Temple Tours by Boat Around the World: the 15 Best

1.Rhodes: Symi Island & Panormitis Monastery Day Trip by Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,784 reviews · 9 hours · from $53Our pick

Review of Rhodes to Symi by ferry, with Panormitis Monastery, free time in Symi Town, optional swimming, costs, tips, and practical advice.

“Excellent! The boat trip to Panormitis was vital to me. After an 1hr 40 we arrived in Panormitis and beautiful small town, we got to spend roughly an hour here. Back on the boat we headed to Symi which took around 40 minutes, here we had roughly four hours of free time to enjoy a picture perfect village. From Symi we headed back to Rhodes about 1hr 40 for the return trip. Very enjoyable well worth experiencing”

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2.Ayutthaya Temples and River Cruise from Bangkok

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,692 reviews · from $73

Review of the Ayutthaya temples and Chao Phraya River cruise from Bangkok, with itinerary details, value advice, food, guides, and practical tips.

“The entire day was amazing. We LOVED our tour guide Donna. The driver was safe, food delicious. Highly recommend!!”

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3.Skadar Lake National Park: Guided Boat Tour to Kom Monastery

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,344 reviews · 3 hours · from $37

Review of Kingfisher’s three-hour Skadar Lake boat tour to Kom Monastery, with wine, wildlife, swimming, practical tips, and honest drawbacks.

“I had an amazing boat tour on Lake Skadar with Captain Jovan! He was super welcoming, very knowledgeable about the lake, and made the whole trip feel relaxed and enjoyable. The views were breathtaking, and Jovan knew the best spots to show us. Truly a memorable experience , look for captain jovan he is the best there highly recommend!”

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4.Small-Group Mekong Delta Day Trip: Boat Ride, Cottages & Pagoda

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,327 reviews · from $48Top rated

Explore the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City with boat rides, Ben Tre villages, local food, biking, music, and Vinh Trang Pagoda.

“Excellent excursion to the Mekong Delta area. The various activities and places visited were fun, engaging and educational. The tour guide, Manh, was very knowledgeable, entertaining and customer focused. Manh helped to make this a most memorable experience.”

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5.Chiang Rai Temples, Golden Triangle & Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 518 reviews · 15 hours · from $70

Review of Chiang Rai’s White, Blue, and Black temples, Golden Triangle boat ride, Karen village, lunch, and practical tour tips from Chiang Mai.

“Amazing tour visiting all the exquisite attractions in Chiang Rai. Everything was perfectly organised, our tour guide Bee gave us a lot if interesting information about the sights we were visiting, and managed to run everything smoothly. She spoke great English too! Amazing tour guide!”

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6.Longtail Boat Canal Tour to Wat Arun

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 438 reviews · 3 hours · from $28

Cruise Bangkok’s canals by longtail boat, visit Wat Paknam and Wat Arun, and see temple life up close on this three-hour tour.

“It was a good afternoon activity which allowed various sights to be visited. Happy with the tour.”

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7.Ayutthaya Temples and Boat Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 357 reviews · 1 day · from $82

Explore Ayutthaya from Bangkok with palace visits, ancient temples, riverside Thai lunch, and a scenic long-tail boat ride.

“The guide was very interesting and engaging. The places are definitely worth seeing. Transportation was in a small, comfortable group.”

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8.Royal Tombs & Pagoda Private Tour By Dragon Boat & Car

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 257 reviews · 3 - 5 hours · from $12

Explore Hue’s royal tombs, Thien Mu Pagoda, Perfume River, and incense village by private dragon boat and car.

“Our guide was Duy. He was amazing and exceptionally knowledgeable. We have had many guides and he was one of the best. He went above and beyond to show us everything. We cannot recommend him enough!”

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9.Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut Temple w/Nile Boat

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 230 reviews · from $90

Review of Luxor’s Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, and Nile boat tour from Hurghada for $90.

“I had Ahmed as a tour guide honestly couldn’t have asked for a better one. He was extremely knowledgeable about the history and culture of the temples and tombs, but also explained everything in a clear and engaging way. I really appreciated his kindness, patience, and ability to answer all of our questions. He also knew the best times and spots to avoid the crowds, which made the tour so much more enjoyable. Luxor is incredible on its own, but having such a professional and friendly guide truly brought the history to life. Thank you Ahmed for a lovely trip”

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10.Custom Tour with Dragon Boat, Private Car & Motorbike

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 199 reviews · from $27

Explore Hue by private car or motorbike, cruise the Perfume River, visit Thien Mu Pagoda and choose royal tombs with a local guide.

“Excellent communication before and during the activity. We enjoyed the organisation of the visit. We had enough time to stay on each site. Our driver Duong Minh Duc was very friendly.”

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11.Dragon Boat, Perfume River, Pagoda & Royal Tomb Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 194 reviews · 4 - 5 hours · from $11Best value

Review of Hue’s private dragon boat, Perfume River, pagoda, royal tombs, and incense village tour, with costs, timing, and practical tips.

“I choose to visit 3 Tombs with a private driver, Our driver was very professional explained destinations. Highly recommend 100%”

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12.Ninh Binh Boat Ride, Mua Cave Hike, Temple Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 146 reviews · from $37

Review of a flexible Ninh Binh day trip from Hanoi with Mua Cave, Hoa Lu, Bai Dinh, lunch, and Trang An or Tam Coc by boat.

“The Budist temples , and the boat trip were both excellent”

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13.Private Dragon Boat, Pagoda, and Royal Tomb Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 141 reviews · 150 - 450 minutes · from $13

Review of Hue’s private dragon boat, Thien Mu Pagoda, and royal tomb tour, with practical costs, timing, stops, and booking advice.

“The Driver Hung was very friendly and helpful! He spoke also good English!!”

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14.Skadar lake cruise – Virpazar – Kom monastery – Virpazar

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 119 reviews · 3 hours · from $37

Cruise Lake Skadar from Virpazar to Kom Monastery, with birdlife, water lilies, local wine, mountain views, and an optional swim.

“Our guide was very polite, calm, with a good sense of humor, it was a really enjoyable boat tour. Definitely recommend Viktor Tour for Skadar lake sightseeing!”

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15.Luxury Cruise from Aswan to Luxor 4 Days with Abu Simble Temple

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 60 reviews · from $650

Review of a 4-day luxury Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor, with Abu Simbel, Philae, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, meals, and guides.

“I don’t have any other Beautiful Words to say it about Vibrant Egypt but really this Trip was amazing and Having Real vibes that everyone would love to see it..i recommend this Tour for all”

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