7 days / 6 nights - Laos to Cambodia
Day 1 - Savannakhet - Pakse - Tad
Fane- Pakse
Arrival at pakse. Pakse, the capital of
Champasack Province. The clients stay at the
Champasack Palace Hotel (The Former
Residence of Chao Boun Ome Na Champasack,
the last prince of Champasack and the Prime
Minister of the kingdom of Laos between 1960
and 1962). Visit the Waterfalls at Tad Fane
for late lunch before mounting elephants for
a short trek. Dinner at hotel, then evening
out at the waterfront bar. Overnight at
Champasack Palace Hotel.
Day 2 - Pakse - Wat Phu - Khong Island
Breakfast at hotel. Early morning
excursion by boat to visit Wat Phu, an
Angkor era temple in southern Laos. Don't
expect the crowds of Angkor Wat as we spend
2-3 hours exploring this obscure ruin...
another UNESCO World Heritage Site. We then
continue by road south to Four Thousand
Islands (Khong Island) to begin the river
section of the journey and what you're sure
all will feel is one of highlights of the
trip. Overnight at traditional hut in Khong
Island. (Bathroom is sharing outside)
Day 3 - Khong Island - Done Khone
Breakfast at local restaurant. In the
morning you may cycle around the Islands or
take the opportunity to get on a longtail
boat with guide. Apart from that you will
just soak it all up. It is also possible to
take boat out of the southern tip of the
island to see the last few Irruwaddy
dolphins in Indochina (If you're very
lucky). Beautiful walks around. Overnight at
traditional hut. (Bathroom is sharing
outside).
Day 4 - Khone Island - Cambodian Boder
Breakfast at local restaurant. You bid
farewell to Done Khone and excursion by
boat, then, we transfer to the border. Drive
continue to Stueng Treng for lunch. Later,
we drive continue to Rattanakiri. Arrival at
Banlung and transfer to hotel for your
accommodation.
Day 5 - Exploring Ratanakiri
We travel by jeep to the remote district
of Andong Meas, about 80km from Banlung.
From Andong Meas, we continue on foot to
nearby Jarai villages where we learn about
their lifestyle. We walk to the banks of the
San River where we find a Jarai cemetery in
the forest complete with many ancestral
tombs. From here, we take a boat across the
river to a small, isolated Jarai community
before continuing downstream back to Andong
Meas. We return to Banlung by jeep. Dinner
and accommodation at hotel.
Day 6 - Ratanakiri to Phnom Penh
In the morning, we travel to the crystal
clear waters of the Yeak Loam crater lake,
surrounded by lush jungle. Working in close
partnership with community-based ecotourism
project DRIVE, we learn about the life of
the Tompuon people on a walk with a local
tribal guide. We walk around the shores of
stunning Yeak Loam Lake before walking
through forest to visit a Tompuon farms and
their nearby village. Later morning, we
transfer to ariporpt for your flight to
Phnom Penh. We transfer to the hotel and
enjoy a local lunch. In the afternoon, visit
to the harrowing genocide museum at Tuol
Sleng and the Killing Fields of Choeng Ek,
both enduring memorials to the gruesome and
brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge. Return to
hotel for dinner and accommodation at hotel.
Day 7 - Phnom Penh Departure
In the morning, we visit the Royal
Palace, located on the shores of the Mekong.
Inside its walls are the Throne Hall, the
Chan Chaya Pavilion, used for performances
of classical dance, the Napoleon III
Pavilion, and the King and Queen's
residential quarters. Next stop will be the
Silver Pagoda, home to a glittering array of
Buddhist statuary. The Silver Pagoda is also
called the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha, it
is located in the walls of the Royal Palace.
Inside, its floor is made up of 5,000 silver
blocks. In the center of the pagoda, there
is a magnificent 17th century emerald Buddha
statue made of baccarat crystal. The walls
enclosing the pagoda are covered with
frescoes depicting episodes from the Khmer
version of the Ramayana.
In the afternoon,
we visit the National Museum, home to the
world’s leading collection of Khmer
sculpture. Situated near the Royal Palace,
Cambodia's National Museum offers a charming
setting for the stunning collection of Khmer
art. Predominantly worked in stone, the
sculptures date from both the Angkorean and
pre-Angkorean eras, complimented by more
recent examples of Cambodian art. The museum
is housed in a terracotta-roofed structure
of traditional Cambodian design, which was
built between 1917 and 1920. Finally, we
visit the Central and Russian Markets. The
Central Market (Psar Thmey) is distinctive
for its central domed building built by the
French in 1937 with 4 wings leading off it.
The Russian Market (Psar Toul Tom Pong) is
an excellent place to pick up a few
bargains, especially antiques, souvenirs and
cheap brand-name clothes. Tour ends at the
airport. |
