Travelpack

Highlights: Ho Chi Minh City - Cu Chi Tunnel - Can Tho - Mekong - Siem Reap - Phnom Penh - Sihanouk Ville

Deposit of £250pp

Other departures: Manchester - £2089, Birmingham - £2269, Edinburgh - £2279, Glasgow - £2279

Hotels:
Ho Chi Minh City - Prostyle Hotel
Can Tho - Iris Can Tho
Siem Reap - Treasure Oasis Hotel
Phnom Penh - Double Leaf Boutique Hotel
Sihanouk Ville - Sok San Beach Resort

Day 1: Arrive Ho Chi Minh City (With Guide)
Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Stay at the hotel.

Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Cu Chi Tunnels - Half Day City Tour.
Cu Chi Tunnels. Begin your journey to the Cu Chi Tunnels by departing at around 7.30 am from your hotel and travel through the countryside which was once a stronghold of the Viet Cong. Upon arrival, watch a short video about what life was like for soldiers who lived there during the war. The cramped tunnels were central to a few of the war’s strategic operations, including the famous 1968 Tet Offensive, and they didn’t escape damage. American B52 bombers dropped hundreds of missiles leaving huge tell-tale craters behind. The tunnels served not only as living quarters but as supply routes and hospitals for thousands of guerilla fighters. Many died there from malaria and other diseases, and a few were also born or married. Today they are viewed by some as a testimony to the Vietnamese people’s resiliency. Return to Ho Chi Minh City early afternoon. You will also visit the War Remnants Museum, where Vietnam’s government has assembled presentations - some of the graphic - of wartime hardships and atrocities. The tour continues with a stop at the Reunification Palace, where a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates in 1975 to end a war that killed an estimated 58,000 Americans and three million Vietnamese. Visit the city’s Central Post Office, which was designed by the renowned French architect Gustav Eiffel. Next, stroll toward the Saigon River along Dong Khoi Street, which figured prominently in Graham Greene’s famous Vietnam novel, The Quiet American, to the Saigon Opera House, a commanding building completed in 1901. Shelled during World War II, it was used to shelter French citizens fleeing North Vietnam in 1954, the year Vietnam earned its independence from France. Stay at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Rural Life Full-Day - Transfer To Can Tho
Set off from Ho Chi Minh City today for the charming delta town of Cai Be, famous for its rustic floating communities. In Cai Be, by boat, float past a mass of rickety river vessels where water-bound locals spend much of their time between fishing and selling their wares on land. Though the floating market here is not nearly as busy as day’s past, you might still spot locals tossing water-melons or pineapples between their boats! Visit cottage workshops making pop rice and coconut candy. Stop at an old house and admire its beautiful architecture and well-preserved interiors. Continue onward visit a family that weaves intricate hyacinth products. Then take a rowing sampan to enjoy the charming Mekong scenery through a maze of narrow canals before enjoying a late lunch in a local house. For a special twist, watch a demonstration of how to make a favorite Vietnamese specialty - Banh xeo, or a Vietnamese savory pancake before sitting down for a delicious lunch with local delicacies. Your tour ends with a gentle ride aboard the boat back to Cai Be and your onward drive back to Can Tho. Upon arrival, check-in the hotel and relax. Stay at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Special note:
* Please bring a raincoat, mosquito repellent, and be prepared for wet/rainy weather during the wet season or hat/ sun-cream/ sun-glasses for high temperatures during the summer season.
* Normal clothes with comfortable shoes for walking.
* The walking route takes you on village paths that may be slippery in wet weather. The order of activities may change during the wet/rainy season.

Day 4: Can Tho - Saigon
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning cruise to Cai Rang floating market and fruit garden before transferring to Saigon. Stay at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch.

Day 5: Depart Ho Chi Minh City - Fly To Siem Reap
Your guide will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap. Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Stay at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast

Exclusive promotion in Treasure Oasis Hotel:
Happy Hour from 04 pm – 06 pm buy 01 get 01 free for soft drink or beer during the client stay.
Discount 20% off for food and Beverage.
Discount 20% off for Massage.

