Textile Treasures of South Asia

Meet our expert and Tour Manager at London Heathrow airport for our overnight flight to Chiang Mai, via Bangkok. 

We land in Chiang Mai early evening and transfer direct to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

A relaxing start to the day with a morning at leisure. Time to recover from our international flight with a dip in the pool or start your holiday reading in one of the many outdoor seating areas.

Refreshed and rejuvenated we’ll be ready to enjoy our exclusive visit to Ron Simpson’s house. Ron will share with us just some of his extensive collection of antique Asian textiles.

This evening we can make an optional visit to Chiang Mai’s amazing night market.

Today we’ll spend the day at Studio Naenna; a weaving studio that supports the local community and creates jobs for local weavers. We’ll be introduced to the dyeing and weaving techniques that are used at the studio and have the chance to get some hands-on experience during a workshop. Our host for the day will be Patricia Cheeseman, the founder of the studio and renowned expert in ethnic textiles and weaving techniques.

This evening we can make a further optional visit to Chiang Mai’s amazing night market.

Leaving Chiang Mai, we travel to Phrae (total journey time approx. 4 hrs). On route we’ll stop at Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, a phenomenal Buddhist temple dating back to 1476, making it the oldest standing wooden structure in Thailand.

Create your own fashionable scarf at a workshop with renowned Thai designer Sakchira Wiengkao (Chang). Chang will share his ideas and knowledge with you so that you can create a beautiful hand-painted scarf to take home.

Today we travel to Nan, with several interesting stops on route (total journey time approx 3 hrs). We’ll discover remarkable natural rock formations at Phae Mueang Phi and visit a rural community where we’ll make our own Sai Ua, a northern Thai sausage and enjoy lunch at a local house. In the afternoon we’ll take part in a tie-dyeing workshop with a local weaving group.

Today we cross the border into Laos, but first we’ll spend some time visiting the charming city of Nan. Thanks to its relatively remote location the city if less developed than many other cities in Thailand. It has preserved its authenticity and centuries old cultural heritage. We’ll visit the lively morning market and the beautiful Wat Phumin temple.

On route to the border we’ll visit another small temple; Wat Nong Bua, located in the community of Tai Lue. Besides the temple, the textiles here are also very famous.

Dinner is included this evening

Total journey time approx. 4 hrs.

Today we’ll cruise by the beautiful and changing landscapes of the Mekong River to Luang Prabang. (Total journey time 7 hrs). Along the way we’ll stop to visit the sacred caves of Pak Ou which shelter hundreds of statuettes of Buddha and is really a sight to behold.

Luang Prabang, an ancient capital city, is renowned not only for being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to its monuments and monasteries, but also for its tradition of weaving that has been passed from generation to generation. What begins as a silkworm, a bud of cotton or a hemp plant is transformed into a cloth that tells a story about the weaver, her village, her tribe and ethnicity.

Once we have transferred to our hotel and had some time freshen up, we’ll attend a Baci ceremony, one of the most popular traditions in Laos. During the ceremony the officiating person will recall our souls (according to Lao belief, everyone has 32 souls) to bring us good luck and tie a piece of cotton string around our wrists to preserve it. Afterwards we’ll enjoy some famous Lao dances and traditional music. 

The city of Luang Prabang, reputedly one of the most beautiful cities in South-East Asia, occupies a privileged location at the meeting point of the Mekong and Nam Khan river. Our morning sightseeing tour will take us to emblematic temples and give us the opportunity to learn more about the city’s history, architecture and culture. At the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre we’ll learn about specific ethnic groups through photographs, clothing, household objects, wedding customs and ceremonies. Our learning will continue at the Royal Palace Museum.

This afternoon we’ll enjoy a hand-sewing workshop with Karin.

Early this morning we’ll witness the Tak Bat alms ceremony. During the ceremony devoted residents of Luang Prabang kneel on the sidewalk, bearing food in their hands, which they offer to the monks as they walk by clad in their saffron orange robes. This culturally significant moment takes place in a peaceful and respectful manner, with no words exchanged. After this humbling experience we’ll enjoy the animation of the local market before returning to the hotel for breakfast.

Kuang Sy waterfalls are one of the highlights of Luang Prabang. The lower level of the falls has been turned into a public park and here we can enjoy the shady cool atmosphere. Further up the path numerous turquoise pools have formed; where we can spend some time swimming and relaxing in the pools.

At Ock Pop Living Craft Centre we’ll gain a deeper understanding of the process of creating handmade textiles. After an introduction to silks, dyeing and weaving techniques we’ll head to the loom and learn the art of weaving; creating a woven place mat with Lao motifs for us to take home as a souvenir.

After a busy day yesterday, we’ll enjoy some free time this morning before flying into Cambodia and Siem Reap.

This evening we’ll visit the Devine Sala in the garden of an ancient Khmer house, where the Sacred Dancers of Angkor host a ballet performance. The Khmer ethnic group account for 97% of the population of Cambodia. Money collected from the entrance fees directly supports the preservation of this centuries-old tradition.

This morning we’ll visit Angkor Thom, the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. Here we’ll visit:

• the Bayon Temple, built in the late 12^th or early 13^th century. The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and smiling stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak
• Baphuon, a three-tiered temple mountain built in the 11^th century
• Terrace of the Elephants, a 350m-long terrace that was used as a giant viewing stand for public ceremonies and served as a base for the king's grand audience hall
• Terrace of the Leper King; covered in magnificent Apsara sculptures
• Angkor Wat; the largest religious monument in the world. Originally constructed as a Hindu temple for the Khmer empire but was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12^th century. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.
• Ta Prohm; unlike most of the Angkorian temples here this one is in much the same condition as it was found. The photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. UNESCO inscribed Ta Prohm on the World Heritage List in 1992.

Theam’s gallery is the home and studio of Cambodia’s most renowned artist and designer. Here, the Cambodian generation acquire an even deeper understanding of Cambodian aesthetics and culture. We’ll visit the workshop here, and the gallery where his collections are displayed.

This morning we’ll enjoy another hand-sewing workshop with Karin.

This afternoon we’ll visit the Angkor Silk Farm located in a peaceful, rural location surrounded by trees and nature. Here we’ll learn about the production of silk including the cultivation of the mulberry bushes, silkworm farming, cocoon unwinding, preparation of the silk threads, ikat techniques and silk weaving.

Our second visit of the day is to a Lotus Farm; where we’ll discover the process involved in obtaining the lotus thread from the stem and spinning and weaving it. There will also be the opportunity to purchase fabric and clothing.

Our final day in Cambodia will be spent in the floating village of Prek Toal, one of the Tonle Sap floating villages. We’ll learn all about village life and enjoy a home-cooked lunch from one of the floating houses with an amazing view of the lake. In the afternoon we’ll take a water hyacinth weaving workshop; a villager will teach us the traditional method of turning the water hyacinth plant into a colourful household item which we can take home as a souvenir.

Dinner is included this evening.

This morning we depart Siem Reap for our return flight to London Heathrow, via Bangkok.