Indochina Explorer 19 Days

Overview:

 

This 19-day comprehensive Indochina holiday will start in Phnom Penh and end in Luang Prabang. It has been designed to include five World Heritage areas, three capital cities and the region’s largest metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong delta and much more besides that we hope it would bring you great experiences you’ll never forget!

 

 

 

Detailed itinerary:

 

Day 1: Phnom Penh arrival (G)

Arriving at Phnom Penh airport, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. You’ll have time to relax before a sunset cruise on the Chatomouk River and spend your night in Phnom Penh.

 

Day 2: Phnom Penh City tour (B, L, G)

The day will be taken to visit the National Museum where exhibits 5000 objects including Angkorian era statues, lingas, artefacts – most notably the legendary statue of the 'Leper King" - and a good collection of pieces from later periods. You'll call in at the Royal Palace and the nearby by Silver Pagoda.

 

After lunch, your guide will show you Wat Phnom and the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. The rest of the day will be free for souvenir shopping, sightseeing or whatever. Your overnight accommodation will be in Phnom Penh.

 

Day 3: Killing Fields/Siem Reap (B, G)

In the morning, you’ll drive to visit the so called “Killing Fields”. Later, you’ll be driven to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap. Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted and driven to your hotel. The rest of the day will be your own. You’ll spend the night in Siem Reap.

 

Day 4: Siem Reap (B, L, G)

Your day will be devoted to the Temple complex, of which Angkor Wat is a key element. You’ll begin with a visit to Angkor Thom, starting with the Bayon, a bizarre structure of several architectural changes reflecting a switch from Hinduism (the foundations) to Buddhism (the superstructure). Your next visit will be to the Elephant and Leper King Terraces followed by the Baphoun Temple, which is now nearing the end of an eight-year multi-million dollar restoration programme. In the afternoon, you’ll explore the Ta Prohm, strangled by massive tree roots and typical of the condition of the whole complex when it was discovered in 1860 by French naturalist Henri Mouhot, and Neak Pean, a Himalayan-style lake and sanctuary.

 

You’ll also call in at Angkor Wat itself, the largest, and for most people, the most impressive temple in the complex. As dusk nears, a walk to the summit of Phnom Bakheng Hill will afford a panorama of the whole complex lit by the rays of the setting sun, weather permitting of course. Your overnight accommodation will be in Siem Reap.

 

Day 5: Siem Reap/Ho Chi Minh City (B, G)

In the morning, you’ll have free time to stroll around the city until you’ll be met and driven to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. When you arrive at Tan Son Nhat airport, your guide and driver are waiting to take you to your hotel in the city centre.

 

In the afternoon, your guide will arrive to show you around Ho Chi Minh City. You’ll visit the Museum of War Remnants provides a very partial, but riveting, perspective of the ‘American War’: not for the squeamish! You’ll also call in at the Jade Emperor Temple. It’s one of the best Taoist temples in Vietnam, with superb effigies, remarkable carved panels of the descent to Hell and somewhat incongruous terrapin and tortoise sanctuaries. The rest of your afternoon will be devoted to the huge Ben Thanh market, one of the liveliest areas of Ho Chi Minh City, is packed with every conceivable commodity. You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Day 6: Ho Chi Minh City/Tay Ninh/Cu Chi (B, L, G)

A morning drive will take you to Tay Ninh to visit the Cao Dai Holy See in time to watch the mid-day ceremony. After lunch, you’ll visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels, a Byzantine maze of underground passages, chambers, rooms and booby traps used by both the Vietminh and the Viet Cong to suddenly materialise as if from nowhere, launch a lightning ambush, and vanish equally rapidly. You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Day 7: Ho Chi Minh City/Vinh Long/Ho Chi Minh City (B, L, G)

After escaping from Ho Chi Minh City’s urban sprawl, you’ll travel to Cai Be. There, you’ll cruise on the Mekong River, visit Cai Be floating market thence to Vinh Long to visit fruit orchards, a traditional family-run brick kiln, and drop in to look at some traditional cottage industries - a workshop making the huge coffins unique to the Mekong is particularly interesting. In the afternoon, you’ll return to Ho Chi Minh City where you’ll spend the night.

 

Day 8: Ho Chi Minh City/Danang/Hoi An (B, L, G)

In the morning, you’ll be transferred to Tan Son Nhat airport for your flight to Danang. When you arrive, you’ll be met and taken to visit the Cham Museum, an open-air museum of some of the world’s finest sculptures of the Champa civilization. You will also visit the beautiful Marble Mountains, five peaks that represent the five elements of the universe. Then, your guide takes you to Hoi An for lunch. In the afternoon, you’ll visit the ancient town, Cua Dai beach and spend the night in Hoi An.

 

Day 9: Hoi An free (B)

You’ll have free day to do whatever takes your fancy.

 

Day 10: Hoi An/Hue (B, G)

In the morning, you’ll drive to Hue with a chance to admire the excellent views from the top of the Hai Van Pass. You’ll arrive in Hue around noon time.

 

In the afternoon, your guide will arrive to take you on a tour of Hue’s ancient citadel, once the seat of the Emperors of the powerful Nguyen Dynasty that ruled Vietnam from approximately 1800 to 1945. You’ll start with a stroll around the area between the Citadel’s massive walls and the defensive moat, now filled with lotus flowers. You’ll then enter via the Noon Gate to wander around the Thai Hoa Palace, the Pavilion housing the Nine Urns of the Nguyen rulers, and the remains of the Royal Palaces. You’ll then visit the bustling Dong Ba market to enjoy the sounds and tastes of this interesting local market. You’ll spend your night in Hue.

