Here then are those temples which for so long seemed like visions... Here are the foundations, the plinths, the galleries, the extraordinary domes resembling multi-ringed tiaras.
-Claude Farrere, L'illustration, 1931
If you've come this far to explore Vietnam, or Thailand, you will not want to miss the Prize of Southeast Asia - the Temples of Angkor which are only a short one-hour flight from Saigon or Bangkok.
Angkor what? Many people have heard of the main temple, Angkor Wat, of course, but Angkor consists of over seventy discovered ruins spread over two hundred square kilometers. Angkor Wat itself is a kilometer-wide and the greatest Buddhist monument ever constructed. There are astounding structures of equal impact surrounding it. This density of ruins is unparalleled anywhere else in the world, and has been aptly called the "Nile Valley of Asia." Visit our Angkor Tours page for ideas on your custom, private trip or continuing read below for suggestions of other places to expore on Cambodia.
We recommend, time permitting, spending a day in Phnom Penh for an authentic glimpse of Khmer culture away from the temples, and post-trip, relaxing on Song Saa Private Island, a newer resort located in a marine preserve off Cambodia's southern coast.
ANGKOR
Explore magnificent stone ruins
Angkor is the Nile Valley of Asia, a series of temples over hundreds of square miles that is one of the most astonishing wonders of the world.
CAMBODIA BY HELICOPTER
Enjoy a flyover or longer flights
Experience a bird's eye view over Angkor, or longer flights out remote sites where few travelers venture.
SOUTHERN HIGHLIGHTS
Angkor, Phnom Penh and the Mekong
Explore the temples of Angkor, Cambodia's capital citym and the rivers and landscapes of Vietnam's Mekong Delta en route to Saigon
CAMBODIA FAMILY ADVENTURE
Elephants, circuses, night markets, biking and more
Angkor on two wheels! We offer a range of original rides to some of the most spectacular temples and sights in the area through our adventure wing, VeloAsia (www.veloasia.com).
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE
Cardamom Mountains, Prek Toal biosphere, Kampot and More
All of tours are private, custom-tailored trips. Below is a simple itinerary, although our custom trips typically differ. Please click here to request more information on a private tour.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Cambodia in Focus
Let us arrange the perfect places, away from the crowds at ideal times to shoot. Combine temple's photography with portrait shots in nearby villages and farms. Read about our past Vietnam & Angkor Photography Series
FOR COUPLES
Angkor & Islands
Angkor is the perfect setting to experience a honeymoon or anniversary trip, with special moments and places planned. End your trip on a private resort island in the crystal blues waters of a marine reserve.
SERVICE & VOLUNTEERING
Service Learning and Volunteering
Volunteering is not only a way to make a difference during your trip, but can be a delightful experience to meet local people, including children.
VIETNAM & ANGKOR
Vietnam & Cambodia's World Heritage
Explore the finest of Vietnam and Cambodia, canvasing the incredible and unique World Heritage sites of both countries.
LUXURY INDOCHINA
Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia
A VIP luxury trip canvasing the very best of Indochina from Hanoi, Halong Bay aboard a private charter, tranquil Luang Prabang, and the magnificent ruins at Angkor.
THE GRAND TOUR
The Very Best of Southeast Asia
Over four weeks, from Hanoi, Bangkok, to Mandalay, experience the ultimate private journey in Southeast Asia. Our curated adventures, personal encounters, activities, have been finely tuned over our two decades in the region.
Culinary Vietnam
Every traveler knows the best way to get into the heart of a place is to experience the food (and is also what can make or break a travel experience). And as as you may have already heard, anyone who has traveled to Vietnam will mention three things that stood out most: the people, the scenery... and especially Vietnam's delightful food culture. This trip emphasizes all of these with sightseeing from the vantage point of an insider.
On this ultimate culinary adventure trip, enjoy the cultural and natural highlights of Vietnam, with a focus on cuisine for — as many of our past traveler's have said — the experience of a lifetime.
