Best of Indochina 21 days

DETAILED INTINERARY

Day 1: Arrive Siem Reap
You will be greeted Siem Reap airport and transfer to your hotel. Your Angkor discovery trip begins with the Roulos group of temples before climbing the imposing hilltop temple of Phnom Bakheng to witness a truly memorable sunset. You will stay overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 2: Angkor Complex and Angkor Thom (B/D)
In the morning you will take a flight to Siem Reap and explore the fascinating ruins of Ta Prohm, shrouded under the roots of Banyan trees. From here you will head for Banteay Kdau and the nearby lake of Sras Srang ("the King's Bath"). In the afternoon, you will start exploring Angkor Thom, including the South Gate, Bayon, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. You will have dinner with an Apsara dance show at a local restaurant before and overnight stay in Siem Reap.

Day 3: Angkor Wat Temples (B/L)
Following breakfast at the hotel, you will take a 45km drive from Siem Reap to Pre Rup and East Mebon to visit Bantaey Srei and Bantaey Kdei. In the afternoon, you will visit Wondrous Angkor Wat before another night in Siem Reap.

Day 4: Siem Reap - HCMC (B/L)
Following breakfast, you will have a two hour boat cruise on Tonle Sap Lake. The afternoon will be free at leisure or additional Siem Reap sightseeing until you are transferred to the airport for a flight to HCMC where you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay

Day 5: HCMC (B/L)
You will have a full day city tour of Saigon, including the Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, City Hall, and the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, colorful China town and bustling Binh Tay Market. You will have an overnight stay in HCMC.

Day 6: Ho Chi Minh City - Cai Be - Mekong Lodge (B/L/D)
This morning you set off for a drive through the Mekong Delta to the town of Cai Be, well-known for its floating market. Here you will board a private boat for a cruise along the maze of waterways and canals to the Mekong Lodge. You will check-in and enjoy lunch at the River View restaurant. In the afternoon you will have a walking tour to visit some coconut candy factories and handicraft families.You will go back to your bungalow for a short relaxation period before participating in cooking class and dinner will be with what you've cooked!You will stay overnight at the Mekong Lodge.

Day 7: Cai Be - Can Tho (B/L)
Rising early to the sounds of the Delta coming to life for another day, you'll enjoy breakfast before taking a boat trip visit Cai Be floating market, then have a walk or bike around the island to visit a fruit orchard, chatting with and joining in garden work with the host (watering vegetables), sample some local fruits and then sail back to Cai Be harbor for a drive Can Tho city, the heart of Mekong Delta for an overnight stay.

Day 8: Can Tho - HCMC (B/L)
Before beginning your journey back to Ho Chi Minh City, you will take a boat trip to experience the Cai Rang floating market. Here each boat usually sells one particular item, whether it be pumpkins, pineapples, sugar cane, etc., and in order that the customer knows where to shop, they hang that item from the highest part of the boat. Following this you will rendezvous with your vehicle for a drive to the town of My Tho, where you visit the Dong Tam snake farm and the Vinh Trang pagoda before returning to HCMC for an overnight stay.

Day 9: HCMC - Danang - Hoi An (B/L)
Today you will take a flight to Danang and then go on to Hoi An, a UNESCO-listed river-front town crammed with historic homes, tiny museums, cafes, and bustling silk and fish markets. You will stop to visit Buddhist cave temples in the Marble Mountains before an overnight stay in Hoi An.

Day 10: Hoi An Free day (B)
From the 16th to 18th centuries, Hoi An was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab traders. These people came primarily to trade in high grade silk, which is still produced in the area, as well as ceramics. Today, Hoi An is a quaint riverside town, popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, tailors shops, and numerous cafes. Some of the buildings in the narrow streets have remained unchanged for more than a century.

You will enjoy a half-day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200- year old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. Following the tour there will be free time to shop or relax before an overnight stay.

