Thailand, Cambodia and the Mighty Mekong

Join your tour group at the hotel.

Montien Hotel Surawong, Bangkok (5-star)

Experience the chaotic charm of Bangkok on this morning’s included tour. First off, we’ll admire some of the country’s finest Thai-Buddhist architecture amongst the gilded spires and intricately carved temples of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, home to the treasured Emerald Buddha. After that it’s a short walk to Wat Pho, which has the biggest collection of Buddha images in Thailand (over 1,000) as well as its largest Reclining Buddha; all 46 metres of it wrapped in gleaming, gold-leaf.

Montien Hotel Surawong, Bangkok (5-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Bangkok city sightseeing tour (morning)

We journey by road from the urban sprawl of Bangkok to the peaceful province of Kanchanaburi. Here, we’ll explore the harrowing stories and history behind the Burma Railway, known as the ‘Death Railway’, which was built using forced POW labour during WWII. We’ll take a ride on the train and see the Bridge over the River Kwai - heavy with history and made famous in film - and after lunch we’ll visit the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, resting place for almost 7,000 British and Allied soldiers. Lastly we’ll witness Hellfire Pass and its Memorial Museum, which tells the human suffering behind this infamous engineering feat, before we return to Bangkok.

Montien Hotel Surawong, Bangkok (5-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: The Burma Railway ‘Death Railway’, Kanchanaburi War Cemetery and Hellfire Pass and Memorial Museum (all day)

It's on to Cambodia today, crossing the Phsar Prom Border on foot to meet our Cambodian guide. After passing through immigration, we’re on the road to laid-back Battambang. This afternoon’s walking tour takes us over the Sangker River to see some of the architectural surprises in this historic small town, like the art deco-inspired Central Market and Sangker Cinema with its white modernist façade. Later, we’ll visit nearby Wat Kor to see heritage Khmer homes built over a century ago and get our first taste of Khmer village life.

Classy Hotel & Spa, Battambang (3-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Battambang sightseeing and visit to Wat Kor village (afternoon)

It’s all about the views this morning as we visit 11th-century Wat Phnom Banan. Set on a 400m-high hill, the views across the surrounding Cambodian countryside are breathtaking. After that we’ll ride on the famous Battambang Bamboo Train. Sitting on straw mats laid across a simple bamboo flatbed, this rickety and sometimes bumpy ride is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience! This afternoon we’ll continue our journey to Siem Reap, gateway to the temples of Angkor, and this evening we’ve arranged a visit to the Big Top of Phare, whose young circus performers enthral audiences with their acrobatics and stories about Cambodian history and folklore.

Borei Angkor, Siem Reap (5-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Wat Phnom Banan temple visit and Bamboo Train ride (morning)

Cultural evening including Phare Cambodian Circus (evening)

The first stop on today’s temple tour is 12th-century Bayon, known as the ‘face temple’ thanks to the 216 smiling Avalokiteshvara faces carved into its façade. Next it’s Ta Prohm, whose crumbling walls have been swallowed by root systems from the surrounding jungle - an atmospheric testament to its age. Finally, we come to Angkor Wat, the most exquisite and complete structure in the whole complex, where we’ll hear about its myths, stories and religious history from an expert local guide. After lunch at a local restaurant, spend an afternoon relaxing at the hotel.

Borei Angkor, Siem Reap (5-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Temple tour including Bayon and Angkor Wat (morning)

Today we turn our focus to the water, specifically the stilted Khmer villages on Tonlé Sap Lake, which farm fish and vegetables on floating platforms. Boarding a local boat we’ll sail out through mangrove forests, keeping a look out for birds and wildlife, to visit one of these fascinating floating communities. We’ll get hands on in the art of broom making with a local family, and help with village chores - farming, fishing or taking care of animals - during a guided walk. After a simple Khmer lunch, there’s time to see or try more activities, or just chat with the villagers about life on the lake. Heading back to Siem Reap, we’ll stop at a Buddhist temple to receive a blessing from the monks and tonight we’ll take our seats for a traditional Apsara Dance show - a memorable end to a memorable day.

