WATERWAYS OF INDOCHINA

WATERWAYS OF INDOCHINA

Vietnam, Laos, Campuchia

 16days 15 nights

Places visited: Luang Prabang / hà nội / huế / hội an / Halong / Saigon / Phnom Penh / Siem Reap

  • Time 16days 15 nights
  • Place start daily
  • Transport air
  • Tour Style Authentic
  • Pricing call
  • Validity Validity

Overview: 

  • Explore Luang Prabang, Pak Ou Cave and Kuang Si waterfall
  • Take city tours around Hanoi, Hue & Hoi An
  • Witness the magnificent beauty of Halong Bay
  • Discovery Saigon and Mekong Delta
  • Experience Khmer Kingdom: Phnom Penh and Siem Reap

ITINERARY

Vietnam, Laos, Campuchia   -  16days 15 nights

WATERWAYS OF INDOCHINA

DAY 1: LUANG PRABANG – ARRIVAL

Welcome to the spiritual capital of Laos! Meet your guide and transfer to your hotel.

Please note standard check-in time is 14:00.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

DAY 2: LUANG PRABANG – CITY TOUR – PAK OU CAVES B, L, D

The city tour begins with a visit to the former Royal Palace, now is National Museum, and temples of Wat Mai, Wat Sensoukarahm, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Visoun.

In the afternoon, enjoy a half-day river cruise to the famed Pak Ou Caves. Explore the two limestone grottoes, which house approximately 4,000 sacred Buddhist statues and images which range from mere centimeters up to 2m (7ft) in height. Return to Luang Prabang by cruise with a stop en route at the village of Ban Muang Keo and observe local weavers and whisky distillers honoring their timeworn traditional crafts.

In the evening, participate in a unique traditional Lao ceremony known as the Baci with the local community on the island. The Baci is performed in celebration of important events such as weddings, births, or for welcoming guests, and is a means of expressing goodwill and good luck to others.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

DAY 3: LUANG PRABANG – ALMS GIVING – KUANG SI WATERFALLS – HANOI B, L

For early risers, there is a very special dawn visit to watch the monks collecting the alms. As the sun begins to rise, long lines of orange-robed monks leave their pagodas and walk barefoot down the streets collecting offerings from Luang Prabang residents.

After breakfast at hotel, take 1 hour drive south of Luang Prabang, with stops at the vibrant Phousi Market and the nearby Ock Pop Tock Weaving Centre, a social enterprise working primarily in the field of textiles, handicrafts and design. Continue on to the waterfalls, and take a leisurely hike through the natural park past the Asian Bear Rescue Center. Swimming in the refreshing waters is possible, although between November and January the water temperature is very cool (please dress modestly). After lunch time, return to your hotel.

Free at leisure until transfer to the airport for flight to Hanoi

Upon arrival, pick up and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Hanoi

DAY 4: HANOI CITY TOUR – WATER PUPET SHOW B, L

Depart hotel for a walking tour to explore the famous Old Quarter, then Vietnam’s first university - the Temple of Literature, and the Museum of Ethnology. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant with authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

In the evening, you will enjoy a traditional water puppet show, an art form which was invented a thousand years ago by the farmers of the Red River Delta area and then elevated to royal entertainment under the Ly and Tran dynasties.

Overnight in Hanoi

DAY 5: HANOI – HA LONG B, L, D

In the morning, leave Hanoi for Halong Bay, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site with its 3,000 islands of towering limestone dotting the bay and Gulf of Tonkin.

Arrive at noon and proceed with check-in formalities. After a welcome onboard, lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities (depending on each boat’s itinerary) or just spend some time relaxing on board. Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.

Please note:

- Itinerary is subject to change without prior notice according to weather conditions or local administration regulations. 

- No guide from Hanoi to Halong

 

Overnight on Halong Bay.

Distances and journey time: 3h 30minutes

Hanoi to Halong Bay (160km): 3hrs30mins

DAY 6: HA LONG – HUE B

Early in the morning and depending on the season, you will wake up to enjoy the sunrise over the aquamarine waters of the bay. Breakfast is served on board (brunch on some boats) while the cruise will tour around the bay until you disembark at the end of the morning.

Then transfer back to Hanoi for a flight to Hue.

Upon arrival, your guide will transfer to hotel in Hue.

Overnight in Hue

DAY 7: HUE – FULL DAY CITY TOUR B, L

Start the tour at the Imperial Citadel of Hue where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945 then continue to the Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue’s best-preserved religious monument. Have lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant.

In the afternoon, you will be driven to the countryside to visit the Tomb of Tu Duc. Afterwards, journey on to Khai Dinh’s Tomb, designed in traditional Vietnamese style with a European touch making it unique from the other tombs in Hue.

Before heading back to the hotel, take time to stroll around Dong Ba Market with the guide. The market is another of the must see sites in Hue, with stalls teeming with color and life.

