Compare Cambodia: Pearls of Indochina Active Adventure by Wildland Adventures vs Discover Southeast Asia by G Adventures

Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi

Accommodations: Silk Path Hotel

Begin your adventure with a warm Vietnamese welcome after passing through customs. After transferring to your hotel for check-in, spend the afternoon exploring the remarkable city of Hanoi.

Day 2: Cycle through the countryside

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodations: Silk Path Hotel

Experience a unique bicycle ride starting in Hanoi’s back streets and transitioning into the quiet of the countryside. Knowledgeable guides will give you insight on the area while you cycle along at a leisurely pace.

Day 3: Halong Bay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodations: Bhaya Cruise

Take a shuttle to Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and home to the world’s largest marine karst landscape. Board a wooden junk built in the style of old Vietnamese court vessels and weave through the majestic bay, taking in the sights and grandeur of one of Vietnam’s most recognizable destinations. Explore floating fishing villages, take a kayak out for a paddle, or swim in the warm water. Evenings offer cooking demonstrations on deck, movies in the lounge, or squid fishing off the back of the junk.

Day 4: Halong Bay – Hanoi

Accommodations: Silk Path Hotel

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Wake to the astonishing landscape of Ha Long Bay and an optional Tai Chi lesson on deck. Begin cruising leisurely back to harbor, enjoying the breath-taking views. Stop along the way to swim at a secluded island or explore one of the biggest caves in Halong Bay. Disembark and take the shuttle back to your hotel in Hanoi.

Day 5: Hanoi - Luang Prabang

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodations: 3 Nagas

Fly to Luang Prabang. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel and then meet your guide and explore the historic and charming city of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Embark on a walking tour of the city featuring Wat Xieng Thong and the National Museum. Zig zag down the narrow side streets and discover hidden corners. Walk the 328 steps to the top of Phousi Mountain and watch the sunset over the city.

Day 6: Luang Prabang

Accommodations: 3 Nagas

Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Rise early to watch the giving of the alms and visit the morning market. Drive to the Living Rice Farm and learn how to plant, plough, harvest, and even cook rice in a fun half day experience.

Day 7: Luang Prabang

Accommodations: 3 Nagas

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Today you’ll get to spend a full day working with and receiving training on the basics of being a mahout at the Elephant Village, a conservation and rehabilitation project outside of Luang Prabang.

Day 8: Luang Prabang – Pakse

Accommodations: River Resort

Meals: Breakfast

Transfer to the airport and transfer to your hotel in Pakse, the gateway to Si Phan Don, the land of 4,000 islands. Pakse sits at the confluence of the Mekong River and the Don River and is known for its Mekong River-town lethargic charm. Pakse’s main appeal lies in sipping a cold Beerlao on the riverfront, soaking up the laid back vibe and preparing for your trip to Si Phan Don.

Day 9: Si Phan Don

Accommodations: River Resort

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Stop at the Khmer complex of Wat Phou en route to the village of Ban Nasasang where you’ll board a long tail boat and sail the islands. Keep an eye out for the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin as you drift along. Take a break from the water to hop on a bicycle and pedal across one of the larger islands to see Li Phi Falls

If you have an extra day it’s highly recommended to spend another day in this area exploring the waterfalls and coffee plantations of the Bolaven Plateau.

Day 10: Pakse - Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodations: Tara Angkor Hotel

Head to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel and settle in. Depart for the village of Mechrey Village on Tonle Sap Lake in the afternoon. As the sun begins to set, walk to the top of Bakheng Hill and watch the sun go down over the entire Angkor Wat site.

Day 11: Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodations: Tara Angkor Hotel

Wake before sunrise and depart for Angkor Wat, the largest and most breathtaking monument in all of Cambodia. Head back after breakfast and enter by the southern gate of Angkor Thom to see the temples of Bayon, Baphoun, Phimean Akas, the Royal Enclosure, the terraces of Elephants, and the Leper King. Drive to Ta Phrom, a jungle-clad temple and watch the sunset.

Day 12: Departure

Meals: Breakfast

Cycle through rural countryside to the famous temple of Banteay Srei, the "Citadel of Women." Continue cycling on rural roads, until you reach Kbal Spean, also known as the Valley of 1,000 Lingas. Put the bikes aside for a 2 mile moderate trek through the jungle to reach a river bed with submersed carvings. Break for a packed lunch before returning to Siem Reap to transfer to the airport in time for your international flight back home.

