Full Itinerary

Day 1: UK Airport / Siem Reap

Depart on a choice of overnight flights to Siem Reap

Day 2: Arrive Siem Reap

On arrival you’ll be met by your private guide and transferred to the city centre where you check in to your choice of hotel for 2 nights. This evening you might like to visit the circus that performs nightly in the centre of town. We can
arrange tickets.

Day 3: Siem Reap - Private Guided Angkor Temples Highlights Tour (B / L)

This morning your private guide will pick you up for a private guided tour of the iconic Angkor Archaeological Park. Start off at Angkor Thom, the last great capital of the Khmer Empire. Highlights include the magnificent Bayon, one of the most recognisable sites because of the 54 towers adorned with 216 enigmatically smiling stone faces, the Terrace of Elephants, a giant viewing stand for public ceremonies and the Terrace of Leper Kings, whose walls boast beautifully carved nagas, demons and other mythological beings. In the low morning sun the carvings really stand out and as you stand on the Terrace of Elephants you get a great view across a parkland scene interspersed with giant trees protected in the National Park.

Then move onto the temple of Ta Phrom, jungle covered and pretty much left as originally found by European explorers to create a mystical atmosphere.

Back to Siem Reap (15 minutes away) for lunch and a rest in the hot midday. This afternoon return to explore Angkor Wat, the most famous and best preserved of all the Angkor temples. You’ll have time for a thorough exploration before climbing to the top of Pre Rup temple to watch the sunsetover the jungle. Back to the hotel by early evening.

Extra…The great thing about having your own specialist guide is that the itinerary can be tailored to you and be adapted on the ground to take advantage of local knowledge and keep ahead of the crowds. Angkor represents the universe in miniature and you could spend weeks touring round the thousand or so temples, so on this tour we focus on the highlights, but we can easily extend your stay.

Day 4: Board the Cruise (B / L /D)

You’ll be picked up mid-morning and transferred to the meeting point for your choice of 7 night Mekong River Cruise. Coach transfer to embarkation point stopping at Kampong Thom along the way. Embark early afternoon. Time to settle into your cabin and get a feel for the boat, before meeting your fellow passengers at the Welcome Dinner on the top deck.

Day 5: Cruise - Kampong Chhnang - Tonle Sap Floating Villages (B / L / D)

After breakfast board the tender boat “Pandaw Explorer” to visit the famous Tonle Sap floating villages & markets to see how the locals fish and tend their floating vegetable gardens. From here cruise back to Kampong Chhnang City for a walk along the River Walkway. Enjoyed by visitors and locals alike it’s the ideal place to take a leisurely stroll by the water. Tall palms and twisted bougainvillea vines shade bench seats dotted along the walkway.

Return to the ship and enjoy more close up views of local riverside life as you navigate the very narrow canals of the Tonle Sap River. After lunch board your local limousine (ox-cart!) to visit small farming villages, markets and temples. Tonight the crew will host a Cocktail Hour around a fire pit in one of the local Khmer villages where you can (optional) join in the dancing and learn about local culture.

Day 6: Cruise - Ancient Capital of Oudong - Silk Island (B / L / D)

Over breakfast it’s a short cruise along the Tonle Sap River to Kampong Trollach where you disembark and travel by coach to Cambodia’s ancient capital, Oudong. Visit the Vipassana Dhura Meditation Centre for a morning of relaxation & meditation before taking a drive around the old capital. After lunch dock at Koh Nghe Tei (Silk Island) to study the silk-making process from worms to weavers. You’ll have the chance to visit silk shops and purchase the locally made products before enjoying a demonstration of the ancient martial art of L’bokator. L'bokator roughly translates as 'pounding a lion' and is one of the oldest fighting disciplines in Cambodia, widely thought to be the close quarter combat system used by the armies before Angkor 1,700 years ago. Back to the ship late afternoon.

