Indochina Off The Beaten Track Tour 15 Days

Free at leisure to explore the Hanoi Capital. Overnight stay in Hanoi.

Have breakfast and enjoy your last minutes in your hotel.

8:00 am: check out of your hotel and start to go straight to Mu Cang Chai Ecolodge (it takes around 6,5 hours of driving), on the road you will have an opportunity to explore the hill tea in Thanh Son and then you can taste the local green tea here. You continue on the mountain road to visit Nghia Lo Town then enjoy lunch in the local restaurant. From Nghia Lo our driver starts to go to Tu Le ( the area of Thai minority - from August to Oct, you can see the bustling activities when the locals start to make the specialty Com – Green rice flakes) and then start going up the famous Khau Pha Pass. This mountain pass is known as one of the 4 greatest passes in Northern Vietnam. The scenery over the valley from the pass is so stunning at the rice reason, especially during the harvesting time. Stop for photo opportunities on the way to Mu Cang Chai. Arrive in Mu Cang Chai Ecolodge, and check in. Have dinner & overnight at Mu Cang Chai Ecolodge.

From Jan to Apr and from Oct to Dec: Pao Khat to La Khat | 5 km easy walk – 2 hours |

Morning itinerary

We start walking from the small village of H’mong which is named Pao Khat, and then we walk on a small trail, following the terrace fields. You will enjoy the fresh air cool in the middle of nature and mountains. When you go on a small road in the forest, you will have the opportunity to look at the forest orchid flowers and hear the birds singing and the occasional squirrel in a tree. After 2 hour walk, you will encounter villages where the ethnic minority Hmong live, where you'll discover extremely simple lives and many wild characters. Yet Indigenous people could not communicate with us because of the language barrier, but they are very friendly and open and welcome when we visit home. Leaving the village of the Hmong people you will be completely surprised to see the valley of terraced fields, which is the mark of human impact on nature in a harmonious way. We can imagine the space carved by the hands of the artists. GO back to Ecolodge for Lunch.

Afternoon itinerary

Exploring the hill tribe | 7 km easy walking – almost 3,5 hours

14h00: We depart for a visit to the Thai village. From the Ecolodge you will drive to Sang Village where the Hmong live. Then you walk for 2 hours on the trail, it is also the border between the two provinces of Yen Bai and Son La. Standing on the trail, you watch the spectacular terraced fields in Ngoc Chien Valley. The beautiful scene here is considered an ideal destination for photographers and painters. Standing down from above, you will be startled and ask yourself is the work of man or god. Continue in the pine forest and down the valley, you will discover the life of the Thai minority. The stilts located along the stream as the symbol of the Thai people from ancient times. Then you have time to go through the small streets in the village to interact with the local people, in the quite late afternoon when the degree of temperature is lower, you can ask the tourist guide the host-spring and you can get there to soak your body before going back to Ecolodge.

From May to Oct:

Terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai widely exist in the Mu Cang Chai plateau but most sites of terraced fields(villages) in Mu Cang Chai we visit are above 3, and "La Pan Tan terraced fields" are the biggest and most beautiful terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai

8h30: After refueling with a quality breakfast at Ecolodoge, the car will take you 12km to La Pan Tan (This place is honored as the paradise of terraced fields). You start the day's journey by climbing some winding slopes, But rest assured, because your fatigue will soon be well compensated, the whole scene here is likened to a fairy tale, Its grandeur and grandeur are the factors that make it very very popular, You will have to try to save the battery of your phone and camera! After about 2.5 hours of walking, you will meet the symbol of Mucangchai, which is the image of a large and round terraced field like a golden tray in the middle of the vast mountains. A light lunch at a local restaurant or a take-out Picnic is the optimal solution for today's stretch. After lunch, we take the car again and continue for about 4km to reach a new point to conquer, Mang Mu Commune is still very poor, and H'mong villages are scattered along the way. This is your chance to meet and interact with the people, although they are poor, they are very friendly and easy to get to know. After about 1h30 of climbing, you will come to the center of the most beautiful terraced fields, if you have a rich imagination, you will realize the terraced fields here like Horseshoe. This is a new photography location that is very popular with professional photographers. After admiring this majestic sight, you begin your downhill descent and drive your car ready to take you back to Ecolodge. While waiting for dinner, bring out your phone and camera to count how many you've taken!

