Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia (2012)

Bangkok • Luang Prabang • Vang Vieng • Vientiane • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) • Mekong River Cruise • Chau Doc • Phnom Penh • Angkor Wat
  • 18 days
  • from only:
  • $2995
  • $167 per day
    Land Tour Only
  • 19 days
  • from only:
  • $4245
  • $224 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
2012 LVC Map
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
Video: Travelers' experiences of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia
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Is this Adventure Right for You?
It's Included
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Extend Your Adventure
Burma & the Irrawaddy River
Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai, Thailand
Optional Tours
Local Team & Insider Tips
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Air information
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Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your adventure, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two adventures to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the OAT adventure that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your adventure
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your adventure with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of OAT adventures to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta, New York (JFK)

23hrs

Baltimore, Boston, Houston, Newark, Philadelphia

25hrs

Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, San Diego

24hrs

Detroit, Los Angeles

21hrs

Minneapolis, San Francisco

20hrs

Portland, OR, Seattle

19hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Bangkok, Thailand. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the OAT family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on an OAT trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-955-1925 or click here.

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Post-Trip: Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai, Thailand

5 nights from only $995
T4194

Explore the lush, temple-strewn hills of northern Thailand, home to some of Southeast Asia’s most colorful and fascinating cultures. In Chiang Rai, we’ll set out into the mountains and meet local hill tribes that have called the forests home for generations. In canal-laced Chiang Mai, explore temples as old as the city itself and venture outside the city on unforgettable elephant and raft excursions.

Single Supplement: FREE

Please note: Availability and price may vary by departure date. Please call for details.

It's Included

  • Roundtrip airfare between Bangkok and Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai to Bangkok
  • Accommodations for 2 nights in Chiang Rai, 2 nights in Chiang Mai, and 1 night in Bangkok
  • 13 meals—5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 4 dinners
  • 4 small group activities
  • Services of our own resident OAT Trip Leader, who speaks English and the native language
  • All transfers
Day 1
Fly from Bangkok, Thailand to Chiang Rai, Thailand

We fly from Bangkok to Chiang Rai in northern Thailand today, arriving in the morning. The Golden Triangle is known as the region where Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), and Laos meet. Due to its sheltering hills, navigable rivers, and fiercely independent tribal cultures, the region was once infamous as a center for renegades and drug smuggling. There are many legends and stories about the opium warlords who once held sway here.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we’ll make an excursion to a viewpoint for panoramic views of the famous Golden Triangle. Then we’ll check into our hotel, where we have dinner this evening.
Day 2
Chiang Rai/Tour hill tribe villages

Today we tour the mountain villages of local Long Ear and Long Neck hill tribes. More than 20 distinct, semi-nomadic tribes inhabit northern Thailand and the borderlands of Burma and Laos. Some have obscure origins, most have their own language, and all have unique customs. We ride to the small village of Mae Chan and switch to open songtaew taxi trucks to climb a narrow road to Mae Salong, a rural town situated high in the mountains. Here we will visit hill tribes known as “Long Neck” and “Long Ear,” and admire their compact huts, see their traditional clothing, and glimpse a way of life that has changed little in centuries. We also visit the Akha, who wear elaborate headdresses known for their vivid colors.

We return to our hotel in mid-afternoon, have time at leisure in Chiang Rai, and then gather for dinner together.
Day 3
Overland from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai/Discover Wat Rong Kun/Explore Chiang Mai/Visit night market

Relax and enjoy the passing landscapes as we travel most of the morning to Chiang Mai—the principal city of the north, a major cultural center, and a favorite with visitors. The city’s medieval walls encircle an amazing 36 temples, and the metropolitan region boasts some 80 official religious sites.

Along the way, we’ll visit Wat Rong Kun, a temple whose mosaics make it look like a palace of crystal, done by Thailand's national artist. We arrive in Chiang Mai in time for lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, we enjoy a tour of Chiang Mai, including the Doi Suthep Temple.

Dinner tonight is at a local restaurant. Afterwards, explore the well-known Chiang Mai Night Bazaar on foot to experience a cavalcade of sights, sounds, and smells. You’ll find costumed dolls, beautiful cotton garments, and hill tribe crafts—all things Thai converge in Chiang Mai’s bustling night market.
Day 4
Chiang Mai/Elephant trek & bamboo rafting

This morning, we visit a local elephant camp for an elephant show, and then we embark on a forest trek on elephantback. We ride for about an hour on the backs of these gentle giants, enjoying a grand view of the forest. We return to camp by elephant and then board small bamboo rafts and float downstream. After departing the camp, we have lunch at a local restaurant before an afternoon at leisure. Perhaps you’ll visit Chiang Mai’s Handcrafts Street and do some shopping on your own. Your evening is free to spend as you wish.
Day 5
Chiang Mai/Fly to Bangkok

After breakfast this morning, we check out of our hotel, transfer to the airport, and fly back to Bangkok. We check in to our hotel and you can explore the vicinity on an orientation walk. This evening, toast your discoveries with your fellow travelers at dinner.
Day 6
Bangkok/Return to U.S.

We rise before daybreak for our early morning flight back to the U.S. You’ll cross the International Date Line en route, regaining the day you lost at the beginning of your trip.