Accommodation: Hotel

Meals included: No

Welcome to Hanoi - the capital of Vietnam and start your tour with us! Meet your driver then transfer to Hanoi center, check in to your hotel at 2:00 pm before exploring this beautiful city. 

Overnight in Hanoi.

Note: Hotel check-in time: 14 pm

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, visitors depart to visit Cu Chi Tunnels, which is an underground defense system built by Viet Minh resistance officials from 1946 - 1948. The tunnel system includes clinics, rooms, kitchens, storage, and office. Length of about 250km, here is the Vietnam soldier’s battle base in the resistant American period. Have a short walk into the jungle to visit the traps, the secret entrance, the bunkers, and the underground hideouts.

In the afternoon we visit The Independence Palace symbolizes Vietnam's victory, peace, and territorial integrity. This place has a glamorous design, hundreds of rooms equipped with luxurious furnishings and decorations, and an enormous and gorgeous exterior space; continue to Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office: Built between 1877 and 1883 this is one of the best examples of classical French colonial architecture. End of the tour is Ben Thanh Market: This bustling market is very popular with tourists, primarily due to its central location. It has a wide selection of goods ranging from fake Nike shoes to beautiful silk Ao Dais.

Overnight in Saigon.

Accommodation: Homestay/Ecolodge

Meals included: Breakfast

Distance: 70 Km ~ 1.5 - 2 hours driving (depend on traffic)

Cycling: 33km ~ 2 hours

In order to avoid the Saigon city traffic we drive to Tan An this morning (2 hrs), from where we cycle towards My Tho, following a network of less busy roads and narrow riverside dirt tracks. Originally founded in the 17th Century by Chinese immigrants, My Tho is the launching site for our private boat trip out onto the mighty Mekong river. Taking our bikes with us on the boat we cruise to Qui Island where we stop for a lunch of local produce, before returning to our boat and cruising to the other side of the river. We transfer to small sampans to explore up a tributary creek through the mangroves, before visiting a local community centre. Here we should be able to try honey tea and local fruits whilst listening to traditional rural singing and music. We should also have the chance to see local coconut candy production and try out the finished sweets. We then continue by bike through the flat, lush landscape of the Mekong Delta to your accommodation in Ben Tre. The rich soil of the Mekong provides an abundant harvest, including coconut, fruits, rice and of course fish.

Overnight in Mekong.

Accommodation: City Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Distance: 90 Km ~ 2.5 hours driving (depending on traffic)

Cycling: 43km ~ 2 hours

Leaving our hotel after breakfast we cycle, crossing the river and riding along less busy roads via the old church at Cai Mon to Binh Hoa Phuoc Island for lunch. After lunch we cross by local ferry to Vinh Long from where we ride through a beautiful and incredibly fertile region to its largest city, Can Tho. Can Tho province is famous for its abundant rice fields and floating markets, which tend to take place at the intersections of most rivers and canals. Rice is an important cash crop for Vietnam and something like 70% of the population is involved in its production. We will likely see locals working in the rice paddies, or perhaps have the opportunity to visit a small business such as a fish factory or a market en route. Please note, there is the option to complete this last 22 kilometres/13.7 miles section of the journey by means of the support vehicle.

Drive to Can Tho. Overnight in Can Tho.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Cycling: 30km ~ 2 hours

This morning we take our bikes again, to meander our way down narrow lanes following the river, to experience a little more of rural Vietnam. One of the most colourful attractions of the Mekong are the floating markets and this morning we will visit Cai Rang, the biggest in the Mekong Delta. We travel by small private ferry up river to the market and spend some time exploring the floating stalls, soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the friendly attentions of the locals, before continuing along the river. Travelling by boat is by far the best way to see the delta, passing villages of stilted houses, abundant rice fields and a variety of cottage industries as we go gives us the opportunity to examine this timeless landscape at a relaxed pace, viewing river life in all its traditional and colourful glory. 

After the boat trip we will enjoy a cyle ride along narrow footpaths meandering alongside the river bank behind local homes, catching a glimpse of everyday life, perhaps seeing people catching fish from the river, or mending baskets and repairing tools by the river bank. The Vietnamese are renowned for their ingenuity and can create all sorts of new items from recycled products.

Overnight in Can Tho.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Distance: 116 Km ~ 3 hours of driving (depending on traffic)

Cycling: 30km ~ 2 hours

Today we drive to northeast towards Chau Doc on the Cambodian border. Once past Long Xuyen we begin cycling on quieter back roads along a trail that loops around to Chau Doc. With a rich ethnic mix of Chinese, Cham and Khmer communities, Chau Doc is an interesting city, dotted with temples, churches and mosques. 

On arrival anyone may like to pay for an optional excursion to Sam Mountain, just a few kilometres/miles south-west of the city. This involves travelling by rickshaw and then boat up the Mekong to visit a floating fishery and local Cham village, before continuing on foot to Sam Mountain (actually no more than a hill) riddled with stunning colourful temples and pagodas with a strong Chinese influence and great views from the top on a clear day across into neighbouring Cambodia.

Overnight in Chau Doc.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

This morning we drive the short way to the Mekong river dock and journey to Phnom Penh by speedboat ferry, crossing the border at Vinh Xuong (Vietnam) and Kaam Samnor (Cambodia) before continuing along the Mekong, as we head for the Cambodian capital. The boat journey will take the whole morning (4 hrs) and allows us a relaxed and fascinating view of riverside life, businesses and countryside as we pass by. On arrival at Phnom Penh we transfer to our hotel and have some time to relax before an afternoon city tour. The capital is a pleasant and fascinating city with many French colonial buildings and plenty to see. 