Overnight in Hue

DAY 8: HUE – DA NANG – HOI AN B

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Da Nang via the Pass of Ocean Clouds and drop down to the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co.

 On arrival in Danang, visit the Cham Museum, containing the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world. Continue to Hoi An, a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose architecture and relaxed lifestyle has changed little over the years.

Transfer to the hotel.

Overnight in Hoi An

DAY 9: HOI AN – HALF DAY WALKING TOUR B, L

Take a walking tour to explore Hoi An town. It was a major Asian trading port in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and its architecture and relaxed lifestyle have changed little over the years.

The rest of the day is free at leisure.

Overnight  in Hoi An

DAY 10: HOI AN – HO CHI MINH – CU CHI TUNNELS B, L

After breakfast at hotel, transfer to Da Nang airport for short flight to Ho Chi Minh city.

Upon arrival, meet your guide and driver for transfer to Cu Chi tunnels.  A traditional Vietnamese lunch of local specialties will be served before your visit to the tunnels. Return back to Ho Chi Minh city in late afternoon.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

DAY 11: HO CHI MINH – MEKONG DELTA – CAN THO B, L

In the morning, you will be driven to Cai Be, board on a local boat along Mekong river with visits to family-run companies which make rice pancakes, puffed corn cookies and coconut milk candy. Enjoy lunch with specialties of the Mekong Delta in the ambience of an ancient house. After lunch, get on the cruise for a garden center, sample fruits, wine, traditional music and crossing Co Chien River. In the late afternoon, transfer to Can Tho city for overnight.

Overnight in Can Tho

DAY 12: CAN THO – CAI RANG FLOATING MARKET – CHAU DOC B

Wake up early for a breakfast cruise to the colourful Cai Rang Floating Market bustling with wholesalers on big boats. Here, during the early morning market hours, larger sized boats anchor and create lanes that smaller boats weave in and out of. The main items sold here are fruit and vegetables and every boat has a long upright pole at its bow from which samples of the goods for sale are hung. The waterway becomes a maze of hundreds of boats packed with mango, bananas, papaya, pineapple, and even floating pho vendors.

Then continue going to Chau Doc. Check in on arrival. Visit the Sam Mountain to enjoy the breath-taking view on the Vietnamese-Cambodian border with flat rice fields and nice canals.

Overnight in Chau Doc.

DAY 13: CHAU DOC – SPEEDBOAT TO PHNOM PENH B

After breakfast, take speedboat to Phnom Penh.

Upon arrival at Phnom Penh Boat Port, meet your guide and transfer to your hotel.

In the afternoon, visit Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, Preahkeo Morokot, National Museum & Central Market or Toul Sleng Museum.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

DAY 14: PHNOM PENH – SIEM REAP B

Transfer to the airport for short flight to Siem Reap.

Upon arrival, meet your guide and transfer to your hotel. Please note standard check-in time is 14:00.

In the afternoon, you will start with first exploration by visiting one of the most ancient sites of the region: the Roluos Group. Ride your bike around the 9th-century temple and the surrounding countryside to have a glimpse of the city or walk a total distance of 3 kilometres from one temple to another and meet local friendly villagers on the way. Transfer back to Siem Reap town.

Overnight in Siem Reap

DAY 15: SIEM REAP – ANGKOR TEMPLES B

Today explore the marvelous temple of Angkor Wat by tuk-tuk, a world heritage site featuring the most extraordinary towers and bas-reliefs that date back thousands of years ago.

In the afternoon, visit the Great City of Angkor Thom beginning at the south gate and the famous Bayon temple of the 12th and 13th centuries.

Overnight in Siem Reap

DAY 16: SIEM REAP – TON LE SAP LAKE – DEPARTURE B

Morning breakfast at hotel then transfer to visit Tonle Sap Lake for cruising, visiting fisherman’s life, floating fishing village dot the semi-submerged forest that lines the flood plant rim of the lake, back to visit Chantier Ecole-Artisan d’Angkor, the place are in the Ministry of Education was constructed in 1992 and this place renowned woodworking, stone carving and polychrome training center and workshops. Free tour of the classes and workshops offer a glimpse into the unique skills training program, teaching young artists in the techniques and styles of classic Cambodian artistry.

Afternoon is free until transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

Policy & services

Our services include:

  • Accommodation in a shared twin or shared double room
  • Meals as mentioned (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner)
  • English or French speaking guide (for other languages and a national guide supplements apply)
  • Tours and transfers as mentioned by private air conditioned vehicle
  • Entrance fees for mentioned visits
  • Boat trip as mentioned in the itinerary

Our services do not include:

  • Other meals than mentioned
  • Other services than mentioned
  • International and domestic Flights
  • Laundry, telephone calls and expenditure of a personal nature
  • Tips, Travel insurance

Notes:

  • We strongly recommend the purchase of travel insurance (covering emergency medical evacuation) for trips to Vietnam.

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