Itinerary Details
G Adventures: Southeast Asia: Pu Luong, Halong Bay & the Cardamom Mountains
Day 1: Hanoi: A Sweet Welcome
From the organized chaos of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to the soothing lush green terraces of Pu Luong, Vietnam pushes you to let go, step out of your comfort zone, and reconnect with your inner explorer. Vietnam can feel unfamiliar and familiar all at once. Try foods you have never even heard of before while being greeted with smiling hosts who feel like familiar friends. Welcome to Hanoi, and to Vietnam, and we invite you to dive in, push your limits, and refill your cup.
After an informative welcome briefing, join your CEO for a multi-course Vietnamese feast. Try sizzling ginger chicken and fresh mango salad. Sip the unexpected with a complimentary egg coffee made right at your table.
Day 2: Hanoi: Highlights of Hanoi
It wouldn't be a trip to Vietnam without hopping on the back of a motorbike. Your drivers and guides this morning are all women from a local organization dedicated to empowering women through employment as motorbike drivers in the tourism sector. These women will guide you through the city-stopping the motorbike to allow for exploration of all the must see stops. Walk around the perimeter of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and visit Ba Dinh Square and One Pillar Pagoda. Explore Huu Tiep Lake and Tran Quoc Pagoda. After working up an appetite, return to the Old Quarter for a huge bowl of Pho at a local restaurant. Slurping is highly encouraged.
Later this afternoon, dive straight into a foodie walking tour of Hanoi. Dig into some of the best Bun Cha you've ever had and end the afternoon at Bia Hoi corner just in time to do some people watching with a cold drink in hand.
Day 3: Ha Long Bay: Junk boats & Cave Kayaking
Standing as a symbol of centuries worth of discoveries by sea, the junk boat was first created in 3000 B.C. and throughout time the ship has been used by explorers and merchants alike. Now is your chance to spend a night aboard, embracing your inner explorer. (Albeit with way comfier pillows.) Glide through the steely waters in Halong Bay past limestone karst mountains and lush green islands and paddle a kayak through thousand year old caves.
Step on board our private boat and dig into a thoughtfully catered Vietnamese lunch. Sample local delights like pumpkin soup, fried chicken and Halong steamed tiger prawn. Get in the water with a guided kayaking adventure to explore the natural scenery of Luon Cave. Look out for fossilized shells of oysters and crabs-proof that life existed here millions of years ago. Join your hosts to help prepare springs rolls, or sit back with a well earned glass of local beer. Dinner is plentiful this evening-and served on board.
Day 4: Pu Luong: Rice Terraces of Vietnam
Tropical rainforest covers the low mountains that surround Pu Luong-with rice terraces as far as the eye can see. Villages dotted throughout the valley are like splashes of colour against a bright green painting. Trekking along the terraces, throughout villages, brings you face to face with day to day life in this picturesque corner of northern Vietnam.
Spend the morning in Halong Bay, enjoying a leisurely breakfast on board. Disembark and make your way to Pu Luong, situated west of Hanoi. Dinner will be familiar favourites - beans, bamboo shoots, and farm raised pork-and some local delicacies like mountain snails dipped in fish sauce.
Day 5: Pu Luong: Trekking and Riverway Exploration
The village of Pu Luong lies just west of Hanoi, but feels a million miles away. Step out of your wooden bungalow to a vast landscape of green. Start the day with a rich coffee and fuel up for a morning trekking among the rice paddies. Pass by local villages and wave hello to local people as they move about their daily routines. Walk to Ban Cong and dig into a BBQ picnic lunch prepared for you by local chefs just along the riverbank.
Trekking through the rice paddies, you will certainly work up an appetite. Your local chef prepares dishes like barbecue Pork Belly with local Mac Khen seeds and stir-fried morning glory with garlic. While they whip up this delicious feast, participate in a spring roll making activity with your hosts and CEO. It's harder than it looks, but in our view: all spring rolls are good spring rolls.
Day 6: Hoi An: A Peaceful Meeting Place
Hoi An roughly translates to "a peaceful meeting place" and we promise it lives up to its name. Admittedly, it's hard to get more peaceful than the rice terraces of Pu Luong, but Hoi An offers a contrast to its northern neighbour. Where Pu Luong boasts serenity and calm, Hoi An offers conviviality and vibrancy. Explore this meeting place with a cooking class led by a local chef preparing a three course meal.
