• DAY 1

  HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM You’ve Arrived

  • Airport with Meet & Greet - Vehicle/Driver-Guide

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• DAY 2

  HO CHI MINH CITY Into the Chu Chi Tunnels

  • Explore the expansive Cu Chi Tunnel network, a key Vietcong resource during the Vietnam War.  

  • Break for lunch at a local restaurant, and then discover Ho Chi Minh City’s dynamic past, visiting Independence Palace (Reunification Hall), the home and workplace of South Vietnam’s president during the Vietnam War. Also explore the Museum of Vietnamese History to view Khmer artifacts, Buddhas statues, relics from Angkor Wat and an impressive porcelain collection; or opt for the War Remnants Museum, to peruse exhibits relating to the Vietnam War and the first Indochina War.

  • Get in touch with southern Vietnam's spiritual side at a colorful Cao Dai temple. Continue to the Saigon Opera House, where you witness a contemporary dance and acrobatics show for all ages, accompanied by live Vietnamese music.

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• DAY 3

  HO CHI MINH CITY & SIEM REAP Traveling by Cyclo 

  • Explore Ho Chi Minh City by cyclo (three-wheeled bicycle taxi), a leisurely peddle that takes you past by Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office en route to Tao Dan Park. Pause for a refreshment, and then see the Venerable Thich Quang Duc Monument, a memorial to the monk who set himself on fire in protest of Buddhist persecution in Vietnam.

  • A Vespa driver then picks you up and whisks you to a local street market, where you explore a secret, underground weapons bunker.

  • Admire the colorful floral displays at the flower market and sit down to a traditional breakfast of pho at one of the city’s best noodle houses.

  • Return to your hotel for time at leisure. Then, transfer to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap.  

  • The remainder of the day is yours to spend as you wish. 

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• DAY 4

  SIEM REAP Admiring Angkor Wat

  • Rise early this morning to experience the serenity of Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Traveling by remork (motorized rickshaw), explore the 12th-century temple as the sun’s first morning rays light up its façade. Continue to a scenic spot on the banks of Srah Srang for a Khmer-style picnic breakfast at a scenic swimming spot beloved by locals.

  • Discover the jungle-entangled ruins of Ta Prohm Temple, followed by a leisurely bicycle ride to Bayon temple.

  • Return to your hotel, stopping en route at the rarely visited Gate of the Dead.

  • After time some time to unwind, set out on a hour-long ATV adventure, zigzagging your way through the captivating landscape as the sun dips behind picturesque fields and palm trees.

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• DAY 5

  SIEM REAP Cruising Tonle Sap

  • Embark on a morning cruise on Tonle Sap (Great Lake), watching fishermen at work and spotting water birds. Pause at a floating village for an authentic glimpse into daily life. Built on floating bamboo platforms, the village is moored at a small hilltop pagoda during the high-water season and moves as the water recedes in dry season.

  • Hop on a kayak and paddle out into the open lake, eating lunch aboard.

  • In the afternoon, visit Banteay Srei temple. Built in the 10th century by a Brahmin priest, it contains excellent examples of classical Khmer art.

  • Continue to a local family’s home, where you learn about the Cambodia Clean Water Project.

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• DAY 6

  SIEM REAP & LUANG PRABANG, LAOS Acrobatics Adventure 

  • After a leisurely breakfast at your hotel, change gears and partake in an active, balance-building acrobatics session with the rising stars from Cambodia’s performing arts scene.

  • Sit down to lunch at a local restaurant, before transferring to the airport for your flight to Luang Prabang. 

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• DAY 7

  LUANG PRANG, LAOS Southeast Asia's Gentle Giants 

  • Today, begin at the Royal Palace Museum. Explore exhibits tracing the story of seven turbulent centuries of the Lane Xang Kingdom, as well as the colonial era through the present.

  • Continue to evocative Wat Visoun, Luang Prabang’s oldest operating temple; Wat Xieng Thong; and the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Center, devoted to Laos’ ethnic diversity.

  • Break for lunch at a local restaurant before venturing into the remote jungle of northern Laos, where you visit an elephant sanctuary, meet one of its directors and prepare herbal rice balls. After feeding elephants these healthy treats, watch the majestic creatures bathe in the river.

  • Later, return to base camp, where you enjoy light snacks while overlooking the Nam Khan River. Return to your hotel, with time to freshen up before joining locals for a game of pétanque in town.

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• DAY 8

  LUANG PRABANG, LAOS  Alms Giving 

  • Rise early to participate in the daily ceremonial offering of food to local monks. As a procession of robed monks passes, place a small amount of rice into their alms bowls.

  • Meet a local farmer, who shows you around his family farm and shares how crops are grown, harvested and used. Help tend to the produce in his organic vegetable garden, followed by a hands-on cooking experience and sample the dish you helped to prepare.

  • Continue to Laos Buffalo Dairy, which helps local farmers produce buffalo milk. After learning how families make artisanal cheese and yogurt, explore the farm, meeting friendly buffalos and helping feed the calves. Then, sample tasty cheeses and exotically flavored ice creams right from the source.

  • Embark on a sunset cruise on the scenic Mekong River. Tonight, you can also partake in an evening Baci ceremony, a Laotian ritual of welcome; dating back to the eighth century.

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• DAY 9

  DEPART LUANG PRABANG, LAOS  

  • Set off for the cascading waters of Kuang Si Falls Park, pausing to visit Khmu, Hmong and Lao Loum villages en route. Upon arrival at the waterfall, cool off with a refreshing swim in the turquoise pool or set out on a hike along forest trails.

  • Visit the nearby Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Center, which works to protect and rehabilitate rare Asiatic black bears.

  • Transfer to the airport for your homebound flight.

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