Inspiring Indochina (Luxury Gold - Summer 2017)

19 days
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4.6/5 Excellent
100+ reviews  
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Group Tour
Culturally influenced by both India and China, embrace the inspiring delights of Indochina, where you can explore a vast array of colourful performances, meet incredible people - like the headmaster of the Vietnamese Royal martial Arts - and learn about the fascinating history of this vibrant part of South-east Asia. See a traditional water puppet performance...

Overview

Trip type
Group Tour
Lodging level
Luxury - 5 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Full schedule

Highlights

    • Siem Reap: Join your Travelling Concierge for a Welcome Reception with drinks.
    • 16 Buffet Breakfasts (BB), 1 Continental Breakfast (CB), 6 Lunches (L) and 1 Highlight Lunch (HL); plus 1 Welcome Reception (WR), 1 Restaurant Dinner (RD), 4 Highlight Dinners (HD), 1 Dine-Around evening (DA) and 1 Dinner (DW) all with wine, plus tea or coffee.
    • Siem Reap: The mouth-watering dinner with drinks features the best of Cambodian cuisine.
    • Hue: Join a private dinner fit for royalty! At the Ancient Hue Restaurant, dress in traditional royal costume and savour an unforgettable dinner of dishes typically served to royalty.
    • Hue: Visit Dong Thuyen pagoda and dine on a delicious vegetarian lunch prepared by the Buddhist nuns. Chat with them and learn about their beliefs and practices.
    • Hoi An: Meet a local chef who will lead a hands-on cooking class, learn how to create some of the local specialities.
    • Hanoi: Join a local foodie to experience the best of Hanoi's street-food vendors on a walking tour of some of the most interesting areas of the city. Try local tastes, such as rice paper rolls and com cake.
    • Hanoi: Your Celebration Dinner will take place at the History Museum after it closes to the public, with a cocktail reception in the museum itself, before heading to the elegant courtyard to toast your newfound friends and enjoy dinner.
    • Luang Prabang: Join your Travelling Concierge for a Welcome Reception with drinks and a light meal, along with the chance to meet your travelling companions.
    • Luang Prabang: Enjoy a delicious dinner of local treats as well as an exclusive Q&A session with Mr Francis Engelmann - a UNESCO consultant who has worked at the Luang Prabang Conservation Authority. Mr Engelmann will answer your questions about Lao culture, history, customs and the natural environment.

What's this trip about?

    Culturally influenced by both India and China, embrace the inspiring delights of Indochina, where you can explore a vast array of colourful performances, meet incredible people - like the headmaster of the Vietnamese Royal martial Arts - and learn about the fascinating history of this vibrant part of South-east Asia. See a traditional water puppet performance, staged in a lotus pond and meet the puppet maker Visit the UNESCO Heritage Imperial Citadel in a private tour before it opens to the public Dine inside the captivating History Museum after hours, when it is closed to the public This is a small group itinerary with a maximum of 26 guests

Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeIntimate group - 12 max
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportN/A
Start CitySiem Reap
End CityLuang Prabang

Travel Themes

  • Cultural

Destinations

  • Asia
  • Vietnam

Attractions

  • Hanoi
  • Luang Prabang
  • Saigon

Activities

  • Culture

Trip includes

    • You will be escorted by the crème de la crème of Insight Travelling Concierges - handpicked for every departure.
    • This skilled guide will act as consummate organiser and be your 'friend in a foreign land'.Enjoy the unique comfort of Insight's luxury air-conditioned coach, complete with complimentary bottled water for you to enjoy during your luxury coaching tour.
    • (Throughout Indochina, no on-board washroom available.
    • Alternate coaches and vehicles, may be used on occasion).At every hotel, you'll be treated to seamless baggage handling with prompt delivery to inside your door.Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency.
    • Plus, we include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.Stay connected with friends and family with complimentary Wi-Fi at every hotel.With Insight Flourishes, from time to time, your Tour Director will enchant you with local tidbits, each representing authentic food or beverages unique to the destination.
    • Private airport transfers between the airport and your Insight tour hotels.
    • .

Popular Trips

Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1: Your Journey Begins

Board your overnight flight (not included).

Day 2: Arrive Siem Reap

Meet your Travelling Concierge and be transferred to your delightful hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure, there are 15 acres of beautifully manicured gardens in the hotel grounds for you to retreat to. Relax under the frangipani trees beside the magnificent pool ...

Day 3: Angkor Wat in Style

See beyond what most get to witness at one of the modern wonders and most important religious monuments in the world. Visit Angkor Wat in true style, with a renowned Khmer scholar from the Angkor Temple Conservation Institution. Learn about Khmer history, culture, arc...

Day 4: Ta Phrom, Ta Nei and Ta Keo

Journey into the hauntingly exotic atmosphere of Ta Phrom Temple, one of Angkor's jewels. Overgrown with fig trees and lush jungle, the magnificent roots of trees have merged over the centuries with the temple's huge stone blocks emphasising the forgotten city feeling...

