Bali to Bangkok: Southeast Asia by luxury cruise

This morning, you'll join your guide for a half-day tour of Ubud's temples and nearby sights. The afternoon is spent learning to cook some famous Balinese dishes with a traditional cooking class.

Today you'll travel the back roads to see the Balinese people going about their daily lives as well as some less-visited parts of the island. One of your stops will be Lake Bratan, a picturesque caldera lake known for its cooler climate and the iconic Ulun Danu Bratan Temple on its shores. On the way back to Ubud, take the meandering drive to see the dramatic rice field terraced landscapes of Jatiluwih.

You'll be taken to the beautiful Jimbaran Bay today to enjoy some time to relax at the beach.

Relax today at your hotel or explore the local area. This afternoon, your guide and driver will collect you to drive south through the Bukit Peninsula to the stunning cliff temple of Uluwatu. Watch the sunset over the Southern Ocean, meet the local monkeys that roam around the site, and experience a traditional Kecak dance performance at the temple. You'll return to Jimbaran this evening.

Spend today in South Bali, where you can kick back on white-sand beaches in the resort town of Nusa Dua or explore Denpasar City, Bali’s capital. With your private driver-guide, you might visit a temple, museum, or Bajra Sandhi, a Hindu bell-shaped monument that commemorates the historical struggles of the Balinese people. Or, wander Bali’s busiest market, Badung, to pick up batik sarongs and handmade terracotta. This afternoon you’ll board your ship and settle into your suite before watching Benoa port shrink away.

Your first port of call, Celukan Bawang, is the gateway to exploring Bali’s less-visited north. This includes the town of Singaraja with its tree-lined streets and Dutch-influenced architecture. You could tour regional highlights, from a lakeside Hindu temple to a market in the mountains, or venture into the countryside to enjoy lunch among clove and cocoa plantations. Alternatively, take a boat trip through mangrove-rimmed Gilimanuk Bay to spot blue kingfishers and herons, or simply bubble away in the mineral-rich hot springs at Banjar.

You arrive this morning in the capital of East Java province, Surabaya. Today’s activities are designed to give you a deeper understanding of its history and culture. With a guide, you could visit the House of Sampoerna for an insight into Indonesia’s Dutch colonial past, wander the streets of the Arab Quarter, or explore the ruins of the Majapahit Empire, one of the last Hindu-Buddhist empires. Then, dive into Surabaya’s street-food scene on a guided tour, sampling delicacies like rawon, a black beef soup with salted duck eggs.

Your next stop is Semarang, on the north coast of Java — a gateway to the island’s central mountainous interior. You could take a steam-powered train to a hillside coffee plantation to learn about the drink’s introduction to Java in the 1600s, or ride horseback along forested trails to visit Hindu temples. You could also visit UNESCO-listed Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist temple. Constructed from two million intricately carved volcanic rocks in the 9th century, it sits on a hill and seems to rise from the surrounding jungle.

You begin your journey to Singapore, spending your first day at sea. From paddle tennis to Pilates sessions, there are plenty of activities to try. Breathe in the fresh sea air with a few laps on the ship’s full-circle running track, or head to the top deck to hone your skills on the putting green. As twilight approaches, pitch yourself at the pool bar with a martini shaken to icy perfection and watch the ever-changing blues of the sea.

You reach Singapore — your home for the next few days. So many cultures have left their mark here, creating a city that’s diverse in its art, food, and atmosphere. With a guide, you can tour historic landmarks, including the city’s oldest Hindu temple, or mingle with locals in a traditional wet market as they haggle for seafood and spices. Singapore comes to life at night — we suggest riding a trishaw through Chinatown or taking the Night Safari tram to see nocturnal wildlife like Bornean bearded pigs.