Our tour includes the National Museum of Arts with its impressive collection of Angkor sculptures, the Royal Palace where we visit the Silver Pagoda, named because of the 5000 silver tiles that cover its floor and Wat Phnom where we can pray for good luck. According to legend the original pagoda was built on this site in the 14th Century, to house 4 statues of Buddha that had been washed up on the shores of the Mekong. The legend goes on to say that the statues were then found by a woman named Penh, after whom the city is supposedly named. Phnom means hill in Cambodian.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Cycling: 20km ~ 1 hour

After a short drive up river we cycle to catch a Mekong ferry across to the peaceful Koh Dach Island which we will explore by bike. Our route takes us through weaving villages and past stilted houses. This charming, secluded and sleepy island is small at just 30 square kilometres/11.6 square miles in size and offers a peaceful contrast to the bustle of Phnom Penh. Known locally as 'Silk Island' the ladies here weave silk scarves on wooden looms in their homes, for sale in the markets on the mainland. We will likely hear the clatter of looms and see children and animals by the side of these quiet roads as we cycle. We later return to the capital in time for lunch. Our afternoon excursion is a stark reminder of the horrors endured by the Cambodian people under the tyranny of Pol Pot. 

The Tuol Sleng genocide museum and the 'Killing Fields' of Choeung Ek are a gruesome testament to life under the Khmer Rouge and you should be aware that many people find their visit quite distressing. Tuol Sleng genocide museum was once a high school which became the Khmer Rouge's main torture and interrogation centre, detaining and processing the unfortunate souls who were to end their days in the 'Killing Fields' of Choeung Ek. During the years 1975 to 1978 something in the region of 17,000 men, women and children were murdered here and the memorial stupa is a huge glass tower filled with human skulls - a sombre reminder of the scale of Pol Pot's atrocities.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

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Accommodation: Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Cycling: 30km ~ 2 hours

Today is a long travelling day, by both bicycle and bus. We leave Phnom Penh this morning, following the highway for 1 hr 30 mins to an interesting insect market. After visiting this, we contunue by bus (45 mins) to Prae Toteung, where we take to the saddle again to follow the river to Kampong Cham (depending upon seasonal conditions we may have to take the highway). Cambodia's 3rd largest city, Kampong Cham was an important French trading outpost and the colonial influence is still very much in evidence. We finish our cycle ride at Kampong Cham. After lunch we stop first to visit Wat Nokor, an 11th century Mahayana Buddhist shrine, interesting for the fact that it houses a modern working wat inside the Khmer temple ruins, we then continue by bus again (3 hours with rest break) to Kampong Thom, close to the impressive collection of pre-Ankorian temples at Sambor Prei Kuk.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Cycling: 28km ~ 1 hours

This morning we head off early by bike directly from our hotel to explore the quiet country roads and tracks north of Kampong Thom to Sambor Preikuk. This was the capital during the Chenla period of the early 7th Century. Today the forests of the area are dotted with more than 100 temples, some of the oldest in the country. We finish cycling at a classic ancient temple, which we spend time exploring on foot, before continuing along the road in our trip bus (3 hours) to Siem Reap. This evening is free to explore the great shops and restaurants of this small, bustling town - the entry point to visit the spectacular temples of Angkor.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Accommodation: City Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Cycling: 25km ~ 1 hours

The Angkor period covers some 600 years, from the 9th through to the 15th Centuries, although many of its more famous temples date from the Classical Age, from the 11th to 13th Centuries. We start early this morning (c. 5 am) to collect our Temple passes and have a sunrise visit to the awesome spectacle that is Angkor Wat, the best known and most breathtaking of all the sights and a highlight of any visit to Angkor. Originally built as a funerary temple for Suryavarman ll, in honour of Vishnu, the temple is unique as it faces west - symbolically the direction of death. It is an immensely grand and imposing structure with its most stunning features, the extensive and intricately carved bas reliefs that stretch throughout the galleries and inner temples. 

After exploring the temple we take to our bikes and cycle to Banteay Srei, with its stunningly preserved bas reliefs. We spend time visiting the temple, before having lunch. In the afternoon we drive south to see Ta Phrom, a wonderfully atmospheric collection of towers and courtyards set amidst tangled tree roots and lush jungle. Then drive back to Siem Reap. This evening is free to relax and explore Siem Reap.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Accommodation: City Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Cycling: 15km ~ 1 hours

We continue our exploration today with a visit to the temples of King Jayavarman Vll, reputedly Angkor's greatest king. The fortified city of Angkor Thom, built at the end of the 12th Century, is enclosed by a square wall 8 metres/26 feet high with five 20 metres/66 feet high monumental gates decorated with stone elephant trunks. Originally the moat surrounding the city was said to be filled with crocodiles and the huge statues of 54 different gods protected each gate. The city itself contains another of Angkor's true gems - the Bayon. Not nearly as impressive as Angkor Wat from a distance, the Bayon is nevertheless incredible for its maze of corridors, gothic style towers and magical central temples, with 1200 metres/3937 feet of the finest bas reliefs depicting scenes of every day life in 12th Century Cambodia. 

We take our bus (may be possible to cycle) from our accommodation to a market en-route to Angkor Thom and from here cycle the rest of the way to the temple. After visiting the ruins this morning we drive back to Siem Reap in time for lunch. This afternoon is free time. You may wish to make your own arrangements to take a tuc tuc back to Angkor to spend more time exploring the temples, or have the optional excursion (unguided) to visit Tonle Sap, about 30 mins drive south of Siem Reap.

Meals included: Breakfast

Transfer to the airport for onward flight. Make sure to keep in touch with new friends you found during the trip and don’t forget to share your wonderful journey and reviews with us on our social media