After arriving in Bangkok, you will board a connecting flight with either Thai Airways or Thai Air Asia onwards to Udon Thani, near the border of Thailand and Laos. Upon arrival in Udon Thani, you will transfer to the Laotian capital, Vientiane, where you will make a short city tour of local sights, including the That Luang Stupa.

After the tour, you will check into your hotel to freshen up. In the evening, you will enjoy a traditional Laotian welcome dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in this charming city.

After breakfast, you will drive first to Ban Sankhong, a village where weaving and sa papermaking takes place. Next, you will continue to the village of Ban Don where you will see local blacksmiths at work. After Ban Don, you will proceed to Ban Xang Hai, a village renowned for the production of Lao , the local whisky.

The next stop is across the Mekong at the magical Pak Ou caves, which are adorned with Buddha images of various styles, ages and size. Afterwards, a picnic lunch will be waiting for you in a restaurant opposite the caves, and then you will board a boat for a leisurely cruise down the Mekong back to Luang Prabang.

After arrival in Luang Prabang you will embark on a walking tour which will focus on the historic temples and houses of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Visit the temples of Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Vixoun and Wat Sene amongst others, as well as the National Museum. Your walking tour will end with a climb up to Phousi Hill, from where you will have a magnificent view over Luang Prabang and the Mekong River beyond.

Today you will make a city tour of Vietnam's capital Hanoi, taking in all of Hanoi's essential sites, such as Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and museum, the One Pillar Pagoda and Ho Chi Minh's House on Stilts*. You will also visit the Temple of Literature before heading to Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake. The Ngoc Son temple is set on a tiny island on the Hoan Kiem Lake and dates back to the 13th century. The lake itself is a picturesque focal point of Hanoi, frequented by tourists and locals alike.

After a sumptuous lunch, you will take a relaxing one-hour cyclo tour through the Old Quarter. Also known as the 36 streets, this bustling area of narrow streets is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. It's a great place to explore with plenty of photo opportunities.

Finally, you will return to the your hotel.

* The Mausoleum and Museum are closed on Monday and Friday and usually during the months of October and November for maintenance. If the Mausoleum and Museum are closed, we will visit the Museum of Ethnology, which is widely acknowledged as the best in the country and houses a display dedicated to Vietnam's 54 ethnic minority peoples.

You will start the day by making a beautiful boat trip through Halong Bay in a traditional junk allowing you to enjoy the unique topography with hundreds of islands, rocks, caves and hidden beaches. There will be an opportunity to swim and afterwards a delicious seafood lunch.

After lunch you will drive back to Hanoi where you will be transferred to the railway station to board the overnight sleeper-train to Hue.

You will spend the night on the 2nd class sleeper train to Hue.

The day’s adventure begins when you embark on a boat trip along the Perfume River to visit some of the tombs of the Nguyen emperors. Along the way, visit the Tien Mu Pagoda, one of the most photographed objects in the country. Continue to the tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, and after this, cross the Perfume River and visit the remarkably different tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh, which represents a fusion between traditional Vietnamese and contemporary European styles.

After your river trip, you will drive to Danang over the Hai Van Pass from where you have fantastic views over the South China Sea. You will enjoy a seafood lunch at the Lang Co Beach Resort and then visit the famous Cham Museum in Danang. This museum displays artefacts from the culture of Champa. Before arriving in Hoi An, you will stop at the scenic Marble Mountains.

You will first transfer to the airport for your flight on Vietnam Airlines to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your centrally located hotel, where you will stay for two nights.

After a lunch of local specialties, you will make a city tour and visit the Reunification Palace, the Thien Hau Pagoda and the busy Ben Thanh Market amongst others.

You will make a wonderful tour to the most interesting sights and visit the Royal Palace, The Silver Pagoda and the National Museum by Cyclo. You will also have lunch at a local restaurant.

During this day, you will also visit the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng, the notorious prison of the Khmer Rouge. However, you will finish this impressive day in a positive way with a visit to a unique school that teaches young, deprived children traditional dance and music.

Later, you will return to the your hotel.

Today you will visit Angkor, one of the wonders of the world and arguably one of the absolute highlights of this amazing trip. This vast complex of temple ruins was, during the 9th until the 14th centuries, the centre of the Khmer empire that stretched across parts of Thailand and Laos.

In the second half of the 19th century, after being abandoned for 500 years, French academics rediscovered the impressive temple ruins that had become overgrown by the relentless jungle.
Today you will visit Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Ta Prohm and Preah Khan amongst others.

After an early breakfast, you will depart for a long trip to Bangkok. The road from Siem Reap to Poipet on the Cambodian/Thai border is thankfully in good condition these days, although for years it ranked as one of the worst in the world due to the ravages of war and neglect. For most nationalities a visa upon arrival is available at this border checkpoint (see our visa section for more details).

After the border formalities, you change buses and continue the trip to Bangkok. There will be a farewell dinner at a riverside restaurant nearby the hotel.