Southeast Asia Heritage Tour: Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam - 15 Days

Day 1: Arrive in Bangkok

Welcome to Thailand! Touchdown in the capital, Bangkok, where your driver will be waiting to take you to your hotel in the heart of the city. Settle in before heading out to explore Bangkok's most famous landmarks this afternoon. 

Start at the Grand Palace, a complex of intricate palaces and temples built in 1782, which served as the royal family's home for 150 years. Highlights include the reception palace, coronation hall, and Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the sacred Emerald Buddha statue. Continue to one of Bangkok's oldest temples, Wat Pho, known for its 150-foot (46 m) reclining Buddha and Thai massage school. 

Day 2: Visit Maeklong Railway Market, Daytrip to Ratchaburi's Floating Markets

Today you'll discover some of Bangkok's sprawling markets. Drive through the high-rise urban landscape to Samut Songkharm on the rural outskirts of the capital. Here you'll visit the Maeklong Railway Market, which sits along the tracks; when a train pulls in or out of the station, the vendors quickly clear their stalls, only to set them up again moments later when the train has passed.

Drive to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in Ratchaburi, 62 miles (100 km) southwest of the capital. Paddle through the maze of canals past vendors selling exotic fruit and handicrafts from their boats. Disembark to wander the marketplace on land and have lunch. Afterward, take a long-tail boat to a Buddhist temple and the King Rama II Memorial Park, which has an ornate collection of Thai-style pavilions.

Day 3: Day Trip to Bang Pa-In & Ayutthaya

The day begins with a drive north to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed city of Ayutthaya, passing through verdant countryside and paddy fields. On the way, stop at Bang Pa-In Summer Palace, once the grand mansion of Thailand's royal family, built by Rama IV. Cross the river to visit Wat Niwet Thammaprawat, one of the area's most distinctive Buddhist temples with Gothic-style architecture and stained-glass windows.

Next, board the Thanatharee rice barge at Wat Kasatra Pier for a lunch cruise on the Chao Phraya River. En route, enjoy views of Wat Phanan Choeng and river life before disembarking at Ayutthaya. This 14th-century archaeological site was once the capital of the Siam Kingdom, and today, you can wander among the ruins of its palaces, temples, and monasteries. Break for lunch before exploring highlights such as Wat Yai Chaimongkol, Wat Mahathat, and Wat Chai Wattanaram. Return to Bangkok late afternoon for a relaxing evening. 

Day 4: Half-Day Cooking Class at Sompong Thai Cooking School 

Explore Thailand's world-famous cuisine today with a Bangkok cooking class. Head to the cooking school to meet your teacher, an expert local chef. They'll start by taking you to Wat Kheak Fresh Market to guide you through stalls of colorful fruit and vegetables. You'll learn about fresh Thai herbs and produce, picking up ingredients for the dishes you'll be making today. 

Return to school for a drink before class begins; you'll also receive a recipe book, pencil, and apron. The chef will teach you how to create a range of Thai dishes, which may include pad thai (stir-fried rice noodles), mango sticky rice, and spring rolls. Afterward, feast on your creations for lunch before returning to your hotel.

Day 5: Fly to Chiang Mai, Mae Ping River Boat Trip

This morning you'll fly to Chiang Mai, where your driver will be waiting to take you to your hotel. Set in the cooler, mountainous north of Thailand, Chiang Mai was once the capital of the Lanna Kingdom and still retains its moat-encircled Old City. The city is a key cultural hub, home to historical architecture and over 300 temples where orange-robed monks live and worship.

Take a scenic boat trip along the Mae Ping River. You'll travel 30 minutes north of Chiang Mai to a long-tail boat dock with a pretty herbal garden. Board the boat for a cruise, passing traditional wooden houses and modern buildings along the riverbank. You'll dock and walk to Waroros Fresh Food Market to witness local life in northern Thailand. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel.

Day 6: Day Trip to Elephant Discovery Camp

Rise early for today's tour, driving south of Chiang Mai through rolling hills, forests, and farmland to the Elephant Discovery Camp. A mahout (elephant carer) will introduce you to the animals, tell their stories, and run through their daily routine. You'll interact and play with these gentle giants under the mahouts' supervision. 