 

Day 11: Hue (B, L, D, G)

Your morning will be taken up by a cruise along the Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda, and then by road to the Royal Tombs of Emperor Minh Mang and, in the afternoon, Emperor Khai Dinh. From there, you’ll return to Hue to visit one of city’s ‘garden houses’ and then return to your hotel to freshen-up. In the evening, you’ll sit down for dinner in the pleasant surroundings and a comfortable atmosphere of another of the garden houses. You’ll spend the night in Hue.

 

Day 12: Hue/Hanoi (B, G)

A morning flight will take you to the capital city of Vietnam – Hanoi. When you arrive at Noi Bai airport, your guide will be waiting for you and drive you to your hotel.

 

In the afternoon, you’ll have a guided tour to visit the Temple of Literature, the first university in Vietnam dating back to the 11th century, the excellent Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam’s 54 distinct ethnic groups. You’ll also call in at the bustling Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake. You’ll spend your night in Hanoi.

 

Day 13: Hanoi/Ha Long Bay (B, L, D, G)

After an early breakfast, you’ll leave for Ha Long Bay. This takes roughly 3.5 hours. You may stop en-route to admire the local scenery. Arrive at the port around 11:30am and board the wooden boat. Begin sailing and pass through magical bay, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the waves like dragons’ teeth. After lunch, your boat cruise will take you first to the busy World Heritage area and then to some of the less well-known grottoes and caves. If weather permits, you’ll be able to swim, fish, climb a hill (not a mountain!) for an overview of the Bay’s remarkable seascape, or venture into some of the sea level caves in a small sampan. All your meals will be provided on board, usually based on fresh seafood, and you’ll sleep in a twin/double cabin with an en suite toilet and shower.

 

Day 14: Ha Long Bay/Hanoi (Brunch, G)

You’ll spend the morning cruising Ha Long Bay, followed by lunch just before docking around noon and leaving for Hanoi. You should arrive in the late afternoon and spend the night in Hanoi.

 

Day 15: Hanoi/Vientiane (B, G)

You’ll have free time until your car and driver arrive to take you to Noi Bai airport for your flight to Vientiane. After a short rest, we set our orientation short Walking Tour to Lao Capital, strolling around the city distance, and observing the sunset by the Mekong Riverside and late evening, seeing the city lifestyle of local Lao people. You’ll spend your night in Vientiane.

 

Day 16: Vientiane City Tour (B, L, G)

Your city tour will include visits to Wat Si Saket, Vientiane’s oldest temple and easily the most impressive, and Wat Pha Keo Museum. From there you’ll visit That Luang Stupa, stopping en-route to photograph the imposing Patuxay Monument, better known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph. From there, we visit the local ‘Morning Market’ – it’s good for antiques (occasionally a genuine item turns up!), handmade textiles and other souvenirs.

 

After lunch, you’ll visit Wat Ong Tu, the Temple of the Heavy Buddha, an important centre of learning. The day culminates with a stroll along the Mekong riverside to enjoy the sunset. You’ll spend another night in Vientiane.

 

Day 17: Vientiane/Luang Prabang (B, G)

In the morning, you’ll be driven to the airport for your morning flight to Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage City. On arrival, you’ll be picked up to travel to your hotel. Your afternoon city tour will include Wat Xieng Thong, a beautiful temple justifiably described as a scene from an oriental fairytale, and the dazzling Wat Mai temple. After a climb up the steps to the top of Mount Phousi, you’ll be able to enjoy an excellent panorama of Luang Prabang and the sunset. In the evening, you’ll be free to stroll around to see the Street Night Market, where you can find the lovely collection and handmade textile by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang. Your overnight accommodation will be in Luang Prabang.

 

Day 18: Luang Prabang/Kuangsi Waterfall/Luang Prabang (B, L, G)

This is the morning when you need your alarm clock! Early in the morning after a sustaining beverage and a small snack, you’ll witness one of Laos’ unique ceremonies – the daily ‘alms giving’ ritual of saffron-clad monks walking in a long line holding black bowls to receive offerings from local people. The traditional gift is a handful of ‘sticky rice’, but nowadays money is equally acceptable. You’ll then return to your hotel for a proper breakfast.

 

Afterwards, you’ll be driven to the Kuangsi Waterfalls, a serene beauty spot where you can splash around in the pools or stroll the forest paths. From there, you’ll return to Luang Prabang and continue to Ban Phanom, a well-known weaving village. It’s quite commercial, but if you look carefully you can pick up some authentic hand-woven material – they make good souvenirs. You should return to the city in time for your chosen dinner venue.

 

Day 19: Luang Prabang departure (B, DP)

Your time will be your own until your driver arrives to take you to the airport for your departure flight. Tour ends.

 

 

B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner, G: Guide, DP: Driver pickup.

 

 

 

Price (person in US dollars):

Other tours:

• Cambodia and Laos Combined Tour 13 Days
• Cambodia and Vietnam Explorer 15 Days
• Laos and Vietnam Expedition 15 Days
• Indochina Cultural Expedition 14 Days

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