Theme travel

 
 
 Arts & crafts hunter
 Cultural interact
 Eco-nature lovers
 Culinary interest
 Bike & adventure
 Veteran revisit
 Honeymooners
 Voluntoursim
 Cruises & leisures

 

 
Eco-nature lovers

Natural highs are numerous in Indochina and opportunities for the ecologically aware are never far away. First-time visitors to Indochina will marvel at sights from Laos, such as Vientiane’s That Luang, the Plain of Jars, Luang Prabang’s Pak Ou Caves and the Khone Prabheng waterfalls in Champasak. You will feel as if transported back to the Stone Age in many places in Laos. In Vietnam, the network of national parks is the perfect place to trek through the jungle, to encounter an ape or ride on an elephant.  Swoon at the views around Sapa, home to a wealth of minority hill tribes, and a base for exploring the Tonkinese Alps.
  Boat, bike and hike your way around Ba Be National Park, a serene and scenic spot.  Observe elephants in their natural element at beautiful Yok Don National Park; discover a different world while diving the waters of Nha Trang; rappel down a waterfall or rock climb in nearby Dalat. In Cambodia, enjoy 2-3 days exploring the massive Angkor ruins in Siem Reap.  There you will also find great places for recreation and adventure, such as Kirirom Park in Koh Kong Province. This very scenic place is in the Damrei Mountains, straddling the borders of Kampong Spue and Koh Kong provinces. 
The forest area contains lakes, rivers, and waterfalls, and is the former summer palace and home of former king Norodom Sihanouk; Preah Sihanouk “Ream” Park covers 15,000 hectares of land and 6,000 hectares of marine habitat… To diversify your trip, take a boat cruise on Tonle Sap Lake, the Great Lake in the northwest that flows southward to join the Mekong River, and empties into the South China Sea. 
If you have only a couple of weeks, Indochina will be your paradise for nature exploration. We recommend you limit the scope of your destinations in order to get a more meaningful experience.  Let Indochina Voyages Travel be your destination expert by sharing with us your wishes and expectations. The more you share, the more colorful the program will be.

Day 1: Luang Prabang – arrival 
Upon arrival, get picked up and transferred to the hotel for check in. At leisure. 
Accommodation: in Luang Prabang
Meals: None 

Day 2: Luang Prabang
Breakfast at hotel. Take a sightseeing tour of the sacred city of temples, of which nearly fifty temples still remain in the town and surrounding areas. Visit the National Museum, the former Royal Palace which houses the collection of valuables including the famous Prabang Buddha statue, gifts received from foreign dignitaries…etc, Wat Visoun, the 16th century temple served as a small museum for religious artifacts; Wat Aham, the early 19th century temple, whose two guardian figures at the foot of the steps which represent two characters from the Ramayana – Hanuman, the Monkey God and a fierce Yaksa; also visit a well-known silver's smith of Thid Pheng Maniphone, where you will see some of silver smiths making various kinds of silver wear and you can make some buys there. Lunch is free on own. Afternoon, continue to visit Wat Xiengthong, the 16th century temple, which more than any temples in Luang Prabang, epitomizes all the elegance and grace of Luang Prabang architecture; Hmong market in town and also craft shops for your shopping. Climb up Phousi Hill, the 328 steps leads to the summit of Phousi Hill that dominates the sky-line of Luang Prabang overlooking the finest panoramic view in the whole Luang PrabangPrabang.
Accommodation: in Luang Prabang
Meals: Breakfast

Day 3: Luang Prabang – Pakse (Air)
Breakfast at the hotel. Then, get transferred to the airport for the flight to Pakse, the provincial capital of Champasack at the confluence of the Mekong and Sedon rivers and it is the center for trading between Thailand. Upon arrival, get transferred to the hotel for check in with an orientation tour around the town.
Accommodation: in Pakse 
Meals: Breakfast