After breakfast, check out of the room and make our way back to Hanoi. Lunch is on the way. Overnight in Hanoi.

Today, depart from Hanoi for a 2.5-hour drive to Tuan Chau harbor via the new highway. You will be welcomed aboard and set sail through the bay while lunch is served. You will pass through the magical bay, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the waves like dragons' teeth. After lunch, you will take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay dotted with golden sails, and then go swimming on a quiet beach or sunbathing on the sundeck. Later in the afternoon, you will visit an interesting fishing village with the opportunity to interact with fishermen who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. Back on board, you can enjoy cocktails while watching the sunset. Later, you will unwind at a lavish dinner before an overnight stay on the deluxe junk. Overnight on cruise.

Greet the day with a morning tai chi session, with an opportunity to view the sunrise over the bay. After breakfast, you will visit a beautiful limestone grotto and then go back to the boat for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. Checkout is at 11:45 am and the boat arrives at the harbor by noon for the drive back to Hanoi airport for your onward flight to Danang. Upon arrival, you will be picked up and transferred to the hotel. Overnight in Danang.

Free at leisure to explore Hoi An Ancient town. Overnight in Hoi An.

Free at leisure to explore Hoi An Ancient town. Overnight in Hoi An.

Free at leisure until transfer to airport for flight to Siem Reap. Upon arrival, our driver will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit Angkor Thom, the South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple, built from the late 12th century to the early 13th century by King Jayavarman VII and consists of 54 towers, the Royal Enclosure, the Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King, then visit Preah Khan temple, built by King Jayavarman VII dedicated to his father. It is a huge, highly exportable monastic complex, and served as a Buddhist monastery and school, engaging over 1000 monks. Afternoon, visit Ta Prohm, surrounded by jungle and followed by visit Angkor Wat, the largest temples in world and covers an area of 200 hectares and surrounded by moat and an exterior wall measuring 1300 meters x 1500 meters. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Breakfast at the hotel - Tonle Sap where we will enjoy a boat ride (private boat and guide) on the Tonle Sap lake. This is the largest permanent freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and flows into the Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. We will see a fishermen's "floating village" with floating schools, a floating police station, etc. It is the same as a big village floating on the lake, and the "village" moves from place to place following water levels and currents. Transfer to Battambang. The same afternoon, we are also enjoying the bamboo train village with the great experience of sliding on this funny train at Oudombong Village. Overnight at a hotel in Battambang.

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive along the picturesque Sangker River to Wat Slaket Pagoda, the residence of the provincial Buddhist patriarch Continue to visit Wat Ek Phnom. Visit a market where Prahoc, the Cambodian fish paste, is made. Afternoon, drive to Phnom Sampeou Mountain, steeped in legend, and topped by Wat Sampeou and a group of caves used as ‘killing caves’ by the Khmer Rouge, containing the skeletal remains of their victims. We will also visit natural caves including spectacular. Your visit will last until dusk – a time when millions of bats emerge from a cave and create patterns as they fly in tandem across the sky – a nightly spectacular show of nature! Return to Battambang and Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel – Transfer back to Siem Reap. Afternoon, take Tuk Tuk (the local means of transport) to visit the Angkor National Museum known as the grand entrance to a world-class heritage that reveals the glory of the Angkor Civilization. This museum enhances the cultural heritage of the Golden Era of the Khmer Kingdom through an amassed collection of invaluable artifacts and a state-of-the-art multimedia technology exhibition for a full picturesque legendary story. Next, visit Artisan D’Angkor, a handicraft center the Handicraft center for the wood and stone carving processes, and the local market. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Free at leisure until transfer Siem Reap International Airport for your departure.