Day 1 Bangkok

Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included.

Upon arrival you will be transferred to the hotel. There are no activities planned until the evening welcome meeting. You are free to relax, explore the city, and adjust to the frantic pace of Bangkok.

At this meeting your CEO will ask to see your travel insurance, check that you have a visa for Vietnam and complete some other paper work. Please note that you MUST arrive on tour with your Vietnam visa. Please refer to the visa information section of these trip notes for more information on obtaining your Vietnamese visa.

Day 2 Bangkok/Chiang Mai

Set out to explore the Thai capital. Board a traditional klong boat for a ride along the city’s winding canals, gliding past quaint temples, modern skyscrapers, and houses perched above the water. Then explore the gardens, and courtyards of the dazzling Grand Palace, once the official residence of the Thai royal family, and gaze upon the sacred statue of the Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaew. Later, catch a flight to Chiang Mai.

Settle into exquisite surroundings in Chiang Mai and take a relaxing break from the fast pace of Bangkok.

Day 3 Chiang Mai

Delve into the bustle of Chiang Mai’s morning markets with a local chef, and learn about colourful fruits and fragrant herbs as you select ingredients for a Thai cooking class. Enjoy your creation for lunch, then set out to visit a historic temple. Sit down with one of the resident monks to discuss daily life and the tenets of Buddhism. Later, clear your mind to the chanting of monks at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of the most spectacular gilded temples in Thailand.

Monk Chats are a great cultural exchange, but is also important in helping the young Monks improve their English.

Our hotel is located in the heart of Chiang Mai city, a five-minute walk from the famous night bazaar.

Day 4 Chiang Mai

Spend a full day exploring Chiang Mai’s temples and forested hills on your own, or choose between a variety of optional activities. Opt to take a cycling tour through verdant rice paddies and the elegant historic district. This evening, visit a village outside of the city for a khantok-style dinner, served on low pedestal trays, and chat with your hosts about life in rural Thailand. Later, choose to visit Chiang Mai’s vibrant night market.

The Khantok dinner is a must-do when you reach northern Thailand. Khantok in the Northern dialect means a wooden tray used for carrying dishes, round in shape, made of teak wood. The host will invite guests to sit on the floor around the khantok. The main dishes on the khantok usually include sticky rice, hang-le curry (Burmese-styled curry), and some chili-pasted crispy pork. After, enjoy tea time with the opportunity to talk with local people to learn their way of living.

Day 5 Chiang Mai/Luang Prabang

Fly to Luang Prabang, a leafy Laotian city nestled at the meeting point of the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers. Take an orientation walk of the beautiful, UNESCO World Heritage-listed town, strolling past traditional wooden Buddhist temples and elegant French colonial buildings.

Day 6 Luang Prabang

Rise at dawn to observe the daily almsgiving ritual, when Buddhist monks walk through the streets collecting offerings of food from the local residents in exchange for blessings. Then visit the National Museum—formerly the Royal Palace—to see the golden Phra Bang Buddha statue for which the city is named; and explore the resplendent Wat Xieng Thong, one of Luang Pragang’s largest and most historic temples. Later, hop on a boat and float down the Mekong to the caves of Pak Ou, a religious site that harbours thousands of Buddha sculptures within its limestone chambers.

Day 7 Luang Prabang

Spend the morning at leisure in this enchanting town. Opt to visit the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, which exhibits handicrafts and cultural artifacts from around the country, or enjoy a drink in one of the town’s laid-back cafés. In the afternoon, venture into the lush countryside to visit the magical Kuang Si Waterfall. Relax by the waterfall’s tiered limestone pools and take a refreshing dip in the turquoise waters. Later this evening, opt to visit Luang Prabang’s bustling night market.

Day 8 Luang Prabang/Hanoi

Enjoy some free time in Luang Prabang before catching a late afternoon flight to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Day 9 HANOI/HA LONG BAY

Begin the day with a visit to the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, one of Vietnam’s most influential political leaders. Afterward, transfer to Ha Long Bay, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from serene, turquoise waters. Settle into your cabin on a traditional-style wooden boat or junk, where we’ll spend the night, and embark on a cruise of Bai Tu Long Bay, a more secluded section of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Continue to glide around the bay’s stunning karst formations, and explore the fascinating Me Cung cave with our local guide.