Walk with the elephants down to the river, where you'll bathe the animals and watch them roll in the mud. Your mahout will teach you how to communicate with the elephants, and you'll help prepare food to feed them. Stay for a Thai lunch at the camp and then return to Chiang Mai in the late afternoon.  

Day 7: Traditional Religious Life in Chiang Mai Experience

This morning, you'll leave your hotel at dawn and drive to the foot of Doi Suthep Mountain in time to buy offerings and join the locals for the daily almsgiving ceremony. This peaceful Buddhist procession sees dozens of monks walk barefoot through the street at dawn, collecting offerings. Next, head up the mountain to Wat Doi Suthep and climb the 309 steps of the golden naga staircase to its sparkling pagodas.

You'll also get to see one of Chiang Mai's least-visited temples, Wat Palad, which sits farther down Suthep mountain along the monks' trail and is known as the "temple below the temple." Continue your tour at the 14th-century Wat Umong, a heavily-forested complex with moss-covered stupas and mysterious tunnels. Take part in a private blessing ceremony and then enjoy a bowl of khao soi, a beloved northern Thai dish of coconut cream soup and crispy noodles.

In the afternoon, visit the Three Kings Monument, followed by a trip to the architecturally-beautiful Chiang Mai City Arts and Culture Center. Built on the site of a former royal hall, it was once the central office of the Phayap administrative unit of Siam and later the Provincial Hall of Chiang Mai.

Day 8: Fly to Siem Reap (Cambodia), Angkor Thom & Dinner at Chanrey Tree

Say goodbye to Thailand today. Your driver will take you to Chiang Mai International Airport for your flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia, where you'll be transferred to your hotel to check in and rest.

This afternoon, explore Angkor Archeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Start by visiting Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire, surrounded by a 26-foot (8 m) wall. Enter the ancient city through the south gate, carved with elephants and four giant faces. Then follow a path lined with 54 gods and demons holding the sacred naga snake. End at Bayon Temple in the city's center, a 12th-century masterpiece with 54 towers carved with faces representing the Khmer Empire's 54 provinces. 

In the late afternoon, take a relaxing gondola cruise around Angkor Thom's moat while watching the sunset over Prasat Chroung Temple. Sip cocktails and Champagne accompanied by canapés as the boat paddles slowly along the moat. The day ends with dinner at Chanrey Tree, one of the best fine-dining restaurants in Siem Reap. Feast on authentic Khmer cuisine by the river for a unique Cambodian dining experience.

Day 9: Full-Day Angkor Wat Tour

Today starts with a short drive through the countryside to the lesser-visited Roluos Group of temples, set among rice paddies and sugar palm plantations. Tour the three main temples on foot, admiring the redbrick pagodas while your guide briefly introduces their history. Dating back to the eighth and ninth centuries, these are the oldest ruins in the region, yet they're still remarkably well preserved.

Take a closer look at the temples named Lolei, Bakong, and Preah Ko with a walking tour. Step inside one of these ancient monuments for a special blessing ceremony where you'll receive a Buddhist monk's wishes of good luck and health, gaining a deeper understanding of Khmer culture. Afterward, climb into an ox cart for a short ride through the countryside.

Return to Siem Reap for a break to escape the midday heat before heading out again for a temple tuk-tuk tour. Begin at Ta Prohm, built between the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Its ruins are entwined with the forest's trees and vines and were featured in the "Tomb Raider" movies. The visit includes a trip to Banteay Kdei, a Buddhist monastery from the late 12th century, and Srah Srang, also known as the "pool of ablutions."

Day 10: Fly to Hanoi (Vietnam)

Head to the airport this morning for your flight to Vietnam's hectic capital, Hanoi. Your driver will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day exploring the labyrinthine streets of the Old Quarter by foot or on a traditional three-wheeled cyclo, passing a mix of temples, French colonial buildings, and Vietnamese tubular houses. 

The Old Quarter is a great place to experience Hanoi's world-famous street food. Try the famed Hanoian dish bun cha (noodle soup with grilled pork), sip on egg coffee, and visit the Trang Tien ice cream shop. End with a water puppet show, a Vietnamese art form that emerged in the Red River Delta region in the 11th century.

