Cultural Explorer's Dream 17-Day Tour of Thailand and Vietnam

Thailand’s mountainous city’s former imperial glory and sweeping landscapes dazzle visitors, and there is a wealth to see and do in and around the Lanna Kingdom’s old-world crown jewel Chiang Mai. Cultural explorers flock to the northern hills to travel off the beaten path and find many marvelous hidden heritage gems among the rising countryside. The city itself will seduce your cultural senses from the moment you arrive and transfer to your accommodation around the corner from Old City’s highlights. You may spend your evening acclimating to your home away from home and tucking into authentic northern Thai cuisine.

The morning is yours at leisure, and you may follow the scintillating scents of Khmer cuisine enveloping the old districts of Chiang Mai. After a self-guided galavant and lunch, you will join an experienced tour guide to visit the famed temples of northern Thailand. Wat Phra Singh hosts an array of Buddhist images dating back centuries and its emblematic Lanna artwork recounts spiritual stories of saffron-robed monks wandering the hilly surroundings. The Wat Chedi Luang once showcased the Emerald Buddha and Wat Chiang Man houses the Crystal Buddha, great Thai treasures that will typify your temple pilgrimage.

The jungles in Chiang Mai are teeming with wildlife and they span enormous portions of the northern hills bordering Myanmar and Laos. Within the countryside, you will stumble upon colorful villages preserving their ancient generational roots, spiritual complexes built on the summits, and sanctuaries protecting the abundance of indigenous creatures and the environments they thrive in. Today, you may visit an ethical elephant sanctuary where the gentle giants are sheltered from harm. Your instructors will teach you about the conservation of these sacred creatures while you play with, bathe, and feed them.

Food embodies culture, and there is no better way to immerse yourself in That heritage than through the delectable flavors of Chiang Mai’s regional dishes. You will transfer to a culinary school set against a beautiful garden backdrop and your chef will chaperone you to an authentic Thai market to pick up essential ingredients. You will wander the rows of vendors to stalls that sell locally-grown produce for next to nothing. Upon returning, you will prepare a collection of classic Khmer dishes and savor them around the table together as your chef shares insightful culinary tips and tricks.

Chiang Rai is Chiang Mai’s less-visited sister city in the prolific northern Thai jungles that, although smaller, is a cultural explorer's dream destination for its rich heritage and stunning highlights off the beaten path. You will road trip through the mountains and capture professional photography of the breathtaking countryside as you ascend forested peaks and dip down into proliferating riverines. The famous White Temple, Wat Rong Khun, is a surreal pitstop en route that displays contemporary spiritual sculptures within a white-washed Hindu and Buddhist complex featuring meticulous carvings, manicured lawns, and a tranquil lake.

Chiang Rai is a gateway to the untouched mountain forests of northern Thailand, and you will head deeper into the evergreen hills on a guided tour up to the scenic peak of Mae Salong mountain in the Shan Highlands to a historic tea plantation. Boasting immaculate 360-degree views of Thailand’s overgrown northern mountains and sharing the fruits of the local labor in the exquisite steamy teas unique to the plantation, you will be completely absorbed on the summits of Shan. In the afternoon, you will learn about the region’s rural culture at the Akha, Yao, and Lisu hill-tribe villages.

In the morning, you will join your guide and set off to visit Southeast Asia’s famous Golden Triangle. The convergence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers forming the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar once served as an opium trading route and the history of the Opium War remains preserved in the Golden Triangle Park Hall of Opium. After your visit, you will fly to one of the busiest cities in Southeast Asia, Bangkok. The glamorous mix of contemporary charms and traditional allure will hypnotize you as you transfer from the international airport to your accommodation in the city center.

The Chao Phraya River is an enormous waterway that dissects the city of Bangkok and acts as the primary commerce route and tourism getaway to the wonders of Thailand’s capital. Today, you will board a wooden longtail boat and gently row down the narrow canals that branch off the river. The sparkling water roads will lead you to the porcelain spires of Wat Arun, the Grand Palace’s royal complex, and the resting place of the revered Emerald Buddha statue, Wat Phra Kaew. You may also visit the giant golden Reclining Buddha statue of Wat Pho during your Bangkok temple tour.