One final sip of coffee and a deep breath of jungle air and it's time to bid farewell to Pu Luong. Return to Hanoi to catch a flight to Da Nang. Arriving in Hoi An in the late afternoon, there is no better way to get acquainted than to set out on foot to reach your cooking class and evening meal.
Day 7: Hoi An: Highlights of the Old Town
Discover the highlights of Hoi An with your CEO on an informative walking tour. Visit the Ong Pagoda, Chua Cau (Japanese Covered Bridge), and the local market. You're getting to know a lot about Hoi An-but what about the claim that its home to the best banh mi in Vietnam? You CEO will offer to show you to the best place in town (but no guarantees you won't acquire a serious banh mi craving from here on out).
The remainder of the afternoon will involve some time at leisure. Your CEO will lead an excursion to a local beach. For the adventure-seekers, we recommend a Jeep tour through the countryside. Learn about the agricultural practices of local farmers by visiting their crops and livestock. Witness how traditional occupations have changed through time from weaving to rice-wine making, to newer industries like bird’s nest farming and aquaculture. Interact with friendly locals, spark conversations, and leave feeling a genuine connection to this place and the people you are meeting along the way.
Day 8: Hoi An: Your OMG Day
Hoi An is a must visit on any Vietnam itinerary because you can do it all here. From ancient ruins and fascinating architecture, to delicious food and active adventures-there is a dizzying array of things to see and do. You get to choose today between two curated choices. Embark on a kayaking adventure that takes you from the Cua Dai bridge down to a fishing village and beyond. If you would rather explore the ruins of My Son, join a local guide for comprehensive exploration of various complexes of the site, before returning to Hoi An by boat.
Both of your OMG Day options return to Hoi An in time for some leisure time in the afternoon. Take a dip in the pool or book another activity to complete your customized day.
Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City: Cyclo Rides and Sunset Cruising
Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's most populated city with just around 9 million people calling it their home. For every 6 people, 1 motorbike enters the city on a daily basis. This organized chaos is a recognizable feature of many Vietnamese cities and learning to navigate the chaos is all part of the adventure. When you arrive in the afternoon, hop onto a pedaling cyclo to get a bit above the motorbike fray and tour the city with your knowledgeable guide. A sunset boat ride is peaceful way to end the day in the big city.
Board a flight from Da Nang, near Hoi An, bound for Ho Chi Minh City. After a delicious Pho lunch, begin the afternoon of adventure featuring a cyclo tour of the city. Wrap up the day with a relaxing sunset cruise.
Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City: Cycle to the Cu Chi Tunnels
The Cu Chi Tunnels remain a testament to the enduring spirit of the Vietnamese people and their ingenuity in the face of unthinkable wartime tradgedies. The tunnels may be your destination today, but the journey to gets you off the beaten track to discover more of Vietnam. Hop on a bicycle and pedal your way through the countryside en route to the the Cu Chi Tunnels.
Pass through local villages and stop at a local market to sample local produce. Visit the Phu Hoa Dong traditional rice paper village and witness the age-old craftsmanship and traditions that have withstood the test of time. Your cycling adventure comes to an end once you arrive at the tunnels-where your guided tour begins. Venture into the depths of history with a visit to Ben Dinh Tunnel, one of the remarkable sections of the Cu Chi Tunnels network. Learn how the tunnels were used for strategy and for survival. When you return to Ho Chi Minh City, its time to freshen up and prepare for a final farewell dinner with your CEO and fellow travellers.
Day 11: Siem Reap: Welcome to the Community
Siem Reap is home to the famous site of Angkor Wat but there is plenty to see and do here before exploring the ancient site. Grab a coffee, try some Cambodian cuisine, or hop in a tuk tuk and explore. After a morning flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap, arrive to Siem Reap around lunchtime. Your CEO will take you on a walk through town this afternoon.
Spoons Restaurant hosts your first meal in Cambodia. This restaurant provides vocational training for young people in service industry-while of course serving up delicious specialties like Num Kruk, a corn and coconut crisply dumpling, and Steak Lok Lak. Dig in and do good.
Day 12: Siem Reap: Your OMG Day
It's possible that there is no quicker way to understand a culture than by cooking and eating. Spend the morning in the local market with a chef, smelling and tasting the local ingredients. Continue on to Chreav village just outside of Siem Reap and join the chef in cooking some delicious local dishes. With a full belly, the afternoon is yours to choose between a sunset bike ride from village to village, or a scenic boat tour to Kampong Khleang Floating Village.
