INDOCHINA EXPLORER
19 days | US$4980 | Imperial Journey in Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos
The allure of Indochina! travellers to this region are rewared with post card scenery, endearing people, facinating culture, and tragic recent history. Cambodia is home to the most imposing religious structure, Angkor Wat, and the ecological marvel, Lake Tonle Sap. Vietnam is blessed with a graceful capital and picturesque landscape, Lao is perhaps the most beautiful of the Indochinese countires, and offers travellers an opportunity to experience a sense of Asia as it once was.
Days 1-2 Phnom Penh
Immerse yourself in the lively buzz of a city busy rebuilding itself as the "Pearl of the East" as it was known in its French colonial heyday.
Peel back the layers of history as you tour by private car through tree lined streets lined of French buildings interspersed with elegant Khmer architectural features. Explore in detail this fusion of style at the National Museum (Musee des Beaux-Arts) designed by famous French archaeologist and painter Georges Groslier in 1917 along Khmer lines and housing Khmer sculptures from throughout the ages.
Wander the riverfront boulevard at an appropriately relaxed pace as you discover the return (after many years of war) of the good life in its many bars, cafes, restaurants.
Be seduced by the splendours of pre Khmer Rouge Cambodia at the Royal Palace with its two stunning pagodas. The magnificent 5000-tile Silver Pagoda houses a 90kg solid gold Buddha weighing 90 kilograms, the Emerald Pagoda a 17th c. emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha. Then shop for treasures of your own at the nearby Russian Market.
To fathom the destruction wrought on ancient traditions, and more than a million people's lives by the Khmer Rouge regime, you will visit the infamous "Killing Fields Museum" at Tuol Sleng - a high school turned into a torture chamber called simply "S-21". Individual photographs of the 17,000 people held at S-21, tortured and later buried in mass graves, now cover the walls of this poignant memorial.
Days 3 - 5 Siem Reap
Fly into the heart of Cambodia's (and once all of South East Asia's) most splendid empire, Angkor, and be guided through three centuries of excavated Khmer empire ruins now listed as a UNESCO world heritage wonder.
Rub shoulders with stone angel apsarases and living-pilgrim-monks as you squeeze through the shoulder hugging corridors of Preah Khan's Sacred Sword Temple.
Be awed by the enormous stone faces of Bayon, the mysterious "Tomb Raider" ambience of the fig tree smothered Ta Som and Ta Prohm temples, and be transported as you watch the sun set over Pre Rup and the Siem Reap Plain.
Take in the Hindu universe depicted at Neak Prean as a Himalayan mountain lake fountain and again (for Sunrise) at Angkor Wat with the three iconic towers said to represent Mt Meru, home of all the Hindu gods.
You will get close up with Angkor Thom and its gate statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk; the Royal Enclosure; Phimeanakas; the Elephants Terrace; and the Terrace of the Leper King over your two days at Angkor.
Return to the 21st Century with a visit to Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia and view day-to-day life on this Mekong-River-fed waterway as you travel by wooden boat to visit the floating village of Chong Khneas.
Days 6 - 7 Ho Chi Minh (plus Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta)
Ho Chi Minh, or Saigon as it was once known, is a city layered with nostalgia. From your city tour through the boulevards of French colonial architecture (including the Opera House, Town Hall, and the Notre Dame Cathedral) to the landmark American Caravelle Hotel, where you will stay Ho Chin Minh is a city that still resonates the bitter struggles of the American Vietnam War.
Experience the meaning of war from the Vietnamese perspective as you tour out to the tunnels of Cu Chi, a complex of underground tunnels, connecting hideouts, shelters, command centres and living quarters of the Viet Cong.
Crawl through these claustrophobic chasms if you dare, then further your insight as you explore alternative perspectives on the war at the Reunification Palace museum.
A day trip by boat through the jungles, and shoaling branches of the Mekong Delta, is an exciting introduction to a river whose waters are considered lifeblood of this agriculturally rich region. Coconut candy and honey production, tropical fruits growing, and fishing are a few aspects of life on the river to observe as you are paddled in a sampan to Phoenix and Turtle Islands where samples of these delicious products await you.
Binh Tay Wholesale Market in Cholon China Town, the Vin Trang Pagoda, Thien Hau Temple, the Church of the quirky Cao Dai cult, are also included over your two days to help fill out the picture of modern day Ho Chi Minh.
Day 8 Hue
Fly to the city of Hue, Vietnam's former royal capital set beautifully amidst landscaped gardens on the banks of the Perfume River, and back-dropped by the forested slopes of the Truong Son Mountain Range. Vietnamese say that what Halong Bay is to nature, Hue is to the art of humankind. 13 Nguyen Kings sculpted (competitively) the palaces, citadels, temples, shrines, pagodas and mausoleums that decorate this misty valley.
Relax along the river or explore sights such as the delightfully sprawling Imperial Citadel, a UNESCO world Cultural heritage listed site that is slowly being restored to its pre war-damaged glory, in the afternoon of your first day in Hue.
