Icons of Asia One-Week Immersive Itinerary

Beautiful autumn colors surround Kuang Si Waterfall in Luang Prabang, Laos.

What to expect on this itinerary

Explore Asia in style and connect a series of astonishing highlights, from Angkor to Luang Prabang, during this 1-week getaway. Handcrafted with luxurious hotels and expert guides, this private tour is filled with intimate experiences that will help you fully experience the continent’s wonders. From night markets to elephants, a monk’s blessing to hill tribes and unknown temples, you will avoid the tour groups and savor very personal moments in this incredible corner of the world.

Countries Visited

Cambodia, Laos, Thailand

Places Visited

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang, Siem Reap

Suggested Duration

8 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Bangkok – Atmospheric Markets

Bangkok beguiles visitors and is far more fascinating than its initial impression may suggest. Upon your arrival, you will be greeted at the airport and transferred to a five-star hotel. Early check-in will be arranged, so you can spend the day resting after your flight from the rooftop pool or maybe in the spa. Then, with a private guide, you can nestle into the city’s sublime mix of old and new. Chiang Mai is where you will really uncover traditional culture, so today will be more of an introduction to all the extravagant design and the culture. After a brief tour of the iconic sites, you will journey into Bangkok for an evening at a night market.

What's Included:

Tour
Accommodation
Transfer
Day 2

Chiang Mai – An Intimate Temple Experience

Day 3

Chiang Mai – Thailand’s Hill Tribes

Day 4

Luang Prabang – A World Heritage City

Day 5

Luang Prabang – Elephants and Black Bears

Day 6

Siem Reap – An Afternoon at Angkor Wat

Day 7

Siem Reap – The Highlights of Wider Angkor

Day 8

Siem Reap – Departure

Trip Highlights

  • Immerse yourself in the delights of Luang Prabang, which is an old-world city that provides a stunning perspective on Asia’s history
  • Explore the details of Angkor Wat during an afternoon dedicated to discovering Asia’s architectural wonders
  • Savor intimate and personal temple experiences in Chiang Mai, which is Thailand’s cultural hub
  • Get up close and personal with elephants and Asiatic black bears at a jungle wildlife sanctuary in Laos
  • Uncover the vast highlights of Angkor and visit up to a dozen different temples, including many that lie off the beaten path
  • Spend an afternoon with a Karen community near Chiang Mai, which is one of Thailand’s most cherished tribal groups
  • Discover the atmospheric wonders and grand architecture of Bangkok, including a food lover’s night market
  • Enjoy rejuvenating and peaceful spa experiences that provide a break from the bustle of the city

Detailed Description

Ancient temples soar above the luscious jungle, and their sculpted features are imbued with the details of yesteryear. Markets bustle with smells and sounds, and serenity reigns over temples and spas, which are idyllic places to take a moment and reflect on a continent’s wonder. One week is not enough to witness all of Asia, but many of the continent’s hidden highlights are neatly packaged into this private tour. Covering three countries and four destinations, this tour is a perfect blend of Asia’s contrasting experiences. With expert private guides that will guide you throughout your journey, you will be able to avoid the noisy tour groups and to savor a very personal collection of authentic experiences.

After landing in Bangkok, you will have a day to explore a variety of highlights, from local markets to the city’s grand design and contemporary display. Chiang Mai is Thailand’s cultural hub and also possesses the best spas in Asia. Therefore, you can expect an intimate spa experience after exploring the temples on day two. The following morning, you will explore more old-world Buddhism before a day trip to the hills, where a tribal Karen community will welcome you into their community before teaching you about their way of life. These three days in Thailand will be followed by a short flight to Luang Prabang, which is the region’s most evocative and unchanged old city.

Two nights are essential here because Luang Prabang’s atmosphere is magical after dark, which is when the temple-laden streets are softly lit and pedestrianized. On day four, you can discover the key highlights and develop a strong sense of Laotian heritage. The surrounding jungle will provide superb wildlife experiences on day five, while elephants and Asiatic black bears provide a different side to your travels in Asia. Then, after another direct flight, you will explore Angkor in style. Angkor Wat will be your highlight of day six before you explore the wider Angkor area on day seven. That is three countries, seven days, and an endless amount of local experiences along the way.

Starting Price

$5,200 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

The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.

4.8

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 857 reviews

Thailand Travel Review: Krabi, Chiang Mai, Elephant Sanctuary, 2-Week Trip

Zicasso’s travel agency was a phenomenal agency to work with. They were professional, attentive, easily accessible, and very informative. They went above and beyond in making our trip go as smooth as possible, including easy airport transfers and directions. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone traveling to Thailand!

