughtful planning and pacing of our experience through Kyoto is what made the tour so special. The icing on the cake was our daily offering of yoga under the glorious canopy of trees in the Gosho Palace Park.”
-Jana Clarke
“Carrie’s Kyoto tour was great. It included a good balance of guided events and free time. As individuals, we were able to adjust our pace and emphasize our interests, and Carrie was available and resourceful to enable this customization. Her selection of activities, restaurants, and lodging were excellent and required significant planning. Daily yoga was a welcome bonus.”
-DJ Chapman