Join the festival fun in south-east Asia with InsideAsia Tours

Tailor-made trips from InsideAsia Tours offer an excellent opportunity to experience the enchanting festivals famously celebrated by the people of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Beautiful lights, vibrant parades and a lively, celebratory spirit offer visitors unique experiences as part of these exciting and diverse trips.

Experience the Fire Boat Festival in Luang Prabang as part of the Northern Laos Explorer tour – from £2,270 pp

This festival (25 October, 2018) sees processions of more than 20,000 boats travel along the Mekong in a colourful, candlelit procession. It is quite a spectacle in the dark night sky of northern Laos, preceded by a lively parade of locals in traditional clothing, singing and dancing their way through the streets of Luang Prabang.

Northern Laos Explorer is an 11-night tailor-made trip which, if taken from 16 October, can include the Fire Boat Festival, also known as the Festival of Light. The varied itinerary also includes the city of Vientiane, as well as Laos’ wild jungle regions, its mysterious Plain of Jars, and its hidden limestone caves. Priced from £2,270 pp (two sharing), the price includes transfers, 11 nights’ B&B, four lunches, two dinners, domestic flights and excursions as detailed in the itinerary. International flights extra.

Attend the Hoi An Lantern Festival as part of the Best of Vietnam tour – from £990 pp

This festival takes place on the night of the full moon (22 October, 2018) and sees local people and visitors alike follow the local tradition of lighting a small coloured lantern and sending it down the river. Musicians playing bamboo flutes, drums and fiddles provide the soundtrack to the lively event, while street vendors offer tasty treats to enjoy whilst admiring the beauty of the colourful lights.

Best of Vietnam is an eight-night tailor-made trip which, if taken from 17 October, can include the Hoi An Lantern Festival. Bookended by Vietnam’s largest cities, Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the south, the fully-tailored itinerary covers many of the country’s finest destinations – from the ancient town of Hoi An to the beaches of Danang and the spectacular scenery of Halong Bay. Priced from £990 pp (two sharing), the price includes transfers, eight nights’ B&B, including a one-night Halong Bay cruise (private en suite cabin), one lunch, one dinner and guided excursions as outlined. International flights extra.

Visit the Cambodia Water Festival in Phnom Penh as part of the Into the Heart of Cambodia tour – from £1,780 pp

This festival (21-23 November, 2018) involves three days of boat races, concerts and fireworks amidst a carnival-like atmosphere. Acknowledged as a national holiday, the water festival is a celebration for many reasons, not only indicating the end of the rainy season and the coming of the harvest moon, but also marking the natural phenomenon of the changing direction of the Tonle Sap river.

Into the Heart of Cambodia is an 11-night tailor-made trip which, if taken from 16 November, can include the Cambodia Water Festival. Alongside Phnom Penh, the varied itinerary includes the temples of Siem Reap and Banteay Chhmar, feasting by firelight at a lost Angkorian temple, the art and culture hub of Battambang and the stunning coastal town of Kep. Priced from £1,780 pp (two sharing), this includes transfers, 11 nights’ B&B, seven lunches, one dinner and excursions as detailed in the itinerary. International flights extra.

NOTE TO EDITORS: InsideAsia Tours Ltd is an award-winning travel company offering group tours and tailored travel and cultural experiences across Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma.

Press enquiries: Please contact Kate Chapman or Jackie Franklin at Travel PR, tel: 020 8891 4440; email k.chapman@travelpr.co.uk or j.franklin@travelpr.co.uk.