Indochina Discovery (21 days)
Bangkok, Cambodia & Laos with 6 nights in beautiful Koh Samui.
Day 1: Bangkok (L)
Arriving Bangkok, our guide will be at the airport to welcome you and transfer you to your hotel.
After lunch, our afternoon city tour includes The Grand Palace, Funeral Hall, Wat Pra Kaew, Wat Traimit, Wat Pho,
Wat Benchamabopit & the Temple of Dawn plus a canal tour on a private boat.
Day 2: Bangkok - Ayutthaya - Bangkok (B/L)
Today we take a full day to visit Ayutthaya - the ancient capital of Siam. The tour includes Wat Yai Chaimongkol, ancient palace
Phra Srisanpetch , Wat Mongkol Borpit, and The Bangpa in Summer Palace. Afterwards we go down to Wat Pai Lom peir to embark on
the River King Cruise with lunch and return to Bangkok on board.
Day 3: Bangkok (B/L/D)
An early morning start takes us to see the famous Damnern Saduak floating market & the largest pagodas.
Lunch at the Rose Garden followed by village culture show. After dinner at a Riverside restaurant by the Bangkok River, we visit
a popular night market.
Day 4: Bangkok - Siem Reap (B/L/D)
Transfer to airport for your flight to Siem Reap, where our representative will meet you
at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. After lunch at a local restaurant, we take a boat trip &
on Tonlesap Lake to enjoy the views and visit the beautiful Phnom Krom temple by the lakeside.
Evening dinner will be at a local restaurant with traditional Cambodian dance performance on stage.
Day 5: Siem Reap (B/L)
The antiquites of Angkor are on the agenda today. If you prefer we can visit Angkor wat very early to enjoy this magnificent
heritage site before many visitors have arrived, or we can visit Angkor Wat after lunch. We visit the ancient royal capital of Angkor Thom: Bayon,
Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda, the Terrace of Elephants and Leper King and Taprohm temples, continuing after lunch at a local
restaurant with Angkor Wat, Ta Som, Ta Keo and Pre Rup temples. Return to town.
Day 6: Siem Reap - Phnom Kulen - Siem Reap (B/L)
This morning we drive to Phnom Kulen where the 'River of 1000 Lingas' features thousands of symbols carved into the
sandstone rocks under the water. We also visit the Rock temple, with its large reclining Buddha, and take a picnic
lunch by the waterfall. On the return trip, we visit the oldest temple in Angkor, the 10th century Banteay Srei. This
temple has the best engravings among all the ruins and was used in the film 'Lara Croft Tomb Raider'.
Day 7: Siem Reap - Phnom Penh (B/L)
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Phnom Penh, where our Phnom Penh guide will meet you and transfer you to your
hotel. Afterwards, we take a city tour of Phnom Penh, including the Royal Place, the Silver Pagoda, the Raung Damrei
Museum, the National Museum of Fine Arts, the Independence monument and National Garden Park.
Day 8: Phnom Penh (B/L)
Today we visit the Toul Sleng Museum of Genocide and Cheung-Ek Killing Fields. After lunch at a local restaurant we visit the
Central Market and the Russian Market.
Day 9: Phnom Penh - Vientiane (B/L)
Today after breakfast we transfer to the airport for the flight to Laos. On arrival at the capital, Vientiane, our Laos
representative will be at the airport to welcome you and transfer to your hotel. After lunch at a local restaurant
today's city tour of Vientiane includes Wat Hoprakeo, built in 1566 by King Setthathirat to house the Emerald Buddha,
Wat Sisaket, the only temple in Vientiane that survived the destruction of the city by the Siamese (Thai) in 1828;
ThatLuang Stupa Museum shrine (great Sacred Stupa), the most important national monument in Vientiane, with a golden
stupa believed to contain a relic of Lord Buddha and the Pratuxay Monument situated in the centre of Vientiane prefecture,
its architecture inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and incorporating typical Lao motifs. Finally see the sunset at
Mekong riverside.
