Treasures Of Indochina

Upon arrival in Luang Prabang, you will be met by your local guide in the arrivals area holding a name-board. After a brief introduction, you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in, This evening, meet at your hotel and depart for a traditional Baci ceremony and dinner at a local restaurant.

Today’s early rise will give you the opportunity to participate in the early morning daily ritual of saffron-clad monks with their black alms-giving bowls being given offerings from the locals. Afterwards, return back to the hotel for your breakfast. After a leisurely breakfast, enjoy a full day city tour including visits to the former King’s palace which is now the National Museum, the food market, and Ban Phanom - a textile weaving & paper-making village. In the afternoon drive to visit Wat Visoun, Wat May, Wat Xieng Thong. Later, climb up Mt. Phousi for a spectacular panorama of the town of Luang Prabang.

Take a full-day boat trip on the mighty Mekong River to explore local villages at Ban Xiengmene and Ban Chan. Continue with the royal temple at Wat Longkhoun, which once belonged to the royal family and then the nearby Sackarine Caves before continuing on to the Pak Ou caves. Explore the caves and then cross the Mekong River at Ban Ou for lunch at a local restaurant. Return by road to Luang Prabang, stopping en route at Ban Xang Hai, where the residents create a unique rice wine called lao lao. Continue your tour with visits to traditional villages at Ban Xangkhong and Ban Xienglek, well known for handmade Jute Sar paper.

After breakfast at the hotel and at the appointed time, you will be met and transferred to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. On arrival in Siem Reap and after visa formalities, you will meet your local guide in the arrivals area holding a name-board who will then transfer you to the hotel for assistance with check-in. This evening, you will be met at the hotel and transferred to a local restaurant for a traditional dinner & Apsara performance.

Today begins your tour of the Angkor archaeological park. Enter the fortified city of Angkor Thom via the monumental South Gate over a causeway lined on by statues of demons and gods, each carrying a giant naga. Enclosed by a wall and wide moats, Angkor Thom includes many of Angkor’s most popular sights. Continue to the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper Kings, former spaces for public ceremonies, both adorned with dramatic bas reliefs. Visit the ruined Baphoun, Royal Palace and Phimeanakas before continuing to the mysterious Bayon Temple. In this temple, one of the most popular and compelling in Angkor, explore the galleries of beautifully preserved bas reliefs and ascend narrow stairs to reach the central sanctuary, where you will find giant stone faces smiling enigmatically down at you from every angle. In the afternoon, visit the crowning jewel of Khmer architecture, Angkor Wat. The largest, best preserved, and most religiously significant of the Angkor temples, Angkor impresses visitors both by its sheer scale and beautifully proportioned layout, as well as the delicate artistry of its carvings. This evening, enjoy the sunset viewed from the upper terraces of an ancient Angkorian temple.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and then visit the graceful 11th century Temple of Shiva - Banteay Srei – and the Banteay Samre temple. Today’s tour also includes a tour of the impressive Ta Prohm Temple, one of the most popular attractions of Angkor as much of the jungle has not been cleared and looks very much as most of the Angkor monuments would have appeared when European explorers first stumbled across them. Enjoy lunch, and then you will be driven to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, you will be met in the arrivals area by your local guide holding a name-board and then transferred to the hotel for check-in. The evening is at your leisure.

This morning you will visit the Cu Chi Tunnels where Vietnamese guerrillas built a labyrinth of narrow tunnels as hideouts during the recent war. Stretching over 200 km, this incredible underground network, dug by hand out of hard laterite, connected command posts, hospitals, shelter and weapon factories. Return to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon for a half-day city tour. Begin your tour into modern history with a photo-stop at the Reunification Palace, formerly the Independence Palace of the South Vietnamese president, this 60s style building was famously stormed by tanks on April 30, 1975 signifying the fall of South Vietnam. Proceed to pay a quick visit to the neo-Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral and then the Central Post Office. Today’s tour also includes a visit to Cho’lon, Vietnam’s bustling Chinatown, the moving War Remnants Museum, and either the Thien Hau Temple or Quan Am Pagoda.

Enjoy breakfast and then travel to the town of My Tho in the Mekong Delta. Enjoy a boat cruise along the river and take a short walk to a handicraft workshop where products are made from coconut trees. Experience an exciting horse-drawn cart ride to visit a local house where you will enjoy tea and taste home grown fruit. Board a sampan and drift along the narrow, tree-lined canals for further exploration of the Mekong Delta. After lunch, visit a family-run business making coconut candy before returning to My Tho. On the return trip to Ho Chi Minh City, visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda if time permits. Return to Ho Chi Minh City by the late afternoon.

