Slow Travel To Asia With Anantara: Elephant Sanctuary, River Cruises And Luxury Trains

Anantara is not just one of Asia’s leading luxury hotel brands, it is also a sustainability trailblazer. Now, Anantara invites its guests to experience Southeast Asia the slow way, with a series of curated experiences designed for the sustainably minded traveler.

Sustainable Travel in Asia

For years, Anantara has sought to preserve the destinations in which it operates, contributing to social and environmental projects and supporting local communities through grassroots involvement. Some of its most high-profile initiatives include a coral reef protection project in the Maldives and an elephant welfare program in Thailand.

The brand is also constantly looking for new ways for its guests to interact more sustainably with their travel destinations.

Sustainable Rail Travel In Vietnam

Rail travel is making a comeback the world over, but Anantara has been on board for some time. This year, one of its most beloved experiences, a luxury railway carriage that takes visitors on a slow journey though Vietnam, has been extended to include a second route.

The Vietage by Anantara is now operating a second railway carriage, offering a daily return journey between the southern Vietnamese coastal resort town of Nha Trang and Quy Nhon, a former fishing village known for its pristine beaches and stunning coral reef.

The new route is an extension of the existing rail service between Da Nang and Quy Nhon. Together, the two routes offer a one-of-a-kind luxury journey exploring the coast of South-Central Vietnam, and not just a way for people to get from A to B, as Kate Jones, Anantara’s Director of Public Relations in Vietnam, explains.

From Da Nang to Nha Trang, via Quy Nhon

“This is an additional experience within your overall vacation, allowing you to see parts of the country that you would never catch a glimpse of from 35,000 feet, an experience that harks back to a nostalgic way of sophisticated travel, moving at a slow pace, while enjoying silver service fine dining, and the opportunity to dress up for the occasion,” she says.

The two, six-hour journeys meander slowly through the Vietnamese countryside, allowing guests to catch a glimpse of water buffalo, Vietnam’s national animal, alongside lotus ponds, rice paddies and all the flora and fauna of Southeast Asia. This, in addition to long stretches of coastline and glittering bays fronting the East Sea, before the train heads inland into the mountainous province of Phú Yên, home to one of Vietnam’s Champa people communities.

“There is nothing like it!” exclaims Kate Jones. “Sit in your private booth drinking a traditional Vietnamese cà phê sữa đá iced coffee, or a locally-inspired cocktail, while watching daily Vietnamese life go by, from the fishermen casting their nets, to lotus ponds in full bloom, and rice paddies blossoming ready to harvest.”

The experience connects two of Anantara’s most popular hotels: Anantara Hoi An Resort, with its postcard-perfect setting in the heart of the old town of Hoi An, the UNESCO-listed ancient town famous for its fairytale colorful lanterns and riverboats, and Anantara Quy Nhon Villas, one of Vietnam’s most luxurious beachfront resorts.

River Cruises And Elephant Sanctuary In Thailand

In Thailand, Anantara has partnered with Loy Pela to offers a magnificent river cruise along Bangkok’s Chao Praya River. Sailing along the historic River of Kings, guests are given the opportunity to experience Thailand’s natural beauty, culinary delights, cultural heritage, and storied past. This voyage offered by Anatara Riverside Bangkok connects Thailand’s vibrant modern-day capital Bangkok with the ancient capital, Ayutthaya.

In northern Thailand, more specifically the remote mountainous province of Chiang Rai, Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort invites guests to embark on a three-day, two-night journey along the Mekong River between to Anantara Luang Prabang in Laos. The voyage aboard the Gypsy, an exclusive 134-foot rice barge with just two deluxe cabins, is filled with activities and locally sourced feasts, as well as visits to remote elephant camps, silk-weaving villages, and ancient caves.

Back at Anantara Golden Triangle, guests can also bond with the elephants at the resort’s caretaker village and even sponsor one of them. There is a spa in the jungle with healing treatments inspired by local wisdom and designed to enhance wellbeing.

Another popular experience from Anantara Golden Triangle, Canopy is a treetop dining experience, where breathtaking jungle vistas serve are the backdrop for a once-in-a-lifetime culinary adventure. Diners enjoy panoramic views over the area where northeastern Myanmar, northwestern Thailand and northern Laos meet, known as Thailand’s Golden Triangle, from a canopy capsule set among the treetop branches.