First Cabin Travel

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Southeast Asia

Accompanied Tour

Robert Kenyon, Marine Corps Veteran and Founder of First Cabin Travel will lead the tour to Southeast Asia with a limited number of travelers. Accompanied tours tend to be reserved well in advance.
Land Arrangements PP $8,490/$9,990
In-country Airfare PP $1,790/$2,190
18 or Optional 22 Day Itinerary
Departure Date - September 28, 2023
With Private SUV, Private Driver, Private Boat & Private Guide
Breakfast Daily – Select Lunches
Southeast Asia - Accompanied 1

Day 1 / United States – Bangkok

Relax and enjoy the exemplary service aboard your chosen jetliner as you wing your way across the Pacific bound for the vibrant city of Bangkok.

Cross International Dateline

Thailand

Day 2 / Arrival Bangkok

The innate friendliness and hospitality of the Thai people await your arrival. This storied city of brilliantly colored temples, jewel-bedecked dancers and joyous children splashing in canals will weave its sensuous magic about you. You will be personally greeted at the airport upon arrival and accompanied to your accommodation.

Day 3 / Bangkok

Golden-tiled roofs glowing in the morning sun draw you to riverside to join with your private guide aboard a motorized longboat that will whisk you to the klongs (canals) interlaced within the backwaters that surround the city. Stilted houses dot the banks of the shoreline, with children playing in the waters, and sampans filled with produce en route to market make the journey a photographer’s delight. Disembark nearby the Thai Royal Palace to visit the exquisite temple of the emerald Buddha. Stroll the grounds as you begin to distinguish between the Thai, Burmese and Cambodian influences. Return to your hotel for the remainder of the afternoon at leisure, and to find pleasure in what has long been a fine selection of amenities. (B)

Vietnam

Day 4 / Bangkok – Hanoi

Having enjoyed the beauty and glorious surroundings found in Bangkok, it is time to wing your way high above the jungle carpet to Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi. Founded some 4,000 years ago by the Hung Kings, it shares borders with Cambodia, China, and Laos and claims a magnificent shoreline stretching some 2,000 miles. Your private guide, who will accompany you for lunch at a popular local restaurant meets your noontime arrival. Thereafter, visit the Temple of Literature; enjoy a cyclo ride through Old Town, a visit to Ngoc Son Temple, and the Hanoi Hilton, where captured Americans were held during the time of conflict. End your day with a performance of water puppets at the Thang Long Theatre. (B/L)

Day 5 / Hanoi ~ Ha Long Bay 

This morning, begin your tour with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his former private residence, the One-Pillar Pagoda and the Ho Chi Minh Museum, all encased within the center of the city. Upon completing your visits, your private guide will accompany you for a leisurely lunch at one of the more popular restaurants within the city. Thereafter, drive across countryside to Ha Long Bay, one of the most beautiful settings in all of Vietnam. The Bay covers some 930 square miles and is dotted with a myriad of over 3,000 islands. Upon arrival, you will have the remainder of the evening at leisure; perhaps to walk along the sidewalks and pathways found aside the shoreline. (B/L/D) 

Day 6 / Ha Long Bay ~ Hanoi

Begin your day by private charter aside the hundreds of isles and monoliths that comprise one of the most beautiful settings within Vietnam. Shades of emerald from grass and vine, tethered to stately monoliths project their sunlit glow across the placid waters of this peaceful bay. Artists both young and old have tried to capture on canvas or in prose the dynamic and sensual beauty of this region. It will be for you to capture its beauty either in memory or photograph when you cruise the waters of this spectacular bay. Enjoy lunch aboard your vessel prior to joining with your private driver and guide for a return to Hanoi. (B/L)

Day 7 / Hanoi ~ Hué

A morning stroll among the local residents who enjoy their sidewalk exercise completes your visit to Hanoi. Fly to the city of Hué, considered by many to be the most beautiful of all cities within Vietnam. Upon arrival, enjoy a leisurely lunch at a popular local restaurant prior to a drive across the countryside to the Kai Dinh Tomb, one of the more elaborate tombs among Vietnam’s former emperors. Stop by villages, where conical hats, incense sticks and duck raising are their means of livelihood, and lastly, visit the open-air market, where one can find some rather unique and amazing choices. (B/L)

Day 8 / Hué

Board your private launch to cruise the Huong Giang (Perfume) River to the Thien Mu Pagoda, considered the most famous in all of Vietnam. Continue on to the Ming Manh Tomb. Completed in 1843, its design has elaborate bridges that link the various ceremonial halls, each surrounded by the magnificence of a landscaped natural setting. Enjoy a relaxing lunch in the town and thereafter, visit the expansive Citadel, known as the Forbidden City of Vietnam. It is the site of the fierce battle during the TET offensive of 1968.  Return to your accommodation to enjoy an evening at leisure. (B/L)

