Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia Tour - Gems of Mekong

Arrive in Luang Prabang and transfer to the hotel. Capital from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century of Lan Xang, the "Kingdom of a Million Elephants", Luang Prabang is located in a favorable position, surrounded by mountains and nestled between the Mekong and Khan rivers. The hills, the peninsula that creeps between the two rivers, the impressive temples, the multi-ethnic population create a striking and harmonious whole. In the early afternoon you'll start the sightseeing tour of the city and its temples: Wat May, Wat Vixoun, Wat Xieng Thong and sunset from the hill of Phu Si, dotted with newer wats. Return to the hotel and overnight.
 

Breakfast. Departure for the excursion to the caves of Pak Ou located approximately 25 km by boat from Luang Prabang along the Mekong River at the mouth of the Nam Ou River: these are two caves located at the bottom of a limestone cliff full of images of Buddha of every style and size. On your way back stop in the village of weavers of Ban Phanom. Lunch in a local restaurant during the excursion (included).
 

Breakfast. Visit the Royal Palace, built in 1904 at the beginning of the French occupation, then converted into a museum of history and local art. Lunch in a local restaurant (included). Transfer to the airport and departure to Vientiane. Upon arrival transfer to the hotel.
 

Breakfast. City tour including the monastery of Vat Sisaket, with inner walls full of niches that contain more than 2000 Buddha images; the temple of Wat Pra Keo, the former royal temple now a museum; the great stupa of Pha That Luang, the most important monument in Laos, a symbol of the Buddhist religion and Lao sovereignty, and the local market.

Lunch in a local restaurant (included). In the afternoon transfer to the airport and departure to Hanoi. Arrival at Hanoi International Airport, handling of border formalities and visa requirements. Transfer to the city and check in to the hotel. Hanoi, Vietnam's political capital, means "on this side of the river" in Vietnamese; nestled along the banks of the Red River, it is home to about one million inhabitants. Imperial capital since 1010, and during the Le Dynasty from 1428 to 1788, it resumed its role in French Indochina during the colonial period from 1902 to 1953, becoming the political capital of the country after reunification in 1976. Hanoi presents itself as a typical French city of the beginning of the century, with boulevards, parks, monuments, a city center full of shops and colors.
 

Breakfast. Full day tour of cultural and historic Hanoi: One Pillar Pagoda, a peculiar wooden pagoda resting on a single pillar built in 1049  to represent the purity of the lotus flower; Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum; the Temple of Literature, the oldest university built in 1070 in honor of Confucius; Quan Than Temple, the Lake of the Restored Sword, surrounded by ancient trees. Lunch in a local restaurant ( included). In the afternoon visit to the Museum of Ethnic Groups and cyclopousse ride in the old colonial neighborhoods of the city. Transfer to the theater for the Water Puppet show.
 

Breakfast. Morning departure to Halong Bay (160 km : about 4 hours), proclaimed the Eighth Wonder of the World. The bay, dotted with karst rocks, has been affected by the work of wind and water erosion over the millennia, creating a phantasmagorical environment of islands, islets and rocks, some of which are hundreds of meters high. Some islands have also formed an internal lake, accessible through a passage that disappears completely during high tide, while others have caves and formations with the strangest shapes.

In between seasons, the morning fog creates even more striking effects, making islands and rocks in the distance appear and disappear. According to a legend, the hundreds of small islands are the remains of the tail of a dragon sunk in the waters of the bay. Visit the bay sailing on a typical Vietnamese junk, with meals based on fish and overnight on board (all inclusive).
 

Breakfast on board. Free morning to admire the amazing scenery of the bay. After lunch (included), disembark and transfer to Hanoi airport. Departure by Vietnam Airlines flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Hotel accomodation.
 

Breakfast. Morning excursion to Cu Chi, which is about 60 kilometers away. Its famous network of tunnels, built in the late 40's by the Viet Minh during the war against the French, was enlarged in the 60s by the Vietcong becoming 250 kilometers long and 7 meters deep. It is a great and impregnable underground city developing on many levels. Lunch in a local restaurant (included).

In the afternoon return to Ho Chi Minh City and visit Saigon, a lively city full of relics from the past: Notre Dame cathedral dating back to 1877, the post office, Binh Tay market and Cho Lon district with Thien hau pagoda.
 

Morning departure by car to Cai Be, a town on the banks of one of the main branches of the river, from which you will embark on a cruise on the Mekong to observe life in the riverside villages, the thick vegetation and the many channels that make up the Delta. Stop at a floating market and a bonsai garden. Lunch in an old house (included).

Continue on to Chau Doc, situated near the border with Cambodia. Along the way you will encounter the traditional floating villages of the delta. Arrive in Chau Doc and hotel accommodation.
 

Early morning transfer to the pier. On board a fast boat you'll sail the Mekong into Cambodia. The route (5 hours depending on the season ) runs through a beautiful river landscape with crops and villages overlooking the banks marking the transition between the two countries with their diversity. Arrive in Phnom Penh and transfer to hotel. Lunch in a restaurant (included).

In the afternoon visit  the capital of Cambodia: the National Museum, which houses the masterpieces of Khmer sculpture from the fifth to the thirteenth century, the Royal Palace with the Hall of the Throne and the Silver Pagoda. Also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the pagoda is named after the riches that are kept inside: the floor covered with more than 5,000 silver plates, the solid gold, silver and crystal statues, the emerald Buddhas full of diamonds, some precious masks used in court dances and other fantastic treasures.
 

Early morning transfer to the airport and departure to Siem Reap by Siem Reap Airways scheduled flight. Arrive and check into the hotel. Visit Angkor Thom, Angkor capital from the tenth to the fifteenth century.  If Angkor Wat is the classic masterpiece of Hinduism, Angkor Thom testifies the transition to a different kind of inspiration, that of Mahayana Buddhism, developed after the catastrophe of 1177, when Angkor was subject to the invasion of Cham people from what is now Vietnam.

You will visit the sites of Jayavarman VII (1181-1220): the South Gate, Bayon, Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King; the sites of the eleventh century: Baphuon , Phimeanakas, Khleang North and South, the 12 Prasat Suor Prats. Lunch included. In the afternoon, visit the archaeological sites of Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Prohm ( Jayavarman VII ), where the ancient stones emerge from the roots of huge trees that surround the monuments.
 

Breakfast. Visit Banteay Srei temple, about 28 kilometers from the city, considered a jewel of Khmer art, also known as "The City of females". A special feature of this temple is that it was built by a dignitary of the court and not by a king and the pink sandstone carvings. Visit the temple of Banteay Samre, the Eastern Mebon, Pre Rup temple, dedicated to Shiva, and the Prasat Kravan (temples of the 10th century). Lunch included.

In the afternoon start the Angkor Wat tour (Suryavarman II), considered the most harmonious monument of Angkor due to style, proportion and design, which has become a national symbol. The temple was built by King Suryavarman II (1113-1150), and occupies an area of ​​2 million square meters, surrounded by a 200-meter moat, whose banks were covered in steps. It's the only temple turned to the west, towards the sunset. Impressive is the decoration, with hundreds of meters of bas-reliefs carved on the walls, in the arcades and galleries, illustrating the main scenes of the Indian epics with incredible richness and vivacity.

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for the boat trip on Tonle Sap lake, whose waters are among the richest in the world for fishing. The uniqueness of the lake is that its width varies significantly in relation to the seasons, reaching even five times its extension during the rainy season. Visit the fishing floating village of Chong Kneas with traditional wooden buildings. On the way back, stop at the craft school. In due time transfer to the airport.