Day 1: Arrive in Bangkok
Arrive in Bangkok, Thailand. You will be picked up from the airport and taken to our private accommodation to meet your new travel mates for the next 39 days! We will enjoy a nice dinner and get rested for our upcoming all-inclusive expedition through the 4-Kingdoms of Mekong: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
Day 2 - 4: Deep into the Thai Jungle
After an early breakfast, we take our private transfer and start making our way North to Umphang National Park. We spend the night in the town of Mae Sot before adventuring to Thi Lo Su the following morning. After rafting down the river, we will find ourselves deep inside the Thai jungle, in front of the largest waterfall in Thailand.
Day 5 - 7: Temples in the Sky
We make our way back to civilization and towards Lampang, where we will visit Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat. These temples in the sky require devotion to view, as we ascend almost 1,000 steps up the mountain.
After a hard work-out, we can enjoy the hot springs in Chae Son National Park the following day and learn the ways of coffee harvesting in a coffee farm homestay near Chiang Mai.
Day 8 - 9: Floating from Thailand to Laos
Before we drive to the Laos Border, we make a quick stop at the contemporary White Temple, Wat Rong Khun, and enjoy lunch in Chiang Rai. We will spend the night at the border town Chiang Kong, with riverside views of the Mekong, and cross into Laos to board our two-days river boat towards Luang Prabang. As we drift down the Mekong, we will visit the Kamu village of Ban Kang Lae. Eventually, we arrive at Pakbeng and spend the night at an Elephant Sanctuary Lodge.
Day 10 - 12: Luang Pra Bang
Continuing on our way to LPB, we will visit the Lao whiskey village of Ban Mouang after a traditional Lao lunch and visit the Pak Ou caves, where more than 4,000 Buddha statues reside. We finish our river boat journey early evening and end the night with some Garavek Story Telling.
Over the next few days, we will learn how Lao people live by visiting a local organic rice farm, enjoying a sunset cruise on the Mekong, and trekking with elephants through the lush jungle. In the evenings, we can visit the local night market and rest at our riverside villa.
Day 13 - 14: Adventure Capital of Laos
Before we leave for Vang Vieng, we finish our time in LPB with a delicious cooking class. We take our evening train towards the adventure capital of Laos and settle into our Mountain View Villa for the night. Here, we will kayak the Mekong, do some cave tubing, and swim in the crystal clear waters of the Blue Lagoon.
Day 15 - 17: Bolaven Plateau
Weather permitting, we will watch the sunrise from a hot-air balloon ride over the towering limestone cliffs of Vang Vieng before we take the train down to Vientiane and travel like a local on a sleeper bus towards the Bolaven Plateau in central Laos.
Arriving in the morning, we immediately embark on a 2-day loop visiting coffee & tea plantations, waterfalls, light trekking, and finish with watching the sunset mountainside to Buddha at Wat Phou Salao.
Day 18 - 19: 4000 Islands of Laos
After an early breakfast, we continue South via a van transfer towards Si Phan Don, 4,000 islands in the middle of the Mekong. Arriving at the pier, we take the local fisherman's ferry to Don Det.
The following day we will visit other islands via kayak and enjoy a traditional Lao lunch on the beach.
Day 20 - 22: Blending of Religions
We make our way even further South towards the Cambodian border and make it to Krong Siem Reap, the religious hub of Asia. After a few days of long journeys, we take it easy at our pool-side villa in the center of the city.
As we explore the temples in this rich UNESCO World Heritage site over the next two days, we will view the sunrise at Angkor Wat, Bayon, tomb-raider temple of Ta Prohm, and many more. To learn more about the local Khmer culture, we won't miss the Phare circus, where we will enjoy storytelling through high-flying acrobatics.
Day 23 - 26: City of Lights
We trade one UNESCO site for another and make our way to Hoi An via local flights with a quick overnight in Saigon. Our first evening here will end with a Bamboo Boat ride and Vietnamese cooking class.
Over the next few days, we will take a Jeep ride around the famous Hai Van pass near Hue, take a bicycle tour around the old town, and enjoy the street foods like a local.
Day 27 - 29: Gateway to Vietnam's Northern Frontier
We push North again with private cabins on an overnight sleeper train towards Hanoi, being rocked to sleep by the train's motions.
Famous for egg coffees, we eat our way through the day and end our evening with a water puppet show. We also compare the cuisine differences between the North and South through another cooking class before ending our days in our private villa near the famous train street.
Day 30 - 33: Ha Giang Loop
Waking up bright and early, we make our way to the rugged mountains of Ha Giang. We start our Ha Giang loop at a pool-side villa, before embarking on the back of a motorcycle with our easy riders the next 3 days.
As a small group, we avoid the popular tourist spots and find the local hidden gems while being hosted by Hmong homestays and partake in some Happy Water during the evenings.
Day 34 - 36: Sa Pa
After saying goodbyes to our easy riders, we take a transfer to Sa Pa, our final destination of our month-long expedition. With sweeping views of rice terraces, we visit the Roof of IndoChina, Fansipan, the tallest mountain on the peninsula at 3,147 meters above sea-level.
At a relaxing pace, we explore the local trails and reflect on our achievements this past month at our private Chalet.
Day 37 - 39: Final Goodbyes
We take our last luxury overnight train back to Hanoi, where we fly back to Bangkok. After a night cap or two, we say our goodnights before flying home the following day.
Until next time!