Singapore is rich in greenery, and you can see this in the city’s many nature trails, parks, and skyscrapers dressed in vertical gardens. You could explore the UNESCO-listed botanical gardens, home to 60,000 orchid species, or join an eco-tour of the city — you’ll discover a mechanical forest of 18 supertrees that generate solar power, collect rainwater, and nurture 163,000 plants. Toast the day with a rosy Singapore Sling at Raffles’ historic Long Bar, where the drink was invented in 1915.

Cruising the South China Sea today gives you a chance to unwind after busy days in Singapore. You might sit for high tea scored by a string quartet, indulge in a caviar facial at the spa, or spend hours curled up in the library with a book. Come evening, you have five restaurant options to choose from — you might like to dine alfresco on grilled seafood or banquet on beef rib and champagne in the steakhouse.

Wake up in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest metropolis. Your specialist can help you experience Saigon through local eyes. On a guided tour, you might zip through alleyways on the back of a scooter and take coffee with an artist who uses the cracked exteriors of buildings as their canvas. For something more peaceful, discover the century-old religion of Caodaism with a temple tour and vegetarian lunch, or practice yoga in a downtown park.

After docking in Ho Chi Minh City overnight, we suggest exploring it from a sampan (wooden skiff) along the Mekong Delta. It gives you a glimpse of rural life as you visit villages only accessible by boat. Here, you can meet a family who weaves dried water hyacinths into bags and baskets and visit a floating market to sample bo la lot (beef wrapped in betel leaves). Alternatively, kayak the mangrove-rich canals, where you can spot endemic wildlife and even plant a tree.

This morning, you’ll dock in the beach town of Nha Tran. Nestled among green mountains, it boasts a lengthy arc of golden sand. You might ride a pedicab along the coast, climb 152 steps to the hilltop Buddha statue overlooking the bay, or head inland to meet Buddhist monks. We like the small-group cycling trip along the River Cai, where locals tend rice paddies and craftspeople build clay stoves. Here, you can bathe in mineral-rich mud baths and hot springs before rinsing off under a waterfall.

It’s your final day at sea as you sail toward Cambodia. You’ll find there’s a packed schedule of activities to keep you entertained, from cooking classes to dance lessons, and a full lecture series with talks on everything from wildlife to architecture. You can also play in bridge tournaments or bocce ball competitions, stretch out in a yoga class, or taste wines in the lounge. Then, settle in for the night’s entertainment — perhaps a full-scale musical revue or a late-night karaoke session.

Today’s port of call is Sihanoukville, the jumping-off point for many of Cambodia’s best white-sand beaches. Beyond the beach, you can explore evergreen forests and mangrove swamps — paddle a kayak along the Prey Chak River to spot milky storks and flying fish, or join a tour to visit Ream National Park. As you journey by boat and on foot, your naturalist guide will help you spot monkeys, dolphins, and some of the 150 bird species, as well as meet the villagers who live here.

After docking in your final port, you can explore the temples, palaces, waterways, and markets of Thailand’s capital. Your specialist can help you select activities beyond the stand-out attractions. You could learn the slow art of t’ai chi in an urban park or enjoy a reflexology treatment while floating along the Chao Phraya River. Grazing at street food markets is a way of life in Bangkok, and we suggest trying the fiery pad kee mao (drunken noodles heaving with holy basil and chillies).

You’ll disembark your ship here in Bangkok and meet your driver for your transfer through the city to your hotel. The rest of your day is then at leisure to explore. We recommend starting your time in Bangkok with vibrant evening markets and street food.

Today is an early rise as you are met by your guide for a small orientation of the city, as you explore the highlights of Wat Pho, the Grand Palace and local areas as you navigate by various forms of public transport, whether that's by tuk tuk, sky train or water taxis. The city can result in sensory overload, so you might like to escape to the countryside. You can see life through the eyes of a resident, on a guided tour of a Buddhist temple and rural market where you can mingle with locals. If wildlife’s your thing, you could visit a sanctuary that cares for rescued Asian elephants or a conservation reserve where endangered sea turtles are bred for release into the ocean.

Transfer to the airport today by private transportation, for your international flight returning home. Your return flight will arrive the same day.