2024 Exotic Asia

Package Price Includes:

Package Price: $5,995 *

**Per person cash discount price, based on double occupancy.
Does not include visas, airfare and tips.

Day 1 March 12: Fly
Today you will fly from your home to Los Angeles (LAX) where you will board the Singapore Airlines Jet. Your flight will take you to Singapore where we will have a city tour and then take a late afternoon flight to Hanoi.  If you are doing your own airfare you must get your airfare all the way to Hanoi.

Day 2 March 13: Flying
Cross the International Date Line and lose a day.

Day 3 March 14: Hanoi, Vietnam
You will arrive early morning into Singapore, have a city tour and continue on a late afternoon flight to Hanoi.  After arrival, we will head to our hotel.

Day 4 March 15: Hanoi
Our tour of Hanoi will include the mystery and charm of past century’s narrow lanes and traditional shophouses on our walking tour. We also include the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Complex, the Temple of Literature, and the highlight, the Old Town. The Old Town is best seen on foot. The maze of narrow streets dates back to the 13th century. We will also visit the famous Hanoi Hilton (prison).

Day 5 March 16: Hanoi- Halong Bay – Hanoi
Today will be a full-day tour to Halong Bay with a boat trip. According to legends, Halong Bay was formed by dragons who used their tails to gouge out valleys and crevices and spat out jewels that turned into islands. This is truly one of the most beautiful places on this earth. On a traditional wooden “junk” (boat) we’ll drift through a fairyland of sheer limestone islands that rise from the emerald water. We will pass by unique rock formations and discover caves in the rocks. At the end of a fantastic day, we will return to our hotel in Hanoi.

Day 6 March 17: Ho Chi Minh City
This morning we will head to the Cu Chi Tunnels, an important Vietcong base during the Vietnam war. Stretching over 120 miles, this incredible underground network, dug by hand out of hard laterite, connected command posts, hospitals, shelters, and weapons factories. We will also tour Ho Chi Min (Saigon). The tour will include Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, and the Reunification Palace. Overnight Ho Chi Minh.

Day 7 March 18: Ho Chi Minh City – AmaWaterways Cruise Ship
This morning we will finish touring Ho Chi Min (Saigon).  We will then drive to meet our ship this afternoon. (B, D)

Day 8 March 19: CAI BE – SA DEC
Take a local boat to Cai Be. You will have an opportunity to visit candy and rice paper-making workshops, as well as the historic Kiet Old House. Later in the day, journey to Sa Dec, a sprawling town on the Mekong Delta, where French writer Marguerite Duras spent part of her youth. You will visit the colorful market, Cao Dai Temple, and the house of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le, Duras’ Chinese paramour, which her prize-winning novel, “The Lover,” is said to be based on. (B,L,D)

Day 9 March 20: TAN CHAU – BORDER CROSSING
Enjoy a visit to Tan Chau, a small Mekong River town unspoiled by tourism. Be treated to an authentic experience on a traditional “xe-loi” (trishaw) ride around the town, with stops at silk-making and rattan mat workshops, followed by a boat ride through the narrow channels of the Mekong River to “Evergreen Island.” Alternatively, take a boat ride to Evergreen Island and return to Tan Chau, where you will visit a rattan mat workshop. Later in the day, cruise from Vietnam to the Cambodian border en route to Phnom Penh. (B,L,D)

Day 10 March 21: PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA
This morning’s excursion takes you to Cambodia’s infamous Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge’s grim Tuol Sleng S21 detention center (Genocide Museum). Alternatively, you may wish to shop for unique treasures at the bustling yellow-colored Central Market. After lunch on board, you will explore the highlights of the city, followed by a visit to the Royal Palace, the spectacular Silver Pagoda, and the National Museum, which has an outstanding collection of Khmer crafts. After returning to the ship, enjoy Khmer folk dancing performed by local children in the Saigon Lounge. (B,L,D)

Day 11 March 22: OUDONG – KAMPONG TRALACH – PHNOM PENH
Visit Oudong, Cambodia’s former royal capital from the early 17th century until 1866. Today, Oudong is a place of pilgrimage for Cambodians. While here, be treated to a memorable Buddhist Blessing Ceremony at a monastery. You may walk around Oudong’s monastery or take an active walking tour to see panoramic views of the Oudong plain. In Kampong Tralach, you will have a truly authentic excursion – an oxcart ride through a local village. Later in the day, experience Phnom Penh via a tuk ride and be enchanted by the city’s French Colonial architecture and tree-lined boulevards set amidst monumental Angkorian (B,L,D)

Day 12 March 23: OKNHATEY – ANGKOR BAN
In the morning, set sail for Oknhatey Village. Oknhatey is the “Silk Island,” located on the lush banks of the Mekong River and known for its rich tradition of silk weaving. While here, you will visit a local elementary school and observe the traditional silk weaving, an art that has been preserved for centuries. Your cruise continues to sail to Angkor Ban. (B,L,D)

