Asia River Cruises

Asian River Cruise Overview

For centuries, Southeast Asia has fascinated travelers lucky enough to spend any time there, and an Asian river cruise with Scenic is the perfect way to experience this diverse part of the world.  The region is made up of 11 sovereign states and three territories; and while the secluded white sand beaches of the region’s tropical islands attract a large number of tourists each year, the mainland is equally attractive, albeit for different reasons. Near the turn of the 20th century, Rudyard Kipling wrote that the region is “quite unlike any land you know about.” More recently, well-known travel personality Anthony Bourdain declared that, “Southeast Asia has a real grip on me. From the very first time I went there, it was a fulfillment of my childhood fantasies of the way travel should be.” Given the extent of Bourdain’s travels for various Travel Channel television programs over the past decade and a half—he visited more than 60 countries on six continents while filming nine seasons of No Reservations, alone—such an endorsement is all you need to know.

Experiencing the region on an Asian river cruise provides a fascinating insight into the local cultures, and it allows passengers to take in the breathtaking landscapes—with their golden pagodas—in a unique way and from a perspective that not many travelers get to see.

Irrawaddy River Cruises

A Scenic Irrawaddy River Cruise, by contrast, allows passengers to leisurely observe Myanmar’s countryside and immerse themselves in its culture. Such an experience is both profound and exclusive, as Myanmar (formerly Burma), only recently opened its borders to foreign travelers after almost five decades of military rule. It is for that reason that Myanmar—with its isolated riverside villages and thousands of Buddhist temples, pagodas, and monasteries—can provide travelers with a glimpse into the past. Parts of the country have changed very little since the period of British colonization.