Day 4: Pakse – Pha Pheng Waterfall – Don Khone (Vaphou cruise) 
Breakfast at the hotel. After meeting at Sinouk Coffee House in the central of Pakse at 9.30a.m., you are transferred by bus to Pha Pheng waterfall as known as ‘The Niagara of The East’ and then, you are driven to a fishing village; Xieng Di, for a buffet lunch at a local restaurant. After that, you are transferred to a small boat to Khone Island where you will visit the old French railway and walk across a bridge which links Khone Island and Det Island. You are back to the small boat to be transferred to Vat Phou boat which is waiting at Ban Veuthong. You are welcomed on board with a welcome drink and a set menu dinner is served. The boat docks for a night at Ban Dong.
Accommodation: on board – Vaphou cruise 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner 

Day 5: Khong Island – Oum Muong Temple – Huei Thamo 
The boat leaves at 6a.m. and a continental breakfast is served on board from 7a.m. The first stop is at Ban Deua Tia where you can walk through this small Laotian village to observe a traditional way of life. After you are back on board, the boat starts to cruise northwards passing by the wild paradise of ‘4,000 Islands’. A set menu lunch is served on board. The second stop is at Huei Thamo village to visit a rural life and a mysterious hidden forest temple called ‘Oum Muong’. You are transferred back to the boat to enjoy the tropical sunset on the deck. A set menu is served on board and the boat docks for a night at Ban Tomo. 
Accommodation: on board – Vaphou cruise 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner 

Day 6: Vat Phou – Champasak – Pakse 
The boat leaves at 6a.m. and a continental breakfast is served on board from 7a.m. The highlight in the morning is to take a local transportation to visit Vat Phou ruins; the majestic pre-Angkorian 10th century temple complex and to visit a museum at the ruins site. You are transferred to the boat and a set menu lunch is served on board. Then, a long tail boat takes you back to Champasak and you will arrive in Pakse around 4p.m.
Accommodation: in Pakse 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 7: Pakse – Vientiane (Air) – Hanoi (Air)
Breakfast at the hotel. Take the short flight to Vientiane and connect flight to Hanoi, the charming capital of Vietnam. Upon arrival, get transferred to the hotel for check in. The balance of the day at leisure. 
Accommodation: in Hanoi 
Meals: Breakfast

