Untouched Indochina

Morning
Your private guide and driver will take you out of Hanoi in a private vehicle and onto some beautiful country roads before reaching Tho Ha village in Bac Ninh Province. (About 2 hours)

Drive pass Duong Bridge to Bac Ninh Province, with one or two photo stops en route for photos. You will also spend some time visiting one of the local Matyre Cemetery to learn about how war martyrs from the French and American War, and “Vietnam Heroic Mothers” are buried, respected and remembered.

You may make another stop to visit a family who makes earth bricks and tiles on the roadside (if they are working) and try your hands on making one or two tiles. You’ll be amazed by how difficult to make those simple tiles!

Arrive at Tho Ha village, you will visit one family who makes ritual votive paper products. Those products mostly imitate real products in life but will only be burned for the dead people.

You will then cross the Cau River on a concrete-made boat. Spend time visiting the village market and then come to Mr. Viet’s home. Mr. Viet’s wife will teach you how to make rice paper (which is used for Spring Rolls and Summer Rolls). You will socialize with Mr. Viet & Mrs Tuyet family before walking around the village to learn about the village life, history and culture.

Afternoon
Walk back to Mr. Viet’s home for your home-hosted lunch then bid goodbye to the family and drive back to Hanoi. The trip will end at around 16:00 at the hotel.

Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
You will be collected by your private guide and driven in a private vehicle to the picturesque countryside of green paddy fields and mountains in the distance to the town of Mai Chau; home of the Thai minority.

Upon arrival, you will check in at the boutique Mai Chau Lodge, a unique hotel of the area. Enjoy a home-hosted lunch at a local family, followed by a walking tour of Pom Coong and Lac villages. These villages are where communities of the White Thai live and you have an opportunity to learn about their way of life, the stilted-house architecture, and their embroidery art.

Afternoon
You will then return to your hotel, with the rest of the day free at your leisure. You may even chill out at the hotel’s outdoor swimming pool for the rest of the afternoon. Tonight, there is an opportunity to attend a traditional dance show performed by the White Thai (optional).

Overnight in Mai Chau
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
Upon leaving Mai Chau, you see many villages dotting the hillsides and the undulating terrain, which makes for an interesting journey. Along the way we stop for a short trek near Xa Linh, visiting the Hmong and the Muong people. Traveling across the Moc Chau Plateau we pass many tea plantations en route to Son La, which is your overnight stop.

Afternoon
Arrive and check in your hotel in Son La. The remainder of the day will be free to explore the area.

Overnight in Son La
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
After breakfast and check out, you will pay a visit to the old Son La Prison, which the French used to imprison Vietnamese revolutionaries in the latter years of the colonial era.

Leaving Son La for Dien Bien, you’ll stop at a market in Thuan Chau, which is populated by many hill tribes. Crossing over the Pha Din Pass you continue to travel to Dien Bien Phu, the site of the decisive battle in Vietnam’s struggle for independence from the French in 1954. The Lao border is not very far away from this town.

Afternoon
Arrive in Dien Bien, check in to your hotel room. The rest of the day will be free.

Overnight in Dien Bien
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)

Morning
After breakfast and check out of the hotel, you will visit the former French battlefields including the war museum, Muong Thanh airbase. On display are relics from the battle including old French tanks and artillery pieces. Of special interest is the reconstruction of the bunker where the French commander, Colonel de Castries, surrendered to Viet Minh forces.

Leaving Dien Bien Phu, you will be transferred to Laos border. After clearing all the custom you will take a two-hour drive (80 Km)  to Muang Khua.

Afternoon 
You will arrive in Muang Khua a small trading town. Check into the local guesthouse and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight in Muongkua
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)

Morning
You will continue by boat cruise to Muong Ngoi 4-5 hours by boat. Muong Ngoi is one hour north of Nong Khiaw. The village is small with narrow footpaths lined with coconut palms and a common site is a fisherfolk mending their nets creating a South Sea ambiance. A true Lao style of life is abundant here and time seems to stand still.

Afternoon
Stop for lunch served with local food along the river bank. Then transfer to check in to the local hotel. The rest of the day will be free at leisure.

Overnight in Nong Khiaw
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
Breakfast at hotel, depart Nong Khiaw, you will drive towards Luang Prabang through stunning karstic landscapes.

