Ultimate Asia

Arrive at the hub airport where you’ll meet your Rustic Pathways Flight Leader, who will help get you checked in and through security before traveling with your group to China. Get acquainted with fellow Rustic travelers before boarding your flight.

Arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) and meet your Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture. Start your trip by visiting some of China’s most famous sights: the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden City. Climb up Jingshan Park to overlook the beautiful view of the Forbidden City. Head back to the hutong to enjoy dinner.

Settle into your hotel where you will be staying for the next 2 nights. Students will share rooms with private bathrooms, Western-style toilets, and hot water.

After a quick breakfast, it’s time for one of the trip’s highlights: a visit to the Great Wall of China. Nothing can truly prepare you for an in-person look and this often photographed site of and monument to human achievement. Learn a bit about the history of this monument while walking atop the wall itself before taking a toboggan ride down to the bottom. After an amazing day on the Great Wall, get some souvenirs at one of the most famous knock-off markets in Beijing.

Hop on the high speed train racing over 180 mph to Shanghai. After settling in at the hotel, head out to explore Yuyuan Gardens and learn a bit about the city’s history. Visit Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Center that has the propaganda posters that inspired the Chinese to rise up and espouse the Communist Government. China’s recent history is incredibly interesting, though rarely discussed. In the evening, explore the artsy Tianzifang in the French Concession neighborhood and have dinner.

Visit the World Financial Center, one of the most iconic buildings in the Shanghai skyline with an amazing view of the city from the top. After lunch, head to the Shanghai Urban Planning Center to learn about the past, present, and future of Shanghai. In the evening, walk through the famous Nanjing Road to see the iconic Shanghai skyline, the Bund, lit up at night. Try some authentic street food and don’t miss the dumplings!

Xin Chao and welcome to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam! Visit Confucius’ Temple of Literature, home to the Imperial Academy and Vietnam’s first national university. Explore the history of the Vietnam War while touring the Hanoi Hilton, the Vietnamese POW prison that held Americans during the Vietnam War, including Sen. John McCain. Learn about the country’s 54 ethnic groups at the Museum of Ethnology and then continue your sight-seeing tour with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. Along the way, enjoy ice-cold fruit shakes, delicious bowls of noodle soup, and other wonderful northern Vietnamese delicacies. Experience the rambling streets, busy markets and old world charm of this bustling city.

After a long day, settle into your Vietnamese hotel. Students will share rooms with ensuite bathrooms, Western-style toilets, and hot water.

The landscape as we drive through mountainous cliffs towering above lush rice fields is truly breathtaking. Up we go through the hills to our service village. The Hill Tribe villages are located inside Ngoc Son-Ngo Luong Nature Reserve and are really off the beaten path. Arrive in time for lunch with your homestay family and a tour of the village.

For the next three nights you will be staying in a homestay with a local family.

Rise early to the smell of freshly-cooked breakfast and start to feel the remoteness of your surroundings and appreciate the simplicity of village life. Head to your service site to assist with an ongoing initiative. These projects have been designed by a community-based association to support the protection of the area’s natural and cultural resources, create alternative income opportunities, and to improve infrastructure in surrounding villages. After each day’s service, explore the surrounding rice fields or simply relax and enjoy the scenery. On the final night in the village, end your time with a community celebration showcasing traditional Muong culture through song and dance.

Say your final goodbyes to the host families. Once back in Hanoi, stroll through the Old quarter, enjoy a traditional water puppet show, sample local Vietnamese delicacies and wander around Hoan Kiem Lake. Join your group for a mid-trip discussion where you will begin to reflect on what you’ve experienced and learned so far.

Settle into your Vietnamese hotel room for the night. Students will share rooms with ensuite bathrooms, Western-style toilets, and hot water.

Sui’sday and welcome to the Kingdom of Wonder! Learn about Cambodia’s history and hit the local market to buy food, supplies, and service materials for your time on the water in the Floating Villages. See Phare, The Cambodian Circus. This inspiring acrobat show is performed by students from Phare Ponleu Selpak, an organization that educates disadvantaged youth through the power of the arts. It is truly a sight to see!

For the next 2 nights students will be sharing rooms at a comfortable hotel with ensuite bathrooms, Western-style toilets, and hot water.

Set out in the early morning to see the amazing architecture of Angkor Wat, the largest religious complex in the world. Check out the intricate carvings of Angkor’s historical battle scenes and climb the steep steps of the highest tower for the view. See the huge, carved faces of Bayon and enjoy shady and cool tree temple, Ta Prohm. Tonight, you will be treated to a delicious Khmer dinner and spend some time browsing the night market.

