A 15-day Journey Through the Heart of Southeast Asia

Your Indochina trip begins with your arrival in Siem Reap. Your private driver will meet you at the airport, holding a signboard with your name. He will escort you to your accommodation right in the heart of the city. You can easily explore the city at your own pace or relax at the hotel after the flight.

Have breakfast at the hotel and get ready to explore the famous Angkor complex. Start your exploration with the visit to the South Gate of Angkor Thom, the best-preserved holy Buddhist gateway to Angkor Thom, built in the 12th century. Then visit Bayon Temple, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanaka, the Elephant Terrace and Leper King Terrace. Continue to Ta Prohm, a famous temple covered by trees growing out of the ruins. This temple is the one where the most impressive scenes of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider were filmed.

After lunch, you will visit Hindu temples Thommanon, Chaosay Tevoda, and Ta Keo, the small, attractive temples in a good condition, built all the same time as Angkor Wat. Then continue to Angkor Wat - one of the “7th Wonders of the World” and a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1992. Famous for its beauty and splendor Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls and narrates stories from Hindu mythology.

After visiting Angkor Wat, you will get to the top of Bakheng Hill for sunset viewing. Bakheng is the first temple constructed in the Angkor area. This mountain temple offers extraordinary views of the Tonle Sap and Angkor Wat.

Have breakfast at the hotel and get ready for your transfer to Phnom Penh by air-conditioned bus. Check in your hotel and have some rest.

In the afternoon, your guide will take you to explore Phnom Penh's attractions. Visit the Royal Palace, which is currently a resident of the Cambodian royal family. The palace looks like a small town of royal dynasties. Continue to Silver Pagoda, which serves less as a functioning temple than a repository for cultural treasures such as 90 kg golden Buddha encrusted with 2086 diamonds.

Finally, visit Wat Phnom Temple, one of the most important pagodas in Phnom Penh. It was built in 1373 on an artificial hill by the wealthy widow Daun Chi Penh.

Have breakfast at the hotel, then visit Tuol Sleng Museum (S-21 prison). This former school was used as a prison by Pol Pot’s security forces. More than 17,000 people held at S-21 were taken to the extermination camp at Choeng Ek to be executed.

Then visit Russian Market (Toul Tumpong Market). Here you can find everything: clothing, a large selection of Buddha images and woodcarvings, betel-nut boxes, silk, silver jewelry, and classic musical instrument.

Then you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh. Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, our driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Kick start your day with a hearty breakfast and set out for the day's trip to Mekong Delta. Your guide will meet you at the hotel lobby (7:15-7:30 AM), and you will be transferred to My Tho, which lies on the left side of the Mekong River.

Upon arrival, board a sampan boat and cruise down the river around Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix, and Tortoise islands. Stop at Unicorn Island, and walk around the country lanes and see the orchards. Visit fruit plantations and enjoy tropical fruits and folk song music performed by locals.

Then take a hand-rowed sampan through Thoi Son canal and immerse yourself in the beauty of the countryside. Visit family workshops and honey-bee farm, and taste some honey tea and coconut candies.

Refuel yourself with a traditional Vietnamese lunch, and later cycle around the Tan Thach village, and meet the local villagers to experience the local daily life in the Mekong Delta.

If you are not keen on a cycling trip, enjoy a cool breeze and a relaxing time in a hammock. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your accommodation in Ho Chi Minh.

Have breakfast at the hotel and depart for Cu Chi tunnels. The trip will take approximately one and a half hours drive. Upon arrival, you will have a short introduction followed by an introductory video about how the tunnels were constructed, and how the people survived in the harsh conditions of wartime.

Then, spend your time exploring the remaining area and tunnel systems, which included the living areas, kitchens, and bedrooms side by side with other martial facilities like storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, and command centers. There are also many hidden trap doors and maze-like tunnels built for security purposes.

Round off your tour with special tea and cassava (guerrilla food) and return to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh.

Relish the remaining moment in Ho Chi Minh before your private driver escorts you to the airport to catch a flight to Hanoi. When you arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, a driver will pick you up and transfer you to your accommodation. The rest of the day you are free to relax or explore the city on your own.

