13 Days Wonders of Indochina Tour

ITINERARY

Day 1: Hanoi | Arrive in Hanoi

International Flight: Excluded

Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival in Hanoi, our guide will greet you at the airport welcome area and transfer you to Silk Path Boutique Hotel in the Old French Quarter for check-in.

After check-in, enjoy a stroll on your own around Hoan Kiem Lake outside your hotel. Feel free to also pick up a souvenir at the night markets or at one of the many trinket shops in the alleys and small roads of this historic part of town.

Accommodation: Silk Path Boutique Hotel

Day 2: Hanoi | Hanoi Highlights | Private Foodie Tour

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, go with our guide to visit unique sites in the Millennium Old Capital if Vietnam. Start with the One Pillar Pagoda – a pagoda situated on a pillar made of a single stone, in the middle of a lotus pond. This pagoda was built by a 9th-century emperor who saw it in a dream and regarded this as divine inspiration to recreate the structure in the vision. You’ll pass by the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum before visiting the highlight of this tour – The Temple of Literature. This ancient university was erected almost a millennium ago and has hosted many of the most prominent scholars through Vietnamese history. The site features many gardens, pools, buildings, and ancient trees where the best and brightest of Vietnam studied under the guidance of Confucius’s teachings.

Trang Quoc Pagoda – 13 Days Wonders Indochina Tour

Next, you’ll take a stroll around the Hoan Kiem Lake where you can see the Tortoise Tower sitting on the water. Then you’ll enjoy a half-hour cyclo tour through the Old Quarter in Hanoi. The cyclo is a historic mode of transportation in the cities of Vietnam where a cyclist escorts you while you sit in a seat affixed to the front with a canopy over top. In the late afternoon, transfer to Tran Quoc Pagoda set on West Lake. This 1,400-year-old temple features ten tiers surrounded by gardens and which also hosts a bodhi tree grown from a cutting of the original Buddhist tree under which Buddha sat.

Vietnamese Streetfood Adventure

Start the afternoon with the latest craze in Hanoi: Egg Coffee at the original cafe where it began – Cafe Giang(for the less adventurous, other drink options are available). Soak up the local life of Hanoi from your seat while enjoying a pleasant chat. After your cups are dry, begin your walking tour of the Hanoi Old Quarter. Our guide will entertain you with a commentary about the history of the “36 Old Streets and Guilds”.

Throughout the afternoon, you’ll stop to try some excellent Vietnamese street food which may include Pho Cuon(grilled beef and fresh herbs wrapped in rice noodles), Ngo Chien(crispy sweet corn), Bun Cha(BBQ pork in fish sauce with rice noodles, fresh herbs, and spring rolls), Nem Cuon(fresh spring rolls) or some other popular Vietnamese dishes. During the afternoon, you will also visit a local market to see how vendors display their produce, meat, and foodstuffs. Finish the walking tour at Hoan Kiem Lake, a calm lagoon with an old stone tower on an island in the center.

Return to the hotel for leisure time.

Accommodation: Silk Path Boutique Hotel

Day 3: Hanoi – Halong Bay | Emerald Isles of Lan Ha Bay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, take a shuttle transfer to Haiphong where you’ll enjoy some time at Orchid’s Private Lounge for refreshments until boarding. Then board Orchid Cruise.

Receive a safety briefing and check in your cabins. The boat sets adrift for Da Chong islet, home to an old French lighthouse. Enjoy a sumptuous feast in the panoramic dining hall while en route to the isles of Con Vit and Gia Luan. The bay opens up to you with stunning green karsts towering above the water. This area receives very few cruise ships as it has just been newly opened up. Continue to Ba Trai Dao beach of Lan Ha Bay. A paradise with perfect beaches and natural beauty. Stop at one of the beaches for swimming or kayaking during the afternoon.

As dusk approaches, welcome the sunset with a local specialty – “Ba Kich”(a liquor made from Noni fruit). Back on board, you’ll join a cooking demonstration to learn a few Vietnamese culinary secrets. Enjoy your creation! Then time for supper in the dining hall. Delicious Vietnamese cuisine and seafood in a romantic setting. After dinner, you may enjoy watching the stars from the sundeck, watching a movie in the restaurant, or give night squid fishing a try with the staff(subject to seasonal availability).

Accommodation: Orchid Cruise

Day 4: Hanoi – Luang Prabang | Sunrise Lan Ha Bay | Flight to Luang Prabang

Internal Flight: Included

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Sunrise at Halong Bay – 13 Days Wonders Indochina Tour

Rise early for one of the top best sunrises in the world. Then head to the sundeck for an invigorating Tai Chi session amongst a picture-perfect backdrop of karsts, sea, and nature. Enjoy breakfast in the dining hall before taking a journey to explore the area around Sang Tai sea cave via canoes.

Return to Hanoi.