Vietnam features some of the most delicious and innovative cuisine in the world, and our local culinary guides and guest chefs will reveal the hidden delights of Vietnamese food. There are few culinary adventures on par with Vietnam, and this trip will highlight the distinctive cuisines of each region with a mix of activities, including hands-on cooking, kitchen and market visits while canvasing the best of Vietnam from Hanoi to Saigon, including thousand year-old Old Quarter in Hanoi, the sublime Imperial Capital, Hue, ancient port town, Hoi An, and south along Vietnam's scenic coastline to the country's premier beach town, Nha Trang before climbing into the Central Highlands to enjoy the high-mountain views of Dalat, a former French-colonial hillstation. At trip's end, marveling at big-city Saigon, discovering some fo Vietnam's finest cuisine. Note: this trip may combine bicycling [Cycling Culinary Tour]
Vietnam Photography
One of the most visually dynamic destinations in the world, from aged French colonial architecture, surreal karst landscapes of Halong Bay, sublime terraced rice fields, to bucolic desolate beaches coves. Even more impressive are the Vietnamese, engaging, fascinating, and always on the move, in busy markets, pedal-powered schools of traffic, and streets filled with all manner of vendors. Enjoy access to the most intriguing sites at optimal shooting times, and important person portraits facilitated by your specialist guide. We've twenty years of hosting professional and amateur photographers, and can address your specific interests as well. At trip's end, spend one to two full days photographing the magnificent ruins in neighboring Cambodia. [Read More]
Art Encounter Vietnam
Artists are the ideal cultural ambassadors, a bridge to traditions, and this is especially true in Vietnam where many prominent artists have exhibited abroad, are fluent in English, and are astute observers of their own culture. We're always happy to make introductions with artists in Hanoi, where many of the country's leading artists are based and most we know personally from our long experience, organizing the very first arts tour of Vietnam in 1994, when artists were only beginning to emerge from a long post-war slumber and stagnant economy.
What a difference a couple of decades makes. Vietnam's artists have since claimed the world-stage and the arts scene is Hanoi is one of the most vigorous in Asia. Meet privately with the country's most renowned artists and learn of new mediums, including lacquer and thread art.[Read More About our Vietnam Arts Trips]
Vietnam with Kids
Vietnam is no longer a challenging place to travel with kids, and our Vietnam family tours that were pioneered in the early 90's mean with our long experience, local knowledge, meticulous planning, and in-country offices, your trip will not only be a smooth one, but educational, thrilling, and delightful one.
We've escorted kids of all ages on our Vietnam family tours, organizing biking, kayaking, light trekking, camping out in hilltribe villages, with unique activities such as performing with the Hanoi traiditional opera troupe, learning traditional water puppets theater from a master, and private artist encounters where your children will learn hands-on how to produce lacquer paintings in the ancient style. Our staff, and in fact you'll discover almost all Vietnamese are, "kid crazy" and your children will enjoy one of the most remarkable family trips they've ever had.
Consider us for our geographic focus and location in Vietnam along with our unmatched experience in the country. Contact us for detailed information about a private Vietnam family adventure in Vietnam. We are honored to be an in-country partners for premier family travel companies and agents including My Little Swans and Ciao Bambino.
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Read More About Our Vietnam Family Trips]
Highlights of Vietnam
Oh how Japan loves to inspire, the exoticism of its culture exciting those of every age. This two-week Japan family trip provides something for everyone, along with shared adventures into the idiosyncrasy of Japan. Visit Manga cartoon stores and meet those who paint the comics. A master artisan shows you how to make a Japanese sword while a Samurai and Geisha reveal all about their culture. Spend a day at signature theme parks and relaxed evenings in traditional ryokans, sleeping on tatami mats and resting in onsen spas. Including cycling tours, bullet trains, meetings with monks and Japan's anime mecca, this private tour creates lasting memories from the most unique of countries.
Of all our Japan tours, it's trips with families that offer the greatest room for customization. There's so much that can be individualized; just let us know what you and the rest of your family are interested in. Contact us to receive a full and personalized itinerary.
Romantic Vietnam
Japan is defined by an unshakable self-possession and obsession with quality. It's pursuit for perfection is found in presentation, nature, aesthetics and the subtleties of all things. This unique tour explores one of the most vigorous traditional and contemporary arts culture in the world, highest forms of traditional and contemporary crafts, along with the architecture that has defined a nation over the centuries. Explore the hallowed I.M Pei Miho museum, Mori museum, and Naoshima "Art Island" while meeting with artists and craftsman working in a variety of mediums, gain an insider's perspective on Japanese culture, and be immersed in the immense varieties and rituals of cuisine, from the serenity of a tea ceremony to famous sushi bars.