Take a boat to the village of Prek Toal and witness a whole new way of life in the Floating Villages. Families cook their morning meal aboard their floating houses and set out nets to reel in the day’s catch. School children, dressed in white shirts and blue shorts wave excitedly as they begin their day Upon arriving in Prek Toal, settle in with your host family before heading out to explore the village.

You will be staying with your Cambodian homestay family for the next 2 nights.

During your time in Prek Toal, assist with our Housing Improvement initiative, which was designed in partnership with the local community to construct and upgrade homes in need of repair. After service each day, relax, get to know your hosts, and live simply.

After your trip, check back into your hotel in Siem Reap where you can grab a hot shower for the first time in a few days.

Sabaidee and welcome to Luang Prabang! Ancient temples, colonial architecture, rich history, and unmatched beauty have earned the town UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Make a short hike to the top of Phousi Mountain for a breathtaking panoramic view of Luang Prabang. Visit the Luang Prabang night market where you can wander through the tented stalls, practice your bargaining skills and collect some hand-woven textiles.

You will stay in a comfortable hotel in Luang Prabang for the next 3 nights. Students will share rooms with ensuite bathrooms, Western-style toilets, and hot water.

Stop by Big Brother Mouse, a local nonprofit organization. Sit down to chat with local teenagers and university students to learn about their lives and exchange stories. Afterward, leave the city behind and wind through lush green hillsides and rice paddies on the way to the famous Kuang Sri waterfall. Spend the afternoon marveling at the seven-tiered falls complete with beautiful views, turquoise water, a swimming area, and a sun bear preserve. On the way back from the waterfall, stop at a water buffalo farm that serves as a social enterprise and creamery, specializing in all things water buffalo.

Wake up with the sun and give alms to the monks who collect offerings each morning. Then, dive deeper into Lao culture with a traditional cooking class. Whip up some stir-fry, try your hand at rolling spring rolls, and learn about the ingredients that make Lao cuisine unique and delicious. Later this afternoon, relax in style with a Lao massage before dinner. After dinner, have some Lao-style fun at the local bowling alley!

Sawasdee and welcome to Chiang Mai, Thailand! First stop is exploring Doi Suthep, the mountain overlooking the city with a sacred temple at the top. Take in the sweeping views of the city and introduce yourself to this new and magical country.

Check into your hotel where you will sleep for the next 3 nights. Students will share comfortable rooms with ensuite bathrooms, Western-style toilets, and hot water.

First thing, head to the gym to experience Muay Thai, or Thai kickboxing. This ancient martial art is an integral part of Thai culture, and it has become renowned across the globe. Learn the basic moves and combinations and get a good workout while practicing your form. Then, in the afternoon you will head out of town for a whitewater rafting adventure on the Mae Taeng River. This is the perfect way to experience Thailand’s amazing river ecosystems, home to many endemic species of birds, fish and reptiles. The tranquil stretches of river are interspersed with exciting rapids and you are guaranteed to get a little wet and have a lot of fun. In the evening, head to Chiang Mai’s famous Night for dinner and souvenirs.

Today you will embark on a once-in-a-lifetime experience at an elephant sanctuary in the mountains outside of Chiang Mai. Observe elephants in their natural habitat, watch them going about their day, and learn about the many approaches to elephant conservation in Thailand today. You don’t have to be an animal lover to appreciate these majestic creatures.

Head to the airport for your morning flight down to Bangkok. Make your way through Bangkok’s hustle and bustle to the Chao Phraya River, or the River of Kings, which runs through the heart of the city. Climb aboard a chartered long-tail boat to explore these fascinating waterways that long ago earned this city the nickname Venice of the East. Head to Wat Pho, part of the Grand Palace, to see one of the most impressive examples of palaces and temples. Have a celebratory dinner and reflect on all you have done over the past three weeks.
At the end of each program, students reflect on their experiences and the issues they engaged with, and talk about how to apply this new understanding to their own worlds. During or after their closing discussion, groups participate in Rustic Ties, a unique and powerful activity that allows students to capture the memories and learning moments of their program to process and share with their communities back home.

You will spend your final night of the program at a top Bangkok hotel. Students will share rooms with ensuite bathrooms, Western-style toilets, and hot water.

Your Program Leaders will take you to the airport for your flight home or to your next Rustic program as you say goodbyes and reflect on your adventure.

If you’re staying in Asia, your Program Leaders will take you to your next accommodation to meet your new group. If you’re continuing on to another Rustic Pathways destination, you’ll board a connecting flight to that country.