Journeys: Discover Southeast Asia

Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included. Upon arrival you will be transferred to the hotel. There are no activities planned until the evening welcome meeting. You are free to relax, explore the city, and adjust to the frantic pace of Bangkok.

Included Experiences

• Airport Transfer: Upon arrival at the airport, head to the arrival hall and go to gate number 4 near the airport information counter. Look for a driver holding a G Adventures sign with your name, who'll take you to your hotel so you can check in and start exploring.
• Welcome Moment - Meet Your Expedition Leader and Group: Your opportunity to meet your National Geographic Expedition Leader and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.

Set out to explore the Thai capital. Board a traditional klong boat for a ride along the city’s winding canals, gliding past quaint temples, modern skyscrapers, and houses perched above the water. Then explore the gardens, and courtyards of the dazzling Grand Palace, once the official residence of the Thai royal family, and gaze upon the sacred statue of the Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaew. Later, catch a flight to Chiang Mai. Settle into exquisite surroundings in Chiang Mai and take a relaxing break from the fast pace of Bangkok.

Included Experiences

• Klong Riverboat Tour: Travel by longtail boat on the busy Chao Phraya River and through the small canals of western Bangkok's Thonburi district. Observe colourful scenes of everyday life along the river banks.
• Grand Palace Visit: Visit the King’s official residence (made up of many buildings, halls, lawns, gardens, and courtyards) on the banks of the Chao Phraya River and see the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Please note the cost of this optional activity does not include the entrance fee.
• Plane: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

Delve into the bustle of Chiang Mai’s morning markets with a local chef, and learn about colourful fruits and fragrant herbs as you select ingredients for a Thai cooking class. Enjoy your creation for lunch, then set out to visit a historic temple. Gain profound insights into daily life and core Buddhist principles through a conversation with a Theravada monk, an alumnus of the International Buddhist University, Sri Lanka, and a respected teacher of Buddhism and meditation at a renowned international center in Chiang Mai. Later, clear your mind to the chanting of monks at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of the most spectacular gilded temples in Thailand. Monk Chats are a great cultural exchange, but is also important in helping the young Monks improve their English.

Included Experiences

• Cooking Class: Pick out the best ingredients at a local market and learn how to make delicious Thai dishes.
• Doi Suthep Temple Visit: Visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a golden Buddhist temple outside of Chiang Mai on the Mt Doi Suthep. Climb 300 steps to reach the temple and be rewarded with an unforgettable view. Admire the many Buddhist relics at this sacred temple and visit the white elephant shrine. Legend has it that the location of the temple was chosen after a white elephant carried a relic to the mountain and trumpeted three times before dying on the spot. Also, with a little luck, you may witness the chanting of the monks.
• Meet with Monks: Visit a Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai's Suthep district. Engage in an informal conversation with a teaching monk at an international meditation center in Chiang Mai. Discuss Theravadha Buddhism and monastic life. These sessions offer a unique opportunity for personal reflection and a deeper connection to the ancient wisdom of Buddhism.

Optional Experiences

• Street Food Walk at Chiang Mai Night Market: Pick up a a souvenir at this shopper's paradise. Wander through the market to find music, food, and local artists selling handmade crafts.

Spend a full day exploring Chiang Mai’s temples and forested hills on your own, or choose between a variety of optional activities. Opt to take a cycling tour through verdant rice paddies and the elegant historic district. This evening, visit a village outside of the city for a khantok-style dinner, served on low pedestal trays, and chat with your hosts about life in rural Thailand. Later, choose to visit Chiang Mai’s vibrant night market. The Khantok dinner is a must-do when you reach northern Thailand. Khantok in the Northern dialect means a wooden tray used for carrying dishes, round in shape, made of teak wood. The host will invite guests to sit on the floor around the khantok. The main dishes on the khantok usually include sticky rice, hang-le curry (Burmese-styled curry), and some chili-pasted crispy pork. After, enjoy tea time with the opportunity to talk with local people to learn their way of living.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Opt to visit local handicraft workshops and the bustling Chiang Mai night market.
• Traditional Thai Home Dinner: Visit a village outside Chiang Mai and sit down to an authentic Khantoke dinner in the home of a local family. Dishes typically include sticky rice, hang-le curry, and crispy pork with chilli paste. Over tea, learn about life in rural Thailand and visit the family garden to learn about herbs and spices popular in local cooking.