The following morning you will boat along the Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda, the oldest temple and symbol of Hue, and then explore the extravagant mausoleums of former Emperor's Tu Duc and Khai Dinh - both exquisite examples of the Vietnamese Buddhist aesthetic. Then enjoy stunning mountain and ocean views as you travel the refreshingly crisp Hai Van Pass on a switchback south to the famous "China Beach" coastline on route to another elegantly historic town, Hoi An.
Day 9 - 11 Hoi An
The Road from Hue to Hoi An is one of incomparable beauty. Along the way stop to see the sculptures of Cham-Vietnam's ancient Hindu Kingdom; the caves of the Buddhist Shrines at Marble Mountain (which also served nearby Danang as an emergency hospital during the Tet offensive of the Vietnam/American War) and China Beach where American and Australian G.I's rested and recreated in the brighter moments of their tours of duty.
Hoi An is a highpoint for most visitors to Vietnam. Historically rich and aesthetically beautiful, Hoi An has a UNESCO World Heritage listing from its former role as a trading post for Chinese merchants who have docked their junks inside the estuary of the Thubon River since the 16th century. Their elegantly tiled and lacquer-paneled Trading Houses and Community halls lend this river front town a seductive old world charm.
Take to the narrow cobblestone streets on foot, with a guided tour of such sites as the, The Phung Hung Family Home, the Fukien, Cantonese, and Hokien, Hong Meeting Halls, The Quan Kong Temple, the Japanese Covered Bridge and the fruit, flower, silks and lantern markets, before progressing to a more relaxed pace in a cycle along the river front.
Eating seafood on the nearby Cua Dai beach, and having clothes tailored at a fraction of the cost of back home, are just a few of the popular pastimes that your guide can help you with to get the most out of your two days in Hoi An.
Days 12 - 14 Hanoi
Soak up the ambience of the capital, a city whose bustling streets are a blend of both Chinese and French Colonial architecture and design. Coffee shops, bars, fantastic restaurants, and excellent shopping make Hanoi, Vietnam's most cosmopolitan city.
A full day city tour takes you to Ho Chi Minh's Former Residence and Mausoleum (when he is not away being retouched in Moscow,) the One-Pillar Pagoda, the sacred Hoan Kiem Lake, and Vietnam's first university - the 11th Century Temple of Literature.
A separate rickshaw tour through the Old Town gets right in amidst the bustle taking you along streets each dedicated to a particular style of good - silk, paper, silver, lacquers, ceramics, gravestones... based on ancient guild memberships. Stop at Hoa Lo Prison dubbed the Hanoi Hilton by American POW's, and look out for the impossibly skinny "tub" houses, a Hanoi phenomenon that arose from a tax on property frontage widths.
A day trip to Halong Bay to enjoy a delicious seafood lunch on board a wooden boat as you explore, the breathtaking beauty of this area.
Premium seating at an evening performance of the renowned Hanoi Water Puppets, (traditionally performed in irrigated rice paddies) are reserved in advance, as this popular performance is a not-to-be missed Hanoi experience.
Day 15 Vientiane
Savour the deliciously relaxing pace of the only capital city in Asia where you could possibly still use this description. Tree-lined avenues dotted with brightly painted temples and quaint French architecture all inevitably lead to the banks of the Mekong River where sunset riverside beer gardens (by comparison to the streets of the city) buzz with energy. Vientiane has a gentle quietness that has mostly disappeared in other Asian cities.
To work up a deserving thirst you will visit Vat Sisaket, the only temple to survive the 1828 Siamese invasion un-sacked. (They are just across the Mekong!)
Original wooden cloisters house 6,840 Buddha images in carved out wall niches and mural frescoes depicting the Buddha's journey to enlightenment.
There will be time to peruse local markets, linger over a cool drink at a riverside bar or enjoy some of Vientiane's delicious pasteries.
Day 16 - 19 Luang Prabang
Fly across the jungles of Laos to the former royal capital whose one hundred temple spires sparkle like diamonds set amidst a ring of emerald mountains. Poetic words cannot do justice to this bastion of old Asia - the entire city now appropriately listed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage wonder.
Explore the wonderful patchwork of traditional wooden houses, French villas and mosaic spired temples with the iconic curved roofs swooping low to the ground, in a guided tour of the most outstanding examples of these elegant architectural forms.
Distributing alms to the streams of orange robed monks winding through temples luminous with the soft light of dawn is an experience not to be missed. Sampling the piquant combination of French and Laotian cuisine with a Beer Lao or a glass of French wine from a riverside café or sunset viewpoint, are other sensual delights. Then there's the fabulous spice and produce markets and the buzzing evening bazaar.
Excursions to the surrounding countryside will see you boating up the Mekong River to Pak Ou Cave crammed with thousands of Buddha statues, visiting a local riverside village en-route.
A second day outing takes you to the tiered limestone pools of the Khuang Xi Waterfalls with a stop on the way to visit Hmong Village Laos most significant ethnic minority vilalge.
Get a last taste of royal living before transferring to the airport, as you tour the National Museum (formerly King's Palace) which displays the living quarters and personal artifacts of previous Laotian Royal Families.
Tour Inclusions
Tripcode: IEIN1908
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