Day 8: Hanoi 
Today’s full day city tour of this charming capital Hanoi with ochre-colored colonial style buildings, tree-lined avenues and many lakes.  Set out on a visit to the Temple of Literature to have an overview about Hanoi culture and history at the outset of the trip. Then visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, an imposing monument made of generous amount of marble and granite. This is where the preserved body of “Uncle Ho” may be viewed, continue visiting the lotus-shaped One Pillar Pagoda in the form of a lotus, it emerges from the water and rests on a single stone pillar. It contains a statue of the Goddess of Mercy with its legendary “thousand arms and a thousand eyes”. Afternoon, visit to a very beautiful Museum of Ethnology to enhance your understanding of Vietnam's diverse culture through its unique presentation of objects & dress from daily life. This evening attend a traditional water puppet, a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form especially designed for depicting scenes from rural life and many episodes of national history. 
Accommodation: in Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 9: Hanoi – Halong 
Around 0800am, drive from Hanoi to Halong. Upon arrival in HaLong Bay around 11am, embark on the junk and cruise around the bay with marvelous view with limestone islands. After seafood lunch on the board, you will visit one of the biggest cave in the bay named Sung Sot (Surprising cave). After the cave visit, the kayak is ready waiting there and our guide will give instruction on kayaking technique and safety procedures. Getting on the Kayak padding in to Luon Cave and going through the Horse’s saddle cave for an exploration. Dinner will be served around 7pm on board.  Overnight is near Luon Cave.
Accommodation: on board 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 10: Halong – Hanoi – Sapa (train) 
After breakfast, the junk brings you to the little Duck’s Rock for an interesting kayaking trip to Incense burner island, explore further caves nearby before getting on the junk. Enjoy a farewell seafood lunch with the crew on board and cruise back to the dock at 12pm. Transfer back to Hanoi. Dinner on own until time for transferring to the train station for the night train to Sapa. 
Accommodation: on train 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 11 (should be Sat): Laocai – Sapa 
Arrive Sapa early in the morning, get picked up at the station and transferred to a local restaurant for breakfast. Then, head to Sapa and check in the hotel if room available. Commence a journey to Lao Chai village, a Black Hmong ethnic minority village. Then take a walk from Lao Chai to Tavan village where the Giay ethnic minority hill tribe lives. Here, the clients can take a rest and enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by your guide in a local house. After lunch the walk continues through a bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai, a Red Dao ethnic minority village. After taking a rest nearby a waterfall to refresh, start climbing uphill to a road where the car is ready for your journey back to Sapa.
Accommodation: in Sapa
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 12: Sapa – Bacha market – Hanoi 
Morning drive to Bac Ha, with a 30-minute en route visit to the Phong Hai market, 40km from Sapa. On arrival in Bac Ha, 130 km from Sapa, to visit the colorful market of hill tribe people such as Flower Hmong, Phu La and Dao Tuyen gathering here to exchange goods. After lunch in Bac Ha, we drive to Trung Do and trek 4km to visit its village - inhabited by Tay minority. From the village we go by boat up the Chay river for 1.5 hours, where we experience the magnificent sight of the beautiful caves, the Raining waterfall. The boat ends at Bao Nhai. Pick up and drive back to Lao Cai to visit Tran Hung Dao temple, the century banian tree, the 12 zodiac-signs park, and the Chinese Vietnamese borderline. 
Accommodation: on train 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 15: Hanoi – Babe
Early depart for Ba Be National Park, passing through the mountainous region of Tonkin - Thai nguyen. There are superb landscapes with the rice fields and tea plantation in terrace, the paddle wheels in bamboo on the two sides of the river. Upon arrival at Cho Ra, take a boat on Nang river that slips in a cultivated country before penetrating in a landscape of chalky cliffs whose flank are characterized by small wild gardens, where hang the lianas and its long roots in quest of earth. Then enter into the Puong Cave. The river flows, making up a wonderful site where you can enjoy the stalactites on foot of this pothole. Continue going by boat to Pac Ngoi - a village of Tay ethnic.
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 16: Ba Be – Hanoi 
Staying off the main road for as long as possible we head back towards the Red River Delta, passing through areas inhabited by H'Mong, Dao, Tay and Nung minority peoples. Short break for a visit to Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Thai Nguyen city before have lunch on road. A mixture of both challenging track and glorious sealed road all the way back to Hanoi. Arrive in hotel by 5.30 p.m and transfer to the hotel for check in.
Accommodation: in Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 17: Hanoi – Buon Me Thuot (Air)
Breakfast at the hotel. Take a flight to Buon Me Thuot, famous for the best coffee cradle in Vietnam. Upon arrival, get picked up and transferred to the hotel for check in. Afternoon, visit the Yok Don National Park, located in Buôn Ðôn District. This park was established in 1991 to protect 582 km² of a biological area of kh?p lowland forest. It borders Mondulkiri Protected Forest (Cambodia) to the west and is part of maybe the largest protected area complex in Southeast Asia. 
Accommodation: in Buon Me Thuot
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 18: Buon Me Thuot
After breakfast, drive to Buon Don village, home of elephants and elephant trainers in Vietnam to visit the Ede tribe. Lunch at a local restaurant on Lac Lake. After lunch, elephant riding through the B’Lieng Muong village. In the evening dinner with traditional dancing and gong music
Accommodation: in Buon Me Thuot
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner

Day 19: Buon Me Thuot – Dalat (drive)
Breakfast at the hotel. At leisure. Then, take a drive to Dalat with 4 hours through scenic mountains & valleys. Arrive Dalat, check in the hotel and leisure. 
Accommodation: in Dalat
Meals: Breakfast