Optional Experiences

• Chiang Mai Cycling Tour: This Chiang Mai half-day ride takes you on a memorable tour of the countryside's most interesting sights. You'll go beyond the city to see local Buddhist temples, markets, organic farms, rice paddy fields and more. Get a sense of how the locals live, stop when you want for photos, and check out the nature along the city's main river, the Ping.
• Street Food Walk at Chiang Mai Night Market: Pick up a a souvenir at this shopper's paradise. Wander through the market to find music, food, and local artists selling handmade crafts.

Fly to Luang Prabang, a leafy Laotian city nestled at the meeting point of the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers. Take an orientation walk of the beautiful, UNESCO World Heritage-listed town, strolling past traditional wooden Buddhist temples and elegant French colonial buildings.

Included Experiences

• Plane: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
• Orientation with Expedition Leader: Enjoy a brief walk with your Expedition Leader. He/she will give you some tips on finding things like supermarkets, main squares, and ATMs. For more specific or in-depth information, an official guided tour is recommended.

Rise at dawn to observe the daily almsgiving ritual, when Buddhist monks walk through the streets collecting offerings of food from the local residents in exchange for blessings. Then visit the National Museum—formerly the Royal Palace—to see the golden Phra Bang Buddha statue for which the city is named; and explore the resplendent Wat Xieng Thong, one of Luang Pragang’s largest and most historic temples. Later, hop on a boat and float down the Mekong to the caves of Pak Ou, a religious site that harbours thousands of Buddha sculptures within its limestone chambers.

Included Experiences

• Royal Palace Museum Visit: The ornate rooms of this royal palace-turned-museum house the country’s crown jewels, many religious artifacts, and a 50kg (110 lb) Buddha, cast of gold, silver and bronze. Gifts from visiting heads of state are on display, as are the beautiful silk screens crafted by the Queen.
• Wat Xien Thong Visit: Once a royal temple where Kings were crowned, the importance of this 16th-century Buddhist temple as a religious monastery is not lost on visitors. Wat Xieng Thong stands resplendent among shrines, pavilions, chapels, towers and gardens, and its gilded wooden doors, mosaics, and ceiling displays are representative of typical Laos art and craft.
• Boat: Climb aboard and get your float on.
• Pak Ou Caves Visit: Visit these dramatic caves considered an important spiritual site by many Lao people. See thousands of Buddha statues and images that line the limestone walls.

Spend the early morning at leisure before venturing into the lush countryside to visit a G for Good sponsored project in the Baan Ou community. Enjoy this special time to connect with women who are empowered to actively participate and lead in tourism activities, including; demonstrating the making of Laos rice noodles, weaving, and providing authentic meal experiences. After lunch, continue to Kuang Si Waterfall–relax by the tiered limestone pools and take a refreshing dip in the turquoise waters. This evening, choose to visit Luang Prabang’s bustling night market with the National Geographic Expedition Leader.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Visit centuries-old temples, the historic centre, nearby parks and waterfalls. Don’t miss the chance to witness an alms giving ceremony.
• Meal with Local Baan Ou Community: Enjoy a delicious meal with the local Baan Ou Community. Learn about Laotian cuisine and life in Luang Prabang. Start the visit with a welcome drink and a brief introduction to the village before a Baci Welcome ceremony. Then walk through the village and visit the noodle house and weaving house. Sit down for a lunch prepared by a group of women in the community.
• Kuang Si Waterfalls Excursion: Journey to this magnificent tiered waterfall, where relaxing is highly recommended. Opt for a dip in the turquoise waters and explore multiple picture-perfect pools, framed by the jungle landscape.

Optional Experiences

• Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre Entry: Take an independent tour of the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) to learn about the traditional arts and cultures of Laos’s many diverse ethnic groups. Shop in the TAEC Boutique for authentic village-made handicrafts and relax with a drink at the museum café.
• Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre Visit: Visit Ock Pop Tok "East Meets West" Living Crafts Centre on the banks of the Mekong River to learn from artisans about Laos handicrafts and the importance of woven textiles in Laos culture. Wander around the grounds for free, for opt to enjoy a drink in the cafe, join a workshop, or take an audio tour.
• Night Market Visit: Shop until your heart’s content at the night market in Luang Prabang – one of the best in Southeast Asia. Head to the market around dusk. Tour the vendor stalls lining the streets offering food, wooden statues, clothes, trinkets and souvenirs to dozens of people wandering up and down the market. Don't miss the opportunity to interact with the sellers and gently negotiate a good price.