Day 11: Hanoi Full-Day City Tour

Tour Hanoi today, starting at the Temple of Literature. The temple was Vietnam's first university, established in 1076 to educate the country's royalty, mandarins, and elite. The university functioned for 700 years, and its gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a fascinating glimpse into Vietnam's past. Next, you'll visit Hanoi's UNESCO World Heritage Site, Thang Long Imperial Citadel. The Citadel was constructed on a Chinese fortress dating back to the seventh century and was rebuilt in the 11th century by the Ly Viet Dynasty. The historical site reflects a fusion between Chinese influences from the north and the ancient Kingdom of Champa in the south.

You'll also visit One Pillar Pagoda, founded by King Ly Thai To in 1049. This iconic temple lies in the Ho Chi Minh Complex, where Vietnam's revered revolutionary leader, Ho Chi Minh, lies embalmed in a mausoleum near the humble wooden stilt house where he once lived. Continue to West Lake, where you'll visit the sixth-century Tran Quoc Buddhist Pagoda and the Taoist temple Quan Thanh, dedicated to one of the principal deities in Taoism. 

The trip finishes in Hanoi's Old Quarter, known as the "36 streets" area. Take a walking tour of the charming Hang Be Market and Hoan Kiem Lake. This bustling area of narrow streets and alleys is home to thousands of small businesses, street vendors, and shopkeepers.

Day 12: Hanoi Street Food Tour

Discover the Hanoian street food culture with a walking tour today. Set off with a guide to the Old Quarter, where you'll sample a Vietnamese national dish, pho ga (chicken noodle soup). Stroll through a market to observe local life and then stop for some banh duc (steamed rice cakes with spices). Your next destination is a shop selling northern desserts like com cake (young rice), part of every Hanoian's childhood. 

Continue down a snaking alleyway, where your guide will tell you about Hanoi's tubular houses. You'll also visit Banh My Lan Ong to try their signature banh mi (French baguette with beef pâté). If you still have room, enjoy some Vietnamese che (dessert soups) and end with a cup of egg coffee before returning to your hotel.  

Day 13: Transfer to Ninh Binh, Explore

Today you'll head two hours north to Ninh Binh, a region loved for its ruined palaces and patchwork paddy fields bisected by snaking rivers. Your first stop is Hoa Lu, Vietnam's capital in the 10th and 11th centuries, which features decorative temples built in honor of former emperors like Dinh Tien Hoang of the Dinh Dynasty and Emperor Le Dai Hanh of the Le Dynasty. If there's time, walk up one of the limestone karst hills for spectacular views. 

After lunch, you'll take a boat trip through the watery landscape of Trang An, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. Float through four limestone grottoes and spot spiritual sites like Dia Linh Mountain among the dramatic karst scenery, which has earned the nickname "Ha Long Bay on land." Continue to the three-tiered Bich Dong Pagoda, home to cave temples filled with Buddhist statues and burning incense, then end the tour with a drive through the lush countryside surrounded by villages and limestone mountains.

Day 14: Transfer to Ha Long Bay, Overnight Cruise

This morning you'll take a shuttle bus to the northeast coast, where the land meets the Gulf of Tonkin, to begin your overnight tour of Ha Long Bay. Sail across the paper-flat waters of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, taking in views of over 2,000 limestone karsts steeped in Vietnamese legend. Look out for the iconic Kissing Rock, which appears on Vietnam's 200,000 dong note, and pass floating villages where fishermen and pearl farmers have lived on bobbing platforms for generations. 

A delicious seafood lunch onboard awaits, followed by plenty of time to sit on the sundeck as you sail to the most remote corners of Ha Long Bay. In the afternoon, stop at a secret cove where you can swim or kayak to isolated beaches and grottoes. The ship's expert chef will lead a cooking masterclass, teaching you to make specialties like nem (Vietnamese fried spring rolls) for dinner. Spend the evening relaxing or join the locals for a spot of night fishing to end the day. 

Day 15: Transfer to Hanoi, Depart

Wake early for breakfast on the ship's deck, watching the sun rise over the emerald waters of Ha Long Bay. The morning is yours to simply absorb the view or join in optional activities like swimming and kayaking. Sit down to brunch as you cruise back to Ha Long's harbor, where a shuttle bus will be waiting to drive you back to Hanoi for your onward flight. Safe travels!

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