Mekong and Indochina Discovery

Arrive in Bangkok where you’ll meet our representative and have an orientation meeting to prepare for our tour. In the evening we can go out for dinner together and get to know each other.

We visit the Marble temple, Wat Pho and enjoy a klong (canal) tour to recall the olden days of Bangkok, sometimes also named ‘Venice of the East’. Wat Pho is the biggest temple in Bangkok, it has Bangkok’s biggest reclining Buddha which is 15 meters high and 46 meters long and also showcases the largest collection of Buddha images in the country. This temple is one of the best examples of Thai – Chinese decorations and architecture. It is also home to ‘the’ Thai massage school and traditional Thai pharmacology which stems back a long time.

We drive 2 hours to visit Ayutthaya, the ancient Thai capital where we’ll visit Wat Pra Sri Sanphet, Wat Yai Chaimongkol and Wat Mahathat. It has been enlisted as world heritage since 1991. Wat Pra Sri Sanphet used to be the king’s palace and state temple. In 1767 the Burmese army invaded and burned down the city, melting the golden Buddha into nuggets to take back to Burma. Wat Yai Chaimongkol has the tallest pagoda in Ayutthaya reaching 67 meters high. It was built to announce Ayutthaya’s independence after the Burmese were defeated by prince Naresuan’s army. Wat Mahathat has the biggest pagoda foundation in Ayutthaya and used to house Buddha relics which are now kept in Bangkok. You can find a Buddha head embedded in the Bodhi tree in this temple. We’ll go on an exciting TukTuk ride to explore some of these ruins. After lunch we drive for 4 hours to reach Korat, gateway to Indochina.

Today we go to Prasat Phnom Rung, an ancient Khmer temple ruin, built on an extinct volcano. We’ll also visit the Dan kwain pottery making district to experience local pottery making before we end our day with a home stay, complete with a traditional Esarn welcoming ceremony.

We’ll experience and learn more about local food. We get to cook some real Esarn food and desert but before we do we’ll learn more about working in the field and do some food searching local style ourselves.

In the morning we drive in about 3 hours to Ubon which will be a great way to observe Esarn lifestyle. We can enjoy the landscape and scenery of the Mekong River. We’ll stop on our way to see a 3000-year-old cliff painting, Pha Taem, and to see the mummified monk Laungpo Kamkaning. After checking in to the hotel we are at leisure for the rest of the day.

After our breakfast we drive the last 30kms to the Thai-Laos border. We’ll pass through Pakse and continue to the Tad Pa Suam waterfall. We’ll spend the night at a resort with the appearance of a tribal house surrounded by nature. Here we can enjoy and wander through the national park. We’ll learn more about tribal living and visit a tribal village and a coffee and tea plantation. At night we can enjoy a modern style Lao dinner.

Today we are at leisure. We can explore Pakse or go for an optional tour to the 4000 islands in the Mekong River. In the evening we’ll travel by overnight bus to Vientiane (approximately 11 hours, leave around 19.30) Laos’ biggest city after Vientiane.

We arrive in Vientiane, capital of Laos, in the early morning. We’ll go on a guided tour to visit Pratuxai, That Luang and Wat Sri Saket, the highlights of the city.

After breakfast we drive for about 3 hours to reach Vang Vieng. In the afternoon we are at leisure and free to go cycling, walking, kayaking, caving or just take a rest while enjoying the great scenery that the Song River offers.

Today we leave Vang Vieng and make a 7 hours journey to reach Xieng Khouang, the province where we will see the great plain of jars.

Today we visit the amazing and mysterious plain of jars which are more than 2000-year-old. There are many different explanations for why they are here. We’ll have lunch with a local family and try some Lao – Lao. If weather allows (the roads need to be dry) we can reach a village where people have been turning scrap metal from bomb fragments into useful everyday tools. Although it’s a dangerous job they have been doing so since the American – Vietnam War ended. Bombs are being cleared every day and this will most likely continue for another 150 years.

We drive in approximately 7 hours to Luang Prabang, Laos’ most attractive city where people are known to be friendly and easy going. In 1995 this city was enlisted by UNESCO as World Heritage. After checking in to our hotel we are at leisure and can wander through town to do some initial exploring. In the evening it’s time to visit the night market which has a lot to offer and is surrounded by plenty of good restaurants.

