Southeast Asia Itinerary

Day 01 (Tuesday)

Arrive Bangkok (Thailand)

On arrival, you will be met and assisted by our office representative to your hotel (Rooms will be available from 1400 Hrs). Flights typically arrive late evening. Hotel is at the airport.

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 02

Bangkok – Hanoi (Vietnam)

(By flight to Hanoi)

You will meet Roger Nelson and other participants for an orientation at breakfast. After breakfast, you will return to the airport for a short flight to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Here you will meet Vietnamese photographer and guide, Son Nguyen. In the late afternoon Roger and Son will take you on a Cyclo (pedi cab) tour of the old town area. This will let you test all your camera gear and make sure everything is working before you head to remote areas without camera stores. You will spend the night at a 5-star hotel in Hanoi.

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 03

Hanoi – Lao Cai

(By overnight train 8 -9 Hrs)

After breakfast you will return to old town to photograph the local’s way of life in the early morning. Next you will visit the Temple of Literature and other historical sites.

In the afternoon you will have a few hours to explore Hanoi on your own or catch up on your sleep if you are still jet lagged. You will have dinner at the famed Press Club and then be driven to the train station where you will catch the Victoria Express overnight train to Lao Cai. There are 4 bunks per sleeper compartment but it’s a very comfortable ride.

Overnight on the Train

Day 04

Lao Cai – Sapa

Arrival in Lao Cai. Drive to hotel in Sapa. After checking in, we visit Sin Chai Village to meet and photograph the Black H’Mong hill tribe people going about their daily life.

After lunch you will visit Ta Phin Village where both Black H’mong and Red Dao people live. You will have an opportunity to visit homes where you can see and photograph the people in their daily activities. You will spend the night in Sapa

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 05

Sapa – Bac Ha

After breakfast we drive to Bac Ha. We visit the bustling Can Cau market to photograph local hill tribes such as Flower Hmong, Red Dao and Black Hmong

After lunch, we visit nearby homes and farms to photograph daily life. Our accommodation tonight is basic as we are off the beaten path.

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 06

Can Cau – Bac Ha – Sapa

This morning we get to experience and photograph the Sunday market in Bac Ha where Flower H’mong people buy and sell everything from produce to water buffalo. Everywhere you turn is another great photo option.

On the way back to Sapa, we you will stop in Bao Nhai and take a boat trip on the Chay River to two remote villages in the Trung Do area. Here we will have a chance to photograph rural farm life in this part of the country. It’s rice harvesting time so there should be people working in the fields. Later in the afternoon, we return to Sapa

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 07

Sapa – Lao Cai

(By overnight train 8 -9 Hrs)

We have one more hill tribe experience today. We travel to Nam Xai and Nam Cang villages to photograph Xa Pho people in a private festival this morning. Their dress and culture is very different from the others you have seen. We return to our hotel for lunch and a break before our late check out.

Later in the afternoon you travel to Lao Cai where you will have dinner before boarding the night train back to Hanoi.

Overnight on the Train

Day 08

Lao Cai – Hanoi – Yangon (Myanmar)

(By flight)

The train arrives in Hanoi very early in the morning. We will have an opportunity to freshen up at our previous Hanoi hotel where we also have breakfast. After breakfast we explore an old village outside of Hanoi where we have an opportunity to photograph the rural landscape, architecture and people.

We return to Hanoi for lunch. Afterwards, we are driven to the airport for our flight to Yangon, Myanmar. We say goodbye to Son Nguyen in Vietnam and meet Win Kway Zan, a Myanmar photographer and guide in Yangon. .

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 09

Yangon

After a busy week of travel through remote areas in Vietnam, we have a chance to relax today. There will be an optional visit to several villages near Yangon in the morning.  In the late afternoon we visit Shwedagon Paya, one of the most famous temple complexes in Asia, for a chance to photograph the pilgrims making offerings. You will spend the night in Yangon again.

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 10

Yangon – Loikaw

(By flight)

We have an early morning flight to Loikaw today. Loikaw is located in eastern Myanmar and is home to the Padung people. Many of the Padung women wear heavy brass rings around their neck giving them the long neck they are known for. We explore several Padung villages to photograph the people and their daily routines.

Overnight in the hotel

Day 11

Loikaw – Kalaw

Today is a festival day. After breakfast we drive to Panpet, another Padung village, where we have arranged a small festival. The Padung women will be singing and dancing while many of the men will play accompanying music on handmade instruments.

In the afternoon we travel to Kalaw where we spend the night.

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 12

Kalaw – Heho – Kyaing Tong

(By surface and flight)

Following an early breakfast we are driven to the Heho airport for a short flight to Kyaing Tong, further east in Myanmar.

Wel visit Palaung and Akhu villages and have many opportunities to photograph the people and their houses. We spend the night at the best available in this frontier town.

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 13

Kyaing Tong

After breakfast we discover an Akha village where we have arranged yet another gathering in your honor. Akha families will gather with their neighbors, the Eng people, to celebrate our arrival. We will have a chance to photograph the village, their homes and of course the people as they enjoy this festive occasion. In the afternoon, we to rest a bit but there will be an optional visit to another village. We spend another night in Kyaing Tong.

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 14

Kyaing Tong – Tachilek – Mae Salong

Today is a travel day. We leave Myanmar and travel to Thailand through the border crossing at Tachilek. We say goodbye to Win Kyaw Zan here.

After lunch near the border in Mai Sai, Thailand, Roger and Tony, our local Thailand travel guide, will take us to Mae Salong, a community in the hills of northern Thailand. We spend the night at a resort overlooking tea plantations of Mae Salong.

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 15

Mae Salong – Ban Yafu – Chiang Rai

The tea plantations make an excellent backdrop for photography so we spend a few hours in the morning photographing Akha, Lahu and Lisu women picking tea. Later in the morning we travel to Ban Yafu, for our last village experience.

The Lahu people of this village will cook a special lunch for us and demonstrate their unique musical instruments and cultural dance. Later in the afternoon, we drive to Chiang Rai and check into our hotel. We enjoy a special farewell dinner this evening.

Overnight in the Hotel

Day 16

Chiang Rai – Bangkok

(By flight)

Depart Chiang Rai. We are driven to the airport for our flight to Bangkok. The tour ends here.