Enjoy some free time in Luang Prabang before catching a late afternoon flight to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Get out and explore this picturesque city with some free time.
• Plane: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

Begin the day with a visit to the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, one of Vietnam’s most influential political leaders. Afterward, transfer to Ha Long Bay, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from serene, turquoise waters. Settle into your cabin on a traditional-style wooden boat or junk boat, where we’ll spend the night, and embark on a cruise of Bai Tu Long Bay or Ha Long Bay (depending on boat availability). Continue to glide around the bay’s stunning karst formations, and explore with our local guide. This traditional wooden sailing boat offers a unique way of navigating the limestone karsts of Ha Long Bay with all the comforts of a motorized, floating hotel. The boat crew will prepare an included seafood lunch and dinner. All cabins are twin share and have an en-suite bathroom. The boat features an enclosed dining and sitting area and of course plenty of outside deck space to enjoy your beautiful surroundings.

Included Experiences

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Guided Tour: Take a guided tour of the mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed body is housed in a glass case. During seasonal closures (see below), visit the Presidential Palace grounds for a short guided tour. Note: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is open until 11:00am and closed on Monday and Friday. Entry is dependent on what time the group arrives in Hanoi. The mausoleum will be close for 2 months every year for maintenance. It's usually from June 16th - August 16th every year, but this can vary.
• Ha Long Bay Overnight Junk boat Cruise: Cruise through the stunning bay. Relax on board our comfortable traditional wooden junk boat. Enjoy your time afloat eating fresh seafood, admiring the magnificent karst formations, and exploring. Spend a peaceful night anchored in the bay under the stars.

Optional Experiences

• Kayaking: Transfer from boat to kayak in this guided water tour, giving you the chance to get even closer to the stunning natural surroundings.

Return to land and head back to Hanoi. Enjoy lunch at KymViet, a G Adventures–supported program that teaches stitching and sewing skills to local people with disabilities. Learn about KymViet meeting with the staff and make a small handicraft. Then set out to discover Hanoi’s lively Old Quarter on a cyclo, a three-wheel bicycle taxi, whizzing past vendors hawking all manner of trinkets and roadside chefs cooking up sizzling street eats.

Included Experiences

• Kym Viet Local Enterprise Visit: Visit the staff and team at KymViet, a local enterprise supported by G Adventures. KymViet is a community organization that helps people with disabilities learn real life skills and create their own dignified source of income. With a focus on stitching and sewing, their team members lead travelers on handicraft workshops to make high quality products like stuffed animals and home decorations. Learn about the organization while having a regional refreshment, learning some sign language and enjoy a delicious lunch.
• Kym Viet Craft & Lunch: Connect with some local people in Hanoi and make your very own souvenir to bring home during our visit to KymViet, a social enterprise supported by G Adventures. We’ll be welcomed with a regional beverage, meet the staff and learn about the KymViet story. Under their guidance, local people with disabilities have been trained in stitching and sewing. While there we’ll each make our own stuffed animals, getting to know our hosts and learning some sign language. We’ll have a delicious lunch before touring the property to get to know the organization even better. Before we leave, enjoy a visit to their cafe where we can buy snacks and other souvenirs made by the team members at Kym Viet.
• Hanoi Cyclo Tour: Take a seat on a cyclo for a tour of Hanoi’s lively Old Quarter. Let the driver navigate through the bustling streets and start taking some photos or just use the tour to help get familiar with the area.
• Free Time: Head to dynamic Hang Gai Street or the night market for some evening shopping.

Optional Experiences

• Vietnamese Women's Museum: The Vietnamese Women's Museum highlights the significant contributions made by women in Vietnam. Take in an independent tour of the museum to gain an in-depth knowledge of women's role in Vietnamese culture, with a key focus on family, history and fashion.
• Hanoi Foodie Culture Tour: Indulge your inner foodie with a street food tour through bustling Hanoi. Follow your guide through the back streets and markets of the city’s old quarter, sampling local fare along the way. Mingle with city natives and experienced street food artists alike, as you taste a variety of Hanoi faves like “nem ran” and “banh goi.” Stop at a streetside bar to savour a draught beer like Hanoians do. Cap off the tour at the Hanoi Food Culture restaurant, a G Values Fund Project, and try the city’s signature specialty coffee.
• Hoa Lo Prison Entry: Independently tour the museum of Hoa Lo Prison, referred to as Hanoi Hilton by American prisoners, to learn more about the Vietnam War.
• Temple of Literature Entry: Visit this sprawling temple built to honour Confucius, sages, and scholars. Dedicated to learning, it housed the country’s first university in 1076. Independently explore its five courtyards, containing various gates, altars, sanctuaries, shrines, the stelae of doctors, and the Well of Heavenly Clarity.
• Fine Arts Museum: Wander through the Fine Arts Museum, where you’ll find over 20,000 works of art housed in a former French colonial boarding school. Stand before some of Vietnam’s National Treasures, immerse yourself in traditional folk art, find sculptures inspired by deities or admire intricate lacquer and silk paintings you won’t find anywhere else.
• Museum of Ethnology Visit: Learn about Vietnam’s various ethnic groups on this visit to the Museum of Ethnology – considered to be the finest modern museum in Vietnam.

