MEKONG SOFT ADVENTURE TOUR (9 days)

MEKONG SOFT ADVENTURE TOUR
(9 days)
Day 1: Arrival - HO CHI MINH CITY (-/-/-)
On arrival at Tan San Nhat Airport, you are met and transferred to hotel for check in.
The afternoon we stroll around Saigon’s downtown.
O/N in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 2: CITY TOUR + CU CHI TUNNELS (B/-/-)
A half-day tour of Ho Chi Minh City takes in the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office, and a lacquerware factory. Then transfer to Chinatown to visit Thien Hau Pagoda and Binh Tay Market.
Afternoon: Transfer about 30km north-west of Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi town. Cu Chi tunnels were used as the base from which the Vietnamese mounted their operations of the Tet Offensive in 1968. The Cu Chi Tunnels consist of more than 200km of underground tunnels. This main axis system has many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters, and entrances to other tunnels, the tunnels are between 0.5 to 1m wide, just enough for a person to crawl along.
O/N in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 3: HO CHI MINH CITY - MY THO - BEN TRE - CAN THO (B/L/-)
In the morning, transfer to My Tho, take a boat trip downstream to Ben Tre, where you have the opportunity to discover the local people life in Mekong Delta with coconut candy mill, fruit gardens followed by fruit tasting, rice paper mill... Biking or transfer by horse carriage on village road. Lunch at a local restaurant on island with local specialty of "Deep fried Elephant - Eared fish". End then proceed to Can Tho.
Arrive in Can Tho, the city located on Mekong Delta bank.
O/N in Can Tho.
Day 4: CAN THO - CHAU DOC (B/-/-)
After breakfast at hotel, transfer to Ninh Kieu wharf for a boat trip to visit Cai Rang floating market. Time for taking part to the local activities and photo shoot. Then continue by boat through small canals to see more local daily life. Walk to visit small boat building local village before returning to the wharf. The car picks up and proceed to Chau Doc. Arrive in Chau Doc, visit of Sam Mountain and Chua Su Temple.
O/N in Chau Doc.
Day 5: CHAU DOC - PHNOM PENH by boat (B/-/-)
Morning boat trip to visit fisher villages. Then board on high-speed boat to Phnom Penh. Arrive in Phnom Penh in the afternoon. Upon arrival at Phnom Penh wharf, meets and transfers to hotel.
PM: At leisure.
O/N in Phnom Penh.
Day 6: PHNOM PENH (B/-/-)
The private quarters of the Royal Palace are now home to the royal family and are therefore very close to the public. At the northern area of the palace grounds is Silver Pagoda, the most sacred shrine in the country. We visit both structures as well as the legendary temple of Wat Phnom before continuing to the National Museum, dedicated exclusively to Khmer art and sculpture. The majority of the exhibits are from the Angkor period (9th to 15th Century), but some date from as early as the 4th Century. The Tuol Sleng Prison Museum and the notorious ‘Killing Fields’ of Choeung Ek are not to be missed. A visit to these sights provides us a deep insight into the painful bloody rule of the Khmer Rouge.
O/N in Phnom Penh.
Day 7: PHNOM PENH - SIEM REAP by boat (B/-/-)
After breakfast, board on high-speed boat for an excursion on TonleSap Lake to Siem Reap. Arrive in Siem Reap in the early afternoon.
PM: In the afternoon, visit the most famous of all the temples on the Angkor plain: Angkor Wat. The temple complex cover 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat's five tower symbolize Meru's five peaks, the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat symbolizes the ocean beyond
Sunset from Phnom Bakheng, one of two hills dominating the plain of Angkor, from where you will have a spectacular view of the Western Baray and Angkor Wat
O/N in Siem Reap.
Day 8: SIEM REAP (B/-/-)
Breakfast at hotel
AM: Visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century). See the South Gate (with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk), Bayon Temple(unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.
PM: Visit the floating village of the Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Take a traditional wooden boat for a ride on the Tonle Sap, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia and the largest in Asia
In the afternoon, visit "Les Artisans d'Angkor - Chantiers Ecoles" of Siem Reap and time at leisure at the local market.
O/N in Siem Reap.
Day 9: SIEM REAP (B/-/-)
Breakfast at hotel
In the morning, you will continue your temple visits. Included are Prasat Kravan (with its unique brick sculptures), Srah Srang ("The Royal Boths" was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by four concentric walls), Eastern Mebon (guarded at its corner by stone figures of harnessed elephants, some of which are still in a reasonable state of preservation) and the "Mountain Temple" of Pre Rup.
In the afternoon, transfer to the archaeological site and continue to the temple tour. Visit Ta Prohm, one of the most beautiful temples in the area. Ta Prohm has been left relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery
Then, visit Takeo, Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda temples.
O/N in Siem Reap.
Day 10: SIEM REAP - Departure (B/-/-)
Breakfast at hotel. Ai leisure until transfer to Siem Reap airport for departure to the next destination.

Cost in US$ per person in the party (valid 30 Sep'09)	MEKONG SOFT ADVENTURE TOUR
	Standard	First	Superior
2 pax
3 - 6 pax
7 -10 pax
11 - 14 pax
15 - 19 pax
20 pax & plus
Single supplement
Full board supplement

INCLUDING:
• Accommodations at hotel
• Transfers by private A/C vehicles as per the program
• Boat ticket Chau Doc - Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh - Siem Reap
• English or French speaking guides
• Meals: L = Lunch, D = Dinner
• All entrance fees, boat fees where mentioned
• Cold mineral water & towel during the trips
EXCLUDING:
• Visa fee to Vietnam & Cambodia
• Travel insurance against any personal injury of illness and damage of the property incurred during the course of this trip.
• International air tickets to Saigon (Vietnam) and from Siem Reap (Cambodia).
• Departure airport tax.
• Personal expenses such as: drinks, phone calls, laundry, tip...etc.