Day 7: Phnom Penh City Tour with Killing Field (B / L / D)

The capital of Cambodia retains its French charm, with a few tatty edges. This morning explore the city by cyclo (cyle rickshaw). The city has several impressive wats (monastery temples), including Wat Ounalom, Wat Phnom and Wat Lang Ka. Pride of place goes to the Royal Palace and to the spectacular Silver Pagoda, one of the few places in Cambodia where artefacts embodying the brilliance and richness of Khmer culture were preserved by the Khmer Rouge. The National Museum is another highlight, with outstanding displays of Khmer crafts.

An afternoon excursion is included to the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge's grim Tuol Sleng or S21 detention centre, situated in the city suburbs. You then have time to shop at the Russian market or Central market. If you're interested in local designs and artwork that are a bit more exclusive than those found in the markets, make time to explore the side streets, especially Street 240 where you'll find many up and coming Cambodian designers and artisans, as well as less touristy restaurants and bars.

In the evening, if you get time, perhaps spend a bit of time in the city. A great place to start in the early evening is to take a tuk tuk to the riverside promenade. As you walk along the Mekong look across to the French colonial buildings that are interspersed with the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and National Museum. Evening is the time everyone congregates along the wide promenade with impromptu aerobics, football matches and time to catch up with friends. Back on the boat for dinner.

Day 8: Phnom Penh City to Vietnam - Border Crossing (B / L / D)

Today is spent cruising down the main Mekong channel, an international shipping route stopping at the Vietnamese border for immigration formalities. Moor this evening just over the border in Vietnam.

Day 9: Chau Doc - Cu Lao Gien (B / L / D)

This morning you’ll have chance to visit a Cham tribal village, a cat fish farm, and enjoy a trishaw ride round Chau Doc. Enjoy a relaxed lunch back on the boat watching river life pass by before visiting Cu Lao Gien Island and a Catholic monastery called "La Providence" built in 1875 by the French nuns of "Saint Paul de Chatres".

Day 10: Sa Dec - Cai Be (B / L / D)

Mornings are the best time on the river and today join a Sampan excursion to explore the Mekong’s spider web of canals and backwaters. You’ll stop at Cai Be’s colourful floating market and Sa Dec to see the local market and ancient house of Mr Huyn Thuy Le, the 'lover' of the novelist Marguerite Duras.

Day 11: Cai Be (B) - My Tho - Saigon

Early morning sail from Cai Be for My Tho, where you will disembark for the coach transfer to Saigon and 2 nights at your choice of hotel. Evening free to get your first taste of this vibrant city.

Day 12: Saigon - Full day private City Tour (B / L)

After breakfast your private guide will pick you up for a city tour. This morning’s highlights include the colonial Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Post Office & Opera House, as well as the Reunification Palace. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and then take time at the War Remnants Museum. From here move on to a tour of Chinatown and a Cyclo tour, which is a fun way of seeing street life and explore the smaller roads. Finish the day at bustling Binh Tay Market that sells everything from hats to dried squid from a maze of stalls. Evening free.

Day 13: Fly Saigon (B) / UK Airport

Morning free then airport transfer (or add a few nights on the beach) and fly home. Arrive back in UK the following morning.

Inclusions

What's Included
Each featured itinerary is really a starting point from which to create your ideal holiday.
We can include as much or as little as you like, mix and match hotels, excursions and experiences, add extra nights and change the destinations you'd like to visit.
The common thread is that each is a privately guided holiday, allowing you to travel where and when you want, with your own private transport and dedicated guide.

General Inclusions:

• Return scheduled international flights (optional if you would like to arrange your own)
• English speaking, local guide & driver
• Choice of hotel accommodation
• Transport in private air-conditioned vehicles
• Domestic flights detailed in itinerary
• Admission fees to all attractions, temples and activities as mentioned in the itinerary
• All meals as detailed (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)

General Exclusions:

• Entry visas
• Optional Tours / Excursions
• Any meals not listed in the itinerary
• Drinks
• Personal expenses
• Tips for Guides / Drivers (discretionary)
• Travel insurance
• Any camera or video fees charged at sites

Where You'll Stay

 Hotels

The hotels below are there as examples, designed to act as a starting point from which to create your holiday. There are plenty of alternatives to choose from and when we quote we will include other suggestions so we get to understand your likes and dislikes. Quite often clients mix and match hotel categories throughout their holiday.

Cambodia

Vietnam

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