Cambodia & Vietnam Tour

Via Singapore to Siem Reap

We meet at the Singapore Airlines counter in the international terminal of Istanbul Airport, 3 hours before the flight. After check-in we board Singapore Airlines flight SQ391, departing at 13.15 for Singapore Changi Airport. Overnight on board.

We land in Singapore at 04.45 local time and change planes for flight SQ164, departing at 08.40 for Siem Reap. We arrive in Siem Reap at 09.55 local time and transfer to our hotel for free time.

After a short rest, guests who wish can join the optional extra tour of the floating houses of Tonle Sap Lake and the night market (45 Euro). We first visit a floating village on the lake, run by a traditional local administration. People here live without setting foot on land: with no roads, children go to school by boat, and with no mains electricity, televisions run on car batteries with aerials mounted on the roofs.

Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia, is one of the world's key ecological water reserves and one of its largest floodplains. In the dry season it is 1 metre deep and covers 2700 km2; with the monsoon rains it grows 6 times larger, reaching depths of up to 8 metres and an area of about 16,000 km2. Declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1997, the lake feeds about 4 million people, and its fisheries supply 1 in 4 of the country's seafood. After the tour we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Via Singapore to Siem Reap

We meet at the Singapore Airlines counter in the international terminal of Istanbul Airport, 3 hours before the flight. After check-in we board Singapore Airlines flight SQ391, departing at 13.15 for Singapore Changi Airport. Overnight on board.

We land in Singapore at 04.45 local time and change planes for flight SQ164, departing at 08.40 for Siem Reap. We arrive in Siem Reap at 09.55 local time and transfer to our hotel for free time.

After a short rest, guests who wish can join the optional extra tour of the floating houses of Tonle Sap Lake and the night market (45 Euro). We first visit a floating village on the lake, run by a traditional local administration. People here live without setting foot on land: with no roads, children go to school by boat, and with no mains electricity, televisions run on car batteries with aerials mounted on the roofs.

Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia, is one of the world's key ecological water reserves and one of its largest floodplains. In the dry season it is 1 metre deep and covers 2700 km2; with the monsoon rains it grows 6 times larger, reaching depths of up to 8 metres and an area of about 16,000 km2. Declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1997, the lake feeds about 4 million people, and its fisheries supply 1 in 4 of the country's seafood. After the tour we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Angkor Temple

After breakfast at the hotel, guests who wish can join the optional extra tour of Angkor Temple with lunch (100 Euro). We visit the temple, more than 900 years old, laid out over 8 square kilometres according to Hindu principles, later shaped by Buddhism too and used as a film set. We then have lunch at a local restaurant and return to the hotel.

In the evening, guests who wish can join the optional extra dinner with traditional Apsara dances (30 Euro). In this theatre, which brings together Khmer culture and traditional stagecraft, we have dinner to the rhythm of Cambodian dance. Afterwards we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

On to Hanoi

After breakfast we transfer to the airport at the time set by our guide. After check-in a local airline takes us on a flight of about 1.5 hours to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. On arrival we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Halong Bay cruise

After breakfast at the hotel, guests who wish can join the optional extra Halong Bay boat trip with lunch (140 Euro). Halong Bay in northeastern Vietnam is a natural wonder on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Known for its 2,000 or so limestone islands and rock formations, it is counted among the world's 7 natural wonders. On board we have lunch with views over the bay. After the tour we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Hanoi tour, flight to Saigon

After breakfast at the hotel our Hanoi city tour begins. Vietnam's capital reflects the soul of the country through its history and culture. We see the mausoleum of the national hero Ho Chi Minh, the palace built beside it by the French during their colonial rule of Indochina, the houses where Ho Chi Minh lived and the One Pillar Pagoda, standing since 1049. We then visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, founded on the teachings of Confucius, and Hoan Kiem Lake with Ngoc Son Temple, in the very centre of Hanoi, a city founded in 1010.

After the tour we transfer to the airport at the time set by our guide and fly with a local airline to Saigon, a flight of about 2.5 hours. On arrival we check in to our hotel for free time. In the evening, guests who wish can join the optional extra Saigon River dinner cruise (55 Euro), with dinner against the backdrop of the city before we return to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Chu Chi tunnels and Saigon

After breakfast at the hotel, guests who wish can join the optional extra tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels with lunch (75 Euro). Dug underground in 5 levels during the Vietnam War, the tunnels served not only for fighting but also as living quarters. As we walk through the narrow passages we hear the stories of the people who lived here, and those who wish can try firing heavy machine guns. On the way back we have lunch at a local restaurant.

Our city tour then begins. Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, is Vietnam's largest city, in the south of the country, known for its historic streets, French colonial architecture, lively street life and food. The tour includes the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office from the French period, the War Remnants Museum (from outside) and Ben Thanh Market, famous for handicrafts. After the tour we transfer to our hotel for free time. Overnight at the hotel.

Mekong Delta

After breakfast at the hotel, guests who wish can join the optional extra Mekong Delta tour with lunch (75 Euro). We get to know life on 3 different islands of the delta, tasting tropical fruit in the orchards to the music of local performers and sipping homemade honey tea. After a boat ride along the canals between the reeds we have lunch at a local restaurant. Back in the city centre there is free time at the covered Ben Thanh day market. We then transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Homeward via Singapore

After breakfast and hotel check-out, free time. At the time set by our guide we transfer to the airport. After check-in we board Singapore Airlines flight SQ185, departing at 19.55 for Singapore. We land at 22.55 local time and change planes for flight SQ392, departing at 01.50 for Istanbul. We arrive at 08.45 local time, and our tour ends.

Homeward via Singapore

After breakfast and hotel check-out, free time. At the time set by our guide we transfer to the airport. After check-in we board Singapore Airlines flight SQ185, departing at 19.55 for Singapore. We land at 22.55 local time and change planes for flight SQ392, departing at 01.50 for Istanbul. We arrive at 08.45 local time, and our tour ends.