15 Day Vietnam Honeymoon Getaway with Elephant Caring in Laos Jungles

ITINERARY

Day 1: Saigon | Arrive in Saigon

International Flight: Excluded
Meals: Dinner
Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival in Saigon, our guide will greet you at the airport welcome area and transfer you to your hotel for check in. The rest of the day is at your leisure to relax.

Saigon(officially Ho Chi Minh City) is a bustling metropolis of the South and the economic muscle of Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, it was the main base center of the US military with the largest airport in the region. Prior to that, it was under French colonial rule and was an Asian hub of sea trade. The city is based in the Mekong River Delta region – the rice basket of Southeast Asia and where many exotic fruits are cultivated. Full of history and culture, Saigon will certainly be an interesting visit.

As dusk is setting, take a cyclo tour around 45 minutes to the Dang Pier on Saigon River, where you’ll enter a replica of the emperors Saigon Boat Cruise for a magnificent and memorable dining and entertainment spectacle along the Saigon river. The dinner cruise features soft traditional ethnic music while you enjoy the passing lights of the city. The captain will welcome you onboard and introduce you to the specialties which have made this boat a culinary experience in Ho Chi Minh City. While on board, relax on the upper deck and enjoy a panoramic view of Saigon lighting up the evening sky.

Accommodation: Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon

Day 2: Saigon | Cu Chi Tunnels and Saigon Highlights

Meals: Breakfast
See the highlights of Ho Chi Minh City during this full day tour, which includes the Cu Chi Tunnels.

In the morning, your guide will greet you at the lobby and escort you to the Cu Chi Tunnels. An immense network of connecting underground tunnels used during the war, you’ll explore the complex and see the ingenious traps, bomb holes, and narrow tunnels between underground bunkers.

Then you’ll come back to Ho Chi Minh City to visit the Reunification Palace, which was the home to the President of South Vietnam during the War, and the place of the end of the war during the fall of Saigon.

Then you’ll go on to see the Notre Dame Cathedral constructed by French colonists during their settlement. Across the road is the Old Saigon Post Office , a neoclassical architectural building which is considered one of the main tourist attractions in the city.

The next stop is Cholon , the Chinatown of Saigon, a thickly settled district rife with tea-houses and pagodas, and the famous Binh Tay Market.

To finish the tour, you’ll visit the Emperor Jade Pagoda, also know as the Tortoise pagoda. This figurine-filled site of worship is considered by many to be Saigon’s finest.

Once the tour is completed, you’ll be escorted to your hotel.

Accommodation: Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon

Day 3: Saigon | Mekong Delta Discovery: Vinh Long

Meals: Breakfast

After you’ve finished breakfast at the hotel, we will take you to Vinh Long where you’ll embark on a boat cruise to the vibrant Cai Be floating market. Be prepared to see fresh spices, mints, and local fruits. If you’re adventurous, you can take one of the many colorful fruits in season.

The next stop is the Hoa Binh Phuoc islet, full of local homes where the families produce tiles and ceramics. You’ll visit the rice-paper kiln and coconut candy kiln where you can walk around and observe daily country life. You can have the opportunity to taste freshly made coconut candy which has a soft and chewy consistency.

When the tour is finished, you’ll return to Ho Chi Minh.

Accommodation: Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon

Day 4: Saigon – Danang | Leisure | Flight to Danang

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Morning is at your leisure. Relax at your hotel or have your own exploration in the city.

Board an afternoon flight to Danang. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your resort next to the beach for check-in.

Accommodation: TIA Wellness Resort

Day 5: Hoi An – Danang | 4th Century Cham Ruins and Hoi An Ancient Port Town

Meals: Breakfast , Lunch
In the morning, you’ll transfer to the My Son Holy Land. Tucked in the mountains up winding roads with serene views, lay the 4th century My Son Holy Land ruins. The surrounding mountains are strictly forbidden from living or development. The ruins lay in a beautiful surrounding mountainous landscape. You’ll enter the temples while your tour guide gives you the history and stories of the Cham and the site.

In the afternoon, you’ll continue to visit 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 colorful lanterns light up the town. After you’ve finished the tour, you will return back to your hotel.