Day 13 March 24: ANGKOR BAN – KAMPONG CHAM
Go on a walking tour of Angkor Ban, one of the few villages in Cambodia that was not destroyed under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. Here people still live in their traditional wooden abodes and keep their old cultural traditions alive. Hundreds of wooden houses stand intact on stilts, shaded with banana trees, among the hustle and bustle of the daily agricultural on-going of the local villagers. After visiting here, the ship sets sail for Kampong Cham, where you will go on an afternoon excursion via motorcoach to the Twin Mountains, known as Phnom Pros and Phnom Srei (male and female mountains). In the annals of Khmer legend, the twin mountains were formed as the result of a competition between the men and women of an ancient Cambodian kingdom to resolve which gender would be responsible for wedding proposals. Cap the day off with a festive Farewell Dinner on board. (B,L,D)

Day 14 March 25: Disembarkation – Transfer via motorcoach to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat)
Your excursion today takes you to the Twin Mountains, known as Phnom Pros and Phnom Srei (male and female mountains). In the Khmer legend, the twin mountains were formed as the result of a competition between the men and women of an ancient Cambodian kingdom to resolve which gender would be responsible for wedding proposals. As the story goes, the women lit a fire at night, which made the men believe the sun was rising. As a result, the men stopped working and the women won the competition. Thus, men still need to ask the women’s parents for permission, and Phnom Srei is higher than Phnom Pros. Upon arrival into Siem Reap, we will check into our Luxury 5-Star Hotel.

Day 15 March 26: Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
Visit Angkor Wat: Today will be a fantastic highlight day! The crowning jewel of Khmer architecture, ANGKOR WAT is the national symbol and a favorite of Cambodia. The largest, best-preserved, and most religiously significant of the Angkor temples. Angkor impresses visitors both by its sheer scale and beautifully proportioned layout, as well as the delicate artistry of its carvings. To approach the temple, you must cross the vast moat, continuing along a broad causeway lined with naga balustrades. As you enter the main building, you will ascend through a series of galleries and courtyards before reaching the central sanctuary, which offers beautiful views back over the causeway and across the surrounding countryside. On the way, we stop to enjoy the intricate stone carvings that adorn nearly every surface, with some 1,700 Apsaras, or celestial dancers, sculpted into the walls. Along with the outer gallery, walls run the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which narrates stories from Hindu mythology, including the famous Churning of the Ocean of Milk. Angkor Wat is stunning at any time of the day.
Visit Angkor Thom: The fortified city of ANGKOR THOM covers an area of 10 square km. Enclosed by a wall and wide moats, the city includes many of Angkor’s most popular sights. Enter by the monumental SOUTH GATE over a causeway lined on either side by statues of demons and gods, each carrying a giant naga. Continue to the TERRACE OF THE ELEPHANTS and the TERRACE OF THE LEPER KINGS, former spaces for public ceremonies, both adorned with dramatic bas-reliefs. We will visit the ruined BAPHUON, ROYAL ENCLOSURE, and PHIMEANAKAS
Visit TA PROHM: One of the most popular attractions of Angkor. Much of the jungle has not been cleared and it looks very much as most of the Angkor monuments would have appeared when European explorers first stumbled across them. Overnight Siem Reap.

Day 16 March 27: Chiang Mai, Thailand
This morning we will fly to Chiang Mai.  Upon arrival, we will visit the Golden Temples on the hill overlooking Chiang Mai and also do a city tour that will include a fantastic wood carving and umbrella-making factory.  Overnight Chiang Mai.

Day 17 March 28: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Today will be a fantastic highlight day that you will never forget.  We start with a visit to Tiger Kingdom. Here you will be able to see many tigers and if you would like, you will have an opportunity to play with baby tigers or pet the larger ones.  From there we head to see the elephants, where you’ll see them perform a fantastic show, then we will ride them thru the jungles of Thailand.  Then we will have a visit to the Long Neck Village.   As seen in National Geographic, the women of the Long Neck Tribe put multiple metal rings around their necks to stretch them.  The rings weigh over 20 pounds.  We return to Chiang Mai to overnight.

Day 18 March 29: Bangkok, Thailand – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
This morning we will fly to Bangkok. Upon arrival, we will visit THE ROYAL GRAND PALACE, the nation’s landmark and the most praised royal monument. This is the former royal residence of the Chakri Kings. The palace is a perfect example of an ancient Siamese court. Built in 1782 by King Rama I, it was the center of power for more than 150 years.  Today, the Palace is Bangkok’s major landmark and most popular tourist attraction.  WAT PHRA KAEW, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is located right next to the Grand Palace and together form perhaps the greatest spectacle for the visitor to Bangkok.  It consists of over 100 brightly colored buildings, golden spires, and glittering mosaics, and dates back to 1782 when Bangkok was founded.  When you enter the compound, you first see Wat Phra Kaew and the nearby attractions and then move on to the Grand Palace. Photography is permitted in the Royal Palace Grounds and in the compounds of the Emerald Buddha Temple, but not inside the buildings. At the end of today’s tour, we will head to the airport for our flight to Kuala Lumpur, where we will overnight.

Day 19 March 30: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Full-day tour in Kuala Lumpur.  Our full-day tour includes Kuala Lumpur’s twin towers – the tallest buildings in the world up until 2003.  The film “Entrapment” was filmed here.  In addition to our city tour, we will visit the unique Buddhist caves. We will then return to our hotel.

Day 20 March 31: Fly Home
This morning you fly home.  If you are flying Singapore Air, your flight will take you to Singapore this afternoon where you will overnight before flying home tomorrow.  Your hotel is in the airport.