Fly to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, and absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of this bustling metropolis on a cyclo tour. Later, opt to delve into the colourful aisles of Ben Thanh Market, known for an abundance of food stalls as well as shops selling handicrafts, textiles, jewelry, and electronics; and try your hand at bargaining.

Included Experiences

• Plane: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
• Ho Chi Minh City Cyclo Tour: Take a city tour on a cyclo (cycle rickshaw) – a great way to absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of Ho Chi Minh City while keeping your hands free for that camera action.

Optional Experiences

• Benh Tan Market Visit: Wander the bustling aisles of this energetic market known for its abundance of dried and fresh produce, jewelry, textiles, liquor, and tobacco products. Be fancy (and efficient) and have a one-day suit made. Feel free to bargain!

Venture to the legendary Cu Chi tunnels, a network of underground passageways that provided a base for Viet Cong soldiers during the Vietnam War. Visit underground hospitals and ammunition stores, and learn about the vital role that the tunnels played in the eventual victory of the North. Later, visit the War Remnants Museum, a powerful reminder of the atrocities committed during the Vietnam War. Choose to take a tour of the Reunification Palace, the site which marked the end of the war.

Included Experiences

• Cu Chi Tunnels Guided Tour: Take a guided tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels, a complex network of tunnels that the Viet Cong lived in to protect themselves from opposing forces during the Vietnam War. Try crawling through some of the tunnels (if you’re not claustrophobic). These tunnels stored ammunition, had underground hospitals, and served as a hidden base for attacking allied forces.
• War Remnants Museum Visit: Visit the War Remnants Museum, a gut-wrenching but worthwhile experience that includes three storeys of exhibits and military hardware. Learn about the devastation that occurred in Saigon during the Vietnam War, a period that greatly contrasts the joy and liveliness of the Vietnamese people today.
• Free Time: Shop at the Ben Thanh Market, tour the city by cyclo, or boat down the Saigon river.

Optional Experiences

• Reunification Palace Visit: Wander the historic halls of the Reunification Palace (Independence Palace), a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City. This former home of the South Vietnamese president during the Vietnam War became the location of the end of the war when a North Vietnamese tank pushed through the palace gates on April 30, 1975.

Fly to Phnom Penh and explore the eclectic Cambodian capital on a cyclo tour. Pedal along the tree-lined riverfront past some of the city’s main sights, including the French colonial post office and the gleaming Royal Palace, where the king of Cambodia still resides.

Included Experiences

• Plane: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
• Phnom Penh Cyclo Tour: Settle in a traditional cyclo and depart from Wat Phnom. Tour busy streets to soak up the real vibe of the city. Pass the post office and Van's restaurant, both stunning colonial buildings, and make your way to the Royal Palace and National Museum. Go along the riverside road and take in the atmospheric cafes that line the street.

Today, we spend time learning about Cambodia’s tragic 20th-century past, visiting sites that commemorate the “killing fields” of the Khmer Rouge—a brutal regime that ruled the country from 1975 to 1979. Pay your respects to victims of the Cambodian genocide at the haunting Choeung Ek Memorial; and visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high-security prison where nearly 17,000 people were tortured and incarcerated during the Khmer Rouge’s years in power.

Included Experiences

• Tuol Sleng Museum (S-21 Prison) Guided Tour: Learn about the dark history and devastation that occurred at Security Prison 21 (S-21); the prison, used by the Khmer Rouge regime, is now Tuol Sleng Museum. Take a guided tour to hear the stories behind the sombre photos lining the museum walls.
• Choeung Ek (Killing Fields) Guided Tour: Learn more about the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge visiting the killing fields of Choeung Ek; the grounds now stand as a powerful memorial filled with victims’ skulls and mass graves. Tour this sombre, yet serene, site with a guide.