Customize this tour takes you far off the beaten track, to incorporate a pottery festival, ceramic and porcelain towns, and more. It's completely customizable and can explore any of your niche interests. Contact us to receive a full and personalized itinerary that responds to your preferences.
Insider's Vietnam
The giant Torii Gate seems to float on the sea, standing majestic besides Itsukushima Shrine on World Heritage Miyajima Island. It's a remarkable insight into tradition, complemented by a tea ceremony and an elaborate cha-kaiseki dinner at your ryokan. This unusual island is the starting point for this tour through Japanese highlights that cover al corners of the spectrum: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Heian Jingu Shinto Shrine, Tentyuji Temple, Nishiki Market, Asakusa and Akihabara. Spread over nine days, this luxury Japan tour goes in search of the different icons that define Japan.
It's not quite a best of tour, more a celebration of the country's most unique treasures, connecting everything from cuisine to culture to colorful neighborhoods. All our Japan tours are fully tailored to your interests and specifications, so the highlights on this tour are just a suggestion. Contact us to receive a full and personalized itinerary.
Indochina with Thailand
Japan doesn't have a single defining image. The icons come from across the centuries and this exclusive tour go in search of them. Sleeping on tatami mats in charming ryokans, deep in the mountains. Meeting Buddhist monks and finding temples hidden amongst bamboo forest. Getting lost in the flashing lights of the futuristic cities and the wooden lanes of heritage towns. During 12 days of luxury Japan travel you're yxploring the legacy of the Edo Period, speeding around on the Shinkansen, and uncovering regional gastronomy.
All the experiences on this tour feel completely different from the last. But they are not completely distinct. Over these 12 days you explore how the Japan of today is intrinsically energized by historical traditions and customs. And like all our Japan tours, the itinerary can be fully tailored to your interests, incorporating all the icons you want to explore.
- Japan's immense capital Tokyo creates an incredible feast of contrasting experiences. Distinctive neighborhoods can be explored each day, from the flashing lights of Akihabara to the painted faces in Harajuku and the skyscrapers of Shinjuku. You're never just sightseeing here; you're jumping into one of the world's most original cities.
- No visit to Japan is complete without immersion into the immense variations and rituals of Japanese cuisine, from a serene tea ceremony to famous sushi bars, 12-course kaiseki cuisine to Kobe beef. We've been pioneering Japan Iron Chef tours for many years now.
- Perfectly preserved and wonderfully serene, Kyoto is the cultural heartbeat of Japan. There are 17 World Heritage Sites and over 2000 temples and shrines. But more than that, there's a spellbinding Buddhist undercurrent that makes the city a place to not only find architecture, but to get lost in the prevailing atmosphere.
- Ancient treasures fill the massive Kyushu National Museum, just one of the attractions in the city of Fukuoka, a place that has always provided an immersion into local culture.
- The Japanese tea ceremony is a tradition steeped in Zen Buddhism, reflected in slow and graceful movements. It's not just about taste; the study of tea ceremonies can last a whole lifetime and there's so much for all the senses to admire.
- Seasonal changes turn Japan into nature's canvas. Cherry blossoms are the highlight of spring, a captivating bloom blanketing whole cities in two weeks of surreal color. But don't discount the palate of color produced in fall, when profound reds and oranges briefly fill the trees before the leaves cover the pathways.
- In Mount Koya you can delve into Japan's deep Buddhist spirituality, the most formative influence on Japanese history and culture. Included in the potential experiences are tranquil cemetery walks with local nuns and sleeping in a temple.
- Kanazawa combines so many of Japan's famous names and is a great place to go behind the scenes of folk art. Among the attractions are well-preserved samurai and geisha districts.
- Hiroshima is warm and welcoming, a city that's forever etched in world history yet completely different to what you would expect.
Contact us to receive a full and personalized itinerary.
Service and Volunteering in Vietnam
Make your trip one with purpose and one that will have an impact on others in a positive way. For conscientious travelers we can organize a variety of ways to enjoy spending time with and helping Vietnamese and ethnic hill tribe peoples. Blend in a few activities, such as donating books and other supplies to schools and villages, or spend longer periods teaching, working with NGOs, or on projects. If you are a nurse, consider volunteering with the University of San Francisco's Vietnam Nurse Project, whom we have partnered with since 2007. [Read More About USF's Nursing Project]
For teens and young adults, we can arrange for impromtu school visits and teaching during your family trip, or longer perdiods of volunteeering at local schools.