Day 11: Hoi An - Hue (B/D)
You will bid Hoi An farewell this morning and continue your north-bound journey. The destination for today is the old imperial city of Hue about four hours away. Along the way you will travel over the Hai Van Pass, stopping at the top to take in the stunning views north over Lang Co Beach before arriving in Hue. In the afternoon you embark on a tour of the city. A visit to Hue would not be complete without taking in attractions such as the Citadel, the Forbidden Purple City, the Imperial Museum and the Dong Ba market.

Day 12: Hue - Hanoi (B/L)
Rising up in the ancient land, you will have breakfast at the hotel before you board a private traditional boat for a cruise on the romantic Perfume River. Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded by ancient tombs of emperors past, and a visit to some of these tombs will be on the itinerary for today. The charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) will be the first stop of the day. From here you will rejoin your car to visit ornate Minh Mang's Tomb and Tu Duc's Tomb before heading to Hanoi for the night.

Day 13: Hanoi (B/L)
The colonial capital city Hanoi is a unique Asian city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental pagodas and temples. Today you will embark on a city, including the Ho Chi Minh complex and the Temple of Literature, the first university of Vietnam. In the afternoon, you will visit the Ethnology Museum, dedicated to 54 ethnic minorities in Vietnam, and then drive to Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son temple, and the Old Quarter for shopping. You will have an overnight stay in Hanoi.

Day 14: Hanoi Free day (B)
You will enjoy the free day in Hanoi, exploring at your leisure, before an overnight stay.

Day 15: Hanoi - Halong Bay (B/L)
In the morning you will drive to Halong Bay City, approximately 3 hours away through the Red River Delta. Once at Halong Bay City you are welcome on board for a four-hour cruise on the stunning bay, stopping along the way to visit one of the limestone caves in the area. As you are cruising, the boat crew will serve you a sumptuous local seafood lunch. After 4 hour navigation you sail back to harbor and rejoin car back to your hotel in Halong.

Day 16: Halong Bay Overnight on Junk Boat (B/L/D)
After having breakfast you will be free to do as you please. At noon you are welcomed on a refurbished wooden sailing junk for a cruise through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Halong Bay with a the chance to take in the stunning scenery of this World Heritage Site. While on board, a sumptuous fresh, local seafood lunch will be served and followed by a swim (if weather permits) and exploring some of the limestone caves in this area. When the sun comes down, the junk will drop anchor for the night nearby a remote island. You will stay overnight on the junk.

Day 17: Halong Bay - Hanoi (B)
Rising to the sound of ocean coming to life for another lovely day you will have breakfast at sunrise. The boat once again sets sail through breathtaking secluded Halong bay, back to Halong wharf, where you will transfer back to Hanoi and stay overnight.

Day 18: Hanoi - Vientiane (B/L)
You will fly to Vientiane and transfer to your hotel. Although it is a capital city, Vientiane has the feel of a small provincial town. The wide boulevards are almost devoid of traffic and with its many temples, the city retains the feel of another age. Our tour includes visits to the major temples of Vat Sisaket, Vat Phrakeo and the impressive That Luang Stupa, the country's most important monument. You will also see the city's version of the Arc de Triomphe, the National Museum and the morning market, before an overnight stay in Vientiane.

Day 19: Vientiane - Luang Prabang (B/L )
In the morning you will transfer to the airport for a flight to Luang Prabang. Today you will visit Wat Xieng Thong, then take a traditional boat trip upstream on the Mekong River to visit the famous caves of Pak-Ou. Located on the side of steep cliff on the bank of the Mekong River, the caves house hundreds of Buddha statues. En route, you will visit a local rice-wine distillery and Ban Phanom weaving village. You will then continue to visit Wat Phousy on the top of the hill overlooking the Mekong River. You will have an overnight stay in Luang Prabang.

Day 20: Luang Prabang freeday (B)
An optional early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of Alms (often in the form of sticky rice) from the faithful residents. This tradition is very unique in Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving the ritual. You can enjoy a free day at leisure before an overnight stay in Luang Prabang.

Day 21: Departure (B)
There is no activity planned for today, so enjoy your free time for souvenir shopping until transfer to the airport for your onward flight.