This traditional wooden sailing boat offers a unique way of navigating the limestone karsts of Ha Long Bay with all the comforts of a motorized, floating hotel. The boat crew will prepare an included seafood lunch and dinner. All cabins are twin share and have an en-suite bathroom. The boat features an enclosed dining and sitting area and of course plenty of outside deck space to enjoy your beautiful surroundings.

On rare occasion Ha Long Bay is closed to tourist vessels by the government authorities due to extreme weather conditions. Should this occur, an alternate activity will be provided.

Day 10 HA LONG BAY/HANOI

Return to land and head back to Hanoi. Enjoy lunch at Hoa Sua, a non-profit training restaurant for underprivileged Hanoi youth, and meet with one of the organizers to learn about the positive impact of the project. Then set out to discover Hanoi’s lively Old Quarter on a cyclo, a three-wheel bicycle taxi, whizzing past vendors hawking all manner of trinkets and roadside chefs cooking up sizzling street eats.

Classic French colonial architecture, beautiful decor and a scenic location makes Hanoi a fantastic place to visit. If local cuisine piques your interest, opt to pre-book the "Hanoi Foodie Culture Tour" on the checkout page ahead of time, to include this optional on your tour.

Day 11 Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City

Fly to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, and absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of this bustling metropolis on a cyclo tour. Later, opt to delve into the colourful aisles of Ben Thanh Market, known for an abundance of food stalls as well as shops selling handicrafts, textiles, jewelry, and electronics; and try your hand at bargaining.

Day 12 Ho Chi Minh City

Venture to the legendary Cu Chi tunnels, a network of underground passageways that provided a base for Viet Cong soldiers during the Vietnam War. Visit underground hospitals and ammunition stores, and learn about the vital role that the tunnels played in the eventual victory of the North. Later, visit the War Remnants Museum, a powerful reminder of the atrocities committed during the Vietnam War. Choose to take a tour of the Reunification Palace, the site which marked the end of the war.

Day 13 Ho Chi Minh City/Phnom Penh

Fly to Phnom Penh and explore the eclectic Cambodian capital on a cyclo tour. Pedal along the tree-lined riverfront past some of the city’s main sights, including the French colonial post office and the gleaming Royal Palace, where the king of Cambodia still resides. Then opt to visit the famous Foreign Correspondents' Club for sunset drinks.

Day 14 Phnom Penh

Today, we spend time learning about Cambodia’s tragic 20th-century past, visiting sites that commemorate the “killing fields” of the Khmer Rouge—a brutal regime that ruled the country from 1975 to 1979. Pay your respects to victims of the Cambodian genocide at the haunting Choeung Ek Memorial; and visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high-security prison where nearly 17,000 people were tortured and incarcerated during the Khmer Rouge’s years in power.

Day 15 Phnom Penh/Siem Reap

Drive to Siem Reap—the gateway to mystical Angkor. Take an orientation walk through the entertainment district and visit one of the city’s exciting night markets, an open-air maze of neon-lit stalls selling a kaleidoscopic array of products.

Please prepare yourself for a long driving day over roads that are not well maintained and often have heavy traffic. Please wear comfortable clothes, bring medication if you suffer from motion sickness and bring your tablet or book to pass the time. We will make rest stops along the way.

Day 16 Siem Reap

Spend the day exploring the ruins of Angkor, the magnificent 12th-century capital of the Khmer Empire. Wake early to watch the sunrise over the spires of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument ever built, and wander through the city’s mystical courtyards and jungle-covered temples with an expert local guide. Stop for a typical Khmer lunch at the New Hope Cambodia vocational training restaurant, a G Adventures–supported initiative that provides hospitality training to unemployed youth. This evening, we’ll enjoy a performance at a Cambodian circus, another social enterprise aimed at uplifting underprivileged young adults.

It can get very hot and humid walking around Angkor. Please wear lightweight clothes and good walking shoes, and be sure to drink lots of water to stay hydrated.

Day 17 Siem Reap

Continue to discover the archaeological wonders of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Angkor with our local guide. Opt to visit the Angkor National Museum, browsing its interactive galleries and stunning collections of relics; or choose to tour the floating villages of Tonle Sap lake, encountering lively communities complete with markets, clinics, and schools.

Day 18 Siem Reap

Depart at any time.