Day 6: Siem Reap – Angkor wat Full Day – Street Food Evening
The morning begins with the temple of Bayon, known for the hundreds of smiling faces that grace the towers. The bas reliefs are quite impressive and tell the stories of daily life and the great battles that were fought between the Khmers and ancient Thais. Next, it is on to one of the most loved temples of all - Ta Prohm. End your morning tour with exploring the magnificent Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious monument. This visually spectacular temple is a massive three-tiered pyramid, rising 65 meters from the ground and crowned by five lotus towers that represent the five peaks of the sacred Mount Meru. The giant moat that stretches around the temple symbolizes the oceans of the world and is more than five kilometers in length. See bas-reliefs depicting Hindu epics from the Ramayana, dancing apsara's lining the walls, and let your mind wander to days of ancient kings. Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon continuous with enjoying a fascinating by exploring some of the non-profit organizations and social enterprises that are working to make Cambodia a better place. Start from Hero Rats, APOPO’s scent detection rats have been detecting landmines and tuberculosis. Next head to the Royal Residence. This neat-looking building is one of the King’s habitations, but it is the lush grounds that really make this place worthy of a visit. Running alongside the river and home to Yeay Tep Shrine and Preah Ang Chek, these verdant parklands are home to hundreds of towering. The trees provide shelter for numerous beautiful butterflies and huge fruit bats that sleep contentedly by day and wake up at dusk to go about their nightly hunt before continuing to visit the local market. Then visit Sombai Cambodian Liqueur / Workshop & Shop and enjoy your testing Cambodia wine which has more than10 flavor. End of your evening tour by adventure in Siem Reap. You will stop at a local market where locals can buy dinner, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Sink your teeth into some grilled meats and noodles, accompanied by a drink of your choice. The night continues with grilled beef or pork eaten with ‘Khmer Cheese’. For the daredevils, why not snack on crickets or frogs. Then, walk through the night market and sample more Khmer delights while you rub shoulders with locals sitting on little stools, enjoying a dinner with friends and family. Round off the evening by enjoying fresh craft beers at the first and only microbrewery restaurant in Siem Reap. You can choose whether to stay and party the night away or head back to the hotel. Stay at hotel

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner

Exclusive promotion in Treasure Oasis Hotel
HAPPY HOUR from 04 pm – 06 pm buy 01 get 01 free for a soft drink or beer during the client stay
Discount 20% off for food and Beverage
Discount 20% off for Massage

Day 7: Siem Reap - Local Life Community Village
Drive to the edge of the Tonle Sap Lake and embark on a cruise to Kompong Phluk (best time between Aug-Feb), an isolated Khmer community of three villages built on wooden stilts, rising from six to eight meters high. The community has about 3,000 inhabitants who farm fish and vegetables on floating platforms. During your visit, your boat will take you through mangrove forests, a unique ecosystem that survives on flooded soil for months. Mangroves are also hosting for a variety of wildlife, keep an eye out for birds and especially the crab-eating macaques!

Then, continue to drive to a small village called Chansar Village. On arrival, meet your community guide who will introduce you to the village and your hosts. With the help of Discover Tour the Knapor Community is practicing community-based tourism, a sustainable approach to tourism that is created by and benefits the whole community. After your mini education on village life, schooling, and the local economy, hop aboard an oxcart for your first hands-on taste of rural life. Take a ride through the fields and over streams to reach a hidden jungle temple, far from the bustling crowds of Angkor Wat. Explore the crumbling ruins and learn about the fascinating history of the ancient Khmer Kingdom. Head back to the community center to enjoy a Khmer family-style lunch, made from the fresh local produce of the area; this home-cooked meal will be one to remember!