Optional Experiences

• Royal Palace Visit: Visit the King’s current dwelling place, a magnificent riverside palace with classic Khmer architecture. Dress appropriately please; visitors must wear clothing that covers knees and shoulders, and shirts must reach the elbow.
• Silver Pagoda Visit: Tour the Royal Palace complex to see the neighboring Silver Pagoda (aka the Temple of the Emerald Buddha). See the many magnificent treasures inside this beautiful vihara (Buddhist monastery), including its floor lined with more 5,000 tiles of silver.
• National Museum Visit: Wander the galleries of the National Museum to see amazing works of art from Cambodia's "golden age" of Angkor. Visit the museum’s lovely courtyard before you leave.

Drive to Siem Reap—the gateway to mystical Angkor. Take an orientation walk through the entertainment district and visit one of the city’s exciting night markets, an open-air maze of neon-lit stalls selling a kaleidoscopic array of products.

Included Experiences

• Night Market Visit: A neighbourhood unto itself, Siem Reap’s night market is lively with shoppers exploring more than 240 hut shops selling souvenirs, artwork, and clothing.
• Orientation with Expedition Leader: Enjoy a brief walk with your Expedition Leader. He/she will give you some tips on finding things like supermarkets, main squares, and ATMs. For more specific or in-depth information, an official guided tour is recommended.

Spend the day exploring the ruins of Angkor, the magnificent 12th-century capital of the Khmer Empire. Wake early to watch the sunrise over the spires of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument ever built, and wander through the city’s mystical courtyards and jungle-covered temples with an expert local guide. Stop for a typical Khmer lunch at the New Hope Cambodia vocational training restaurant, a G Adventures–supported initiative that provides hospitality training to unemployed youth. This evening, we’ll enjoy a performance at a Cambodian circus, another social enterprise aimed at uplifting underprivileged young adults.

Included Experiences

• Angkor Wat Guided Tour: Enjoy a tour of the impressive ancient ruins with a local guide. Explore magnificent Angkor Wat temple--Visit the enigmatic faces of Bayon within the walled city of Angkor Thom, and tour Ta Prohm (aka the "Tomb Raider" temple), which is slowly being swallowed by the jungle.
• Tuk-Tuk: Scoot quickly around the big cities inside a three-wheeled mini-taxi.
• New Hope Vocational Training Restaurant: Enjoy a traditional meal of Khmer food at the New Hope Vocational Training Restaurant, an initiative kickstarted by G Adventures. Providing skill-building opportunities to marginalized community members, the project also funds the adjacent free community school and health centre. Visit the restaurant run by locals and see how the New Hope project has supported positive change in the community.
• Free Time: Take some time to explore this lively town on your own. This evening, opt to enjoy a Cambodian Circus show.
• Cambodian Circus Performance and Talk: Enjoy a performance at Phare, the Cambodian Circus and meet with one of the organizers who gives an overview of the history of this incredible organization and circus arts in Cambodia. Phare Performing Social Enterprise provides training and gainful employment to at risk Cambodian youth from difficult social and economic backgrounds. The shows are outstanding and based in storytelling, inspired by the real-life experiences of the circus's creators and performers, dealing with themes such as war, discrimination, relationships, and poverty. Performances combine theatre, dance, original live music, and modern circus arts to tell uniquely Cambodian stories, both traditional and contemporary.

Continue to discover the archaeological wonders of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Angkor with our local guide. Opt to visit the Angkor National Museum, browsing its interactive galleries and stunning collections of relics; or choose to tour the floating villages of Tonle Sap lake, encountering lively communities complete with markets, clinics, and schools.

Included Experiences

• Angkor Wat Guided Tour: Enjoy a tour of the impressive ancient ruins with a local guide. Explore magnificent Angkor Wat temple--Visit the enigmatic faces of Bayon within the walled city of Angkor Thom, and tour Ta Prohm (aka the "Tomb Raider" temple), which is slowly being swallowed by the jungle.
• Tuk-Tuk: Scoot quickly around the big cities inside a three-wheeled mini-taxi.
• Free Time: In your free time opt to shop, or visit the museum or floating village.

Optional Experiences

• Angkor Museum Visit: Learn about the story of Angkor and the Khmer empire at the interactive Angkor Museum. Explore the museum’s inspiring galleries and interactive technology, which bring Angkor’s past to life. Opt to rent an audioguide (5USD) for the full experience.
• Tonle Sap Floating Village: Tour the floating villages of Tonlé Sap. See what life is like living on a lake — rice planting, attending churches and school, are all done on top of water. (Please note: this activity runs seasonally.) (25-30 USD per person)

Depart at any time.