Saigon to Siem Reap (Partially Guided)

Hello Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon). Upon arrival you'll be met and transferred to our hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to get acquainted with the city. Opt to explore on foot, shop at Ben Thanh Market or visit the grand Independence Palace, with its secret bunker and military command centre beneath! Please note: This tour runs for 9 days if travelling in 2025. From 2026 onwards, the itinerary will be 8 days. This itinerary is the 2026 version. Please contact us for more details.

Ho Chi Minh City – Cai Be – Can Tho. This morning we travel to Cai Be and board a sampan for a cruise around the lush waterways of the Mekong Delta. Often referred to as the ‘rice bowl’ of Vietnam, the fertile Mekong Delta is famous for its abundant harvests of tropical fruits, flowers and rice, as well as it fantastic views while boating along the canals. We cruise downstream through the maze of waterways, watching the hubbub of daily life on the river. Passing colourful trading boats, house boats and children swimming we stop to visit some of the local cottage industries that produce popcorn, coco candies and paper along the way. Lunch is served today in a traditional wooden home on Dong Hoa Hiep Island and spend the night in Can Tho, in the heart of the Mekong Delta.

Can Tho - Ho Chi Minh City. Early today we visit the ever lively Cai Rang floating market. Watch as melons, pineapples, fresh greens, sacks of rice and children's toys get tossed from one sampan to another at great heights and speed before driving back to Ho Chi Minh City, a thriving metropolis on the move. Here you'll find sleek sky scrapers, gourmet restaurants, designer malls and swanky bars, scattered between ancient pagodas, colonial era landmarks and lively street markets. On a walking tour of Ho Chi Minh City we'll see the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office before visiting the sobering War Remnants Museum.

Ho Chi Minh City - Phnom Penh (Cambodia). This morning we visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels used by the Viet-Cong in their struggle to keep control of the region during the 1960’s. Walking around the bush trails you’ll see trapdoors, booby traps, living areas, weapon factories and kitchens. You can also safely crawl sections of the tunnels, that have been widened for the tourists and fire weapons of the era (including the M16‘s and AK47) on the firing range.

From Cu Chi transfer to the Cambodian border and drive to the capital of Phnom Penh. Once deemed the ‘Pearl of Asia’, Phnom Penh offers a bustling mix of Asia’s past and present, a city quickly taking its place amongst the trendy capitals of the region.

Today we enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of Phnom Penh starting at the National Museum of Fine Arts, a graceful terracotta building of traditional design housing the world’s finest collection of Khmer sculpture. We continue on to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, famed for its lavish decorations – the floors are paved with silver tiles and statues of Buddha are encrusted with thousands of diamonds.

Later come face to face with the horrors of the Pol Pot regime as we visit Toul Sleng (Security Prison - S21), a school that was gruesomely transformed into a torture chamber under the Khmer Rouge, and visit the Killing Fields where over 10,000 people were executed.

Phnom Penh – Siem Reap. This morning, check out and transfer to the airport for your included flight to Siem Reap.

After freshening up, our touring will start with a visit to the ancient city of Angkor Thom. This monumental fortified city is encircled by a 100m wide moat and is famed for the huge statue heads that glare down from every angle. In Angkor Thom we will see the fabulous Bayon Temple, Baphuon, the royal enclosure, and the Terraces of the Elephants and the Leper King. Last but not least is atmospheric Tra Prohm Temple where vast muscular tree roots envelop the crumbling towers and walls whilst the trees’ foliage dapples the temple in shade.

This evening we attend the wonderful Phare Cambodian Circus. The Phare NGO circus project trains street kids to become talented circus artists and the popular show blends circus skills with interpretations of modern life and issues in Cambodian society.

Early this morning, there's an optional sunrise visit to Angkor Wat to marvel at this magnificent temple bathed in the golden light, before our tour of Angkor Wat after breakfast. This awe-inspiring monument to man’s devotion to his gods is believed to be the largest religious building in the world, adorned with thousands of intricate wall carvings and extensive bas-reliefs. There are countless opportunities to capture stunning photographs at this iconic site.

From Angkor Wat we travel to the village of Preak Dak, where each member of the group has the opportunity to plant mango or jackfruit saplings as part of our tree-planting initiative, operated in partnership with this local community. Then we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before visiting the beautiful Angkor temple of Banteay Srei. Cut from pink-hued sandstone, this Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva features lavishly decorated libraries and magnificent reliefs of divine figures.

Later this afternoon we drive to Kampong Phluk, a cluster of three stilted villages within the floodplain of Tonle Sap Lake. Here, you’ll see homes perched high above the water and, depending on the season, the hauntingly beautiful petrified trees of the flooded forest.

Today marks the end of our memorable journey. Spend the morning at leisure before hotel check out and included departure transfer to the airport.