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Thailand Travel Review: Excellent Drivers, Guides, 3 Weeks

We had a wonderfully planned three-week trip throughout Thailand. The guides and drivers were excellent and always on time. We learned so much about Thailand. The excursions and hotels were very nice and well planned. We would definitely recommend using Zicasso’s travel agency.

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Vietnam, Thailand Tour Review: Mekong Delta, Chiang Mai, Ha Long Bay, Koh Samui, Hoi An, Cooking Class, Elephant Sanctuary, 3-Week Trip

Jon and I want Zicasso’s travel specialist to know how much we enjoyed and benefitted from the wonderful itinerary, great seats on domestic flights, caring and thoughtful tour guides, and more. What a great trip!

We spent three weeks in Vietnam and Thailand. The highlight of the trip was the wonderful guides and the unique itinerary. Great care was taken to arrive at destinations before the crowds and fast-track entrance with a personal guide with knowledge of the culture and history.

With six domestic flights throughout Vietnam and Thailand, we experienced the best of both countries. We loved the cooking classes and elephant sanctuary. Thank you for taking such good care of us.

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Thailand, Vietnam Trip Review: Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Hoi An, Ha Long Bay, Krabi, Elephant Sanctuary, Motorbike Tour, 2 Weeks

It was the best vacation ever!!! Zicasso’s travel specialist and the team made traveling halfway around the world to six locations in two countries seamless and a spectacular experience at every turn! Ten stars for all of your efforts to make this a very special experience for my wife and me.

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Thailand Vacation Review: Bangkok, Food Tour, Kayaking, Waterfall Hikes, 2 Weeks

Initially, I was hesitant to plan a private trip to Thailand, as we have always used organized, small-group tours. Since we were traveling as a family group of five adults, each with a very different agenda, I figured it was worth looking into. Zicasso was great and provided three itineraries, but it was one travel specialist who really listened to what we wanted and provided what turned out to be an absolutely perfect experience.

The whole itinerary was so well thought out. Days with heavy physical activities were balanced with a calmer day following. The itinerary was arranged to accommodate specific markets and events we wanted to experience. Our travel specialist or a team member checked in with us every night to let us know pick-up times and the names of our drivers and guides. Choosing hotels alone can be a daunting task and the travel specialist made great choices for us, with our floating hotel in Thailand being an absolute highlight.

As a traveler, I have learned to expect the unexpected and be flexible, yet this trip went perfectly, from communication to airport pick-ups to the guides and the itinerary itself. We were able to enjoy Thailand and our time together without any of the stress that usually accompanies a trip like this. The only thing that could have made this experience better would have been if we could have stayed longer.

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Vietnam, Cambodia Tour Review: Danang, Cooking Class, Hot Springs, 20 Days

We want to thank Zicasso’s travel specialist for a fantastic and educational trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. The travel specialist created a well-designed trip based on our request. We requested small boutique hotels and they hit the spot on every one. They were well located, had comfortable rooms, and friendly, helpful staff, as well as great restaurants.

Our guides were experts in their areas and added their personal experiences to give us a more local feeling for what we were going to see and what we saw every day. All our guides were on time and met us at every airport and hotel with clear signs so we could see them. Three of our guides spoke excellent English, could communicate easily, and were easy to understand. One guide did not have strong English and at times needed to repeat himself many times for us to understand. His knowledge was not as strong as the others, but that could have been due to his ability to express himself well in English. He was still good, but just not on the same level as the other three. All of them were flexible, so if we decided to end the day earlier, they would discuss with us what options we had to get to what we missed the next day. One guide even took us to his parents’ house for tea and to a natural hot spring because the weather turned cold quickly and it would have been cold touring that day.

All of the drivers were courteous and helpful, getting our bags in and out of the van and into our hotels. The vans were all clean and gassed up. They also drove safely in the crazy traffic in Vietnam.

All of the restaurants we ate at were wonderful, and the guides explained what we were eating and how it is prepared. We had two fantastic cooking classes that were well laid out and taught us to cook many Vietnamese foods.

We had daily communication from one of the staff members, who checked in to ensure we were happy with how everything was going.

We only had one issue that happened because of our understanding and the travel company’s understanding of our request to have some e-bike opportunities. The guides didn't really know how to explain their meaning the day before we had an e-bike experience. In the US, the meaning is a pedal bike with a battery-assist motor. Their meaning is an electric scooter. Only one of the group had ever ridden a motorcycle, so we had to spend a lot of time getting the other three comfortable riding them in heavy traffic. They ended up having the van follow behind us to slow down the traffic. It ended up being OK, but everyone was a little stressed out because of the heavy traffic. We canceled another e-bike experience and just used the van to get us around.

We also need to thank all the staff we didn't meet or talk to, but who were behind the scenes doing all the work to make this another wonderful trip with Zicasso.

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Customizable Itinerary

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

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