Cambodia & Laos Uncovered
Experience Overview
Go deep into these two great countries as you get into riverside vibes, cool waterside bars, as well as taking in jaw-dropping sunrises at the likes of un-missable Angkor Wat. Take part in an alms ceremony in Luang Prabang and hit the streets for a bike tour...each day is different, and downright amazing.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 8 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Dinner (D)
FAQs
- Bangkok: What does a modular trip mean? A modular trip means fellow travellers will join and leave at various locations. There’ll be some goodbyes, sure, but there’ll also be plenty of hellos with new like-minded travellers.
Included Experience
- Luang Prabang: Cycle around the former capital of Laos, visiting Ock Pop Tock, Wat Xieng Thong, and Big Brother Mouse.
- Luang Prabang: Today, you'll get to test out your teaching skills and chat with the students at Big Brother Mouse, who are there to learn English. The team at Big Brother Mouse are working to reduce illiteracy levels across Laos, providing language lessons and publishing/promoting books and other learning materials
- Luang Prabang: Meditate at this ornate temple, or just marvel at its gilded beauty and take lots of pics.
- Luang Prabang: Your chance to watch Lao textile artisans at work, making clothes and homeware using special techniques.
- Luang Prabang: Always wanted to live like a Buddhist? Here is your chance to offer an ‘Alms’ to monks, in the spirit of karmic giving.
- Luang Prabang: Hop onto the train from Luang Prabang, travelling at a dashing 160 km/h. You’ll catch some breathtaking views on the way.
- Vientiane: See the amazing efforts of this non-profit, which gives prosthetic limbs to disabled locals – some of who are victims of unexploded bombs. MAKE TRAVEL MATTER ® Experience
- Vientiane: This isn't your typical hectic capital city. Today, you'll walk around the peacefully lovely city of Vientiane and admire Laos' version of the Arc de Triomphe - the Patuxai.
- Vientiane: It’s bizarre. It’s beautiful. And it has a lot of Buddha statues. This fanciful sculpture garden will leave you with wonder (and a little bit of confusion) in your eyes.
- Vientiane: Fasten your seatbelts folks, we’re off to Phnom Penh
- Phnom Penh: Admire the architectural wonder of some of the best buildings from the Khmer Empire of Vietnam – built back in the 1800s!
- Phnom Penh: A sombre but important remembrance for the victims of the Khmer Rouge. Visit the fields and Genocide Museum.
- Phnom Penh: Spend the evening at one of Phnom Penh's best-loved after-dark hotspots for refreshing beverages and tantalising food.
- Siem Reap: Visit Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Bayon – where Tomb Raider was filmed. But dress appropriately (no hotpants, soz).
- Siem Reap: Not only is the food top-notch, this social enterprise makes a mission out of training and employing street youths. Respect.
Trip Details
Product Code: 17453
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Deluxe
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Family, 55+, Luxury
Tour Operator:
Contiki (CA)
Supplier Code: 79.708A
Starts: Luang Prabang, Laos
Finishes: Siem Reap, Cambodia
Duration: 9 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $1,785 ($198 /day)
Itinerary
After checking in to the hotel & getting comfortable, we'll join up, get acquainted, & begin taking in the sites of this UNESCO listed city.
Accommodation: Luang Prabang Inn (or similar)
A city cycle and an optional swim under the 60-metre cascades of Kuang Si Falls will provide our daily nature fix, but most of the day is yours to visit palaces & temples & watch local life by the river, or choose to explore any way that suits. Tonight, watch the sunset at a riverside bar, and contemplate just how good life is and how relaxed you already feel.
Accommodation: Luang Prabang Inn (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast
This morning, the early risers will be rewarded with Buddhist rituals – kissed by the sun's morning rays. Take part in the daily ritual of offering alms to the Monks of Luang Prabang's 34 temples. After collecting our blessings, we’ll jump on a high-speed train that’ll whizz us to a lively tourist hub filled with plentiful opportunities for adventure. Makes leaving the charming town of Luang Prabang a little easier, right? Known for its dramatic limestone karsts, Vang Vieng will keep you busy this evening. You can opt to explore the local rivers and caves by kayak, or just chill out surrounded by like-minded travellers, watching the sun set over the mountains.
