Vietnam – Laos – Cambodia - Myanmar (17 days)

• DAY 1 Saigon Upon arrival in Saigon you’ll receive cordial welcome and comfortable transfer to hotel. If time permits, we’ll take an orientation tour around the very centre of Saigon to acclimatize ourselves. Welcome dinner at a decent Vietnamese restaurant.
• DAY 2 Cu Chi Our morning tour of the city includes the famous sights such as the Notre Dame Cathedral, the French Post Office, the Opera House, the City Hall, the Reunification Palace, War Museum, etc... In the afternoon, proceed to Cu Chi to visit the intricate system of tunnels stretching all the way about 250 km back to Saigon River and learn how Vietnamese people lived, struggled and won the war.
• DAY 3 Mekong This morning we journey to Vinh Long in the heart of the Mekong Delta, a world that lives and works on waters. We’ll have an exciting boat trip to experience the floating market of Cai Be. Next we roam in riverside villages, walking through well-tended orchards, calling at workshops. Continuing on, we paddle a sampan to the beautiful Binh Hoa Phuoc Island and sample delicacies of the region of such as Elephant Ear fish, Rice Ball, etc... After touring the island we return to Saigon.
• DAY 4 Hanoi We take a morning flight to Hanoi. Overnight at hotel.
• DAY 5 Hanoi Today we continue exploring Hanoi, taking in the city\'s outstanding tourist sites such as Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Single Pillar Pagoda, the West Lake, and the Temple of Literature. We have chance for an insight on the city’s culture and even a go at learning traditional calligraphy. Proceed to the Museum of Ethnology and admire the country’s ethnic cultural diversities.
• DAY 6 Halong Today we journey east to Vietnam’s greatest natural wonder, Halong Bay. Arrival at around 12:00 we’ll board a nice junk and set sails. From the comfort of our sampan, we’ll spend the day exploring this incredible setting and discovering the many islands and inlets found in the bay made famous in the film Indochine. You can challenge yourself with kayaking and swimming. Vietnamese seafood lunch and dinner included.
• DAY 7 Luang Prabang Wake up to fresh coffee before cruising back to Halong City. En route the junk weaves through strange-shaped rock formations that invite comparisons from fighting cocks to dragons and even further! After brunch on board disembark and return to Hanoi for a flight to Luang Prabang, Laos. Meet your new guide at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Luang Prabang is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. The charm of splendid scenery and cultural sights and tranquility make the town one of the most delightful places to experience in Laos.
• DAY 8 Luang Prabang <em>An early start today will bring about the fantastic opportunity to participate in the unique daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of Alms (sticky rice) from devout residents. </em><br/>After breakfast we visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun, the city’s oldest temple Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping down to the ground. We also tour the shrines of Wat Aham, Wat Mai. In the afternoon we tour the National Museum which is housed in the former Royal Palace and exhibits a lovely collection of various artefacts from the last royal family. Next, we hike up Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a beautiful sunset view. We conclude the day with a walk through the iridescent Night Market and admire a lovely selection of handicrafts.
• DAY 9 Khouangsi We pay a visit to the Morning Market of Phosi that offers a wide array of local produces including dried buffalo skin, tea, saltpetre, hill-tribe weavings, vegetables, and livestock. Next, we drive to the villages of Ban Ouay, Ban Ou and Ban Thapene and explore the cultures of the ethnic minority groups there. Continue to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfall which offers a chance to cool off with a refreshing swim in the turquoise pools or to walk along the forest trails. Later on, we tour Ban Xangkhong, the village well known for its jute paper. Return to the city for overnight.
• DAY 10 Pak Ou Caves We embark on a cruise along the mighty Mekong River to Pak Ou and explore the two linked caves which are crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by devoted pilgrims. On the way back to town we’ll visit Ban Xang Hai and Ban Phanom, the villages known for the wine called “On the Rock” and skilled hand weaving women. Late afternoon we fly to Siem Reap. This evening we enjoy dinner with entertainment from Apsara dancers and a visit to the Pub Street and the Night Market.
• DAY 11 Siem Reap We start the exciting quest into Siem Reap’s Angkorian relics, from the South Gate of Angkor Thom to the giant smiling faces of Bayon, then to Baphoun and Phimeanakas, then to the Terraces of Elephant and Leper King. In the afternoon we continue with the fascinating temples of Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei, Sras Srang, Takeo, Thommanon, and Chau Say Thevoda. Hike up the sacred Bakheng Hill to contemplate the magnificent view of the sun setting into the western baray of Angkor Wat.
• DAY 12 Siem Reap This morning we’ll be touring the epic Angkor Wat. Comparable to Machu Pichu in grandeur, Angkor Wat is a vast rambling complex of diverse temple structures dating from the 9th to the 13th centuries. Many are adorned with exquisite carvings and bas-reliefs. Afternoon, we drive to Pour Krom and walk through this lovely village to discover the typical Khmer life. Enjoy an ox-cart ride before a cruise on Tonle Sap Lake. We also visit Les Artisans d’Angkor to learn about the rebirth of Khmer Arts. Overnight in Siem Reap.
• DAY 13 Yangon Free till transfer to the airport for the departure flight. Met on arrival at Yangon International Airport and transferred to hotel. Time allowing, we take an orientation tour and a chance to acclimatize ourselves.
• DAY 14 Yangon Today’s sightseeing tour includes the gilded SULE PAGODA, dating back over 2,000 years, the tour continues to CHAUK HTAT GYI, a huge reclining Buddha image followed by a photo stop made at KARAWEIK HALL, a royal floating barge. An extended visit to SHWEDAGON PAGODA, one of the world’s most spectacular religious monuments, will conclude the tour of this picturesque Garden City. The golden dome of the Shwedagon Pagoda rises 98 meters above its base and is covered with 60 tons of pure gold. Overnight in Yangon.
• DAY 15 Golden Rock After breakfast, continue by road for 110km to Bago, an ancient capital dating back to the 6th century, sightseeing in BAGO including the 55 m long reclining Shwe Tha Lyaung Buddha Image, and the Mon style Shwemawdaw Pagoda, One of the most venerated in Myanmar. It\'s spire stands 114m high and is taller even than the Shwedagon Pagoda. Visit also the huge 4 sitting Buddha\'s \"Kyaikpun\". Proceed by road to Kyaikkhtiyoe(Golden Rock) and drive to Kin Pun “base camp” ( 194km- 5 hours ). Continue to Kyaikhtiyo, the Golden Rock, a huge boulder completely covered by gold leave sand delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff. From Kin Pun, a steep and rough 11 km dirt road leads to the upper staging point, a journey made in open trucks, which are very crowded. From the “ upper area ”, travelers must at present walk the final stage, approximately 4 km up steep paths, which ascend some 500m to the Golden Rock. As an easier alternative to walking, (visitors can be carried in sedan chairs by four porters at an extra cost of approximately US$ 20 p.p.). Watch the beauty of sunset or dawn at this important pilgrimage site. Overnight in Kyaikhtiyoe. (Breakfast)
• DAY 16 Yangon After breakfast, walking visit on the top of the mountain and shopping for local stalls. Afternoon, Return by road to Yangon, visit the Allied War Cemetery near Htauk-Kyant , the final resting place for over 27,000 allied soldiers, and also visit a local woven bamboo factory. Transfer back to Yangon. Overnight in Yangon. (Breakfast) In the morning, leave Yangon and enjoy a scenic journey by road to Syriam. Tour by car to Syrium, once a major port, but now a sleepy village. Enroute, visit Kyaik Kyauk Pagoda (Mon Pagoda), legend said built since over 2000 years ago. Continue to Yele Pagoda (Mid -Stream-Pagoda), set on a tiny island in the river and explore two further pagodas and the riverside market where you can taste famous Myanmar dried fish (Nga Poke Chauk). Transfer back to Yangon.Overnight in Yangon. (Breakfast)
• DAY 17 Departure After breakfast, and then to the airport for flight. (Breakfast)