Enjoy a hearty breakfast at the hotel then our experienced English-speaking guide will escort you on a trip to Ba Vi, a countryside located on the outskirt of Hanoi.

Arrive at Ri village, enjoy a welcome drink and snacks and meet your first host - Mr. Duoc, who is a Vietnam War veteran and tea-farm owner. Listen to the stories of Mr. Duoc's life during the war while enjoying a drink and then visit his tea plantation. You will learn how to pick the best tea leaves to make the most wonderful beverage in Vietnam. Learn more about the tea production process at his small workshop, where most of the work is manual.

Then take a short drive to Moc village, where you will meet your next host Mrs. Chin, who will teach you how to cook local Vietnamese dishes. Later enjoy the meal that you prepared in a beautiful tropical garden.

Have a short break after lunch, and join Mrs. Chin for a walk around the village. You will visit some local families to understand the rural lifestyle and learn how tofu, conical hats, and other local products are made. Then take a cycling trip through beautiful paddy fields.

Wrap up your countryside tour by soaking your water in a warm herb-infused water, a traditional concoction of the Muong ethnic minority. It will relax you and your feet.

Then your driver will take you back to your hotel.

In the morning, check out of the hotel, and get picked up by our cruise team. Take the most scenic route to reach Ha Long Bay, across the Red River Delta with emerald green rice paddies stretching for as far as the eyes can see.

On arrival in Ha Long, you will board a cruise ship and enjoy the fantastic views of limestone rocks and the karst grottoes. Have an utterly delicious seafood lunch and enjoy the time at the sundeck while exploring the bay.

The cruise will stop at a secret place where you will spend time kayaking or swimming. Here, you can explore the karst grottoes more closely. In the evening, return to the ship for an early dinner, followed by some time at leisure. You can optionally attend the activities on board the cruise.

Rise early and participate in Tai Chi lesson or enjoy a hearty breakfast as the cruise returns to the port. On the way back, stop at a limestone cave full of stalagmites and stalactites. Following the cave tour, sail back to the harbor and return to Hanoi.

Relish the remaining moment in Hanoi before your private driver escorts you to the airport to take a flight to Vientiane (Laos).

On arrival at the Vientiane Airport, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel. If time permits, you will get to tour around major temples of Vientiane including the oldest, Wat Sisaket, a temple of thousands of miniature Buddha statues, and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. You will also visit Lao national icon, That Luang Stupa, and stop to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is Vientiane's own Arc de Triumph.

Have breakfast at the hotel and get ready for your journey to Vang Vieng. We leave the capital early in the morning. You will see some breathtaking sceneries en route as we pass through spectacular countryside toward the mountainous region.

Along the way, we will also visit the busy and colorful market of Thalat, where various hill tribes come to trade goods and buy provisions. The next stop of our trip is Vang Xang, famous for its archeological site dating back to the 11th century. We reach our final destination Vang Vieng, which is nestled on a bend of the Nam Song River.

Start your day by exploring the famous caves of Tham Jang, which were once used by the local people as a hideout from Chinese invaders. We also cross the river to Ban Huai Ngai. It is a very pleasant village where we can discover the different lifestyles of locals.

In the afternoon, we head north up route 13 to Luang Prabang. The stunning mountain scenery will make this journey interesting. On the way, you could make stops to take beautiful pictures. We arrive at Luang Prabang in the early evening.

Have breakfast at the hotel and meet your guide in the hotel lobby. Today, we will visit Phousi Market, where you will see a big diversity of local specialties such as dried buffalo skin, local tea, and saltpeter among the chickens, vegetables, and hill-tribe weavings.

Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, and today you will visit local villages of Lao ethnic minority groups such as Hmong village Ban Ouray, Laoloum village Ban Ou, and Khmu village Ban Thapene.

After exploring the villages, we will take you to the beautiful Khuang Si Waterfall, where you can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails. We then return to Luang Prabang.

Relish a healthy breakfast on the final day of your trip to Indochina. Complete the hotel check-out formalities, after which you can visit the local markets to buy souvenirs for your loved ones. Later your private driver will transfer you to the airport to take your flight back home.

Trip Ends.