The Mekong Sun is the first river cruise boat designed to operate on the unpredictable waters of the upper Mekong between Chiang Saen in northern Thailand in the heart of the Golden Triangle, to the royal city of Luang Prabang and the Laotian capital, Vientiane.

Set amidst emerald-green rice fields and lush orchards, Khum Lanna gives you a luxurious home-stay experience combined with a cooking school specialising in traditional Northern Thai cuisine. A celebration of heritage, food and lifestyle, the Culinary & Wellness programme combines cultural exchanges with local communities with Thai cooking classes, herbal steam baths and massages.

For those who do not have time for an extended sailing cruise, or whose taste for being on a boat extends only to a few days, a short sailing cruise to the Komodo National Park is a must do component of any Indonesia visit.

Staying as a guest of a community can be a highly rewarding experience, adding real meaning to a holiday and creating opportunities for a genuine cultural exchange leaving all parties wiser and more enlightened to cultural differences. Koh Yao Yai...