ITINERARY 2012
Day 1 (Tuesday):
Relax and prepare for a world-class trip on Singapore Airlines. Prior to your departure, you will have received your pre-departure packet, which includes your Rustic T-shirts, airline tickets, and important contact information. Once you arrive at your international departure city, our Flight Liaison will help you get checked in to your international flight. Working with our Flight Liaison will be your Flight Leader, who will escort you all the way to Cambodia! Our Flight Leaders are most often schoolteachers or good friends of our organization who happily fill this role for us each year. Once you're checked in, feel free to relax and get acquainted with your new friends before boarding your flight to Cambodia!
Day 2 (Wednesday): Today is lost as you cross the international dateline. Fear not – you will get this time back on your way home.
Day 3 (Thursday): Suis-day! Welcome to Phnom Penh! Once known as the Pearl of Asia, Phnom Penh has long been a center of international intrigue. Situated between the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers, this amazing city serves as the political hub and economic center of the country.
As you exit airport customs, your Rustic Pathways trip leaders will be waiting just outside the door. From here we will take our private vans to the Sofitel - Phnom Penh, and let you freshen up before we head over to the bustling riverside for your welcome dinner.
Day 4 (Friday): Cambodia has one of the most resilient narratives in modern history. Delve deep into the cultural psyche as you visit historical sites that tell the tales of both tragedy and triumph.
We will visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields during the first half of the day and hear first hand stories of survival from our local guides. After lunch, we will meet up with our tuk tuk drivers who will be waiting to take us through the city for the second half of the day. The next stop will be the Royal Palace, home to the Silver Pagoda and the famously disputed Emerald Buddha- find out the story behind its authenticity when you get here.
Our chariots await! We'll hop back aboard and tuk tuk our way through the city to Wat Phnom. At this hilltop temple, we will look for Sambo the elephant and view the city as the sun sets and clouds of incense drift by.
Day 5 (Saturday): Buckle your seatbelts, we're heading North to the historical town of Battambang! Haystacks, palm trees, and gold pagodas whiz by the window as we make our way up the national road, through the towns and villages that make up the nation's heartland.
Day 6 (Sunday): Hop aboard our chartered boat and float down a long and amazing stretch of river that starts in the town of Battambang, skirts along the great Tonle Sap Lake, and continues all the way to Siem Reap. "This journey is arguably the most spectacular in Cambodia," according to Lonely Planet. We will arrive late afternoon, check in, and hit the town for some dinner. (Our accommodations will be at the Sofitel Angkor)
Day 7 (Monday): This morning your trip leaders will give you an early wake up so that we can catch one of the most spectacular sunrises you will ever see, over Angkor Wat, one of the man-made wonders of the world. You'll be a little sleepy at first but this will quickly wear off with the cool air brushing past your face in the back of your tuk tuk. Once the sun has risen and you've snapped more than enough photos, we will have some breakfast and explore temple Angkor Thom, also known as "Tomb Raider", made famous by Angelina Jolie in the movie of the same name. After this exciting day of temple hopping, we will head to dinner downtown and to the famous Siem Reap Night Market.
Day 8 (Tuesday): Today we will head into Phnom Kulen National Park and hike around the ancient sandstone carvings and waterfalls that run through this sacred site, known as the holiest mountain in Cambodia. Beneath the surface of the water lies over 1,000 small carvings that are etched into the riverbed. From here, we will climb further up for spectacular views of the countryside, while standing beneath a giant statue of the reclining Buddha reaching Nirvana. Once back down the mountain we'll grab some lunch and then transfer to the airport for our afternoon departure to Vietnam!
Day 9 (Wednesday): Welcome to Hanoi! This city just celebrated its 1000th birthday in 2011. Known as one of the most beautiful cities in South East Asia, Hanoi is a complete mix of western and eastern architecture, narrow tree lined streets and many beautiful lakes. Our day will start off with a visit to Ho Chi Minh's tomb, the One Pillar Pagoda, and the Temple of Literature, be sure to rub a stone literature turtle for good luck. After lunch we will continue on over to the West Lake, Tran Quoc pagoda and an optional to visit the Ethnology Museum or Hoa Lo Prison (the Hanoi Hilton). Our guides will take us to one of their favorite downtown restaurants for dinner and afterwards we'll walk over to Hoan Kiem Lake and top off the night with a water puppet show. (Our accommodations in Hanoi will be at the Melia)
Day 10 (Thursday): Our destination today is the emerald water of Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We'll drive northeast toward the Chinese border and hop aboard a large Junk boat for a 24 hour journey along the coast. Junk boats are ancient Chinese sailing ships that appeared around the second century and are still in use today. Enjoy lunch on deck as we sail past thousand of jagged limestone karsts. Kick back, relax, snap some photos and catch some sun. We'll stop to explore the mysteries of Sung Sot cave and swim at Titop Beach. Afterwards we'll hop back aboard our Junk boat for dinner and a peaceful nights rest.