Borei Angkor, Siem Reap (5-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Tonlé Sap Lake with visit to Khmer communities (morning)

Cultural evening with Apsara Dance show (evening)

We leave Siem Reap behind and make our way through the scenic Cambodia countryside to Phnom Penh. Arriving later this afternoon, there’s time to rest before this evening’s Mekong River cruise, when we’ll watch the sun set over the spires and skyscrapers on the Phnom Penh skyline.

Palace Gate Hotel, Phnom Penh (5-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Mekong River sunset cruise (evening)

Today we’ll lean into the history of Cambodia and Phnom Penh. Starting at the Royal Palace with its ornate roof and curlicue spires, we’ll gaze at the Silver Pagoda with its silver-tiled floor before our morning takes a darker turn with a visit to the Tuol Sleng Museum which documents the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge against the Cambodian people. Then it’s the landmark art deco Central Market, a noisy hubbub where you’ll find everything from Buddhas to bandanas. After lunch, we’ll up the tempo as we board a speedboat for the next leg of our Mekong River tour. Passing the rice fields and grassy meadows of the Mekong Delta, and perhaps the occasional water buffalo, it’s a thrilling way to arrive in Vietnam.

Victoria Chau Doc Hotel (4-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Visit to Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (morning)

Tuol Sleng Museum (morning)

Speed boat ride on the Mekong River to Vietnam (afternoon)

This morning’s walking tour of Chau Doc reveals a bustling town of winding streets and stilted river houses. Bang in the middle we find Chau Doc market where, surrounded by fragrant and vividly coloured fruit, vegetables, fish and fish sauce, we’ll learn about the role of agriculture in the region. Later we’ll see a different side to life in rural Vietnam as we take a small boat downriver to a Muslim Cham village, whose mosques and stilted houses have a distinct architectural style. Back on board we’ll cruise to Sam Mountain, the highest peak in the Mekong Delta and a Buddhist pilgrimage site, for spiritual temples and spectacular views over the surrounding paddy fields.

Victoria Can Tho (4-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Chau Doc walking tour (morning)

Boat ride to Cham village and Sam Mountain (afternoon)

We’re on the water again today as we head to My Tho, to board a motorised wooden sampan and head out across the Mekong Delta to the floating farms around Tan My and Tho Son islands. We’ll chat with the fishermen, and then swap our sampan for a rowboat to scull the little canals shaded by water coconut trees. Then it’s on by bicycle to learn about other local cottage industries like mushroom cultivation, bee keeping and a weaver who makes straw hats and baskets. After tucking into Mekong delicacies for lunch, eaten al fresco in a family’s garden, we head back to the sampan to return to the mainland, and drive back to Ho Chi Minh City in the late afternoon.

Mai House Saigon (5-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Mekong Delta cruise and bicycle tour visiting local cottage industries (all day)

Once known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is as fast and furious as it is timeless and serene. Today’s tour shows us both sides of the city, starting at Vinh Nghiem, the first traditional Vietnamese pagoda in Vietnam to be constructed in concrete. We’ll see history first-hand at the War Remnants Museum and at Reunification Palace, which witnessed the end of the Vietnamese War in 1975. And we’ll visit the Central Post Office which was designed by the French architect Gustav Eiffel. Lastly, we’ll explore the graceful curves of one of the city’s most flamboyant and beautiful buildings, the Saigon Opera House. Spend this afternoon at leisure, exploring more of the city or relaxing at the hotel.

Mai House Saigon (5-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Guided sightseeing in Ho Chi Minh City (morning)

This morning we’ll delve deeper into Vietnamese history as we go underground at the Cu Chi Tunnels. We’ll watch a video about life for the Viet Cong soldiers who lived there, and see the rooms and passageways where they hid, housed troops, transported supplies and made their resistance plans. Today, the Cu Chi Tunnels are seen as a testament to the spirit and resilience of the Vietnamese people. After an afternoon at leisure, tonight we’ll toast the end of our tour with a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Mai House Saigon (5-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels (morning)

Say goodbye to your tour group for your onward travel.

Ho Chi Minh City