CAMBODIA & VIETNAM

On arrival, you'll be transferred to your hotel in Siem Reap, where you'll meet your Koama Travel Tour Leader and fellow travellers for a welcome dinner this evening.

Meals: D
Accommodation: Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa ***** or similar.

Angkor Wat’s mind-bending temples, forest-shrouded tombs and mysterious monasteries are waiting for you to be discovered! We'll set out on a sunrise adventure through the temples of Angkor Wat and soak up in the unique atmosphere of the Khmer Empire’s capital. Rescued from their jungle embrace, the Angkor temples have the grand scale of the Great Wall, the iconic beauty of the Taj Mahal and the powerful symbolism of the pyramids. We'll pause for a light breakfast around this peaceful area and we'll explore the Angkor temples with one of our expert local guides, who will show you secluded spots for an intimate tour of the ruins, avoiding the crowds by visiting at select times.

You will enjoy your picnic lunch before travelling by road to the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom. It is known for the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King, which houses almost perfectly preserved carvings and, lying at the centre of Angkor Thom, the stunning Bayon Temple, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north. Your guide will point out the most interesting of the detailed bas reliefs illustrating everyday life in the Angkorian era. We will enjoy sunset drinks at Angkor Thom sailing on the complex's vast moat.

Free dinner tonight. Siem Reap has an abundance of fantastic restaurants, from rustic family-owned eateries offering traditional Khmer food to stylish restaurants serving cuisine from around the globe. The mix of distinctive local flavours (think pastes made from herbs, spices, and salted fermented fish) and fresh indigenous ingredients (Cambodian green giant eggplant and water mimosa, for example) results in a true culinary adventure of tastes, textures, and aromas, even for the most experienced and well-travelled of palates. Your Kaoma Travel Tour Leader will be more than happy to recommend and book the restaurant.

Meals: B, L
Accommodation: Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa ***** or similar.

After breakfast, we'll transfer to the Airport for a short flight to Phnom Penh. We'll transfer by private van to Tatai and we'll enjoy a short boat transfer to the luxury 4 Rivers Floating Eco-Lodge. Built on a pontoon, in the Botum Sakor Wildlife Sanctuary, it is the perfect embodiment of serenity and exclusivity, featured in the New York Times travel section as “bringing luxury to the untamed wilderness”.

Meals: B,L,D
Accommodation: 4 Rivers Floating Lodge or similar.

We will enjoy an early breakfast and we'll be ready for a taste of the jungle, an opportunity to observe small wildlife and have the bonus of a morning exercise. Firsthand the sights and sounds of the jungle as you venture forth into the undergrowth with your camera and experience the beauty of one of the world’s largest rainforests. It provides a sense of achievement and the chance to cool off in beautiful surroundings.

After lunch you will be cocooned in the comfort of your tent or you will choose an optional walk around the Koh Andet Island. Formerly a refuge from the Khmer Rouge, Koh Andet (Floating Island) is across the river and in front of your tent. Today it is a peaceful home to a dozen farming families.

It’s time to cruise off into the Cardamoms’ superb sunset aboard our boat. Snuggle up with that special someone as the sun paints the sky with colors that change from brilliant blues to deep yellows, oranges, pinks and reds. Before the sun sets, with the calm waters and the natural sounds of the surrounding forest to complement the romantic mood, you will sit back, relax and indulge your senses, with a glass of wine.

Meals: B, L, D
Accommodation: 4 Rivers Floating Lodge or similar.

After breakfast we will take a 45-minute boat ride past Tatai village to the falls. Tatai Falls reveals the river’s power as it drops 6 meters to the rocks below. Turning on to a tributary, we will head into the heart of the Cardamom jungle to the far-off sounds of exotic birds and its secretive wildlife. Within minutes we will be at journey’s end, gazing down into the turbulent waters of the falls. We will enjoy a natural hydro-massage with a refreshing drink, add fun and adventure kayaking and relax in the jungle shade for a picnic lunch.

Meals: B, L, D
Accommodation: 4 Rivers Floating Lodge or similar.

We will say goodbye to the lodge before admiring the landscape and the villages on the way to Phnom Penh.