Day 5: Dynamic Ho Chi Minh City

In the morning, transfer to the airport for your included flight to Vietnam. On arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, you will be greeted and transferred to the hotel. Enjoy some free time before a cocktail reception with traditional dance performances at the Art Salon Saigon, followed by your Welcome Dinner, enjoy a sophisticated atmosphere with live music for a night to remember!(BB / HD)

Day 6: The best of Saigon

Start the day sightseeing at high speed in our private chartered speedboat. See the changing faces of Vietnam from the glittering skyscrapers to the green paddy fields along the Saigon River. Your destination is the Cu Chi tunnels dug in 1948 for guerrillas to hide fr...

Day 7: Cruise the Mekong Delta

Cruise the Mekong Delta to see coconut production and processing and enjoy a taste of the freshest juice possible. See locals creaking bricks as they have for centuries with their small brick kiln. Take a tri-motor cycle along the village roads and stop at a rice nood...

Day 8: Hue in royal splendour

In the morning, board your flight to Hue for an unforgettable journey. Enjoy a cyclo ride through the rice fields to Thanh Toan village to the agriculture museum for an insight into rice production. At night, enjoy the royal treatment at Ancient Hue Restaurant. Dress in traditional costume and savour an unforgettable dinner with typical dishes served to royalty. (BB / HD)

Day 9: Hue

Rise early to visit the UNESCO Heritage Listed Imperial Citadel in a private session before it opens to the public. A renowned local historian will take you through the towering main gates to hear about the intrigue of the former royal court. After breakfast, visit th...

Day 10: Romantic Hoi An

Enjoy a scenic drive to Hoi An over the spectacular Hai Van Mountain pass. During your walking tour of Hoi An, visit the old merchant's houses, the Japanese Covered Bridge and Assembly Hall. Finally, visit the market with stalls brimming with local specialities. Enjoy...

Day 11: Learn from the locals in Hoi An

(Relaxed Start) Visit Cam Thanh Village, once a shelter for local people and soldiers during the Vietnam War, and now a village supplying seafood, vegetables and rice to the area. Board a bamboo basket-boat to ride to the Thanh Dong village and learn from the villager...

Day 12: Hanoi street-food tasting

Board a morning flight to Hanoi where in the afternoon you will enjoy an electric cart ride, seeing the Opera house, French Avenues, Sword Lake and the Jade Mountain temple. Then, join a local foodie for a taste of the street-food culture. On your guided walk, learn a...

Day 13: Cruise Halong Bay

Journey to Halong Bay to board your deluxe junk by lunchtime. Visit the mysterious Tien Ong Cave, and the Cua Van area. In the evening the choice is yours; participate in a cooking demonstration with the on-board chef, or relax on the top deck to watch the sunset. (BB / L / D)

Day 14: Halong to Hanoi

Greet the day with Tai Chi on the upper deck or take an early morning swim in the Bay before returning to Hanoi. Stop at Dao Thuc village to meet a traditional artisan puppet maker and see a water puppet performance in a lotus pond. The art dates back to the 10th c with a live orchestra playing the accompanying music. (BB)

Day 15: Exclusive Dinner at the History Museum

(Relaxed Start) Start the day with a visit to the Temple of Literature, where you will meet a renowned scholar to hear about this institution - the first University for the sons of mandarins. Learn about Hanoian culture and Vietnamese architecture before you tour the ...

Day 16: Farewell Vietnam Welcome to Laos

Your tour comes to an end after breakfast with a transfer to the airport for your onward flight. In the morning, board your included flight to Luang Prabang. There's free time to relax at your beautiful 5-star hotel before a light dinner tonight. (BB)

Day 17: UNESCO Heritage and Sunset Cruise

Start the day with a walk to the top of Mount Phousi to admire spectacular views across the Mekong and Khan rivers. Then, enjoy a UNESCO walk of the Heritage site, with plenty of time for you to see the sites as you want to. Your Travelling Concierge will take you thr...

Day 18: Natural beauty and local way of life

For the early risers, this a real treat! Embrace the opportunity to offer alms to the hundreds of saffron-robed monks - a truly awe-inspiring sight! Afterwards, see the town come to life during a visit to the bustling morning market. Following breakfast, head to Kuang...

Day 19: Depart Luang Prabang

Your tour draws to a close after breakfast, with private airport transfers timed to meet your onward flight. (BB)

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Dates & Availability

Price From $10,550
Price per day$555
Last Updated: 7/27/2021

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Insight Vacations.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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Insight Vacations

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As the global leader in premium tours, Insight Vacations delivers all the sights and insights of destinations up close and personal. Each tour is crafted in true comfort and style with premium 5 and 4 star hotels, small groups and customized coaches with extra leg room. The brand’s category leading dining options including the unique dine-around and dine-at-home experiences means that guests enjoy a culinary journey through the places they visit. An extensive Vegetarian option across all tour series further compliments the elevated dining offering. With a Make Travel Matter Experience®, that creates a positive impact for both the visitor and visited, plus also supports the United Nations sustainable Development Goals, included on each and every trip, Insight Vacations leads the way in immersive responsible travel.

Insight Vacations is part of the family-owned and run The Travel Corporation (TTC), driven by service for over one hundred years.

Why we love this operator
They really care about everyone's individual needs on each tour and they have an incredible attention to detail.
What they’re known for
Premium worldwide tours for curious travelers who want to get closer to the destination in comfort and style.

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Logistics

Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Age Requirements
No age restrictions
Trip ID
insightvacations-A604N12

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