Join APT for 26 Days of fun and excitement as your discover Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand including seven nights on the luxurious RV AmaLotus cruising along the Mekong and a five-night Upper Mekong cruise in Laos aboard the Mekong Sun.
Day 1. Arrive Hanoi, Freedom of Choice Touring
On arrival in Hanoi, be met and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon, perhaps visit a Vietnamese home in Le Mat village, enjoy a foot massage at your hotel or visit the 500 year-old village of Bat Trang for a tour. This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner.
Day 2. Hanoi, Dine Around Dinner
Start your day with a city tour of Hanoi, then take a rickshaw ride in the Old Quarter. Tonight, enjoy front row seats at a water puppet show, then dine at the Ly Club, Hanoi Press Club, Nineteen 11, Madame Hien or Sen Restaurant.
Day 3. Hanoi, Ha Long Bay
After breakfast, travel to World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay and board a luxurious wooden junk. Set sail to discover Ha Long Bay’s magnificent scenery. Enjoy time on Titop Island, then continue to the Bat Cave area and visit the bay’s largest floating fishing village.
Day 4. Ha Long Bay, Hanoi, Saigon, Freedom of Choice Touring
Wake this morning surrounded by beauty. Enjoy breakfast as your junk returns to land. Disembark and transfer to the airport in Hanoi to fly to Saigon. This afternoon, perhaps enjoy a tour of the city and a cyclo ride; visit an artist’s home; or go touring by motorbike. Tonight, enjoy dinner at Xu Restaurant with Luke Nguyen’s menu and matching wines.
Day 5. Cu Chi Tunnels, Tay Ninh, Saigon, Dine Around Dinner
This morning visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the war. Then drive to Tay Ninh and visit the Tay Ninh Holy See, a temple of the Cao Dai faith. This evening enjoy hawker-style dishes at Quan An Ngon; Mediterranean cuisine at Carmague; Vietnamese cuisine at Temple Club; Cantonese specialities at Li Bai; or Vietnamese fine dining at Hoang Yen.
Day 6. Embark Ship, Mekong River Cruise
After a morning at leisure, transfer to My Tho Port to embark your river ship for your eight day Mekong River cruise. This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner.
Day 7. Cai Be, Vinh Long
A local boat will take you to Cai Be today, an intriguing river-land town. Visit the floating markets then go ashore to visit the French Gothic Cathedral as well as the colourful port area, which is filled with colonial buildings and delightful flower gardens. Tour a local rice paper manufacturer and learn how rice paper is made, then enjoy lunch on board as your ship cruises towards Vinh Long. On arrival here, enjoy a boat ride and explore the bustling markets where you’ll see an array of aquatic life being sold.
Day 8. Sa Dec, Tan Chau
In the morning, enjoy a boat ride past floating markets to Sa Dec, the city where the French writer Marguerite Duras met her Vietnamese lover, Huynh Thuy Le. Here, a tour takes you to Huynh Thuy Le’s old house as well as Thien Hau Pagoda and the beautiful Fujian Temple. Following lunch back on board, cruise to the peaceful town of Tan Chau. On arrival, take a walk through town.
Day 9. Tan Chau, Border Crossing
This morning, travel by small boat over the tributaries, via an evergreen island, to a floating fish farm. Later, go ashore for a tour of Tan Chau by rickshaw. The rest of today is then spent on board. This afternoon, perhaps attend a fruit-carving demonstration while the border formalities are carried out as you cross into Cambodia.
Day 10. Phnom Penh
On arrival in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, a tour will take you to visit the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda as well as the National Museum of Cambodia, home to one of the world’s largest collections of Khmer art. After lunch, take an excursion to the infamous Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Tonight, perhaps step out to take a stroll around the city.
Day 11. Chong Koh, Oudong, Kampong Tralach
Enjoy a walk around the village of Chong Koh then cruise to Prek K’dam. Here, disembark for a tour of Oudong, the former royal capital of Cambodia. Continue to Kampong Tralach for a visit to Wat Kapong Tralach Pleu before an ox-cart ride takes you through rice fields and a small village back to your ship.
Day 12. Kampong Chhnang, Tonle Sap
Enjoy a boat excursion into the wetlands near Kampong Chhnang this morning. Then return to your ship and cast off towards the Tonle Sap Lake. Absorb the tranquillity of the lake before a Farewell Dinner on board.
Day 13. Disembark Cruise, Siem Reap, Dine Around Dinner
Today, pass floating fishing villages on a boat ride to port. Once ashore, head to your hotel in Siem Reap. Later, travel to the 10th century temple of Then Banteay Srei, then visit Ta Prohm, famous for its intertwined trees. On your return to Siem Reap, visit an orphanage before dinner at L’Angelo, Alliance Café, Viroth’s Restaurant, Champey or the Kanell Restaurant.
Day 14. Siem Reap, Angkor
After free time, head to World Heritage-listed Angkor Archaeological Park. Visit the last capital of the Khmer empire, Angkor Thom, where you’ll see the 12th century temple, Bayon, as well as the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. This afternoon visit Angkor Wat, said to be the world’s largest single religious monument. Tonight, enjoy a Khmer meal and an Apsara dance performance.
Day 15. Siem Reap, Freedom of Choice Touring, Luang Prabang, Embark Ship, Upper Mekong River Cruise
This morning, perhaps visit the Wat Preah Phrom Rath Temple, take a tuk-tuk ride to the Senteurs d’Angkor workshops, ride an elephant, enjoy a tethered balloon ride or embark on a quad bike adventure. Afterwards, fly to World Heritage-listed Luang Prabang in Laos and transfer to your river ship. This afternoon, walk up Phou Si Hill for sunset views over the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. Then perhaps stroll along the Mekong promenade or visit the night market of the local Hmong minority, before a Welcome Dinner on board.
