Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam tour 18 days

B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, G = Guide

Day 1: Yangon (G)

Arrive Yangon International airport, welcomed by local guide and transfer to the hotel. Evening sightseeing of down town Yangon and one wonder of the world, ‘Shwedagon’ pagoda. Dinner with traditional show at ‘Lonmalay’ restaurant.

Day 2: Yangon/Bago/Kyaiktiyo (B, L, G)

Breakfast at the hotel. 80 km road to Bago, former Mon & Myanmar capital of 14th to 16th century as well as the second Myanmar Empire founded by King Bayinnaung. Visit the four giant sitting Buddha images of Kyaikpun pagoda, Shwetharlyaung Buddha which is the largest and most life-like of all reclining images, legendary Shwemawdaw pagoda and then lunch at ‘Panda ‘ restaurant. Proceed to Kyaiktiyo and transfer to the hotel on the range. Dinner & overnight in Hotel.

Day 3: Kyaiktiyo/Yangon (B, L, G)

Breakfast at the hotel, visit famous ‘Golden Rock’ pagoda, one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in Myanmar and environs, lunch at a local restaurant and return to Yangon, on the way a brief stop at Htaukkyan war cemetery with the graves of 27,00 Allied soldiers who died in Burma and Assam campaigns of WW II. Dinner at ‘ Oriental House ‘ restaurant and overnight in Yangon.

Day 4: Yangon/Bangkok/Siem Reap (B, D, G)

Your time will be your own until our driver will come and transfer you to the airport for your flight to Bangkok where you will connect with your flight to Siem Reap. On arrival, you’ll be picked up to the hotel.

In the afternoon, continue your temple tour. See the unique interior brick sculptures Prasat Kravan, the Srah Srang reservoir (known as “The Royal Baths” was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by 4 concentric walls), Eastern Mebon (guarded at its corner by stone figures of harnessed elephants, some of which are still in a reasonable state of preservation) and the mountain-temple of Pre Rup until sunset. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at hotel.

Day 5: Siem Reap (B, L, D, G)

Breakfast at hotel.

In the morning, visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat’s five towers symbolize Meru’s five peaks – the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond.

Lunch at restaurant.

Visit the South Gate (with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk), the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century), Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Sunset at Angkor Wat. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at hotel.

Day 6: Siem Reap (B, L, D, G)

An early bird special:

Transfer to the archaeological site for the sunrise from the Phnom Bakheng, one of two hills dominating the plain of Angkor, from where you will have a spectacular view of the Western Baray and Angkor Wat Or sunrise at Srah Srang

Return to the hotel for breakfast.

Morning, transfer to Banteay Srei temple (10th c), regarded as the jewel in the crown of Classical Khmer Art. Continue to Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery.

Lunch at local restaurant.

In the afternoon, you continue your temple visits to Preah Khan. Built by the King Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, the temple of Prea Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation. Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake), Ta Som and Banteay Samre, built in the third quarter of the 12th century. It consists of a central temple with four wings preceded by a hall and accompanied by two libraries, the southern example remarkably well preserved. Two concentric walls enclose the ensemble. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at hotel.

Day 7: Siem Reap/Luang Prabang (B, L, G)

Breakfast at hotel.

Visit the floating village of Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Visit the village and take an excursion in a traditional wooden boat on the Tonle Sap Lake, the “Great Lake” of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Visit to “Les Artisans d’Angkor – Chantiers Ecoles” of Siem Reap and time at leisure at a local market (if time permits). Transfer to Siem Reap International Airport for departure flight to Luang Prabang. Arriving in Luang Prabang, you’ll be picked up to the hotel. You’ll spend the night in Luang Prabang.

Day 8: Luang Prabang/Pak Ou cave (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you’ll visit the city’s oldest temple of Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong. Cruise  upstream on the Mekong River, as explore the mysterious Pak Ou Caves. Stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where the local rice wine is produced.

Short stop at Ban Phanom, which is well known for its hand weaving.

Day 9: Luang Prabang/Khouangsi Waterfall (B, L, G)

Watch or participate in the daily morning rituals of monks collecting offerings of Alms. Visit the morning Phosi Market. Visit local villages of Lao ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay, Hmong Village,  Ban Ou, Laoloum Village and Ban Thapene, Khmu Village, and then to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfall where you can cool off. Continue to Ban Xangkhong, known for its silk weavings and papermaking. Enjoy the sunset at Wat Siphouthabath.

Day 10: Luang Prabang/Hanoi (B, G)

Your time will be your own until your flight to Hanoi. Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. In the evening, you’ll have tickets for a performance of traditional Water Puppetry (an art form unique to northern Viet Nam, and a good, light-hearted introduction to its rural culture). Your overnight stay will be in Hanoi.

Day 11: Hanoi (B, L, G)

An all day city tour, possibly including the Temple of Literature, (the first university in Viet Nam dating back to the 11th C), the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Ethnology Museum and the centre of Hanoi, including the Hoan Kiem Lake, the Ngoc Son temple and the bustling Old Quarter with a complex of architecture – traditional tube houses, religious buildings and the colonial houses. In the evening, you’ll have tickets for a performance of Cheo (an traditional music typical for the northern Vietnam). Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 12: Hanoi/Ha Long (B, L, D, G)

A morning drive to Ha Long Bay, (one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas – the world’s largest marine “karst” landscape). Travel by traditional-style boat to some of the less well-known grottoes and caves. Includes swimming, fishing, hill (not mountain) climbing for Bay overviews, exploring sea level caves in a small sampan, etc. All meals will be provided on board and your accommodation will be on the boat in a twin room with en suite toilet and shower.

Day 13: Ha Long/Hanoi (B, G)

Morning cruising Ha Long Bay, followed by lunch and then return to Hanoi for an overnight stay.

Day 14: Hanoi/Danang (B, L, G)

Morning drive to the airport for flight to Danang. On arrival in Danang, you’ll have a brief visit to Cham Museum, then continue to travel to Hoi An. After lunch, a guided visit to the Ancient Town. Overnight stay in Hoi An.

The town is an ancient trading port, once the largest in Indochina and a meeting point for many cultures that left their mark in the different architectural features of its wooden buildings.

Day 15: Hoi An/My Son/Ho Chi Minh City (B, G)

Morning drive to My Son Sanctuary – World Heritage Area. Free afternoon and then fly to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Once the My Son Sanctuary was the spiritual capital of the Cham Kingdom that dominated SE Asia for nearly a thousand years. Its remarkable brick towers were badly bombed by the Americans, but are still impressive as is its remote valley setting.

Day 16: Ho Chi Minh city tour 1 day (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you’ll start your city tour including the History Museum (special exhibition of the 5thC “Oc Eo” civilisation), the Museum of War Remnants (very partial, but riveting, recollections of the”American War”: not for the squeamish), the huge Ben Thanh market (one of the liveliest areas of Ho Chi Minh City), the Jade Emperor Temple (superb effigies, remarkable carved panels of the descent to Hell and incongruous terrapin and tortoise sanctuaries) and a lacquer workshop. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

Day 17: Ho Chi Minh City/Vinh Long 1 day (B, L, G)

Drive to Vinh Long, cruise on Mekong River, Cai Be floating market, fruit orchards, traditional family-run brick kilns, wide range of varied cottage industries, e.g. manufacture of fish sauce, (distinctive feature of Vietnamese cuisine), construction of massive coffins (unique to Mekong). . Afternoon return to Ho Chi Minh City for an overnight stay.

Day 18: Ho Chi Minh departure (B, G)

Escorted departure from Tan Son Nhat airport.