Highlights of South East Asia

Day 1: Saigon

Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. Your airport representative will meet and greet you. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy some free time. Overnight at Hotel Equatorial (or similar).

Day 2: Saigon

Today you will visit Cu Chi Tunnels. Discover the network of underground tunnels while learning about their role in the Vietnam War. Later, enjoy a guided walking tour of Saigon where you will see Dong Khoi Street, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace, and Ben Thanh Market. Overnight at Hotel Equatorial (or similar). (B,L)

Day 3: Saigon, Mekong Delta, Can Tho

Venture to the Mekong Delta and spend the day exploring the many palm-fringed canals, local temples and markets. Enjoy a delicious lunch made from locally-harvested produce. Drive to Can Tho. Overnight at TTC Premium Can Tho Hotel (or similar). (B, L)

Day 4: Can Tho, Chau Doc

Make an early morning start to visit the floating markets of Cai Rang. Take a small boat and explore the waterways, packed with local people selling fruits and vegetables. In Chau Giang District see a tiny mosque serves the local Cham, originally Hindu, but now Muslim as a result of contact with Arab seafarers and merchants in the Middle Ages. Visit a beautiful Khmer temple, and the floating houses that double as catfish farms. Overnight at Victoria Chau Doc Resort (or similar). (B)

Day 5: Chau Doc, Phnom Penh

Board a speedboat to the Cambodian border and cruise along the Mekong River to Phnom Penh. Enjoy a river cruise along the Tonle Sap River and the mythical Mekong with scenic landscapes including floating fishermen villages, and a spectacular sunset over the Phnom Penh skyline. Overnight at Sun & Moon Urban Hotel (or similar). (B)

Day 6: Phnom Penh

Explore Phnom Penh by cyclo (a bicycle rickshaw). See Wat Phnom and the Royal Palace, the residence of King Norodom Sihamoni, the Silver Pagoda, and the National Museum. Visit the Central Market, a labyrinth of stalls selling everything from CDs and DVDs to silks, crafts, jewelry and more. Visit Tuol Sleng Museum, formerly a high school which became the interrogation and torture facility for the Khmer Rouge regime. Overnight at Sun & Moon Urban Hotel (or similar). (B)

Day 7: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap

Along the way to Siem Reap, stop to visit the infamous Spider Market in Skun and Naga Bridge in Kampong Thom. Overnight at Tara Angkor Hotel (or similar). (B)

Day 8: Siem Reap

Start early to witness the breathtaking sunrise over Angkor Wat temple, followed by breakfast at a local restaurant. Reach the southern gate of Angkor Thom, the ‘Great City’ and marvel at the imposing 23m (75-foot) high stone faces, featured in the Tomb Raider movie. At the centre lies the 12th-century state temple of Bayon, with hundreds of gigantic stone faces. Witness a monk blessing at a pagoda nearby the temple, a truly wonderful and memorable ‘real life’. Ta Prohm is unforgettable due to the massive trees with thick roots that entangle the walls. Overnight at Tara Angkor Hotel (or similar). (B)

Day 9: Siem Reap

Leave to Kampong Kleang floating village and take a boat trip through the fishing villages across Tonle Sap, the biggest lake in Southeast Asia. In the afternoon enjoy an excursion to Banteay Srei, consecrated in 967 A.D. built in red sandstone with elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable in fine details today. On the way back we will see Banteay Samre temple. Overnight at Tara Angkor Hotel (or similar). (B,L)

Day 10: Siem Reap, Poipet Border, Bangkok

Drive to Poipet and across the Thailand border. Your guide will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in Bangkok. Overnight at Century Park Hotel (or similar). (B)

Day 11: Bangkok

Visit the Grand Palace or Wat Phra Kaew, known as the temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred Buddha image in Thailand. Then visit Wat Pho, one of Bangkok’s oldest and largest temples which houses the gigantic gold-plated Reclining Buddha. Explore Rattanakosin Island, the original area of Bangkok when it was first established as the capital over 200 years ago. Take a longtail boat on a canal (klong) tour along the Chao Phraya River with a stop at the dazzling Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun). Overnight at Century Park Hotel (or similar). (B,L)

Day 12: Bangkok

Enjoy a free day at your leisure. Overnight at Century Park Hotel (or similar) (B)

Day 13: Bangkok

Transfer from your hotel to the airport for your onward flight. Or, ask us about options for extending your journey.