22 DAYS, INDOCHINA ADVENTURES

Itinerary

 ITINERARY IN DETAILS:

 

DAY  1 CHIANGRAI - PARBENG

Pick up at the hotel or airport in Chiangrai and transfer to Hueysay. After immigration, take a scenic boat trip along the Mekong River to Pakbeng and overnight in Pakbeng Lodge

 

 

DAY 2 PAKBENG - LUANG PRABANG (B,L)
Breakfast at hotel (optional walk to Pakbeng market, where people  from the surrounding villages of minorities exchange their goods). Continue our wonderful cruise along the river to Luang Prabang. Stop at a fishing village for picnic lunch and observe traditional process to  obtain local rice alcohol. Continue to Pak Ou Village at the mouth of  the Nam Ou river, visit Tamting caves of a 1000 Buddha statues. Arrive Luang Prabang before sunset. Transfer to the hotel.  

 

 

DAY 3 LUANG PRABANG (B)
Breakfast at hotel, visit to Kuangsi waterfall, picnic lunch at local  village.  Return to Luang Prabang for sightseeing around the city to famous temples and palaces.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.  

 

DAY 4 LUANG PRABANG.
At leisure to enjoy charming Luangprabang townor shopping
Overnight in hotel.

 

 

DAY 5 LUANG PRABANG - HANOI (B)
Luang Prabang: free leissure
Luang Prabang - Hanoi QV at 16h45 17h45
Greetings in Hanoi

 

 

DAY 6  HANOI - HALONG BAY (B,L,D)
Breakfast at hotel. Depart to Halong Bay. Arrive Halong bay You will check into the boat to cruise around Halong bay ( a private cabin )  and soak in the misty atmosphere of this world heritage site. Halong bay is a breathtaking secluded bay with over 3,000 limestone islands rising from the clear emerald waters of the Bac Bo gulf. It is one of the most magnificent scenic regions in Vietnam and has been referred to as the 8th Wonder of the World. The area of about 1500sq km is dotted with innumerable beaches and grottoes, created over thousands of year by the waves and wind. You will have the opportunity to swim from your boat and explore some caves. You will enjoy a seafood feast for lunch on board. We will continue our excursion around this stunning bay until the sun comes down. Overnight on boat.

 

DAY 7 HANOI - SAPA (B)
Further exploration of Halong bay. Return to Hanoi in the afternoon. En route visit to a traditional village in Red river Delta.
Evening train to Sapa.

 

DAY 8  SAPA HIKKING (B,D)
Arrive Laocai station around 6am there will be a transfer to Sapa, situated at an altitude of 1,600 meters and 33 km from Lao Cai. It's a beautiful, scenic drive as we wind our way towards Sapa. After we have checked into our hotel and had breakfast we will embark on a soft walk  to visit Catcat village to take in stunning scenery that this region has to offer.  As we walk to the village nestled in the valley below Sapa, we will meet some of the local minority people on their way to and from Sapa. These minority people walk to Sapa to trade at the markets. Sapa market is always an exciting place as several different ethnic minorities congregate here. Overnight Sapa Topas ecolodge.

 

 

DAY 9  SAPA HIKKING (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the hotel. We then embark  on a lovely trek that will take us along buffalo paths and trails and through several hill tribe villages of Lao Chai and Tavan, home to H'mong, and Dzay people. This is a absolutely spectacular walk through stunning scenery inhabited by some of the friendliest people you can meet.  Once on the valley floor you can really appreciate the wonderful scenery that surrounds you. The walls of the valley are covered with multi-layered rice terraces and
scattered villages.

 

DAY 10  SAPA  -HANOI (B,L)
We walk  uphill toward Supan, red Dzao villages. As we walk to the village nestled in the valley below Sapa, we will meet some of the local minority people on their way to and from Sapa. These minority people walk to Sapa to trade at the markets. Sapa market is always an exciting place as several, different ethnic minorities congregate here. As well as the H’mong you will also see the Dao (pronounced Zao). Dao women are particularly striking as they wear a large red turban often covered with old coins or jewelry. We meet our awaiting jeep for the drive to Sapa, transfer to Laocai station for scenic day train back to Hanoi.

 

DAY 11  HANOI -  HUE(B,L)
Greetings at station. Breakfast at Cinnamon hotel  and transfer to the airport for the flight to Hue. Arrival transfer to our hotel in Hue. Arrival transfer to our hotel in Hue.Today we will set out for the exploration of Hue's famous highlights, including the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City. Built in the  19th century by the Nguyen dynasty, the City was home to the former Emperors of Vietnam from 1802 until 1945. In the surrounding countryside there is the picturesque Thiem Mu, or Heavenly Lady Pagoda. We visit also    tomb of Emperor Tuduc.

 

DAY 12 HUE - HOIAN (B)
As we bid Hue farewell this morning we continue our south bound journey, we visit  the Cham Museum, the famed China Beach, and the Marble Mountains. Arriving in Hoi An we spend the rest of the afternoon exploring and relaxing.
Overnight at hotel in Hoian.