Day 10: Vientiane - Luang Prabang (B/L/D)
After breakfast, we transfer to the airport for the flight to Luang Prabang, where our local guide will meet you and
transfer you to your hotel. Today's city tour of the former Royal capital, Luang Prabang, includes a visit to Wat Visoun,
the site of the impressive Thad Makmo stupa and Phou Sii hill which stands right in the centre of the small city, where you
can climb its 350 steps to enjoy commanding views over the Mekong. Wat Phu Sii sits atop the mountain, alongside the skeletons of
Indochina war anti-aircraft guns. Then we continue, visiting Wat Mai (1796) with its five-tiered roof, and Wat Xieng Thong which is
considered to characterize the uniqueness of Luang Prabang's local style, its several roofs sweeping low to the ground. We see also
the impressive "tree of life" mosaic here. The gilt panel on the exterior of the chapel depicts semi-erotic episodes
from the Ramayana. Later we visit the National Museum, which was once the king's palace. Displayed inside is a collection of
personal artifacts of the former royal family. Dinner at a local restaurant and evening walk of the night market.
Day 11: Luang Prabang (B/L)
After breakfast, we board a cruise heading upstream on the Mekong River, giving a panoramic view of the
tranquil countryside. Our first stop is the village of Ban Muangkeo where we start a short trek
(45 mins) to reach the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold
lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims. En route, we stop at the
village of Ban Xanghai, where the local speciality rice wine is produced. On the way, we also
visit Ban Xangkhong, Ban Xienglek and Ban Nong Xai, small villages well known for silk weaving
and for Saa (jute) Papermaking. Once back in Luang Prabang city we visit a traditional silversmith's
workshop.
Day 12: Luang Prabang (B/L)
Today we visit the Tad Khuang Sii waterfall, on the way visiting a Hmong village and Ban Ouh village where Lao and
Lu hill people live. The falls cascade over many calcified tiers and down several hundred feet into a series of
cool, turquoise pools. The water here has a clear blue-green tint due to the high mineral content.
You can climb the stairs and look down from various viewpoints on the way to the top. We take a picnic
lunch by the waterfall then return to Luang Prabang and take the afternoon at leisure.
Day 13: Luang Prabang - Plain of Jars (B/L/D)
If you like, we can take you into the centre of Luang Prabang at 5:30 in the morning
to watch local people give food & rice to the hundreds of monks who line the street.
You can also give rice to the monks - your guide will provide sticky rice.
(Optional - a very early start!) Afterwards a stroll though the morning market before
returning to your hotel for breakfast. Today we travel by road to Xiengkhouang, which was devastated by
American bombing between 1964 and 1973 during Indochina War. The journey takes us
through beautiful rugged mountain scenery passing many hill tribe villages. En route, we stop at Sala Phoukhoun,
located on the top of hill, then a Hmong village at Ban Phouvieng, Ban Nongthang, Muangsuy and Thampra .
Upon arrival in Phonsavanh by late afternoon we transfer to our mountain lodge hotel. Dinner at Lodge.
Day 14: Plain of Jars - Vientiane (B)
After breakfast, we head out of town to visit the "Plain of Jars", an impressive archaeological site where hundreds of
large stone jars are littered all over the plateau. Each of the mysterious jars is thought to have been made more than
2000 to 2500 years ago. If time permits, we will visit the local central market, observing the daily lifestyle
and colorful traders before we catch the flight to Vientiane, where our guide will meet you and transfer you to your hotel.
Day 15: Vientiane - Koh Samui (B)
After breakfast, transfer to airport for your flight to Koh Samui. Transfer to hotel. Rest of the day at leisure. (B)
Day 16 - Day 20: Koh Samui (B)
At leisure in Koh Samui.
Day 21: Departure
Transfer to airport for your flight to Bangkok and connecting return flight to the UK, arriving
back early next morning.
Please note that, whilst every effort will be made to carry out the programme shown above, small changes may sometimes be necessary.
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