Accommodation: TIA Wellness Resort

Day 6: Danang | Relax on the Beach

Meals: Breakfast
Today is at your leisure to relax. Feel free to explore the beaches of Danang or indulge yourself with the resort’s spa and other facilities along with amenities.

Accommodation: TIA Wellness Resort

Day 7: Danang | Relax on the Beach

Meals: Breakfast
Today is also at your leisure to relax. Feel free to explore the beaches of Danang or indulge yourself with the resort’s spa and other facilities along with amenities.

Accommodation: TIA Wellness Resort

Day 8: Danang – Hanoi | Flight to Hanoi | Vietnam Capital’s Highlights

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
In the morning, board a flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel for check in.

In the afternoon, you’ll visit 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 a 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 teachings.

Next, you’ll take a stroll around 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. Then return to your hotel for the evening at leisure.

Accommodation: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Day 9: Hanoi – Halong Bay | Voyage Halong Bay with Cruise by Orchid

Meals: Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

In the morning, your guide and driver will transfer you to Halong Bay. Upon arrival, enjoy refreshments at Private Lounge 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 enroute 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 demostration 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 10: Hanoi – Luang Prabang | Halong Bay Sunrise | Flight to Luang Prabang

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
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 a breakfast in the dining hall before taking a journey to explore the area around Sang Tai sea cave via canoes.

Return back to the pier for check out and then transfer to Hanoi.

Board an evening flight to Luang Prabang. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel for check in.

Feel free to explore the beautiful city of Luang Prabang on your own to discover night markets selling local tapestries and souvenirs.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 11: Luang Prabang | Kuang Si Waterfalls and Highlights

Meals: Breakfast , Lunch
First, we visit the morning Phousi Market, where you will see such diverse offerings as dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpeter among the chickens, vegetables and hill-tribe weavings. Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, and today you will visit local villages of Lao ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay, a Hmong village, Ban Ou a Laoloum village and Ban Thapene, a Khmu village. This then takes us to the beautiful Khouang Si Waterfall where you can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails. We then return to Luang Prabang.

In the afternoon, your half-day city tour begins with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. We then head to the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. We also have time to visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrines of Wat Aham and Wat Mai. A visit to Luang Prabang would be incomplete without ascending the 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a beautiful sunset view of the city and its glowing reflection on the Mekong River. The tour ends after a visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely collection of handmade textiles made by local and hilltribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 12: Luang Prabang | Elephant Sanctuary Day 1

Meals: Breakfast , Lunch
In the morning, you’ll be transferred from your hotel to the Elephant Training Camp. Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted by the staff and provided with your mahout uniform. You’ll then be taught about the tradition of elephant training as well as learn the verbal and physical ‘commands’ used to control your elephant. Then you’ll meet your elephant’s mahout(an elephant trainer).

Next, with the assistance of your mahout, you’ll be taught how to control the elephant from on top. You’ll have some time to practice your new found skills before enjoying lunch at the camp restaurant.

After lunch, you’ll take a ride through the jungles and countryside where you’ll learn about guiding your elephant through various terrains including the river. At the river, the elephant will enjoy an elephant bath before you return back through the forest to the lodge. You’ll have an opportunity to go swimming or tubing on the Nam Khan River. You’ll spend overnight in the Mahout Resort.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 13: Luang Prabang | Elephant Sanctuary Day 2

Meals: Breakfast , Lunch
Early in the morning, you’ll retrieve your elephants from the rain forest and lead it to the Nam Khan for a bath. Then you’ll ride the elephant back to the camp. Here you’ll learn about the elephant’s diet. After breakfast, you can join in either a trek to a Khmu hill tribe, or enjoy kayaking/bamboo rafting. In the afternoon, you’ll receive your Certificate of Mahout Training. You’ll be returned to your hotel in Luang Prabang where you’ll have the evening at your leisure.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 14: Luang Prabang | Boat Trip to Pak Ou Caves

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.

Pak Ou Cave – 15 Days Vietnam Honeymoon Getaway Elephant Caring Laos Jungles

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 15: Luang Prabang | Farewell!

Meals: Breakfast
Today our guide will transfer you to the airport before your homeward flight and will bid you a fond farewell. Thank you for traveling with us!

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