Day 9 / Hué ~ Danang ~ Hoi An

A morning drive takes you south along the coastal highway across three mountain passes as you view the South China Sea, making your way to the town of Da Nang, where you will visit Marble Mountains. Set aside the South China Sea, they depict the harmony between mountain and sea, forming a splendid display of natural color. The staircase leading to the inner caves is your gateway to viewing a temple set within the center of the cave, with sunlight glowing downward from a natural skylight formed at the mountain top. Enjoy lunch within the town and thereafter, visit the Champa Museum, where you will find an impressive display of statuary dedicated to the former Champa people who held vast territories within the Champa Kingdom. Arrive at your accommodation in the quaint city of Hoi An for rest and relaxation. (B/L)

Day 10 / Hoi An

Begin your day with a leisurely breakfast, followed by entry into the small town of Hoi An to enjoy a walking tour discovering its history as an international seaport generations ago. The town has become a popular tourist attraction with local artisans busy at work in their craft shops found along the narrow lanes that dot the landscape. Visit the Tan Ky old clan house, the 400-year-old Japanese bridge and the Fukien Assembly Hall. Your morning ends with lunch within the town, and thereafter a return to the hotel for the remainder of the day at leisure, perhaps to enjoy some of the fine amenities offered at the resort. (B/L)

Day 11 / Hoi An ~ Saigon

Fly to Saigon, a city like no other, which welcomes you to partake in all of its offerings, be they a beautiful temple in Cholon, a stroll through the city or simply the purchase of a silk garment as a memento of your visit. Upon arrival, enjoy a relaxing lunch within the city before the start of your tour. Your exploration of the city begins with a visit to Reunification Palace, which was the accommodation for heads of State, a visit to the site of the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the colonial-styled architecture of the inner plaza and dockside, where the never-ending movement of boats ply the waters of the Saigon River, moving both passenger and merchandise to market. Drive to Cholon for a visit to its enormous market prior to arrival at your hotel to enjoy the remainder of the evening at leisure. (B/L)

Day 12 / Excursion to Mekong Delta at Ben Tre

Join with your private boatman and guide as you embark on a daylong excursion to Ben Tre province, famous for its coconut plantations and peaceful waterways. Upon arrival, enjoy a “Xe Loi” (cyclo) ride through the local village of Huu Dinh, followed by a private boat cruise through the small canals of the delta waterway. En route, stop at a village brick kiln and thereafter, switch to a private sampan taking you through the narrow backwaters of the delta to the home of a private family. If you choose, you can bicycle from their home to another part of the village where handcrafted sampans are produced. Continue your ride to the home of a former Viet Cong soldier who fought the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and is now making rice paper as his livelihood. Enjoy a five-course lunch at a specialty restaurant within the village before embarking on your private watercraft to return to Ben Tre for your transfer back to Saigon. (B/L)

Cambodia

 

Day 13 / Saigon ~ Siem Reap (Angkor Wat)

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and at mid-morning depart for the airport to join your noontime flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia, site for the magnificence of Angkor. Upon arrival, enjoy a leisurely lunch within the town prior to beginning your exploration of this spectacular setting with a visit to Angkor Wat, the centerpiece of these world-renowned ruins. (B)

Day 14 / Excursion to the Ruins at Angkor

Today’s touring highlights the major sites at Angkor. Drive through the forested region to visit Bayon, Angkor Thom and the Elephant Terrace. Each has its own history – its own fascination. Enjoy a lunch before traveling deeper into Angkor for a visit to Ta Prohm, which in particular is a photographer’s delight with much of the grounds encased in rooted Banyans, which have overcome the many walls and foundations on site. It is a remarkable temple ruins, one not to be missed and surely not forgotten. The day now completed, enjoy the remainder of the evening at leisure. (B, L)

Laos

Day 15 / Siem Reap ~ Luang Prabang

Complete your visit to Angkor with a private boat exploration of the stilted fishing villages along the waterway to expansive Tonle Sap Lake. Upon return toward Siem Reap, take a walking tour of a local village and thereafter enjoy a relaxing lunch within the city prior to your mid-afternoon departure to the airport for your onward flight to Luang Prabang, Laos. (B)