 

DAY 13 HOIAN (B,L)
Visit local market to buy all necessary materials for the dishes to be cooked. Take 25 min. Attend the cookery classed followed by lunch.
Explore Hoi An Ancient Town with a short boat trip across the river brings you to the boat builder’s yard and woodcarvers as well as a pottery and brick-making village. Return to the town and during a leisurely discovery tour on foot you will visit some of the historic merchant and community houses, places of worship and famous bridges. Back to hotel.Overnight at hotel in Hoian.

 

 

DAY 14 HOIAN ...AND THE EVENING FLY TO NHATRANG(B)
At leisure.
Transfer to airport for the flight to Nhatrang. Arrival transfer to our hotel in Nhatrang. Our time in Nha Trang is free for relaxing and soaking up the sun on the beautiful white sandy beaches and swimming in the crystal clear warm waters. Overnight at hotel in Nhatrang

 

 

DAY 15  NHATRANG DRIVE TO DALAT. (B)
Visit the Long Son Pogoda and the Ponagar Cham Tower, a sacred Hindu site daring back to the 2rd century AD. The town was built between the 7th and 12th centuries and is still used today as a place of pilgrimage for the Cham and Vietnamese Buddhists.Depart for Dalat ( 250km) , a cool mountain resort. Its lakes, waterfall, evergreen forest and gardens make Dalat one of the most enjoyable places in Vietnam. On the way, visit Po Klang Garai Cham Tower & Prenn waterfall . Arrive in Dalat and transfer to the hotel for check – in. Overnight at hotel in Dalat.

 

 

DAY 16 DALAT.. AFTERNOON DRIVE SAIGON (B)
Breakfast at the hotel. Sightseeing Dalat including train to Trai Mat, the Lover’s lane, Xuan Huong Lake . Flower Garden and Linh Son Pagoda.  Afternoon drive to HCM city.

 

 

DAY 17 DRIVE MEKONG DELTA -CRUISE MEKONG RIVER(B,L)
e set off this morning for a drive through the Mekong Delta to Cai Be floating market. Here we will board our private boat for a cruise along the maze of waterways and canals to Vinh Long. We will stop at the home of a Bonsai gardener for a sumptuous Delta lunch, before continuing our exploration of the tributaries and canals of the delta. Following these visits we will once again board our vehicle for the drive to Ho Chi Minh City.

 

 

DAY 18 CUCHI TUNNELS,CITY TOUR AFTERNOON, EVENING FLY PHNOMPENH(B)
Drive to visit the Cuchi Tunnels. At the height of the Vietnam war, the tunnel system stretched from the outskirts of Saigon  all the way to the Cambodian border of over 250 kilometers of tunnels. The tunnel system, built over 25 years starting in the 1940s,  let the Viet Minh  and, later, the Viet Cong, control a huge rural area.  It was an underground city with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers.  In places, it was several  stories deep and housed up to 10,000 people who virtually
lived underground for years.... getting married, giving birth, going to school. The ground here is hard clay, which made this whole thing possible.  But even so, the planning and construction was incredible.  People dug all this with hand tools, filling reed baskets and dumping the dirt into bomb craters.  They installed large vents so they could hear approaching helicopters, smaller vents for air and baffled vents to dissipate cooking smoke.  There were also hidden trap doors and gruesomely effective bamboo-stake booby traps. Today the trees and bushes have grown back.   And since 1988, two sections of tunnels have been open for visitors. Transfer to airport for the flight to Phnompenh. Arrival transfer to our hotel in  Phnompenh.Overnight in Phnompenh

 

 

DAY 19  PHNOM PENH - SIEMREAP (B)
the capital of Kingdom of Cambodia. A visit to Phnom Penh is a very interesting experience indeed. It is a city with an interesting pulse and it  gives you a very true taste of Asia. We  will visi the Wats Phnom, National  museum, silver Pagoda and Royal Palace. Shopping at Phnompenh market and the Russian Market. Afternoon transfer to airport for the flight to Siemreap. Arrival transfer to our hotel. At leisure.
. Overnight at hotel in Siemreap.

 

DAY 20  VISIT ANGKOR WAT(B)
Following breakfast you will visit Angkor Wat temple, Angkor Thom, the South Gate, Bayon, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. From here you will then make your way to visit Ta Prohm before an afternoon visit to Preah Khan, Neak Pean, East Mebon and Pre Rup temples. . Overnight at hotel in Siemreap.

 

 

DAY 21 ANGKOR
Our drive this morning will take us to Prasat Kravan, Bantaey Srei and Bantaey Kdei. This afternoon will find us at the Roulous Group of Temples - Preah Ko, Bakong Lole Temples until sunset. Overnight at Angkor hotel
.Overnight at hotel in Siemreap.

 

DAY 22 EXPLORE ALL DAY STARTING IN EVENING BY FLY TO BANGKOK (B)
Morning drive to  Tonle Sap Lake for a lovely boat cruise to observe life on the water. The trip  for today will bring a slight change of pace as we visit the silk farm of Pok, the Artisan D’ Angkor . Transfer to airport for the flight to Bangkok.