Your OMG Day begins with an exclusive cooking experience in Chreav village, just a short tuk-tuk ride outside Siem Reap. In the afternoon you can choose between an exhilarating cycle through small villages, ending just in time to take in a peaceful sunset over the rice paddies with a cold drink. If you are looking to take it a bit easier, hop on a boat ride to the magnificent Tonle Sap. The boat will travel to Kampong Khleang floating village, passing by stilt houses, witnessing daily life and observing the marine flora and fauna along the way.
Day 13: Siem Reap: Sunrise Angkor Wat
The ruins of Angkor Wat stand as a testament to the dynamic history of the Cambodian people. Though they, like all ruined structures, are little by little being reclaimed by the jungle around them, luckily for us they defiantly remain standing ready to be admired. Witness sunrise at Angkor Wat with your fellow travellers and expert guide.
Your new friends from the Lady Tuk-Tuk cooperative greet you again just before sunrise to zoom you to Angkor Wat. Enjoy a magical sunrise over the ruins and then continue on exploring Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm with your local guide. The rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy a well-deserved bit of rest, or a dip in the pool.
Day 14: Cardamom Mountains: Into the Jungle
Established in 1993, The Botum Sakur National Park in southern Cambodia, home to the Cardamom Mountains, has been continuously threatened by illegal logging and the poaching of endangered wildlife. The dense jungle of the Cardamoms is one of Asia's seven remaining elephant corridors and is home to gibbons, pangolins and hornbills. This remote and wild place is being protected by an alliance between a number of organizations, and our exclusive stay at Cardamom Tented Camp helps fund the Wildlife Alliance and its partners in protecting this vital piece of our planet.
After a short flight and transfer West, board a small boat to head down the Prek Tachan river. Spot birds overhead as you make the half hour journey to camp. Cardamom Tented Camp is our home for our jungle expedition the next two days, and a homemade Cambodian meal awaits you after settling into your tent. Oh, and don't forget to look up-the nighttime sky here is out of this world. (See what we did there?)
Day 15: Cardamom Mountains: Trekking and Kayaking
Waking up in the jungle, in a safari style glamping tent, with the sound of the birds and the monkeys rustling overhead is probably not an experience you associate with Cambodia, but from now on it will be. After a refreshing sleep, it's time to explore the Cardamoms. Kayak downriver first en route to the old ranger station. Trek through the lush forest on old logging trails, crossing streams from time to time. Your local Cambodian guides let you in on the history of this special place while you explore.
After a morning of exploration, return to camp for another home cooked Cambodian meal. The afternoon offers you some much deserved leisure time to enjoy this remote paradise. Swim in the river or kayak the narrow tributaries looking for birdlife.
Day 16: Koh Chang: Elephant Island
As locals approached Koh Chang by boat four centuries ago, they remarked that the island's shape looked like an Elephant and thus Koh Chang translated to Elephant Island. Although it is possible to spot elephants here, the island is also home to an abundance of other bird, mammal and marine wildlife. Eighty percent of Koh Chang is designated as National Park and your exploration begins with a CEO-led excursion to a nearby waterfall.
Today, cross the border from Cambodia into Thailand. Take a short ferry to Koh Chang and explore the island with your CEO in the afternoon. A beachside barbecue is the perfect way to celebrate your first evening in Thailand.
Day 17: Koh Chang: Kayak Exploration
Thailand shines in this full day exploration of Koh Chang by kayak. Paddle from island to island, stopping to jump into the refreshing water. Paddle to Koh Yuak where you stop for lunch and to snorkel the turquoise waters.
This full day adventure offers plenty of opportunity to get in the water and explore Thailand's marine life. Professional kayak guides lead the days's adventure from island to island.
Day 18: Bangkok: Sunset Dining
After departing Koh Chang, arrive to Bangkok and explore its iconic food scene in an exclusive gastronomic adventure. Board a private longtail boat to head to your first stop-to try the one and only Pad Thai. Created by a politician during World War II, Pad Thai is the most famous gastronomic export from Thailand, and a trip to Bangkok wouldn't be complete without sampling it. Afterwards, head by tuk-tuk convoy to Rattanakosin Historical Island to sample a few more small bites. A sweet bite, like Mango and sticky rice, is the finishing touch on delicious evening. A sweet way to end an epic adventure.
Depart Koh Chang by ferry returning to Thailand mainland. Board a flight back to Bangkok. The afternoon is at leisure to relax and rest up before your final group meal.
Day 19: Bangkok
Today your adventure comes to an end. We hope you loved visiting Southeast Asia as much as we do! We promise you won't need a vacation after your vacation, but we guarantee you'll be ready for another adventure with G.
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