Indochina Highlights: Small Group Soft Adventure – Tour 33

Tonight our Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia Highlights small group adventure tour package will stay in; BANGKOK – Our Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam small group tour officially starts when we check into our Bangkok accommodation. A welcome dinner will be had in the evening.

If you arrive early enough your free time could be spent visiting the enormous Chatuchak weekend market and/or, Wat Phra Kaew Emerald Buddha & the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, MBK or Siam shopping centres or take a convenient boat ride with the locals on the Chao Phraya express to some local shops/markets in Nonthaburi.

A few of the dozens of other options may be Vimanmek Teak Mansion, Chinatown, Wat Traimit, Jim Thompsons House, Silom or Sukhumvit road shops.

OR? Maybe just lay back and have a traditional Thai Massage. A month in the capital wouldn’t allow enough time to see it all.

BANGKOK – A free day for our tour group to relax by the pool with any jetlag if need or explore the Thai capital with your tour coordinator on hand to offer advice on what to do.

Tonight our Indochina Highlights tour group will stay in; LUANG PRABANG – A short international flight today will see our small group tour in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed City of Luang Prabang in Laos. Will there be a better highlight?

WHERE TO START? Just about anywhere as Luang Prabang is one of the great travel destinations in Asia today.

First up, while you still have the energy, try walking up the hundred or more steps to Phu Si Temple with fantastic views as the reward. Then onto, in no particular order, The Royal Palace Museum, Wat Ho Pha Bang, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Visoun, Wat That Luang, Wat Manolom or another dozen or so other Wat’s.

Cooking courses can be found at Tamarind or Tamnak Lao Three Elephants Cafe;

Massage and Spa’s are another way to enjoy Luang Prabang for the not so energetic.

Markets and other great eateries will see you get enough nourishment to complete the task at hand whatever you decide on.

Dinner by the Mekong with a Beerlao being the perfect way to finish the day.

LUANG PRABANG – A half-day tour with a local operator today will include the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfall & bear rehabilitation centre among other interesting places.

LUANG PRABANG – A free day to experience the temples, markets and riverside restaurants that will soon show you why Luang Prabang is a favourite destination with all travellers. In the evening a local market sets up as a walking street on the main road with loads of arts, crafts and clothing to tempt you also.

Spending too much on shopping? then go frugal for dinner at one of the nearby amazing $1.00, one plate, buffet restaurants.

Tonight our Laos highlights small group tour will stay in; VANG VIENG – Today by train our small group tour will see some of the loveliest scenery in all South East Asia as we approach Vang Vieng for an overnight break.
Vang Vieng itself is surrounded by stunning limestone karst scenery and on arrival, you can sit down and relax with the sunset.

Tonight our Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam Highlights small group tour will stay in; VIENTIANE – A short drive today sees us in what surely must be South East Asia’s smallest and sleepiest capital city.

Without any sign of hustle or bustle beside the Mekong sits Vientiane.

Sightseeing begins with a short Jumbo ride to the most important temple in Laos of Wat That Luang. After that most sights can be seen on foot and include Wat Si Saket, Wat Si Muang or wat Mixai among others.

Then the Arc De Triomphe look-alike of Patuxai, Lao National Museum or enjoy a drink at the central Fountain Circle.

VIENTIANE – A free day to experience life in this sleepy hollow. Don’t miss the Morning Market, (open all day). You can again enjoy a Beerlao beside the Mekong, with the spectacular sunset over Thailand, as the perfect way to make a toast to laid-back Laos.