Dinner will be free tonight. Phnom Penh serves up cuisine ranging from the hearty to the rarefied: Choose traditional Cambodian dishes from the provinces, such as deep-fried tarantulas and tree ants stir-fried with beef, eat fresh seafood prepared in an authentic local way inside a cozy fisherman's house surrounded by lush greenery or combines ancient Khmer cooking styles with the performing arts in a traditional Khmer wooden stilt home.

Meals: B, L
Accommodation: Rosewood Phnom Penh***** or similar.

After breakfast, we will enjoy a few hours Phnom Penh tour before embarking the ship between 12:30 and no later than 13:30, as the crew need our passport to process the immigration formalities for the border crossing. You'll relax on the ship cruising toward the Vietnam border.

Meals: B,L,D
Accommodation: RV Indochina Pandaw or RV Mekong Pandaw

Early sailing to the Vietnam border for formalities and during this stationary period, there is an optional tour of the working ship and fruit carving classes on deck. In the afternoon, we will explore the labyrinthine canal system around Tan Chau to visit a Taoist temple where the monks will read fortunes. Continue through local villages by Xe Loi we will stop off to help locals tend their fields before stopping off to visit a fish farm and earn merit by releasing fish back into the Mekong.

Meals: B,L,D
Accommodation: RV Indochina Pandaw or RV Mekong Pandaw

In the morning, we will visit the Island of Con Phuoc Island and we will go ashore to explore the island by tuk-tuk seeing basket production and visiting a 100-year old Catholic Church and local woodworking artisans. After a short cruise downstream, we will take a short coach trip where we visit Gao Giong ‘green oasis’ with its bird sanctuary. Here a diverse selection of water birds and egrets that gather in the tens of thousands across the Duong Tharp Muoi or ‘Plain of Reeds’. Rowing boats traverse the canals to take us to see the principal nesting areas.

Meals: B,L,D
Accommodation: RV Indochina Pandaw or RV Mekong Pandaw

We will take a cruise downstream to Ben Tre nad travel by sampans through mangroves and bamboo groves to the fruit orchards of Ben Tre. In these, local artisans are at work and are invite visitors into their homes for tea, fruit and honey products made from their honey. This is an area rich in birdlife and on our return journey we will travel through the lush countryside. Afternoon moor at My Tho for road transfer to Saigon. We will arrive in the late afternoon (around 16.00).

Meals: B,L,D
Accommodation: The Myst Dong Khoi ***** or similar

Step in the soul of Saigon

After breakfast, we will be ready to step in The Heart Of Saigon. Halfway between a life-sized investigation, an original city-tour and a treasure hunt, we invite you to solve a mysterious case of murder that took place in the thick ambience of Cholon. By following in the footsteps of the culprit, you'll enjoy an unusual self-guided tour of Ho Chi Minh City’s fascinating Chinese quarter.

After lunch we'll take a slow-paced tour, the best way to explore the city. Travelling by xich lo (cyclo, or cycle rickshaw), we'll uncover the secrets of Saigon’s tangled alleyways – from hidden pagodas to local coffee shops and ornate colonial landmarks.

Dinner is free tonight. Saigon is a city of rich culinary tradition, it offers diners quality and range that make it one of the best places to eat in South East Asia. It's home to the best of Vietnam's delicious regional cuisines, a vibrant street food scene, and some amazing international dining.

Meals: B, L
Accommodation: The Myst Dong Khoi ***** or similar

A day dedicated to uncovering the secrets of the Cu Chi Tunnels, a vast network of underground passageways built and used by the Viet Cong to evade detection as they moved troops and supplies throughout Saigon’s northern districts. We will learn about the tenacious and ingenious spirit of Vietnamese culture as we will experience the area’s thriving commerce, quite open spaces and hidden trails.
We will enjoy a traditional Vietnamese lunch at a riverside restaurant and visit an authentic cricket farm, an organic herb farm and a local country house, where traditional rice paper is made by hand as it was unchanged for centuries. Dinner is free tonight.


Meals: B, L
Accommodation: The Myst Dong Khoi ***** or similar

Transfer to the Ho Chi Minh International Airport for your return flight or you may choose to extend your holiday.

Meals: B