The afternoon continues through the community to the home of a family who earns their income from making woven, reed brooms. Observe how the delicate brooms are made and try your hand at helping out! You will have plenty more opportunities to try the local vocations as you take a guided walk around the village and meet the farmers and fishermen of the area. On the way back, make one final stop at a Buddhist temple to receive a traditional Khmer blessing from the monks to bring you good fortune for your travels ahead.
Stay at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Exclusive promotion in Treasure Oasis Hotel
HAPPY HOUR from 04 pm – 06 pm buy 01 get 01 free for a soft drink or beer during the client stay
Discount 20% off for food and Beverage
Discount 20% off for Massage

Day 8: Siem Reap - Transfer To Phnompenh (WITHOUT GUIDE)
Transfer from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or return without guide approximately 314km. Stay at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 9: Phnompenh - Royal Palace & National Museum, Toule Sleng, Russian Market Aad Sun Set Cruise.
Discover the regal magnificence of the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda followed by a visit to the National Museum... The Royal Palace was built in 1866 by King Norodom; the Palace is made up of a number of structures within a pagoda-style compound one of which is The Silver Pagoda. The Silver Pagoda takes its name from the 5,000+ silver tiles and the building itself holds a number of national treasures perhaps most notably are a life-sized gold Maitreya Buddha decorated with 9584 diamonds, weighing in an at 90 kg and a small 17th century Emerald Buddha made from baccarat crystal.

Continue to visit the National Museum, a Khmer temple inspired building that houses the world’s largest collection of Khmer art sculptures, ceramics and bronzes from different periods of Cambodian history. Over 5000 objects are on display including Angkorian era statues, lingas and other artifacts, most notably the legendary statue of the ‘Leper King.’ Though the emphasis is on Angkorian artifacts, there is also a good collection of pieces from later periods, including a special exhibition of post-Angkorian Buddha figures. Lunch at Local Restaurant.

Afternoon continuous to visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, which documents the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge against both their political enemies and many thousands of everyday Cambodians. In 1975 this former high school was taken over by Pol Pot's security forces and converted into Security Prison 21 (S-21). It soon became the largest detention and torture center in the country. Please note that the images on display are quite graphic and unsettling. Next visit the city’s art deco-inspired Central Market. This main market sells everything from fresh fish to flowers. You can buy gold jewelry, precious gems, silk, t-shirts, souvenirs, and more!

End of your tour by the board a charming riverboat and prepare to take in the sights of local life along the Mekong River. Watch village women carry out their household chores as children splash happily alongside them. Lookout for diminutive fishing boats and the sight of fishermen hauling in their nets after a long day on the river. Watch as the sun sets, and the sky lights up with vibrant colors making for a perfect backdrop for a spot of sightseeing. Purchase drinks and snacks on board and take in the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, and Wat Ounalom as daylight grows scarce and the bright lights of the city come alive. This is the perfect way to see the sights of Phnom Penh away from the crowds. Stay at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Day 10: Phnompenh - Transfer To Sihanouk Ville (WITHOUT GUIDE)
Transfer from Phnom Penh to Sihanouk Ville without a guide approximately 250.5km. Approx.6 -7hours drive base on traffic conditions. When arrival at Sihanouk Ville pier you will check in a speedboat to the resort. Take time around 45min – 60min drive base on weather conditions. Note: The boat schedule is base on resort client selected (Sok San Resort Or The Royal San Koh Rong). Stay at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 11: Sihanouk Ville – Free Day
Free day at your own leisure. Stay at hotel

Meals: Breakfast

Day 12: Sihanouk Ville – Free Day
Free day at your own leisure. Stay at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 13: Sihanouk Ville – Free Day
Your guide will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the airport for a Free day at your own leisure. Stay at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 14:Sihanouk Ville – Transfer To Phnompenh
After breakfast check-in boat for transferring back to Sihanouk Ville pier. At the Sihanouk Ville pier, our driver will pick you up from there to Phnom Penh. The rest of day is your own leisure. Stay at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 15: Depart Phnompenh
Free day at a leisure appointment time that our driver will pick you up at till driver at your hotel lobby and transfer you to the airport for your flight home.

Meals: Breakfast

Tour excludes:
• VISA - Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam visa must be arranged for non-ASEAN citizens
• Please make sure you have 6 months passport validity. We can help with visa on arrival if request.
• VISA stamp fee at the arrival airport (the fee is varied based on nationality and destination)
• Early/late check-in/out service at hotels (surcharge if request)
• Tips and gratuities
• Services and meals if not mentioned in the itinerary
• All drinks, including water, soft drink, and alcohol on all included or optional excursion
• Laundry, telephone calls and expenditure of a personal nature
• Travel Insurance (Compulsory)

Offer Includes

Meal Plans