En route, you will stop and embark on the boat trip on the Mekong River. Enjoy a picnic lunch on board. Then you arrive will arrive at Pak Ou where the Nam Ou River meets the mighty Mekong River. You will cross the Mekong River to Pak ou Cave and visit the sacred caves housing thousands of statues of Buddha.

Afternoon
Continue your drive to Luang Prabang and arrive before sunset.

Overnight in Luang Prabang
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
With the help of your private guide, driver and private vehicle, you will get to explore the town’s major attractions. Your full-day city tour will begin after breakfast, with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. You will 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.

Wrap up your morning activities by visiting the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham.

Afternoon
Following lunch, you will visit the Arts and Ethnology Centre to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures before you head out of town to see the weaving villages of Ban Xiengkhong and Ban Xienglek. You’ll then return to the city for a visit to Wat Mai.

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 will end 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.

Overnight in Luang Prabang
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
After breakfast, your guide and driver will take you out of town 20km to Ban An Elephant camp, where you can enjoy elephant trek for about one hour.

Upon arrival, your guide will give a brief about those elephants where they come from and their daily living condition. Enjoy the impressive experience of approx. 1.5 hours elephant ride on the Howdah (Elephant seat) to the Elephant Jungle Camp. You continue to walk (1,5 hour) through a unique natural jungle valley with limestone cascades. Lunch will be provided at the Elephant Jungle Camp (Picnic lunchbox and drinking water).

Afternoon
Drive back to town and continue to the beautiful Kuangsi Fall, where you can swim, relax, soft trek to the top of the fall. On return, you’ll make a short stop at Black Hmong Village, where hill tribe handmade handicraft as souvenirs for visitors passes by.

Overnight in Luang Prabang
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
After breakfast and check out, transfer to the airport to take a short flight to Siem Reap. Upon arrival, you’ll meet the tour guide at the airport and transfer to the hotel and check into our room.

Lunch will be on your own.

Afternoon
Your guide will take you on a guided tour of the city with the following sites;

– Eastern Mebon used to be in the middle the waters of the large Oriental Baray that is presently filled with rice-fields
– Neak Poan was supposed to be a symbol of the Universe
– Preah Khan, built in 1191, according to the tradition on a spot where the king fought a crucial battle against the Cham.

The rest of the evening will be free.

Overnight in Siem Reap
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)

Morning
You will start on our bike and cycle (45 mins for cycling) to world heritage areas on the roads less traveled. Ride among the jungle passing local village and local shop. It’s a very special and acting day as you will explore some of Angkor’s most beautiful temples. You will visit:

– The ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century)
– See the South Gate, Bayon Temple- unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avalokitesvara
– The Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas
– The Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.

Afternoon
After lunch at a local Cambodian restaurant, your tour continues with the famous temple: Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is a World Heritage Site since 1992, famous for its beauty and splendor. Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls and narrates stories from Hindu mythology.

End your day by visiting Bakheng Temple and then enjoy a romantic sunset view form Bakheng hill.

Overnight in Siem Reap
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
After breakfast, you’ll depart Siem Reap and wind your way to Battambang. Not so far from Siem Reap, you’ll reach the village of Puok which is home to the Artisans d’Angkor Silk Farm. Here you will witness the entire silk production process, from the silkworm munching on the Mulberry leaves to spinning their cocoons, the cocoons being harvested and turned into silk thread, women weaving, and of course the beautiful finished silk products, which you can purchase at the on-site boutique, a wonderful souvenir of Cambodia. Arrive in Battambang, transfer to your hotel for refreshing yourself before continuing the trip.

Afternoon
Continue to visit a local family graph farm, Cambodia’s first vineyard – Prasat Phnom Banan Vineyard – you can pop in if you like, learn about producing wine in the tropics and of course enjoy a spot of wine tasting! A few kilometers further south you arrive at the well preserved 11th-century mountaintop Angkorian temple of Phnom Banan. After climbing the 350+ steps, you will be treated to a wonderfully peaceful setting with superb views across the surrounding countryside, with small villages dotting the endless rice paddies, punctuated with the characteristic sugar palm trees – a wonderful sunset location.