Day 11 (Friday): As the sun rises over the water for a new day, wake up with a peaceful departure in your kayak heading for Luon cave. Inside these enormous caverns you'll see thousands of years at work in the formation of stalactites and stalagmites. Take the kayaks further down the bay and try your hand at some fishing if you're inclined. By now our Junk boat expedition will be to Bai Tu Long Bay for some sightseeing on Fire Island. These islands support many different kinds of wildlife including exotic birds, monkeys, antelope and delicious lizards. Once we dock at the wharf we'll head into the Historic Old Quarter of Hanoi for some shopping.
Day 12 (Saturday): Air transfer from Hanoi to Luang Prabang. The view from the plane window into Laos is one not to miss. Upon landing we will be met at the Airport by Team Lao where we will transfer to our hotel and hit the pool! Afterwards we will take a Songtao to downtown LP. (Our accommodations will be at the Juliana – Luang Prabang)
Day 13 (Sunday): After waking up and eating breakfast this morning, you'll hop on a boat and take a cruise down the Mekong River to the Pak Ou caves. These ancient Buddhist caves date back almost 60 decades, and over that time, travelers have left more than 4,000 Buddha images in the area. On the way back we can stop in a few of the local villages and see how they make a living along the river as well as what they like to eat and drink. Our boat will stop at a sandbar on the way back down where we will hike up to the Rustic Pathways Base for sunset.
Day 14 (Monday): After a leisurely breakfast, pack up your swimsuit and pack up your picnic lunch. We're heading to the beautiful waterfalls of Kouangxi, just outside of Luang Prabang. These falls are famous for their bright aqua color, beautiful surroundings, and their Asian Sun Bear sanctuary situated just before the river. Jump from the falls or lunge off the rope swing into this majestic blue lagoon. Then hike up a bit further and gaze at even bigger falls near the top of the mountain. It will be a great way to wrap up the afternoon.
After you get dried off and back in the vans, you'll drive to Phousi mountain and walk up the hundreds of steps to the beautiful mountain top temple. Up here you'll have an amazing view of the whole city and be able to view an amazing sunset over the Mekong River. Then walk down the steps of the temple to the foot of the night market. Here you'll have a chance to purchase local souvenirs to take back home with you as gifts for friends and family.
Day 15 (Tuesday): This morning we will view local Lao culture the traditional way – by bike! Today you will take your time and really get to know how life in Laos works. You'll bike through several rural village areas, dodging water buffalo along the way. We'll stop early and often to say hello to the smiling villagers and sample some of the tasty treats, including tasty exotic fruits. Eating with locals is an important traveling tradition, so today you'll be eating your lunch in a local village with some of the residents. You can taste their food, talk about your favorite Western dishes back home, and maybe even muster the bravery to try some fried insects – a local favorite.
After lunch in the village, you'll hop in a kayak for a trip down the winding Nam Khong River. A large part of life in Laos is derived from the river, this fact will be obvious as soon as you start your journey. Fisherman cast their nets off the riverbank, excited children plunge from rocks into the chilly waters, and women paddle boats to their villages carrying vegetables for the day. This area is also a wonderful place to view the incredible landscape of Laos. Have a race to the finish, or just simply relax while the river carries you downstream through areas where life has remained almost completely unchanged by outside influences.
Day 16 (Wednesday): Make sure to eat a big breakfast today because you have a long, adventurous walk ahead of you! Today we will trek to a very remote hill tribe village never visited by foreigners. You'll be hiking past young children riding water buffalo across the river and local villagers carrying supplies and crops on their heads. This trail is only visited by Rustic Pathways students, so don't expect to see any tourists. Eat a picnic lunch on top of the mountain while enjoying the beautiful mountain views. Once you get to the village you'll realize how remote this place really is. Spend some time laughing with the villagers and learning about their way of life while practicing the few Lao words you've picked up. Then finish your trek by swimming in a beautiful waterfall before you are picked up by van and driven back to town.
Returning to town, sit back and enjoy a traditional Lao massage in downtown Luang Prabang. Spend one final goodbye dinner with your group in town before heading back to our hotel.
Day 17 (Thursday): Depart Luang Prabang for connection to another program or to travel home.
An Important Note about Schedule Changes:
Rustic Pathways reserves the right to change, alter, or amend the daily itinerary for this trip at any time. Changes can be made for various reasons including changes in flight or program schedules, changes in the schedules of various external tours incorporated in our trips, the addition of new activities into a trip, or the substitution of an old activity for a new activity. The itinerary shown here provides a good outline of the anticipated daily schedule for this program. As with any travel program, some changes may occur.
JEWELS OF INDOCHINA – DIRECTOR’S PROGRAM
Temples and Floating Villages
Hanoi and Ha Long 