12 DAY VIETNAM CAMBODIA TOUR

Upon your arrival at Saigon airport look for our driver who will be waiting for you with a sign bearing your name. The journey from the airport to your hotel will take approximately one hour and is an entertaining experience full of chaotic traffic, distinctive architecture and overloaded motorbikes.

Pick up at your hotel at 8.30 for a day trip to renowned Cu Chi Tunnel. On arrival you will be guided through the famous tunnels used by the communist guerrillas during the Vietnam War. The tunnel network stretches over 250 km and extends to three levels underground providing you with a remarkable insight into the hardships, courage, determination and terror of a guerrilla war. You will return to your hotel at approximately 13.00

9:00 Pick-up at the hotel in Saigon to Cai Be
11.30: Boarding of the cruise vessel and check-in
12.00: Panorama cruise and lunch on board
16.00: Guided land excursion – walk in orchards and small villages
17:30: Return to the boat for refreshment and to enjoy the sunset on the top deck
19.00: Dinner on board; night on board
Note: Read more about Mekong Delta tours

6.30: Morning cruise and morning tea break served until 08.00
8.00: Excursion on a long sampan to Cai Rang floating market
10.30: Brunch on board
11.30: Drive to Chau Doc (shuttle bus service)
15.30: Arrival in Chau Doc, check in hotel. Evening at free disposal. Night in hotel in Chau Doc

7.00: Departure of speed boat to Phnom Penh.

13.00 – 14.30: Arrival at Sisowath quay International Port Phnom Penh (arrival time may vary due to current and immigration formalities)

Unless you have previously organized your Cambodian Visa, please ensure you have the appropriate fee in cash for your respective nationality, 1 passport photo and a pen handy to fill out the necessary paperwork for a ‘Visa on Arrival’ at the airport if arriving from an international destination.

Your driver will be waiting at the port with a Vietnamese Private Tours sign bearing your name on it ready to transfer you effortlessly to the comfort of your hotel, which will take approximately 15 minutes depending on traffic.

Known as the “Pearl of Asia” Phnom Penh was considered one of the loveliest French-built cities in Indochina in the 1920s. Imposingly located at the confluence of the Mekong, Bassac and Tonlé Sap rivers. This bustling city still retains a colonial feel with fine French architecture, wide boulevards and riverside promenade, boasting a heady mix of Restaurants and shops.

Enjoy free time in Phnom Penh, perhaps indulge in a blind massage or take a leisurely walk along the riverside before sunset cocktails and dinner at the Foreign Correspondents Club

In the morning visit the infamous Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and as you tour the museum, you’ll discover the brutality of the Khmer Rouge documented in the photos and memorabilia, including torture instruments and will have the opportunity to meet one the few survivors of regime.

Continue to Choeung Ek Killing Fields, the final destination for prisoners from Tuol Sleng. A large stupa (shrine) filled with over 8,000 human skulls acts as a memorial and grim reminder of the atrocities.

After lunch (own expense) tour around the Royal Palace, home to the Silver Pagoda, named for the over 5,000 heavy silver tiles that cover its floors, where you can marvel at the collection of Buddha’s in gold, silver, crystal, and bronze.

Next visit the National Museum, built in traditional Khmer style it houses the world’s foremost collection of ancient Khmer artistic, archaeological, and religious artifacts including Angkorian era statues, lingas and other artifacts.

Morning drive to Battambang. En route, visit the mountain temples at Phnom Oudong with stupas containing the ashes of Buddha and ancient Khmer Kings. Stop at a pottery-making village in Kampong Chhnang, explore the nearby village of Kampong Luong and experience life in an authentic floating community, untouched by mass tourism. Everything here floats on water, including the schools, the shops, the medical clinic and the petrol station.

Take your TukTuk through winding streets in the countryside stopping to discover how traditional products, such as rice paper for spring rolls, dried banana snacks, rice wine, and bamboo sticky rice are produced, and of course sample all the delicious local flavours. Visit the pungent fish paste market, have a rest and enjoy fresh fruits and coconut at a local family home, and visit Khmer Rouge victims’ memorial site before returning to town on the Bamboo train.

Battambang City is full of wonderful colonial-era and pre-colonial architecture as well as historic pagodas. And with the continuing development of Battambang’s contemporary art scene, a walking district of sorts has developed amongst the picturesque streets, harboring chic little art spaces and cafes. A visit to the Art Deco central market can also give you a feel for Cambodian daily life.

In the morning drive to Siem Reap, a bustling little town, bursting with a vast range of delicious restaurants to suit every taste, boutique shops and day and night markets, a true shoppers paradise and a surprising party town that really heats up later in the lively bars and clubs around the famous and suitably named Pub Street.

After breakfast at the hotel continue your temple exploration of the UNESCO world heritage complex at Ta Prohm, easily the most atmospheric and a highlight for anyone visiting Angkor, a haven for any photography enthusiasts. A temple where you will love to linger, swallowed by the jungle looks very much in the same state as when the French explorers stumbled upon it more than a century ago.

Inside the stunning walled city of Angkor Thom with Gates, flanked by the stone statues of gods and demons, you find yourself in an ancient world of massive stone faces and evocatively striking temples. We’ll take in the enigmatic Bayon, the mighty Baphoun Temple, Phimeanakas and the royal Palace enclosure, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King.

In front of the magnificent Angkor Wat is perfect for lunch or a break during your day trip to Temples, refresh you with fresh fruits juice and shakes, and savor some delicious Khmer, Asian or International dishes (own cost).

As you enter the main causeway of Angkor Wat and start the long walk to the main temple, feast your eyes on the sight of this imposing structure. Discover its many galleries, libraries, pavilions, courtyards and ponds full of water, carved bas-reliefs that tell the ancient Hindu legends of Ramayana and victorious Khmer battles. Climb to the holiest sanctuary at the summit of the temple, where you are rewarded with fantastic views across the entire complex and beyond.

The temple tour itinerary is flexible and may be adjusted by your local guide after consultation with you. Weather, festivals, your interests and energy levels all have a bearing on which temples to visit and in what order.

This morning we explore the mysterious ruins of BengMealea, thought to be a blueprint for Angkor Wat, not only the most interactive temple, with crumbling stone blocks acting as stairs to the temple’s many subterranean chambers, but it is also the most fun temple to explore. This nearly thousand-year-old temple covers several acres of jungle terrain and is made up of a handful of libraries and courtyard where you can experience a true Indiana Jones moment.

In the afternoon head East of Siem Reap on the northern edge of Tonle Sap lake lies the village of Kompong Khleang, where locals live on stilted houses rising up from the ground. Travel by traditional boat through this authentic village gives you the chance to observe the daily life up close, heading out to the vast expanse of Tonle Sap where you will appreciate the immensity of this fascinating waterway

In the afternoon head East of Siem Reap on the northern edge of Tonle Sap lake lies the village of Kompong Khleang, where locals live on stilted houses rising up from the ground. Travel by traditional boat through this authentic village gives you the chance to observe the daily life up close, heading out to the vast expanse of Tonle Sap where you will appreciate the immensity of this fascinating waterway