Day 16. Luang Prabang
Early this morning, perhaps step out to observe monks collecting alms in the streets of Luang Prabang. After breakfast, a city tour includes the Buddhist temple of Wat Xieng Thong, known as Luang Prabang’s most beautiful temple. You’ll also visit the Wat Khili and the Wat Sene temples. After lunch, set off cruising along the beautiful Upper Mekong.
Day 17. Pak Ou Caves
After breakfast, step ashore to explore the incredible Pak Ou Caves, famous for the thousands of small Buddha statues set inside the caverns. Later, relax on board your ship or enjoy a short walk through the jungle to visit a Laotian village. Here, you’ll see how the local liqueur, Lao-Lao, is traditionally distilled. Before returning to your Mekong vessel, you may spot elephants. Back on board, enjoy a few more daylight hours cruising the Upper Mekong River.
Day 18. Tha Deua
Today your ship will head south to the ferry crossing at Tha Deua, which connects the Luang Prabang Province with the Sayaboury Province. The cruising today offers possibly the most impressive scenery of the journey. Watch as hills covered with tropical vegetation and awe-inspiring rock formations drift by and the river alternates between fast currents and slower flowing sections. This afternoon, visit a local village school for an insight into local life. Due to sudden drops in water level, on some days it may be necessary to make this excursion in a local Lao slow boat. Enjoy dinner as you cruise back upstream.
Day 19. Kuang Si Falls, Tha Pan, Luang Prabang
Take in the lovely views and watch for fishermen onshore as you continue cruising during breakfast. Disembark and travel by coach to the village of Tha Pan, where you can observe how the local communities live in Northern Laos. Then continue to the famous Kuang Si Falls, possibly the most picturesque waterfalls in the country. After returning to your ship, cruise back to Luang Prabang. This evening, take part in a Farewell Dinner followed by a traditional Lao Baci-friendship ceremony.
Day 20. Luang Prabang, Disembark Cruise, Chiang Mai
Farewell the lovely crew of the Mekong Sun after breakfast as you disembark and transfer to the airport. Fly to Chiang Mai. After being met at the airport and transferred to your hotel, enjoy some time at leisure to settle in. This evening, head to a charming local restaurant nestled right on the bank of the Ping River for a delicious dinner of Thai cuisine. Afterwards, jump into a tuk-tuk and travel through the streets to the city’s famous night bazaar for a stroll among the colourful stalls.
Day 21. Chiang Mai Sightseeing
Visit a farmhouse in Mae Rim, on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, then board a long-tail boat and enjoy a cruise on the Mae Ping River. Later, walk to a food market and enjoy a trishaw ride to the temple of Wat Phra Singh. After free time, visit the temple of Wat Suan Dok, where the ashes of Chiang Mai’s royal family are interred. Continue to Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, the temple on the mountain, and the most sacred in Northern Thailand. After a blessing ceremony, see the chanting of the monks and take in evening views over the city. Tonight, dine at a Khantoke-style restaurant and enjoy Northern Thai folk dancing.
Day 22. Chiang Mai, Mae Kampong, Chiang Rai
Departing Chiang Mai, travel via a local market to Mae Kampong where you’ll meet some villagers. Walk through the forest to a waterfall. Back in the village, enjoy lunch at a local family home, then continue through the mountains into the infamous Golden Triangle region. On arrival in Chiang Rai, check in to your hotel before dinner tonight.
Day 23. Chiang Rai Sightseeing
With a mahout (elephant driver) as your guide, travel on an elephant through bamboo forest, wood and grassland habitats, keeping an eye out for birdlife and various other animals. Reaching the Ruak River and the border of Myanmar (formerly Burma), board a long-tail boat for a trip to the Mekong River and Don Sao, a small Laotian island. Continue by farm truck through rice paddies and farmland, stopping for lunch along the way at the San Thung Reservoir, on the way to an Akha hill tribe village atop Doi Sa Ngo Mountain. Here, learn of the village’s tribal ways and enjoy stunning views out over the Mekong. Then visit the old kingdom of Chiang Saen on the banks of Mekong River, before returning to your hotel.
Day 24. Chiang Rai, Bangkok
Fly from Chiang Rai to Bangkok this morning and be transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon, ride a private long-tail boat to Khlong Bang Luang, a waterway that was once a major trading route. From your boat, pass by shop houses, local temples and vendors as your local guide points out landmarks and idiosyncrasies of the area. Disembark at Baan Silapin, a 100 year-old building that is now an art gallery. Perhaps wander through the gallery, take part in an art workshop or explore the area before enjoying a unique puppet show. Stop to visit the Temple of Dawn, Wat Arun, before returning to the heart of Bangkok and enjoying time at leisure to go shopping at the city’s famous shopping malls.
Day 25. Bangkok Sightseeing
An early start today will get you to Wat Po in time to experience the monk’s early morning chanting ritual. After this uplifting experience, visit the temple grounds and the famous 46 metre-long reclining Buddha. Continue to The Grand Palace, Thailand’s most important landmark, before marvelling at the Emerald Buddha, the country’s most revered Buddha statue. After returning to your hotel, enjoy the remainder of today at leisure before a Farewell Dinner.
Day 26. Depart Bangkok
After breakfast, your adventure ends and you are transferred to the airport for your onward flight.