We’ll join the famous almsgiving in the early morning before enjoying an easy guided walking tour to the morning market, the hilltop temple Wat Phusi and Wat Xiengthong. In the afternoon you can explore the town more on your own, either by walking, TukTuk or bicycle. Other options are to visit a Hmong tribe, go swimming in Laos’ most beautiful waterfall (Kuang Si) or take a local boat along the Mekong River for some great scenery, visiting the Buddha caves with over 4000 Buddha statues, observing local lifestyle and hand crafts. We can watch the sun set over the Mekong River.

We are at leisure until our transfer to the airport for our flight to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. We’ll explore this colorful city in the evening.

Today we drive to the world-famous Ha Long Bay where we’ll take a cruise on a traditional boat and have our lunch while a stunning scenery surrounds us. Thousands of stone pillars come out from the sea and combined with the limestone karsts they give the bay a truly unique sight. After our sea adventure we drive back to Hanoi for the night.

After breakfast we’ll have a guided city tour to the highlights of Hanoi. We’ll visit the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and his old residence, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the One pillar pagoda and the temple of Literature. After lunch we can be at leisure or explore more of Hanoi which celebrated its millennium settlement in 2010. With a lot of its ancient sites now having become world heritage the city offers a rich and fascinating mix of old and new Vietnam lifestyles. Tonight, we board a sleeper train to Hue.

After transfer to our hotel, we visit the great Imperial Citadel with the purple city inside which, although smaller, is no less impressive than China’s Forbidden City. Some of Vietnam’s greatest architecture can be found here. We’ll also visit the Thien Mu Pagoda which is considered the landmark of Hue. It is the tallest religious building in Vietnam and played a key role in the Buddhist monks protest against the government in the 60’s. After our lunch we’ll visit the Emperor Tu Duc’s tomb. Afterwards there is time to go on an optional cruise on a traditional dragon boat along the perfume river. From 1802 to 1945, when feudalism in Vietnam rose to a top, Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty.

The bus journey to Hoi An takes 4 hours along a beautiful coastline and through the scenic cloud pass (Hai Van) which geographically divides North from South Vietnam. Then we’ll drive along the picturesque seaside of Danang’s beautiful beaches before we can explore Hoi an with its famous tailor made shops, many places to eat and chill out areas. After dinner we’ll have a chance to explore the charming and traditional night market and you’ll soon understand why Hoi An is also mentioned as the most romantic town currently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We’ll take a guided walking tour through the richest and oldest trading town of Vietnam, shown in the old settlements’ architecture. We’ll visit the Japanese bridge and Pagodas, highlights of Hoi An. After our tour we are free to go for some optional activities like enjoying the Cua Dai – Angbang beach, chill in one of the Vietnamese riversides places or order suits and other clothing at one of the tailor shops.

We fly to HCM city and transfer to our hotel before enjoying a guided tour to the highlights of this city. We’ll visit the war remnants museum, the old post office and the old French cathedral. Afterwards we can explore the city further and experience some of HCM city’s nightlife, visit the night market or enjoy dinner at one of the many restaurants.

After breakfast we drive 2 hours to the heart of the Mekong Delta to go on a traditional sampan cruise in Cai Be. We visit the floating markets and see a way of life that has changed little over the last centuries. People here live on the water, using their sampan boat to paddle trough this spider web of water ways surrounded by fruit plantations and vegetable gardens. While trying different fruits we can listen to Viet folk music. We get to enjoy a delicious lunch at a family restaurant on the river bank before returning to Ho Chi Minh City.

In the morning we’ll get on a public bus and drive in about 3 hours to the Vietnam – Cambodian border after which it is another 3 hours to Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. You’ll experience that this is the biggest border crossing which acts double as a both a border crossing and a market.

Today we visit the Tual Sleng interrogation center of S-21 and the Chueng-Ek killing fields in retrospective of the Khmer rouge time.

It’s a 6 hours’ drive through the countryside to Siem Reap where we’ll stay overnight. On our way we will observe local life style and try some food delicacies. After checking in we’ll have free time to explore the town at night.

Today we get up early to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat with our picnic breakfast. Then we’ll continue to Wat Tha Phrom, the Elephant terrace, Bapuan and the Boyon temple, Cambodia’s best religious monuments and world heritage sites.

As our program has come to its final day we can be at leisure or continue our journey to another location.