- 21 Days
- Cultural Touring
On this epic expedition, we will follow the great rivers of the Tibetan Plateau—the Mekong and the Yangtze––as our route into Southeast Asia. This is a mind-boggling journey across unfolding Asian landscapes. Snowcapped mountains give way to subtropical jungles. We follow the great rivers which form a thread by which these cultures are woven together through a timeless history and their sustenance to the Mekong waterway itself. We begin our journey in the remote Tibetan outpost of Shangrila with its nearby Ganden Songzanlin Monastery, the largest outside of Lhasa. From here, we travel through the Three Parallel Rivers National Park to Lijiang, Dali and Jinghong––Naxi, Bai and Dai towns––living museums of Chinese minority cultures. From China, we cross the border into Laos at Luang Prabang, a World Heritage Site on the Mekong, before we immerse ourselves into the Khmer ruins of Angkor. In the final chapter our trip, we travel by boat and vehicle from Cambodia to the river’s delta in Vietnam.
Trip Highlights
- Cultural diversity from the Tibetan highlands to the upper Mekong Delta
- Buddhist monasteries and Taosit temples
- Three Parallel Rivers UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Ethnic minority tribes in their villages and farms
- Lijiang, Dali and Luang Prabang: Asia’s premiere old world towns and UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Angkor Temples UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Sumptuous and fresh regional Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines
- World-class handicraft markets
- 4- and 5-star hotel accommodations
What's Included
- Guided sightseeing and admission fees as per itinerary
- Meals as listed in itinerary
- Private a/c transportation and driver; boat and ferry trips
- Airport-hotel transfers
- English-speaking guides
