After breakfast we will transfer by tuk tuk to the Thai Immigration. After having cleared procedures here board a local boat to cross the river to Laos where you will meet your Lao guide.

A visa upon arrival is available (see our trip dossier for more details).

After having finalized immigration and customs formalities you will transfer to your private boat that will depart right away.

Your boat will have chairs and table as well as a roof.

Cruise down the Mekong River at a leisurely place. Stops will be made along the way. Cruise to Pakbeng where we will spend the night.

Today is a free day.  The town Luang Prabang is an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by the French colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries. The town has been declared a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1995.

You can explore Luang Prabang on foot on your own.

After an early breakfast we will leave Luang Prabang with our own bus on the full day drive to the capital of Laos: Vientiane.

Along the way we will stop at Ban Nam Ming and walk over the bridge and through the small Khmu hamlet. After another hour enjoy a coffee at Ban Kiewkacham and explore a lovely Hmong village just across the road by foot. The next stop will be at Phou Khoun, a local market place in the Mountain at the cross roads from and to Phonsavan and Vientiane. Kasi, which is located in the Nam Lik valley - and situated half way in-between Luang Prabang and Vientiane, offers some good local restaurants for a lunch break. After lunch we will stop in Ban Pha Thang, a small village with a nice view on the mountains  before arriving in Vientiane at the end of the day.

Today we will drive to Vietnam.

Drive to Sepone. The border area with Vietnam was part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail through which troops and supplies from the North filtered through to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Continue to the Lao/Vietnamese border post of Daensavan/Lao Bao. A Vietnamese visa is not available on this border (see our trip dossier form more details).

Cross the border by foot. Meet your Vietnamese guide and driver at the border.

Drive along Highway no.9 towards Dong Ha. This road runs parallel to the former demarcation line between North and South Vietnam. The so-called Demilitarized Zone was scene of much military action during the Vietnam War. Drive to Hue. En route stop to have a look at bullet ridden church and at the remains of the Quang Tri Citadel which was almost completely destroyed during the war. Late afternoon we will arrive in Hue.

Free morning. If you want you can join your tour leader on an optional boat excursion on the Perfume River to the Imperial tombs of the Nguyen emperors.

After lunch time departure for Hoi An. Along the way will stop at Lang Co beach and on the Hai Van Pass to take some pictures of the view. 

Before we arrive in Hoi An we will visit Marble Mountains and the Cham Museum.

Later afternoon we will arrive in Hoi An where we will stay two nights.

Transfer to Danang for the early flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Fly from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City on Vietnam Airlines

After arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon you will go on a short tour of the city by bus.

You will pass the former American embassy on Le Duan Street. Everyone remembers the frantic departure by the Americans by helicopter from the rooftop of the embassy on April 30, 1975. Pass the Reunification Palace, former palace of the prime minister of South Vietnam as well as the Notre Dame Cathedral and French era General Post office. Turn into Dong Khoi street, the former Rue Catinat, where famous author Graham Greene once rented an apartment. Pass the Rex Hotel, famous from its rooftop, and the City Hall on the way to the hotel.

Check into the hotel. Checkin time is noon.

The afternoon is free at leisure.

Early departure for our full day trip to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. First we will visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels.

During the Vietnam war the Vietcong dug out an extensive tunnel complex that served as a sanctuary in the fight against American forces. Part of the complex has been left in its original state. You can crawl through these tunnels, a harrowing experience indeed.

Drive to Tay Ninh. Visit the main church of Cao Daism. This religion, which is unique to Vietnam, is a universal faith with the principle that all religions have one same divine origin. You will arrive in Tay Ninh in time to witness the noon mass which is a colorful spectacle.

After this we will drive to the Vietnamese-Cambodian border at Moc Bai/Bavet. A visa is available upon arrival (see our trip dossier for more information). We say goodbye to our Vietnamese driver and guide and cross the border on foot.

After having completed immigration and customs formalities we will meet our Cambodian guide and driver who will transfer us to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

You will be picked up by your guide and driver for the trip to Siem Reap. Drive to Kampong Thom. Make a brief stop at Skuon where fried spiders are being sold on the roadside. Before Kampong Thom we leave the main road.

The road to Sambor Prei Kuk is hobbly and unpaved. Sambor Prei Kuk was the capital of the Chenla Kingdom which predates Angkor by several centuries. The ruins are spread out over a vast distance. Sambor Prei Kuk gets very few visitors and you can enjoy the beautiful ruins in peace and quiet.

After your visit it's back to the main road and start the last leg to Siem Reap. Along the way you will stop briefly at Spean Praptos, a fantastic stone bridge from the Angkor period. The bridge is used only for pedestrians and two wheeled vehicles and stands as proof of the craftsmanship of the Khmers.

Another free day in Siem Reap. You can return for a second time to the ruins of Angkor or visit some of the more remote ruins such as Beng Mealea or Koh Ker. It is also possible to go on a boat trip on the Tonle Sap Lake, the largest lake in mainland Southeast Asia.

Free morning.

Check out time is at noon. Your tourleader will transfer you to the airport for your flight home.