The Experience
Explore vibrant Bangkok both on foot and by rickshaw, chat with a monk at Chiang Mai’s famed Wat Umong, meet with a war veteran in Vietnam and enter Angkor Wat just as the sun is rising over the ruins. Day 1: ARRIVE IN BANGKOK, THAILAND
Arrive in Thailand,™s vibrant capital city, where an A&K representative is on hand to greet you and escort you to your hotel.
Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort & Spa
Day 2: BANGKOK / City of Angels
Start at the Grand Palace, entering via a secret doorway that reveals oft-missed treasures in the exhibit of royal regalia. Explore its sprawling grounds dotted with over 100 ornate buildings, gardens and statues of mythological creatures. Continue to the Wat Phra Kaew, home to the famous Emerald Buddha. Visit Wat Pho, where the 150-foot-long Reclining Buddha lies. Cruise the Chao Phraya River to an artists,™ collective for a traditional performance by one of the last masters of Thai puppetry, a true Artisan Connection. Enjoy welcome dinner set to traditional Thai dance performances.
Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort & Spa | Meals: B L D
Day 3: BANGKOK / The Local,™s Way
Make a strong Neighborhood Connection when you take a rickshaw ride and walking tour. Stops include a local temple to witness Buddhists at worship. Then embark on a long-tail boat ride to a lush, secluded area of the city. Take a ride on a samlor (bicycle taxi) through the greenest parts of Bangkok before returning to the other side of the river. The rest of your day is at leisure.
Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort & Spa | Meals: B D
Day 4: CHIANG MAI / Home to the Lion Buddha
Fly to Chiang Mai. Venture through its streets via rickshaw, stopping at Wat Phra Singh, home to the revered Phra Singh (Lion Buddha), one of the most revered images of Buddha. Later, stroll Chiang Mai,™s famous Night Market, a kaleidoscope of merchants and food carts.
DusitD2 Chiang Mai | Meals: B D
Day 5: CHIANG MAI / Buddhist Conversation
Meet and chat with a Buddhist monk at Wat Umong, a famed center of meditation, on a Spiritual Connection. Afterward, visit Wat Doi Suthep. After lunch, experience an elephant ride to Maesa Elephant Camp.
DusitD2 Chiang Mai | Meals: B L
Day 6: SIEM REAP / Temple in the Jungle
Fly via Bangkok to Siem Reap, where you visit romantic Ta Prohm, entangled in the surrounding jungle foliage. Climb over its crumbling stonework and marvel at the tree roots dripping down the temple,™s walls.
Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort | Meals: B D
Day 7: SIEM REAP / Khmer Crown Jewel
Rise early to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Discover the masterpiece of the Khmer empire, walking amid moss-covered, pathways and intricately carved bas-reliefs. Continue to the red sandstone Banteay Srei.
After lunch, board a wooden boat and cruise the floating villages on Tonle Sap Lake, visiting a local school and Sam,™s Brothers Clean Water Project, an A&K Philanthropy endeavor.
Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort | Meals: B L
Day 8: SIEM REAP / The Faces of Bayon
Explore the fortified city of Angkor Thom and Bayon Temple, with its beguiling 172 large-scale faces. Wrap up your first day at the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Later, tour Siem Reap on your own.
Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort | Meals: B L D
Day 9: HO CHI MINH CITY / Old Saigon
Fly to Ho Chi Minh City. Begin your explorations of the city formerly known as Saigon in Cholon, its Chinatown, home to delis, ancient quarters, old temples and beautiful architecture. Continue to Thien Hau Pagoda, dedicated to Tian Hou, The Lady of the Sea.,
Caravelle Hotel | Meals: B D
Day 10: HO CHI MINH CITY / Shaping Contemporary Vietnam
Drive into the countryside to explore the expansive Cu Chi Tunnel network, a key Vietcong resource during the Vietnam War, and meet a war veteran who recounts his experiences in the tunnels. After lunch, visit the Notre Dame Cathedral, with its neo-Romanesque façade and bell towers. You also stop at the 19th-century French-colonial Post Office, the largest in Vietnam.
Caravelle Hotel | Meals: B L D
Day 11: HOI AN / Pearl of China Beach
Fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Danang and continue to Hoi An. Explore this traditional town, visiting the colorful local market and the 400-year-old Japanese covered bridge. Stop at a local home to see how silkworms are raised. Then visit an artisan,™s house for a demonstration on how to make Hoi An,™s famous silk lanterns.
Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa | Meals: B L D
Day 12: MY SON / Seat of the Champa Kingdom
Visit My Son, the former capital of the ancient Cham civilization and considered to be the Champa Kingdom,™s counterpart to Angkor in Cambodia. Enjoy lunch near My Son and return to Hoi An for an evening at leisure.
Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa | Meals: B L
Day 13: HANOI / Capital of Culture
Fly to Hanoi. Explore Vietnam,™s capital starting at Ho Chi Minh,™s House, continuing to the lotus-shaped One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature and the Quan Thanh Temple. End at the famed Hanoi Hilton, prison, used by French colonists for political prisoners and later by the North Vietnamese for prisoners of war.
Hanoi Westlake | Meals: B D
Day 14: HANOI / The Old Quarter
Visit the Fine Arts Museum, home to ancient antiquities and contemporary art. Then set off on an exciting cyclo ride into the Old Quarter, where narrow streets dating back to the 15th century bear names reflecting the business once conducted there: Silk Street, Rice Street, Paper Street. After lunch, your afternoon is at leisure. Join your fellow guests for a farewell dinner this evening.
Hanoi Westlake | Meals: B L D
Day 15: DEPART HANOI
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your international flight home.
Meals: B