| country: | Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam |
| location: | Indochina holidays |
| departures: | 2009: 21 Nov, 5 Dec, 19 Dec, 26 Dec 2010: 2 Jan, 9 Jan, 16 Jan, 23 Jan, 30 Jan, 6 Feb, 13 Feb, 20 Feb, 27 Feb, 6 Mar, 13 Mar, 20 Mar, 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 10 Apr, 17 Apr, 24 Apr, 1 May, 8 May, 15 May, 22 May, 29 May, 5 Jun, 12 Jun, 19 Jun, 26 Jun |
| price: | From £1690 (33 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This amazing journey across four countries will give you a remarkable insight into one of the most remarkable and colourful regions of South East Asia. Peace and tranquillity have finally come to the nations of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia and this huge loop starting and finishing in Bangkok is now possible. We travel by a wide variety of local transport including bus, songthaew, tuk-tuk, Mekong riverboats, longtail boats, mini-van, train, pick-up and microbus, and our accommodation is in hotels and simple guesthouses.
From Bangkok we travel north to the mighty Mekong River and cross into Laos. Crossing the river is like stepping back in time to the old South East Asia. Following the river we visit the beautiful former French colonial town of Luang Prabang and then continue to Vang Vieng and the sleepy capital of Vientiane. Further eastward we come to Lak Sao where we cross the border into Vietnam and catch the Reunification Express to the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. Here we discover the charms of this graceful capital before taking the train down to a city that's steeped in history and culture, Vietnam's former imperial capital, Hue. A short drive through some remarkable rural and coastal scenery brings us to Hoi An, then to the beach resort city of Nha Trang. We'll cruise the offshore islands and relax in the sun before once again catching the overnight sleeper train down to the steamy southern city of Saigon. We drive overland into Cambodia and, after spending a day exploring its capital, Phnom Penh, continue by bus around South East Asia's largest freshwater lake, to Siem Reap. From here we'll explore what is regarded as one of the world's greatest archaeological monuments, the magnificent Angkor temple complexes. Our adventure then reaches its final phase wehen we travel to the Cambodian/Thai border town of Poipet. Rough roads improve as we continue on to exciting Bangkok and our journey's end.
From Bangkok we travel north to the mighty Mekong River and cross into Laos. Crossing the river is like stepping back in time to the old South East Asia. Following the river we visit the beautiful former French colonial town of Luang Prabang and then continue to Vang Vieng and the sleepy capital of Vientiane. Further eastward we come to Lak Sao where we cross the border into Vietnam and catch the Reunification Express to the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. Here we discover the charms of this graceful capital before taking the train down to a city that's steeped in history and culture, Vietnam's former imperial capital, Hue. A short drive through some remarkable rural and coastal scenery brings us to Hoi An, then to the beach resort city of Nha Trang. We'll cruise the offshore islands and relax in the sun before once again catching the overnight sleeper train down to the steamy southern city of Saigon. We drive overland into Cambodia and, after spending a day exploring its capital, Phnom Penh, continue by bus around South East Asia's largest freshwater lake, to Siem Reap. From here we'll explore what is regarded as one of the world's greatest archaeological monuments, the magnificent Angkor temple complexes. Our adventure then reaches its final phase wehen we travel to the Cambodian/Thai border town of Poipet. Rough roads improve as we continue on to exciting Bangkok and our journey's end.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | Bangkok |
| Day 3: | Chiang Mai |
| Day 4: | Huay Xai |
| Day 5: | Mekong River - Pakbeng |
| Day 6-8: | Luang Prabang |
| Day 9-10: | Vang Vieng |
| Day 11-12: | Vientiane |
| Day 13-14: | Lak Sao - Vinh |
| Day 15-17: | Hanoi |
| Day 18: | Hue |
| Day 19-21: | Hoi An |
| Day 22-23: | Nha Trang |
| Day 24-25: | Cu Chi Tunnels - Saigon |
| Day 26-27: | Phnom Penh |
| Day 28-30: | Siem Reap - Angkor |
| Day 31: | Siem Reap - Bangkok |
| Day 32-33: | Bangkok |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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Around the globe, we identify selected community projects that we can support through our trips. KOTO (Know One, Teach One) is a training centre and restaurant, established to help disadvantaged kids in Hanoi to get off the streets and into a stable living and working environment. Each year an integral part of the training is a field trip in Vietnam which this operator sponsors.
This trip is focused on respecting and benefiting the local people and the environment of this country. On this trip you will be lead by an experienced local leader passionate about their country's history, heritage and natural beauty that will help you to get 'under the skin' of their country and see it through the eyes of a local. This trip stays at locally run accommodation; we eat at local restaurants and travel on local transport. This ensures the financial return to the local economy opens up training and employment opportunities - and allows for informal and meaningful interaction between our travellers and local people. In 2009, we aim to neutralise all major emissions created by our trips, so that they can be offered as the best green alternative available. This means all greenhouse gases emitted by transport and accommodation during all of our trips will be balanced by an Australian-based ‘profit for purpose’ company that invests all funds into renewable energy and will invest in projects aimed at ‘neutralising’ your contribution to greenhouse gases. The maximum group size on all of our adventures is 15 passengers – with exception of some African trips (24 max). Travelling in small groups ensures we make significantly less impact on the natural environment, as well as breaking down many of the communication barriers presented by a larger group. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |








