The Luxury Tented Camps of Southeast Asia

Deep in the hills of northern Thailand, shouldering up to the border of Myanmar, Chiang Rai emerges through the trees, a sacred haze of splendorous temples. This is the heart of the region’s famed Golden Triangle, though it is a city defined by all its colors: by the greens of its tea plantations, the fuchsia flesh of dragon fruit at the Night Bazaar and the startling, cobalt vision of Wat Rong Suea Ten temple, whose regal blues leaves visitors silent with wonder.

Rolling from the peaks of Tibet, through lush Indochina and out to the South China Sea, the Mekong is more than one of the world’s longest rivers: it is a thread that binds Southeast Asia together, one that has seen faiths flourish and empires fall. To cruise its waters is to sail through Asia both old and new: through bustling cities, growing outwards and upwards above the river’s lush banks, and rural farming communities, who have reaped rice and fruit from the valley slopes for countless generations. 

A sense of the spiritual settles over Luang Prabang, hidden away in Laos’s northern hills like a votive offering. The country’s ancient former capital has long been a seat of Buddhist reverence, its streets littered with temples where monks seek alms in their striking, persimmon-colored robes. Adventure awaits in the surrounding jungle, home to waterfalls and ancient, hidden caves, though take time to linger over fresh coffee and French-style pastries, watching the waters of the Nam Khan meet the mighty Mekong.

A short journey west from the capital, Koh Kong Province harbors some of Cambodia’s wildest landscapes. Jungle coats the foothills of the Cardamom Mountains, home to thundering cascades and mangrove-lined waterways, while the coastline fractures through golden beaches lined with traditional fishing villages into remote islands. Important conservation work is at play in the forests, in particular: some 60 species are believed to be threatened in this important habitat, including Asian elephants, tigers and the Siamese crocodile.