Buddha park in Vietniane, Laos

Fabled Portraits of Myanmar & Southeast Asia Tour

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist

Countries Visited

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand

Places Visited

Bagan, Yangon, Bangkok, Luang Prabang...

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Suggested Duration

12 Days

Southeast Asia is dominated by the fables of old-world glory. Meditative chants in ornate sandstone pagodas, colonial cities stuck in time, holy World Heritage sites along the Mekong, temple ruins overtaken by the creep of jungle roots. This luxury itinerary connects the beads of Southeast Asia's treasured necklace. On your 12-day journey discover Southeast Asia's most iconic destinations, each enveloped in enchantment: Bagan, Yangon, Angkor Wat, Bangkok, and Luang Prabang.

Customizable Itinerary

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Trip Highlights

  • Marvel at the surrealism of Bagan, some 2,300 sandstone temples clustered beside the Irrawaddy River on a carpet of red earth
  • Explore the scope of Bagan from a hot air balloon, then from a regal horse and carriage
  • Immerse yourself in Asia's most intact colonial city, old Rangoon (now Yangon) offering evocative impressions of the early 20th century Raj
  • Wander through the jungle-clad temples of Angkor Wat, a strange lost world where nature meets the architectural ingenuity of distant centuries
  • Discover the exquisite relics of Bangkok, like the Emerald Buddha, Grand Palace, and Wat Po
  • Complete the itinerary in Luang Prabang, a living World Heritage site that breathes spirituality at every turn
  • Witness an alms ceremony, explore caves filled with Buddha statues, and lose yourself in the spirituality of Luang Prabang's temples

Detailed Description

Fables and fairytales fill the landscape of Southeast Asia to speak of monks that softly chant amidst the swirl of incense around the ancient pagodas. They speak of jungle roots that wrap themselves around magnificent temple ruins and of the faded charm found in colonial cities with the mystique that cascades from hilltop monasteries. Destinations blur the definitions of fiction, and they don't just present historical tales. They merge into the present, to take the traditions of a bygone era into an immersive experience for every visitor. A lost world juxtaposes with the here and now, demonstrated as a line of barefooted monks emerge from an 11th-century sandstone temple.

This unique itinerary connects the stories to explore five of Southeast Asia's most iconic destinations: the temples of Bagan and Angkor Wat, the relics of Bangkok, World Heritage spirituality in Luang Prabang, and the continent's finest colonial city, Yangon (formerly Rangoon). In just 12 days, capture the evocative essence of the region and visit its most exceptional and exquisite attractions. Each is different, a new slice of heritage and culture along the water. With the recent evolution of Asia's flight network, these once-distant destinations are easy to connect.

Spend your first days in Myanmar. Bagan baffles and overwhelms with over 2,000 ancient temples and pagodas to create a lost carpet of mystique. Only a few have been restored. Most stand in a redolent state of partial ruin, their treasures intact but crumbling slightly (this only adds to the fable). Buddhas sit serenely beside ancient murals, sculpted creatures guard temple entrances, and incense swirls beneath beautiful golden facades. Loose yourself in the lost realm as you travel by hot air balloon and horse carriage to the most untouched of the sites.

Yangon comes from a different time, and it's equally lost in its era. Colonial Rangoon reveals the remnants of the British Raj, the vibrant city lanes almost exclusively filled with carpets of architecture from the early 19th-century. Little has changed, and it feels as though you wander through a city that lives in the past; tea stalls, Indian markets, the senses absorbed at every angle. Bangkok lives in a different period of history and is undeniably modern, but a couple of outstanding attractions make this an unforgettable stop on a Southeast itinerary; the Grand Palace and the fabulous Wat Po.

Angkor Wat is Southeast Asia's second great temple complex (after Bagan), a large site of relics that have been overwhelmed by the jungle. The iconic attractions seem to come from a fictional narrative; roots clamber through ornate facades, moss-engulfed sculptures frozen in time, temples hide deep behind the green. Spend time here between Yangon and Bangkok before you complete the luxury itinerary in Luang Prabang, a serene and spiritual base on the Mekong River. This World Heritage site is alive with Buddhist ceremonies, majestic monasteries, and the spa indulgence found in the remote hills of Asia. All the destinations are connected by flights and specialist guides accompany you in each of the locations. 

Starting Price

$3,115 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

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