Accommodation: The Silver Naga Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast
Today you should wake up feeling satisfied with your Vang Vieng explorations, and ready to peel back the layers of another Laos hotspot… Welcome to the largest city in Laos! If you’re expecting a bustling Asian capital, prepare to be surprised. The vibe here is strictly chilled. Apart from seeing the beauty of Pha That Luang stupa & the artistic talent of Patuxai, we’ll use our time here to lend a helping hand to the COPE centre - a local charity that provides prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation services to those who have lost their limbs as a result of unexploded bombs. It’s now time to visit the Buddha Park - a fanciful sculpture garden adorned with significant Buddhist images. Spend some time talking amongst the bizarre & sometimes ornate statues, and head back to our hotel for a good night’s rest.
Accommodation: Hotel Aaron (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast
This morning we’ll cross the border sky high, flying out of Laos as we make our way to the capital of Cambodia. Drop your bags off at our cool hotel in the Bassac Quarter (the perfect spot to kick back with a beer and a bite). We’re doing some historical sight-seeing today. We’ll visit The Royal Palace (the official residence of the Cambodian royals) and the Silver Pagoda (one of the finest examples of Khmer architecture). Later tonight, the city is yours to explore as you please.
Accommodation: Mettavary Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast
You'll find reminders of Cambodia’s dark past hidden among the shy smiles and pretty tree-lined streets. Today we'll learn about the horrific Khmer Rouge rule by visiting the mass graves of the ‘Killing Fields’ & the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum with our local guide. Next, you can choose to hit the streets on a tuk-tuk and taste your way through the city's best foodie spots. Then we’ll head back to our hotel located at an after-dark dinner hotspot. (Ask your Trip Manager for some local favourites!)
Accommodation: Mettavary Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast
We'll take a coach out of Cambodia's capital this morning and drive into the heartland of an ancient masterpiece and what is still the largest religious monument in the world. The resort town is all yours to explore today. You could relax poolside in the afternoon. Or choose to visit the Phare Circus (which also holds the Guinness World Record for the longest circus show) for some insane multicultural entertainment. There are plenty of things you could spice up your night with - but it's probably best to reserve your energy for our early morning visit to an Eighth Wonder of the World (and something we know you've all been waiting for).
Accommodation: Amber Angkor Villa Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast
Prepare to be moved to the core this morning as we journey to Angkor Wat through dawn's hours in preparation for sunrise. Nothing can quite describe the feeling of watching the day's first rays touch this ancient spiritual site, it's pretty much magic. Next, we journey back to the temples to explore Angkor Thom and the Tomb Raider temple of Ta Prohm (which is slowly being swallowed by the jungle). With knowledge in hand, we'll pay a visit to a social enterprise, where disadvantaged and former street children are trained up in hospitality skills. And wow, do they do it well; their frozen shakes and mouth-watering menu never fail to impress. And finally, you've got the option to admire the sunset from the paddy fields - on a quad bike ride! With no early rise on tomorrow's agenda, we can let loose on the city's famous Pub Street and the buzzing local night markets.
Accommodation: Amber Angkor Villa Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Our trip will wrap up in Siem Reap shortly after our final team breakfast. We'll go our separate ways after saying somber goodbyes & making sincere plans to organise a reunion tour.
Meals: Breakfast
Similar Tours
Tour Operator
Contiki (CA)
Contiki is a New Zealand-based tour company that caters to 18 to 35-year-olds, offering over 350 different tours in over 75 countries in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.[1] It is a subsidiary of The Travel Corporation. Its tours historically had a reputation for partying;[2][3] however, it also operates wellness trips culturally immersive experiences that focus less on alcohol, which are more popular with Generation Z.[4] The company owns lodging facilities in Europe, including the Chateau De Cruix, a 16th century castle in the Beaujolais wine region, and the Gasthof Schoneck in the Austrian Tyrol. The name "Contiki" comes from the portmanteau 'Con' from the word 'Continent' and 'Tiki'; from the Māori referring to the first man, often symbolised as a pendant known as hei-tiki. It can also be attributed to the New Zealand slang 'Tiki-tour' describing taking a longer route to a destination in order to explore.[5]
In Business Since 1931
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