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Indochina

country:China, Cambodia, Vietnam
location:Indochina holidays 
departures:2010: 1 Apr, 24 Jun, 23 Sep, 4 Nov
price:From £3650 (14 weeks) excluding flights plus local payment of £540. From £5095 including flights from the UK
vouchers:Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
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introduction to Indochina

Travel through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and China for fourteen weeks of Volunteer Projects, expeditions and trekking the Great Wall of China.

Three phases make up this trip:

1. Cultural Orientation and the Khmer Language
2. Live and work with Buddhist monks in a disadvantaged Cambodian community
3. Explore off the beaten track

Trip highlights 
  • Route map for gap year and career breaks in IndochinaTravel safety course in UK before departure
  • Acclimatisation and cultural orientation in Cambodia including basic Khmer lessons
  • Cambodian development project in association with the Buddhist Monks of the Life and Hope Association.
  • Angkor Wat, Cambodia's ancient Khmer temples
  • “The Killing Fields” Cambodia's recent Khmer history, Phnom Penh
  • R&R time on deserted beaches.
  • Sail down the Mekong and Yangtze Rivers.
  • Adventure activities including mountain-biking across Vietnam's central highlands.
  • Tackle a three-day trek into China's Tiger Leaping Gorge.
  • Pandas, walled cities and terracotta warriors
  • Great Wall of China trek
  • Explore the cities of Phnom Penh, Saigon and Beijing.
  • New friends and the time of your life!
This is an all-inclusive trip, with full support and a range of services provided before, during and after the trip.
a day in the life of a volunteer
Indochina gap year volunteering Life and Hope Association Volunteer Project: Through out the day you will be doing hands on building work in conjunction with the community and LHA, helping to construct stilted housing in the local flood area. You will also get the chance to lead the English clubs and visit villages together with the monks where you will conduct surveys on the health status within the community. The beneficiaries of this project are the local community, with emphasise on improving the housing of families living in poor and dangerous conditions.
day-by-day itinerary
Week 1:Cultural Orientation Cambodia: Siem Reap Arrive in Bangkok and overland to Siem Reap. Meet the Buddhist monks, learn some Khmer and visit the Angkor Wat temples.
Week 2:Cultural Orientation Cambodia: Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. Cambodia’s capital, the killing fields and head to the beaches and islands of Cambodia’s south coast.
Week 3-5:Community Development Project Cambodia: Life and Hope Association (LHA) Construct houses for impoverish families in villages surrounding Siem Reap. Teach English and play sports with the children of the LHA English Club. Become a Buddhist Monk (or Nun) for the day and weekend activities including free time at the Angkor Wat temples.
Week 6:Expedition Vietnam: Mekong Delta and Saigon. Travel by bus and boat from Siem Reap to Saigon. Explore the bustling streets of Saigon and learn about the culture, before sand boarding on the dunes of Mui Ne, on Vietnam’s East Coast.
Week 7:Expedition Vietnam: Vientiane: Mountain Biking. A mountain biking expedition across the Central Highlands and Vietnams east coast, before visiting the Marble Mountains and relaxing on beaches.
Week 8:Expedition Laos: Hue to Vientianne. Cycle to the imperial city of Hue and cross the border to Laos, heading to the capital city.
Week 9:Expedition Laos: Water Sports, wildlife and discovery. Exploring Lao’s cities including Luang Prabang – for many their favourite city in Asia.
Week 10:Expedition Laos: Trekking. Head to the northern hill tribes area for a three day trek revealing the region’s indigenous fauna and flora, before crossing into China.
Week 11:Expedition China: Tiger Leaping Gorge. Travel north for a three day trek through one of the World’s deepest canyons. Snow capped peaks, wild rivers and rural family stays.
Week 12:Expedition China: Giant Pandas and the Yangtze River. Watch giant Pandas and take a boat trip down the Yangtze, past the massive Three Gorges Dam.
Week 13:Expedition China: Terracotta Warriors and Great Wall Trek. The ancient city of Xi’an and the ever vigilant Terracotta Warriors. Then head to Bejing, the starting point for six days of walking on the great wall of China.
Week 14:Expedition China: Great Wall Trek. Finish the trek and relax in Bejing.
how this holiday makes a difference
This venture supports the Life and Hope Association Volunteer Project. As well as our guides you are also accompanied by local guides and project partners. Groups are kept to a maximum of sixteen people, big enough to help the local communities, but not big enough to have a negative affect themselves. Back in the UK we also have our own environmental policy and we believe this is where responsible travel should start, prior to departure. It is simple things that help and perhaps the biggest impact in the office comes from recycling paper, as a rule where possible we print on both sides of paper and it is not until it is completely beyond use that we then send it to be recycled.

All our development projects have been carefully chosen to satisfy several criteria. They are of definable and sustainable benefit to the indigenous community and allow us the opportunity to work in tandem with the host community. Funding for the projects comes directly from the Trust. For each person that joins us, we, as a company, give at least US $400 to the Trust. 100% of the money the Trust receives is spent on the projects.

All development projects are over-seen by a resident Project Manager whose role is to co-ordinate the adventures, the funding and the project's objectives. We are committed to direct patronage within the local economies of the countries in which we operate. We pay local tutors to teach languages; accommodation throughout the adventure is in locally owned hostels or based in the project locations; and the entire expedition budget will be spent by the team at local "grass roots" level.

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