You will transfer by flight to Luang Prabang. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to Le Bel Air Boutique Resort for check-in.

A location so often ignored by travelers, but truly a must-see spot. Luang Prabang has been listed since 1995 as a UNESCO World Heritage for its unique architecture, cultural and religious significance. The historic town is at the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers.

Accommodation: Le Bel Air Resort

Day 5: Luang Prabang | Hiking to Kuang Si Waterfall | Private Dinner in Tree House on the Mekong

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Transfer in the morning to Ban Long Lao village – a Hmong and Khmu ethnic village who live simple lives off the land in a self-sustained community. After exploring the village and mingling with the locals, you’ll begin the hike to Kuang Si Falls. Along the way are lush green forests and clear streams. Visit a cave along the way that once acted as a bomb shelter. Arrive at Kuang Si Waterfall – one of the most turquoise waterfalls in the world. The afternoon can be spent swimming in the waterfall and visiting the Bear Rescue Center where several Sun Bears and Malayan Black Bears are being cared for after being rescued from bile farms and wildlife traffickers.

As dusk is settling, transfer to a nearby secluded restaurant with a treehouse along the Mekong River. Enjoy sunset cocktails and dinner at the treehouse villa. Delicious Laos dishes will be brought to you as the sun is setting along the horizon. Return to the hotel for the evening at leisure. Subject to availability at the time of booking.
Accommodation: Le Bel Air Resort

Day 6: Luang Prabang | Gentle Giants of Asia at MandaLao Project

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Elephant Village – 13 Days Wonders Indochina Tour

In the morning, transfer to MandaLao – an elephant sanctuary with a focus on rehabilitation and care of rescued elephants. Here you’ll meet the sanctuary caretaker and receive a short briefing about the elephants. Throughout the morning, you’ll take place in the following activities:

• Locate the elephants with the caretaker;
• Feed the elephants under the guidance of the caretaker and learn about their behavior;
• Bathe your elephant – Go down to the nearby river to bathe your elephant; perhaps the elephant will bathe you as well!
• Enjoy lunch at the outdoor garden restaurant

Then return to your hotel for leisure time in the afternoon.

Note: MandaLao does not allow elephant riding due to the harm this can cause to the elephants.

Accommodation: Le Bel Air Resort

Day 7: Luang Prabang | Alms Giving Ceremony | Luang Prabang Heritage

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the early morning, you can join in the alms giving ceremony where a procession of monks pass the hotel as participants solemnly give sticky rice and other objects into their bowls. Then start your full-day tour with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum (closed on Tuesday), which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. We then enjoy a short-guided tour seeing the city’s oldest temple of Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. You’ll also visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham.

Following lunch, we visit the Arts and Ethnology Centre to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures before we head out of town to see the weaving villages of Ban Xiengkhong and Ban Xienglek. We then return to the city for a visit to Wat Mai. We then climb up to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a panoramic view of the city at sunset and the Mekong River.

The tour ends after a visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade textiles made by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

Accommodation: Le Bel Air Resort

Day 8: Luang Prabang – Siem Reap | Pak Ou Caves | Flight to Siem Reap

Internal Flight: Included

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, we embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside. Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make Laos rice wine and rice whiskey. You’ll be able to try some and see the process they use to make it. Then we’ll reach the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.

Lunch will be served nearby the caves. During lunch, you’ll have the opportunity to try a local dish called “Orlam” which is a soup with vegetables and features a spicy wood that is partially edible. On return, we disembark the boat to visit a traditional weaving village of Ban Phanom, which is famous for its hand weaving.

You’ll transfer by flight to Siem Reap. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel for check-in.

Siem Reap is a quaint town in Cambodia and the gateway to the vast remains of the Angkor empire. Discover the Royal Gardens on your own with ancient trees home to a colony of giant fruit bats. Take a stroll along the scenic riverside and visit the night markets to find unique souvenirs. You may also want to spend the evening with a visit to Pub Street with several restaurants and bars that stay open late into the night. Many restaurants have live entertainment in the evening.

Accommodation: Phum Baitang – Zannier

Day 9: Siem Reap | Angkor Wat Sunrise | Bicycling at Angkor Thom Ancient City

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Angkor Wat Temple – 13 Days Wonders Indochina Tour

Before the light of the day, our guide will pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to the front of Angkor Wat Temple. From here, you’ll watch one of the most revered sunrises in the world. Our guide will arrange a light picnic breakfast for you to enjoy in front of the world’s #1 Heritage Site. Then in the early hours, you’ll explore the vast temple with your guide bringing to life the stories of Angkor. In the morning, the rays of the light play through the chambers as the morning haze settles and giving the temple a mystical ambiance while there are few tourists who visit during this time of day. After the exploration, continue to Angkor Thom Ancient Temple.

Biking thru Ancient City of Angkor Thom

Enjoy a relaxing cycling tour in the morning in ancient Angkor Thom – a stone city built around the time of Angkor Wat.