Tonight our Indochina Highlights small group adventure tour will stay in; HANOI – A short international flight today will see our tour package in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.
The rest of the day you can use to get the feel of this amazing city.
Be careful crossing the roads is the best advice here. Shops and local culture abound.
The millennium old, Old Quarter is the best place to start and get a feel of the local way of life along with a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake. Pay your respects at Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum as you start to explore the many sights and attractions.
A few others being the Ho Chi Minh Museum, One Pillar Pagoda, Dien Huu Pagoda, Tay Ho Pagoda among many other pagoda’s and temples as well as St Joseph Cathedral.
Another museum or three may include the History, Fine Arts, Women’s’, Army, Airforce, Loa Lo Prison or Museum of Vietnamese Revolution.
For Foodies; start with a bowl of Pho. This bowl of noodle soup plus is the complete meal which the locals enjoy day and night, breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Rice paper spring rolls are another of the popular choices, available in meat or vegetarian varieties. Lots of other local choices as well as International and other Asian cuisines are readily available also.
Wash it all down with a USD $0.40 glass of Beer Hoi, (“fresh” draught beer), and alls well in Hanoi.
Lastly, dinner tonight will take the form of a roaming street food tour with a local guide. Think, all you can experience delicious real Vietnamese delights.

Tonight our Vietnam small group holiday tour will stay on; HALONG BAY BOAT – An early start with a local operator will take our group tour for an all-inclusive tour for two days and one night to the UNESCO world heritage listed Halong Bay.

Firstly by bus to Halong City where we will board our deluxe cruise boat for an afternoon of cruising, cave visiting and swimming in spectacular Halong Bay. Overnight will be on board our boat in a deluxe private cabin.

Tonight our Vietnam highlights travel tour will stay in; HANOI – In the morning we will again cruise among the spectacular limestone karst scenery back to Halong City.

After lunch our tour will continue by bus back to Hanoi, arriving late afternoon.

Tonight our experience real Vietnam tour will stay on; OVERNIGHT SLEEPER TRAIN. – A final day to explore some more of Hanoi before joining the locals on an overnight sleeper train to Hue. This is a real Vietnam train travel experience.

Tonight our Indochina highlights small group tour will stay in HUE – After arrival in Hue a.m., we will check into our accommodation followed by a historical tour of the Citadel and other attractions with a specialist local guide. No meals.

Tonight our Vietnam highlights small group tour will stay in; HOI AN – From Hue, our small group tour will continue south today via Danang to the quaint and charming UNESCO World Heritage-listed town of Hoi An. Another super highlight.

HOI AN – Hoi An is also the place to look out for that tailor-made suit you were thinking about or just relax with a coffee by the Thu Bon River.
Hoi An is a favourite with all travellers. For sightseeing, there are numerous attractions on an easy half day meander around town.
Start at the Phac Hat Pagoda followed by the Truong family chapel, the assembly hall of the Fujian Chinese congregation, the Quan Cong Temple, the Quan Am Pagoda and history museum, the Museum of Sa Huynh Culture, the Hoi An Church, the Japanese covered bridge and finish with a local coffee or USD $0.40 glass of beer Hoi (“fresh”, draught beer), Riverside.
The above sights are only a few of those available. Most places are free to visit while a few charges a small entrance fee or ask for a donation.
Like Luang Prabang, you will now understand why they are both must-visit destinations for all those who love travel.

HOI AN – Another free day to soak up the atmosphere of Charming Hoi An.

Checking out the local markets along the river is yet another option today.

A day at the beach is not far away for those wanting it either.

Tonight our Vietnam holiday adventure vacation will stay in; NHA TRANG – After a lazy morning our small group tour will transfer to Danang for an afternoon train experience to Nha Trang, arriving late in the evening.

NHA TRANG – A free day to relax or explore this large but pleasant city by the sea.
Apart from lazing on the nearby scenic beach, there are numerous sightseeing options around town.
Remember to take off your shoes before entering the Po Nagar Cham Towers which were built before the 12th century for Hindu worshippers and are still in use today by Buddhist followers.
Then it could be on to the Long Son Pagoda or the small Khanh Hoa Museum which houses some of Ho Chi Minh’s personal effects among other things.
Again there are too many sights to list here but those who don’t want the beach will not become bored.

NHA TRANG – This morning a local boat operator will take our small group tour on a full days tour to some of the many offshore islands. There will be a chance for a swim and a snorkel as well as seeing some local life on an island or two.