Day 20: Dalat
After breakfast, get picked up at the hotel to visit, Bao Dai Summer Palace, where the last emperor of Vietnam – Bao Dai (1913 – 1997) stayed and ruled his Vietnam from 1949 to 1954. The next will be the Crazy House, built in 1990 by a woman named Dang Viet Nga (the daughter of a former president of Vietnam), The Crazy House immediately began attracting attention by it weirdness and unusual structures. Lunch at a local restaurant. Continue to visit the Truc Lam Monastery, over-look TuyenLam Lake (the nicest Lake of Dalat), at present is the biggest University in Vietnam. Back to the hotel with a quick look at the Dalat Cog Railway, which was
built in 1932 and put into use in 1936. There were two trains Da Lat- NhaTrang and Da Lat - Sai Gon a day. But this line was destroyed in the war and abandoned in the late 1960s. Seven kilometers of the track between Da Lat and Trai Mat has been reconstructed and operated for tourism purpose since 1997. Back to the hotel with a stop en route at Dalat Market.
Accommodation: in Dalat
Meals: Breakfast

Day 21: Dalat – Nha Trang (drive)
After breakfast, free at leisure. Then, get transferred to Nhatrang, Upon arrival, check in the hotel and at leisure. 
Accommodation: in Nhatrang 
Meals: Breakfast

Day 22: Nha Trang 
Transfer from your hotel at 7.30 am to the diving site. On arrival at about 8.30 or 9 hrs, start the dive #1 for 40 to 60 minutes to the CORAL GARDEN (3 - 15 meter - tropical fish and hard coral). From 09.30 am to 10.30 am get back to the diving boat for lunch and rest until 12.30 hrs. The dive #2 prolongs 40 to 60 minutes and starts from 12.30 to 13.30 hrs to the CAVE (5 - 25 meter - hard and soft corals - tropical fish). Then back to the diving boat at 13.30 hrs after the second dive. Transfer back to your hotel. 
Accommodation: in Nhatrang 
Meals: Breakfast

Day 23: Nha Trang – Saigon (Air)
Breakfast at the hotel. At leisure for your exploration on the mainland. Then, get the afternoon flight to Saigon. Upon arrival, meet and transfer to the hotel for check in. Then, visit the Ben Thanh Market,  popular with tourists seeking local handicrafts, textiles, áo dài, and souvenirs, as well as local cuisine.
Accommodation: in Saigon 
Meals: Breakfast

Day 24: Saigon 
After breakfast, pick up at the hotel in Saigon for a half daytrip to the famous Cu Chi tunnels. The drive takes 2 hours to reach the  incredible underground network built by the Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. On the way, stop en route to visit a local home with rice paste making. Lunch at the Lemongrass restaurant. After lunch, continue another half day city tour of Saigon including: The Presidential Palace, formerly the Independence Palace, was the official residence of the President of South Vietnam. The Old
Saigon Post Office and the Notre Dame Cathedral, another of the fingerprints the French left in the city of Saigon. Ben Thanh market, which has been in existence since the French occupation and the biggest marketplace in the downtown of Ho Chi Minh.
Accommodation: in Saigon 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 25: Saigon – Vinh Long – Can Tho (Bassac cruise)
After breakfast, Get picked up and head South to Cai Be. Boarding at Cai Be at noon. Welcome drink, Introduction to the ship and crew, check into the cabins. Departure towards Cho Lach on the Tien Giang river. Lunch while on route. Rest on the deck. Turning into Cho Lach canal for 30 minutes through the traffic of sand and rice barges, in a scenery of fruit drying facilities and wooden ship building yards. Visit of a village on the banks of river Mang Thit, an opportunity to appreciate the way of life and hospitality of the local inhabitants. Visit of the orchard or rice fields
nearby. Boarding back, complimentary drink as a welcome back on board. Rest on the deck enjoying the sunset. The crew will serve dinner while the Bassac is cruising Mang Thit river. The Bassac sets anchor just downstream from the little Tra On floating market, for the night.
Overnight on board – Bassac cruise
Meals included: Lunch & Dinner