The biking tour will start at the South Gate – a photogenic bridge at the gateway of the stone city of Angkor Thom which has made its way into many Hollywood movies. Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer Empire. Enter the stone city and explore shaded trails and ancient monuments. Visit Bayon Temple where you will be surrounded by 216 gigantic stone faces which fame as “Khmer Smile”, you will also visit the Terrace of Elephants, the Royal Palace, and the Terrace of the Leper King. Stop your cycling trip with a visit to the local monastery to chat with monks and see their daily life. Then take part in a Water Blessing Ceremony. We will provide a change of clothes for you – a traditional Sarong which you will wear during the ceremony.

In the afternoon, go to visit Ta Prohm Temple – a jungle monastery with trees overcoming stone. This temple has been featured in many Hollywood films, including Tomb Raider and Transformers 3. On the way back, stop to see the Killing Fields of Wat Thmei. Our guide will relay to you the history of the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot, and the war. Cambodia is still healing from these atrocities.

Accommodation: Phum Baitang – Zannier

Day 10: Siem Reap | Kulen Mountain Hiking | Banteay Srei Citadel of Women

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today you’ll wake early to visit Kulen Mountain National Park(Mountain of Lychees). Explore the jungles brimming with wildlife and tropical fruit. Discover stone carvings under the

streams that predate Angkor Wat. Trek to the 16th-century temple on the mountain where Buddhists and Hindus pilgrimage frequently.

For lunch, enjoy a picnic next to Kulen Waterfall where Angelina Jolie was filmed for the movie Tomb Raider. Take a swim if you like before we continue to the rice fields and countryside below the mountain. Next, you’ll visit Banteay Srei, the Citadel of Women. This smaller temple in the jungle features some of the most intricately preserved carvings of all the temples in Cambodia. Then you’ll continue through the rice fields and give Palm Sugar and Palm Wine a try if you fancy. Then you’ll return to the hotel to relax at your own leisure or stop at a local souvenir market on the way back.

Accommodation: Phum Baitang – Zannier

Day 11: Siem Reap – Hoi An | Culinary Class | Flight to Hoi An | Hoi An Ancient Town at Dusk

Internal Flight: Included

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Then, you will be transferred to Champey Cooking Class where you will commence a half-day cooking class. You will visit the local market, see the action for yourself, and learn about the produce soon to become your food.

Classes are completely hands-on. Each participant has their own cooking station and equipment. Classes include a number of Cambodian dishes and a recipe card will be provided. Once your meal is made, you can enjoy dining in a transitional style Cambodian house with beautiful gardens.

You will transfer by flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to Pan Pacific Hotel Hanoi for check-in.

Accommodation: Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery Collection

Day 12: Hoi An | Basket Boat Fishing | Hoi An Ancient Town at Dusk

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy a trip by Buffalo Cart and improve your fishing skills.

After you’ve finished your breakfast at the hotel, your private guide will greet you to bring you at the appointment by car to Buffalo Cart Station. Wear a typical Vietnamese conical hat to protect yourself from the sun. Get on buffalo cart and travel through the amazing countryside to a local wharf in Cam Thanh.

Take the boat and cruise along Hoi An river. Enjoy some “Welcome on boat” fruit juice.

Discover fishing life: casting a net, pulling around fishing net rowing basket boat, and try to fish some crabs.

Back to Hoi to enjoy a meal on the boat with grilled seafood (BBQ).

Then, keep sailing until another local wharf. Walkthrough fishing village.

Stroll in the Ancient Port Town of Hoi An

Hoi An Ancient Town – 13 Days Wonders Indochina Tour

In the afternoon, transfer with our guide to Hoi An Ancient Town. This town features the 16th-century Hoi An port town in it’s preserved state. You’ll start the day visiting the Museum of Trade Ceramics. This museum houses art and pottery dating from the 1,500s to the 1,700s.

Then you’ll briefly visit the Chua Ong Pagoda, a temple from the 17th century which features China’s influence in the region. You’ll continue through the Ancient Town as the streets take on a magic of their own with old lanterns, French-style houses, intricately carved wooden doors, and more. You’ll take a stroll through the Old Tam Ky House to see it’s imperial styles meshed with French overtures. Continue on to stroll along the river and see traditional boats and locals on bicycles passing by. You’ll then approach the Japanese Covered Bridge. This bridge has connected the Chinese and Japanese sides of town over the waterway for centuries. The old wooden structure has shown amazing resilience for more than 400 years.

At dusk, enjoy walking along the riverside as old colorful lanterns light up the town. After you’ve finished the tour, return to the hotel.

Accommodation: Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery Collection

Day 13: Hoi An | Farewell!

Meals: Breakfast

Today, our guide will transfer you to the airport to catch your flight back home and to bid you a fond farewell. Thank you for traveling with us!

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