Unexpected Southeast Asia

Kick off your journey with a private boat ride from Phuket to Ko Yao Noi, a beachy paradise with mangrove trees and coconut farms. Over the next few days, hop between the Phi Phi Islands: travel Maya Bay in traditional long-tail vessels, cruise the caves and coves of Koh Roi, and explore the limestone pinnacles of Khao Phing Kan. Back at basecamp, retreat to your thatched villa, perched like a plush treehouse enveloped in tropical greenery.

Take a dip at a natural spring in Thailand’s first national park, Khao Yai, which is tucked into a magnificent mountain range and cocooned in a rainforest that is home to Asian elephants, sun bears, civets, Chinese water dragons, and pig-tailed macaques. Stay in a “heritage railcar suite” inspired by the glamour of the train system born under King Rama V. These luxury rooms are created from upcycled and historical carriages that rolled along the tracks in northeastern Thailand more than a century ago. In the evening, peruse under-the-radar galleries featuring local artists in the nearby town.

Cruise around the capital in tuk-tuks while visiting the country’s most adored relics. But first, fuel up on a street food tour, where you can sample green papaya salad and curry on coconut rice. Inside the Royal Grand Palace compound, peek at the jade-chiseled Emerald Buddha, then go next door to Wat Po sanctuary, which houses the giant golden Reclining Buddha. Lastly, check out Temple of the Dawn on the banks of the romantic Chao Phraya River: After the destruction of Ayutthaya from Burmese invaders, King Taskin discovered a small shrine here at sunrise, and he interpreted this as an auspicious sign to establish the new capital of Siam.

Siem Reap is an incredibly charming town known as the gateway to the Khmer capital of Angkor. Visit the Terrace of the Elephants—which served as a rostrum where the King could welcome back his victorious army—and marvel at the enigmatic and exotic Ta Prohm, an ancient temple entwined with mammoth tree roots. Tonlé Sap, Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake, is speckled with stilted villages that thrive off of the mighty Mekong’s ebb and flow. Enjoy a sunrise boat ride and shop for local produce from the floating farms.

UNCHARTED Outpost Shinta Mani Wild is set in the misty mountains of the Cambodian jungle. Interior designer Bill Bensley was inspired by what Jackie Kennedy might have experienced on a luxury safari with King Sihanouk in the Cardamom Forest in 1967: How would she have arrived? What would the camp look like? The 15 tents evoke a regal-meets-presidential atmosphere (each has a personal butler), and guests awake to the howls of gibbons and can swim in the surrounding natural pools.

Your next three nights will be spent sailing first-class on an opulent tender boat. With only 20 suites, the Aqua Mekong showcases modern interiors by Noor Design and a bar menu created by Proof & Co. Travelers will board in Cambodia and awake in Vietnam before spending the next few days discovering tributary towns, temples, and artisan workshops. Xe loi rickshaws pedal around Tân Châu, a border town famous for its high-quality silk, and downstream in Cái Bè passengers can stroll around century-old open courtyard houses.

Once you’ve traversed the Mekong Delta, stroll through the lantern-lit streets and artisan workshops of enchanting Hoi An, the heart of Vietnam’s last empire. Once a major trading port, mansions built by prosperous Japanese, Chinese, and French merchants distinguish the Old Quarter. At dusk, torched lotus lanterns float down the waterways and locals travel by sampan boat on their way home. Hoi An’s tailoring traditions also date back hundreds of years, and many couturiers still create bespoke pieces. Make sure to sample the local chili dumplings and watch how rice paper is made from scratch.

In the heart of northern Vietnam lies the tranquil valley of Mai Châu. A hidden gem just a few hours from the bustling streets of Hanoi, it offers a serene escape into the rustic charm of rural Vietnam. Green and gold terraces cascade down cliffs, towering limestone peaks give way to lush rice paddies, water buffalo plod through wetlands, and farmers in conical hats tend to their crops. This is a place where remarkable landscapes meet the tribal heritages of the Tai Dón and Hmong communities, so spend your days trekking to local villages via beautiful meadows and winding red dirt roads.

With ochre-colored colonial buildings and tree-lined streets, Hanoi is full of charm. A walking tour provides a glimpse of contemporary Vietnamese culture as well as a sense of the country’s complex history: Sample bánh mì and freshwater crab noodle soup, watch a water puppet performance, discover the Temple of Literature, which hosted the Imperial Academy, and chat with a former pilot for fascinating war stories from the Vietnamese perspective. Stay at the Capella Hanoi, which was designed as an ode to the luminary icons and composers of the opera-meets-jazz-age culture of the Roaring Twenties.