Day 16 / Excursion on the Mekong River

Begin your tour with a visit to the colorful Royal Palace, built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family. Thereafter, board your private boat, for a journey to the Buddha caves at Pak Ou. While traveling on the Mekong, you will have the opportunity to stop at a village to see a generations-old rice-making mill and stroll through the grounds to see how villagers live their lives along the banks of the Mekong. (B, L)

Thailand / Travelers Choosing To Return Homeward

Day 17 / Luang Prabang ~ Bangkok

For the early riser there comes the opportunity at dawn to visit the narrow walkways of the town to witness the monks from local monasteries receive their donations of rice from the local residents. At mid-day, join your return flight to Bangkok for an overnight stay at the Novotel Bangkok Airport Hotel in preparation for your flight homeward bound carrying with you memories to be rekindled over a lifetime. (B)

United States

Day 18 / Bangkok ~ Los Angeles

All too soon your holiday to Southeast Asia has come to an end and it is time to board your onward flight returning home with those never-forgotten memories to cherish over a lifetime. (B)

Travelers Wishing To Continue On To Myanmar (Burma)

Day 17 / Luang Prabang ~ Yangon (Rangoon)

For the early riser there comes the opportunity at dawn to visit the narrow walkways of the town to witness the monks from local monasteries receive their donations of rice from the local residents. Thereafter, board your flight to Yangon, capital city of Myanmar (Burma), “Land of Pagodas” and one of the world’s least traveled countries. The warm welcome given visiting tourists by the Burmese people adds to the charm and enjoyment of your stay. (B)

Day 18 / Yangon (Rangoon)

Following breakfast, join with your private guide and driver to visit the Sule Pagoda, dating back over 2,000 years. From there, visits will be made to the reclining Buddha, Karaweik Hall, Royal Lake and Bogyoke offering the greatest array of goods within Myanmar. Thereafter, visit one of the most sacred shrines within the country, the Shwedagon Pagoda, considered by many to be the most impressive pagoda in the world. Its main spire rises to a height of 396 feet and is adorned with thousands of semi-precious stones, all surrounded by multi-layers of gold leaf. (B/L)

Day 19 / Yangon (Rangoon) ~ Inle Lake

This morning’s flight wings you to Heho to meet with your private driver and guide who take you across the countryside to the embarkation point at Nyuang Shwe to board your private boat, whisking you across the lake to the site of your accommodation. En route you will see the famous Inthar leg rowers, who wrap their lower leg around the paddle as they search the waters for their favorite fishing sites. Passing the floating gardens at Inle, you will visit the Phaungdaw OO Pagoda, dating back to the 18th century, the Nga Phe Monastery, and the weaving village of Inpawkhon. Your private boat and guide will lead you on this memorable journey, sighting an array of unique and wondrous venues. (B/L)

Day 20 / Inle Lake

Board your private boat taking you to the western shore of the lake where you will disembark and begin the stair path lined with hundreds of small stupas overgrown by moss and greens to the top of the hillside and the Indein Pagoda complex. Continue on foot to a nearby village where the residents continue to grow their crops in generations-old fashion. Enjoy lunch at one of the local restaurants prior to returning to your resort. (B/L)

Thailand

Day 21 / Inle Lake – Bangkok

Return by boat to Nyuang Shwe for transport to Heho, onward to Yangon for your return flight to Bangkok. You will have use of your private vehicle; time permitting, prior to boarding your connecting flight to Bangkok, where you will enjoy a restful night at the Novotel Bangkok Airport Hotel in preparation for your flight homeward. (B)

United States

Day 22 / Bangkok – Los Angeles

All too soon your holiday to Southeast Asia has come to an end and it is time to board your onward flight returning home with those never-forgotten memories to cherish over a lifetime. (B)

Southeast Asia - Accompanied 2
Administrative Offices Hanoi Vietnam
Chicks For Sale 36 Streets Of Hanoi

Book Your Luxury, Personalized Itinerary Well In Advance of Your Departure Date and Qualify for a 10% Discount On Land Arrangements.

Mattress Delivery Hanoi
Southeast Asia - Accompanied 3
Southeast Asia - Accompanied 4
Ming Manh Tomb Hue Vietnam
Khai Dinh Tomb Hue Vietnam
Fisherman Perfume River Hue Vietnam
Sunset On Sampan
Welcoming Visitor To Saigon
Bicycle Delivery Boy Saigon
Southeast Asia - Accompanied 5
Angkor Wat Siem Reap Cambodia
Entrance To Angkor Wat
Entry To Bayon At Angkor Wat
Thatched Hut Material Laos
Monks At Sunrise
Pak Ou Caves Luang Prabang Laos
Southeast Asia - Accompanied 6
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