For guests looking to explore SE Asia during the 2020-2021 season, whether sailing along the Mekong River as it meanders through Vietnam and Cambodia or on Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River, Scenic is keeping its fares at the 2019-2020 level for all bookings made through June 30, 2019. And throwing in roundtrip air from the USA – or $1,500 per person savings.

Scenic Spirit on the Mekong River 2016. Photo courtesy of Scenic Tours.

The itineraries, ranging from 11 to 31 days, include the usual sites of floating canal villages, paddy fields, ancient temples, and bustling markets, but also step away into some of the more unique and immersive opportunities.

On the Mekong, guests can choose to try multiple forms of transportation including bicycles, ox carts, Tuk Tuks, long tail boats, speed boats, and sampans; learn the art of Vietnamese and Cambodian cooking; visit a family-operated fish farm; meet with survivors of the Khmer Rouge; and enjoy lunch at a local NGO restaurant that teaches local street kids hospitality skills.

Along the Irrawaddy, guests spend time with locals on the Circle train that travels around Yangon; cook regional cuisine after exploring Pindaya Caves; mingle with local pilgrims at Tant Kyi Taung, a hilltop pagoda; and learn about life at home with a visit to a local family for lunch at Inle Lake.

Scenic Enrich excursions are exclusive to Scenic. These opportunities are included on every itinerary. Examples include a themed gala dinner at Angkor’s Kravan Temple, with a show featuring the alluring Apsara dancers, and a Tuk Tuk City Lights tour of Phnom Penh ending with an exclusive after-hours distillery visit and tasting.

In Vietnam, guests take to the streets of Ho Chi Minh on vintage Vespas to absorb some of the energy of the nightlife and enjoy street foods. In Myanmar, there is a themed dinner with a cultural show in front of the candlelit Bagan Temple ruins; an opportunity to interact with novice monks, nuns, and orphans at a monastic-supported school; and learning how to produce gold leaf at a workshop.