Today, you will cycle through small communities where local craftspeople and food vendors work tirelessly to make ends meet. Your adventure will continue to a ferry on which you will cross the Chao Phraya River to access the shaded trails of Bangkok’s “Green Lungs.” The man-made nature reserve island showcases the city’s officials’ desires to right the pollution wrongs of the past as well as provide visitors with a quiet and comfortable wilderness within the city to escape in for the day. You will pedal past coconut trees and serene water features to restaurants built amongst the thriving canopy.

Khao Yai National Park is a dream wilderness destination boasting impressive hiking trails beneath the towering treeline, thousands of indigenous creatures living amongst the greenery, and crashing waterfalls thundering into deep pools. You will escape to a gorgeous accommodation nestled in the forest where you may spend the evening reconnecting with nature. Whether trekking, wildlife spotting, or lounging around the pool, you will find immense pleasure in the peace and quiet of the park and fall asleep to the symphonies of nature tonight.

There’s nothing quite like waking up to the soothing sounds of birds chirping, gibbons howling, and the wind rustling through the trees in the untamed forests of Khao Yai National Park. You will treasure a tantalizing breakfast as colorful-winged creatures fly between the trees, monkeys hang and leap from the branches, and flowers seem to bloom right before your eyes. Enjoy a morning in paradise before you transfer to the airport for your flight to the cultural cosmopolitan capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi.

Hanoi is not only jam-packed with locals and foreigners shuffling along crowded streets beneath towering skyscrapers, but the city is also a jumping-off point for Vietnam’s northern wilderness wonderlands. Your transfer will meet you in your hotel lobby after breakfast and escort you to the remote Mai Chau valley, a patchwork of golden rice paddies, traditional rural villages, and sensational sun-kissed landscapes that you will be besotted with from the second you leave the busy borders of Hanoi. You will also trace back 700 years of history in Lac through cultural performances and cuisine prepared by the locals.

Few words can capture the surreal majesty of Hạ Long Bay, a collection of ancient karst islands that rise from the depths of the turquoise ocean. You will glide across the shimmering waters on a guided cruise today and spend the evening lulled to sleep by the bobbing waves. Your voyage through Hạ Long Bay will reveal the beauty of Southeast Asia’s oceanic pearl destination, showcase the modest and magnificent charms of rural Vietnamese fishing villages, and highlight the historic grandeur of the isle’s carved limestone caves. Snorkeling, kayaking, and village tours only scratch the surface of your seaside experiences.

Wake up, step onto your balcony, and feel the warmth of the sun as it washes the deck and dances off the historic rock formations. You may partake in a rewarding tai chi session before breakfast and spend the rest of your day slowly soaking up the pleasures of being out at sea in the world’s most magnificent garden of islands. In the afternoon, you will return to shore and transfer to Ninh Binh for a tour of Vietnam’s largest temple, Bai Dinh Temple. Enjoy sunset atop the lofty viewpoint before you visit the thirteen-tier pagoda of Chau Bai Dinh.

The wonders of Ninh Binh will come to life during forest walks, pagoda tours, and river cruises from the ancient capital of Hoa Lu to the complex network of emerald valleys and gleaming water caves, Tràng An Grottoes. Both stops during your cultural excursion will highlight the harmonious blend of man and nature in Vietnam typified by the mountain-built temples that hem the forestscape to the trading canal routes weaving through the highlands. The birds will sing, goats will graze, and water will ripple as you adventure in the viridian region of Ninh Binh.

You will wake up early and join your guide for a city highlights tour that begins on the banks of the tranquil Hoàn Kiếm Lake. You will see Tortoise Tower sitting on the water, cherish peaceful moments strolling the grounds, and then partake in a half-hour cyclo tour of Old Quarter’s cultural gems. From authentic eateries to boutique crafts stores, Vietnamese customs and traditions dress the district with history. Fascinating spiritual sites including the Trấn Quốc Pagoda and One Pillar Pagoda will blow you away before you reach the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and witness a traditional Water Puppet Show.

Your final morning in Hanoi may be fast-paced or slow, depending on how eager you are to spend your last moments delving into the city’s distinct Vietnamese culture. After breakfast, you may take a stroll through the neighborhood to browse colorful curio stores and scan the markets for authentic Vietnamese cuisine. You will wallow in the spirited atmosphere as you take a gander at the hidden secrets of Hanoi. Afterward, you will return to your lobby to collect your luggage and transfer to the airport for your flight home.