Ho Chi Minh City Holidays

An exciting overland adventure through the heart of Indochina from Saigon and the Delta up the Mekong River to Cambodias capital Phnom Penh and then via the wonders of Angkor to Thailand's vibrant Bangkok.

Highlights

• Saigon
• Mekong Delta
• Vietnam Homestay
• Mekong River Trips
• Phnom Penh
• Angkor
• Local Food
• Bangkok

Accommodation

Itinerary

• Day 1: Departure from London.
  
  
• Day 2: Morning arrival in Saigon, meet your tour leader and transfer to a downtown hotel. Afternoon to explore the area, browse the markets or just relax in a cafe and watch the non-stop spectacle of the city’s traffic!
  
  
• Day 3: Day tour of some of the City’s sites including the city’s bustling Chinatown district of Cholon, the War Museum, Jade Emperor Pagoda and Saigon’s own Notre Dame Cathedral.
  
  
• Day 4: Our 4 day exploration of the picturesque Mekong Delta begins with a journey south to Ben Tre. Afternoon boat cruise along the Mekong to one of the river’s numerous islands in the river, where we’ll have time to explore the island by bicycle or on foot before staying overnight as guests of a local family.
  
  
• Day 5: Morning stroll or cycle ride around the tranquil island before a visit to the traditional floating market of nearby Vinh Long Town. Continue on to Can Tho for lunch with the afternoon at leisure to explore the town or check-out the interesting Mekong Delta Museum.
  
  
• Day 6: Visit some of the Delta’s traditional floating markets and an orchid farm before turning west to the small riverside town of Chau Doc near the Cambodian border.
  
  
• Day 7: Day tour of the area including a visit to a floating village, bustling fish market and Cham ethnic minority village. Afternoon tour along the Cambodian border through lush paddy fields to Sam Mountain for sunset before returning to Chau Doc in the evening.
  
  
• Day 8: Back on the Mekong for a morning departure by boat for Phnom Penh. Lunchtime arrival and check-in to a small, comfortable, downtown hotel. Time to relax and an afternoon walk taking in the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and lively waterfront area.
  
  
• Day 9: Day tour of some of the sites of Cambodia’s fascinating capital city; the `Russian` market, the infamous “Killing Fields’ and the highly moving Khmer Rouge Museum at Tuol Sleng, before perhaps, a sundowner at the famous Foreign Correspondents Club to complete the day?
  
  
• Day 10: Travel upcountry to the small provincial town of Siem Reap in Western Cambodia – our base for the next few days and ‘jumping off point’ for the nearby Angkor Temple complex. Sunset visit to the atmospheric ruins of Ta Prom. (Journey by boat or road depending on weather conditions).
  
  
• Day 11 and 12: Angkor – an unforgettable two-day tour of this fabulous site – its ruined palaces and vast jungle clad temples – words can’t do it justice. A comprehensive tour of all the main sites, plus some of the lesser known ones, including sunrise and sunset visits. (Detailed itinerary available on request.).
  
  
• Day 13: Free morning in Siem Reap: explore the market, checkout the handicraft school or visit the unusual landmines museum before an afternoon trip to some of the remoter temple Angkor sites such as Banteay Samre and sunset at the little visited Bakong Temple.
  
  
• Day 14: Spectacular boat journey across the Tonle Sap Lake, passed the ‘flooded forest’ and Prek Toal bird sanctuary and on down the Sangker River and its floating fishing villages to the town of Battambang. Afternoon to check out the town’s French colonial architecture. (If water levels are low in March and April this journey will be overland.)

• Day 15: Continue on through this little visited region of Cambodia via the hilltop temple of Phnom Sampeu to the Thai border at Pailin -, famed for its gemstones and as the Khmer Rouge’s last stronghold - and on to Bangkok for an evening departure for London.

• Day 16: Morning arrival in London.

Fitness

Transport

• Minibus
• Boat
• Useful information:

  Currency:Vietnamese Dong, US Dollar and Thai baht

  Language:Thai, Vietnamese, Khmer

  Visa:Required for Cambodia ($20) and Vietnam (approx $50) for British/EU passport holders

  Time difference:Approximately 7 hours

  Price includes: Flights, accommodation (based on 2 persons sharing), activities and full board (except dinner on day 5 & lunch & dinner on day 13). The tour is fully escorted.

  Single supplement: No single supplement - single people are most welcome.

  Ticketing information: You will be contacted by the tour operator after making your booking