Tonight our Vietnam small group travel tour will stay in; HO CHI MINH CITY (SAIGON) – This morning we will take a very short domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
Hopefully, by now, you will have mastered how to cross the roads so seeing the attractions will not hold as much fear of the teeming traffic chaos. Not quite as dense as Hanoi though.
There are lots to see and do.
The War Remnants Museum is a truly gruesome look at the utter futility and horrors of war or on a lighter note the History, Fine Arts or museum of Ho Chi Minh City will keep you fully occupied.
Other places of interest include the nearby Ben Thanh market or the Huynh Thuc Khang street market.
A taxi ride to Cholon will see you in either the Binh Tay or An Dong markets with the latter particularly good for clothing and cheap local eats.

HO CHI MINH CITY – A free day for shopping, sightseeing and trying some more of the great food on offer.

More rice paper or fried spring rolls, another bowl of Pho,(rice noodle soup), aromatic curries and numerous other local specialities often cooked in coconut milk. Vegetarians won’t be short on choice either as most things come in veggie options also.

HO CHI MINH CITY – MEKONG DELTA – A full days tour with a local operator by bus and boats to the Mekong Delta to get a close-up view of the lifestyles of the locals.
Firstly by bus to the town of My Tho, 70 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City. Then by boat, you will visit Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise islands. Sights along the way include a fishing port and stilt houses. Lunch will be had riverside in an orchard. Later it will be by a small local rowing boat through some smaller jungle-shrouded channels to try some local fruits and honey as well as be entertained by some island villagers performing Southern Vietnamese folk music.

Tonight our Indochina highlights small group tour will stay in PHNOM PENH – Short in distance but still a full and interesting day by international bus will see us cross into Cambodia via the Bavet/Moc Bai border crossing and arrive late afternoon in the capital Phnom Penh.

PHNOM PENH – A day to try and fully comprehend the short but brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge.
A visit to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek where the Khmers have made fantastic efforts to come to terms with their recent history.
Then to the just as infamous S21 which is now Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Here you can view 100’s of black and white photos Pol Pot’s regime took both before and sometimes after torturing his victims. This moving experience will stay with you forever.
You will come away with far more compassion and concern for your fellow man.

Tonight our Cambodia highlights holiday adventure tour will stay in; SIEM REAP – Today our group tour heads for Siem Reap by bus on the much improved Cambodian roads.

The rest of the day will be free to explore Siem Reap before a sunset visit to Angkor Wat.

SIEM REAP – A full day by van or car with a local guide to explore the majestic and mysterious spectacle of Angkor Wat. Apart from the main Angkor Wat complex, you will also visit the Bayon, Tha Prohm and Angkor Thom.

The horrors of recent history replaced by the joys from centuries ago.

SIEM REAP – A free day to wander around, not so sleepy anymore, Siem Reap.
A few of the Siem Reap sights and/or activities in your free time may include:
The Angkor National Museum. or cooking course.
For shoppers:
Artisans d’Angkor has a shop selling various pieces relating to local culture.

Shops set up to benefit the blind, disabled and other worthy causes include Krouser Thmey, Nyemo, Rajana, Rehab Craft, Sentaurs d’Angkor and Tabitha Cambodia.

These shops sell a variety of goods which include silk products, arts and craft, clothing, wallets, bags and the like.
NOTE: If anyone wants to further explore some of the lesser known temples of Angkor we can arrange that for you at an extra cost.

Tonight our Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam highlights small group tour will stay in; BANGKOK – Our adventure tour will have a long but again interesting day as we return to Bangkok today by bus via the Poipet/ Aranya Prathet border crossing.

BANGKOK – A last free day in the city of angels to see some of this city’s highlights, shop or just relax with a final Thai massage. Your tour coordinator will help you decide which way to go today.

A number of optional day tours are also available. A farewell dinner will be had in the evening.

Our Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia Highlights small group adventure tour is officially over when checking out of your Bangkok accommodation. An airport transfer is included also.

What was the highlight? We think there was at least one every day. A truly memorable journey