Overnight in Siem Reap
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)

Morning
After breakfast, you will depart for Phnom Penh. Upon arrival, you will visit the Royal Palace compound build in 1866 by the Predecessors of King Norodom, is the most conspicuous feature and also one of the impressive colorful Khmer-style Palaces. Nearside the Royal Palace is Silver Pagoda (The Emerald Buddha temple), displays plenty of Buddha Statues that were decorated and made by diamond, emerald, gold, and silver.

Continue to visit Independence Monument, which was constructed in 1954 after Cambodian took their country back from the French colony. Proceed to the National Museum, the distinctive red building with a beautiful Khmer architecture was build since 1917 and contains more than 5000 art objects made of sandstone, bronze, silver, copper, wood, and others.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon 
Continue your tour to visit Wat Phnom Daun Penh – the name of a pagoda, was built by lady Daun Penh in 1372 on a little hill, Legend has it that after a particularly heavy flood, a wealthy Khmer woman named Daun Penh found a tree on the banks of the Mekong with four statues of Buddha hidden inside.

Visit the Russian market for some shopping spree before you return to your hotel. The rest of the day will be free.

Overnight in Phnom Penh
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
Depart Phnom Penh at 08:00 am for an interesting drive to Kratie, stopping off at Phnom Srei and Phnom Pros in Kampong Cham before winding your way to Kratie.

Afternoon
After lunch at a local restaurant, you will take a ferry to Koh Trong Island, which is a small island in the middle of the Mekong just opposite Kratie town. Here you will get your bicycle for an easy and peaceful 9km ride to explore the islands traditional wooden Khmer houses and pagoda’s stopping off several times to taste the delicious and famous island fruits. Then back to Kratie for a stroll along the riverside for a magnificent sunset.

Overnight in Kratie
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
After breakfast, you’ll leave Kratie and drive to Ban Lung. On the way, you will make a stop at O’ Russey Kandal. A small community-based ecotourism site with rapids, and the opportunity to have a swim. Continue your journey to Banlung in the Ratanakiri province.

Afternoon
After lunch, you will enjoy an elephant ride through the forest to the fabulous Katieng Waterfall. You’ll have the opportunity to wash and feed the elephants and also have time for a swim before returning to town.

Overnight in Rattanakiri
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
Start your day by spending some time at the beautiful Yaek Lom Lake, a natural lake formed in a volcanic crater. After that, you will drive to the tribal villages north of Ban Lung. On the way, you will pass the ancient lava fields and visit the tribal village of La Ork, Kala and Kress, where you can explore and learn from the local hill tribe people.

Afternoon
Return to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight in Ban Lung
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
The trekking will start from the lodge on the west hiking trail up the hillside of Phnom Korl. The paths walked are the ones frequented by Tampuan hill tribe villagers (of Phumes Sil, Lapo, Lon, and Phnom) in Yaklom commune to their farms. (Phume is a Khmer word, and means “village”.) The walk goes through a hilly and beautiful landscape, some points at which you may need to exercise your energy a little bit more.

The trek will give you a picture of how people in Yaklom commune (Tampuan hill tribe) practice their slash and burn (or Sweden) farming. The walk goes through a hilly and beautiful landscape, some points at which you may need to exercise your energy a little bit more.

You will pass a number of Sweden farms where you will see and (when possible and suitable) join farm activities according to the cropping calendar or cropping pattern of the season. There are more and more Khmer people inhabiting the areas around Yaklom Lake and you may notice some changes: plantations, flower gardens, forest clearance, etc.)

Afternoon
You will spend time to swim at the volcanic lake of giant Loam – Yeak Loam, superb places surrounded by pristine rainforest. Take your time for swimming or take a walk around the lake.

Overnight in Ban Lung
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Morning
After breakfast, you will depart for Kampong Cham.  Arrive and check in to the hotel around midday.

Afternoon
After lunch at a restaurant on the riverside, you will continue our journey to Kampong Cham and on the way if time permits you will visit the 8th-century hillside pagoda of Wat Hanchey and the 11th-century temple of Wat Nokor.

Overnight in Kampong Cham
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

After breakfast, you will return to Phnom Penh by private vehicle. The driver will take you straight to the airport for your departure flight back home.

Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)