This morning, fly to Danang. On arrival, you will be met by your local guide and then driven south to your hotel in Hoi An. In the afternoon, enjoy a walking tour of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hoi An is a picturesque riverside town, known as Faifo to early western traders, and was one of South East Asia's major international ports during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Now, this beautifully preserved historic city is best seen on foot. Your walking tour includes a visit to an ancient merchant home, the Japanese Covered Bridge-Pagoda, the first bridge on this site was constructed in 1593 by the Japanese community of Hoi An to link the town with the Chinese quarters across the stream, and the Phuoc Kien Assembly Hall. Also today, spend some time at the riverside market.

Today, enjoy a morning cooking class at the Red Bridge Restaurant & Cooking school (shared class). Meet your local guide at the hotel and then start the day with a drink at a café before proceeding to Hoi An Market to purchase ingredients for cooking, chatting with the local vendors and experiencing the sights, smells, and action in this colorful market. Participants then enjoy a leisurely twenty-minute boat cruise up the Thu Bon River (if weather permits) to reach the Red Bridge Restaurant and Cooking School, where together you will prepare five traditional dishes to enjoy for lunch. The class also includes a demonstration on fruit and vegetable carving. After lunch, you will be free to explore Hoi An at your leisure.

Enjoy the morning at your leisure. In the afternoon, begin driving north, stopping in Danang for a visit to the Cham Museum, an elegant colonial building which now houses the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world. From Danang, continue along steep mountainous roads with spectacular views of the coastline, crossing the dramatic Hai Van Pass, the high dividing line between the climate zones of north and south Vietnam. Arrive in Hue where you will check-in to your hotel and have the remainder of the day at your leisure

After breakfast at the hotel meet your local guide for your full day excursion. The tranquil villages and picturesque countryside make Hue an ideal place for cycling. We will cycle through bamboo groves and villages to the Thanh Toan Covered Bridge, and then continue the journey by meandering along paths to the Sam Market and the Thuong Lam Pagoda. The total cycling on flat roads and paths will be approximately 23km. Upon the completion of your cycling tour, return back to the hotel to relax and freshen up. After lunch at a local restaurant, head out by vehicle and visit the poetic tomb of Emperor Tu Duc and then visit the Tha Om Garden House to discover the friendliness and hospitality of the owner's family and to taste traditional Hue confectionaries. Later, proceed to the elegant Thien Mu Pagoda to witness a daily Buddhist prayer recital led by the monks before enjoying a sunset cruise on the river.

This morning, enjoy a cyclo tour to the colonial Quarter, Trang Tien Bridge and the Dong Ba Market. Stop by an interesting local workshop of ‘Me Xung’, a traditional Hue candy, before a photo stop at Ho Chi Minh’s former house, and a visit with a local pottery collector. Later, visit the Imperial Citadel in the heart of Hue. A vast complex built in the early 19th century and modeled after the Forbidden City of Peking, the Imperial Citadel’s original walls stretched for 10 km and were surrounded by a wide moat. Today, most of the buildings have been destroyed due to bombing during the Vietnam-American War, but the monuments that remain provide a fascinating glimpse into the court life of the Nguyen Dynasty. Afterwards, fly to where you will be met by your local guide and transferred to your hotel for check-in.

Enjoy a full day tour of Hanoi’s illustrious history including a tour of the Old Quarter by cyclo. Although it is the modern-day capital of Vietnam, Hanoi still retains the mystery and charm of past centuries. Highlights of today’s tour include a visit to the imposing marble edifice housing the Ho Chi Minh before moving onto his wooden stilt house. Visit the One Pillar Pagoda dating from the 11th century; this monument was rebuilt after being destroyed by the French in 1954. Tour the Temple of Literature, a peaceful series of walled courtyards and graceful gateways. Founded in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, this was also the site of Vietnam's first university. In the afternoon, visit the Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton) and then the Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple. A fascinating & exciting one-hour cyclo tour of Hanoi’s old quarter allows you to catch a glimpse of ancient Hanoi and to learn about Vietnamese traditional architecture. This evening, enjoy a cultural water puppet performance at a local theatre.

This morning you will meet your guide and then drive to Halong Bay where you will board a traditional wooden junk for your overnight cruise. Set sail through the bay while a seafood lunch is served. Rest your eyes on the azure waters of this magical bay, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the waters. Cruise to a fishing village and Tien Ong Cave before returning back on board to view the sunset.

Start the day early and enjoy a Tai Chi class on the top deck with an opportunity to see the magnificent scenery as the sunrises over the sea. Continue cruising through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Halong Bay, and enjoy brunch on board before arriving at the dock in Halong where you will meet your guide for your return transportation to your hotel in Hanoi. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.

After breakfast at the hotel and at the appointed time you will meet your guide for your transportation to the airport for your departure flight.