Day 26: Can Tho – Chau Doc
Breakfast is available from 06:30, while the ship is cruising the Tra On floating market. The ship then departs towards Can Tho. Arrival in Cai Rang floating market, check out and transfer onto a
local boat to visit the floating market, the nearby arroyos and gardens and return to the Ninh Kieu pier. End of the services on shore at Can Tho by mid morning. Pick up and transfer directly to Chau Doc, situated on the Cambodian border. En route, visit the Bang Lang stork sanctuary. Arrive in Chau Doc, transfer to hotel on arrival. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Afternoon take a boat visit fish farms where fish are bred in wooden cages suspended under floating houses on the river. Continue by boat to visit a village of stilt houses belonging to the Cham minority where colorful traditional textiles are woven on old wooden looms. Return to the dry land in time to drive up Sam Mountain to watch the sun set over the Cambodian border.
Accommodation: in Chaudoc
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 27: Chau Doc – Phnom Penh (boat)
After breakfast, take Early morning, transfer to the dock for taking a 5-hour speedboat ride to Phnom Penh. Upon arrival in Phnom Penh, meet and transfer to hotel for checking in. Afternoon, set out on a city tour to visit the National Museum where houses Khmer art, especially sculptures from different periods of Cambodian history; Royal Place built in 1866 by King Norodom; Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5,000 silver tiles and located within the Royal Palace compound.
Accommodation: in Phnom Penh 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 29: Kampot – Sihanoukville
The lovely beaches of Sihanoukville are some of the most unspoiled in all of Southeast Asia although the fast growing of tourism. There are some 10 km of beach along the mainland and dozens of small islands a short boat ride away, which make for a perfect tropical getaway, with facilities for swimming, snorkeling or scuba diving. Upon leaving the town we depart for Sihanoukville. After checking into hotel we take a short guided trip to catch a glimpse of the town and spend the remainder of the day on the turquoise water or lazing on a beach. 
Accommodation: in Sihanoukville
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 30: Sihanouville
After breakfast, rent a boat  to explore the nearby coastal islands and the Ream national park which is well known for the mangrove forest and the eco-system. Back to the hotel and the balance of the day at leisure for your beach relaxation.
Accommodation: in Sihanoukville
Meals: Breakfast

Day 31: Sihanoukville – Phnom Penh
After breakfast, return journey begins as we depart Sihanoukville and pass through the spectacular rural landscape. An ideal way to spend your last evening in Cambodia is to relax in a cafe by the riverfront.
Accommodation: in Phnom Penh 
Meals: Breakfast
 
Day 32: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap (Air)
After breakfast, take a short flight to Siem Reap, gateway to the Angkor temple complex. Arrive in Siem Reap and transfer to your hotel. Start exploring the mysterious Royal city Angkor Thom Its 50-tower temple is an awesome sight. At first glance it seems a shapeless mass of stone, but further scrutiny reveals a face, and then another and another until suddenly you are engulfed by the silent, heavy, enigmatic and silent gaze through half-closed eyes, staring out from a primitive and remote time. Further visit the surroundings of the complex including the Baphou, Elephant Terraces, Lepper King Terrace and Royal Place area. Afternoon, visit the intricately carved Khmer ruins at Angkor Wat– one of the world’s most impressive ruins. The temple still owns fine Apsara carvings in Angkorian era art. End the day at Phnom Bakheng, the first major temple to be constructed in the Angkor area. The Bakheng’s hilltop location makes it the most popular sunset, offering a panoramic view of Angkor Wat and West Baray. 
Accommodation: in Siemreap 
Meals: Breakfast

Day 33: Siem Reap 
After breakfast, cycle to Banteay Srei, 25km away, on a newly paved road. Continue to Kbal Spean (River of 1,000 Lingas), hiking to the top to view the riverbed carvings. After picnic lunch, return to Siem Reap via Banteay Samre Temple and Ta Prohm. 
Accommodation: in Siemreap 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 34: Siem Reap  
After breakfast, ride to Tonle Sap Lake. Take short cruise through floating villages. Lunch at floating village. On the return ride, stop at workshops of Artisans d’Angkor (wood and stone carving). Return to your hotel or transfer to the airport for the end of the tour.

Day 35: Siem Reap – Departure 
After breakfast, free on own for your last minute shopping before get transferred to the airport for the flight home. 
End of services.
Meals: Breakfast,

 
     
 
 
 

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