18 Days Mekong River Exploration of Thailand Cambodia and Laos

Welcome to Bangkok!

Upon arrival, our tour guide and driver will welcome you at the airport. You will be escorted to the hotel and check-in.

Note: if your arrival time is early, and you prefer to explore the city instead of taking a nap, please kindly tell our travel consultant, and we’ll recommend one of our suggested activities like watching a boxing game at Rajadamnern Stadium, a half-day city highlights tour, or night market & food tour, etc.

Accommodation: Overnight in Bangkok

Meals: NA

Enjoy your breakfast in Bangkok and prepare to enjoy a full day’s Bangkok city’s exploration. In the morning, you will visit:

1. Wat Phra Kawe & the Grand Palace: a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam.
2. Ride like a Local by tuk-tuk to Wat Pho temple

Then, have a nice local lunch after the long morning tour, and have a short break.

In the afternoon, explore the city’s renowned klongs(canals) by boat and cruise the Chao Phraya River. Also, visit the following two sites:

1. Wat Arun: one of the most visited temples in all of Thailand
2. Royal Barge Museum: many exhibitions on Thai history, royalty, and Buddhism.

After the tour, you will be escorted to a spa center to enjoy one-hour traditional Thailand massage to relax your senses. The go back to your hotel to have a good rest. 

Accommodation: Overnight in Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning, after your breakfast at your hotel, you'll be going to a place a little farther away from downtown Bangkok. Around 1-hour drive, you’ll get to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Then you’ll be driven to Kanchanaburi.

1. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market: experience the traditional Thai market with numerous vendors selling local foods, fruits, and products from their boats.
2. Kanchanaburi: learn about the region’s storied past and present-day culture.
3. Death Railway: built during WWII, made famous by the book and movie The Bridge on the River Kwai.
4. Thailand-Burma Railway Center: learn more history about the Death Railway.

Today, carriages still go on the tracks, taking travelers through the fields of sugar cane and rice terraces. After the tour, your tour guide will escort you back to the hotel in Bangkok. You can enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Accommodation: Overnight in Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, enjoy your time and wait for our tour guide to pick you up to the airport, taking a flight to Chiang Mai, about 80 minutes.

Welcome to Chiang Mai, a delightful city nestled in northern Thailand, celebrated for its rich culture and stunning natural beauty. Upon your arrival at the airport, our tour guide will warmly receive you and accompany you to the city center. You could have a rest in your hotel after arrival.

In the evening, here comes our most popular tour-street food tour. Your tour guide will pick you up at the hotel in Chiang Mai between 18:30-19:00 and drop you off there at approximately 21:30.

Evening Street Food Markets: trying out some northern Thai delicacies and learning how to order food in Thai.

 Accommodation: Overnight in Chiang Mai

 Meals: Breakfast

Enjoy your breakfast in Chiang Mai and prepare to learn how to make authentic Thai dishes using local ingredients bought from the market.

Around 8:00-8:30 am, your tour guide will pick you up at the hotel and transfer to the organic farm. You can choose what you want to cook from the menu and then go to the local market to buy ingredients. While visiting the organic farm, you could:

1. Pick fresh vegetables & collect eggs.
2. Get to know Thai herbs and vegetables.
3. Feed the chicken.

After visiting the farm, you’re going to cook a variety of authentic Thai dishes on your own two hands and enjoy the fruits.

When the tour ends, you will go back to your hotel to have a good rest.

 Accommodation: Overnight in Chiang Mai

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, you will be picked up by our guide at 7:30 am – 8:00 am, to enjoy a full-day visit to Elephant Nature Park, which is a natural home and sanctuary for elephants, buffalos, and other rescued animals.

Watch the saved elephants in two different places where they live together with their friends. You can learn about their stories. Besides, you could get a cool view of the small groups of elephants from SkyWalk.

1. 'Hands Off' Project: This is where elephants freely roam together, and you can see them from the SkyWalk, which is a special viewing spot.
2. Watch the Herd: Take a walk in the park to see the elephants in their groups. You'll also learn their stories and what they need.
3. See Them Socialize: Watch the elephants hang out together, play in the mud, or roll in the sand after they've had a bath in the river.
4. Visit Rescued Animals: You can visit the Dog Project and Cat Kingdom to learn about the saved dogs and cats. Besides, you can meet other saved animals in the park.

Enjoy a tasty buffet with vegan food from Asia and the West. At 3:30 pm, it's time to say bye to the elephants. Then, we'll drive you back to your hotel or guesthouse in Chiang Mai.

Accommodation: Overnight in Chiang Mai

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today you will be leaving for Chiang Rai. After breakfast, your tour guide will meet you at the hotel around 8:00 am. During the drive to Chiang Rai, you’ll visit:

1. Mae Kachan Hot Spring: hot water geysers; bathe feet in thermal water; boil quail eggs.
2. Meow Hill Tribe Village: located on the Mountain Doi Pui and once famous for opium cultivation.
3. Wat Rong Khun (White Temple): it's all white and has shiny pieces of glass that glimmer in the sunlight.

After lunch at a local restaurant, your Chiang Rai tour continues. In the afternoon, you’ll visit:

1. Wat Rong Suea Ten (Blue Temple): recognizable for its brilliant shade of rich sapphire.
2. Baan Dam (Black House): a special art museum with both old-style Thai buildings and new, unusual designs.

After the tour, your tour guide will escort you to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is yours.

Accommodation: Overnight in Chiang Rai

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

The Golden Triangle is a mysterious region for most of Indochina tour makes, today you will enjoy a full-day excursion to the heart of the Golden Triangle region.

After breakfast, your tour guide will meet you around 8:00 am and take you to the Long Neck Karen village. The Long Neck Hill tribe people are relocated from the Thai and Myanmar border.

And then, you will go to Mt. Doi Mae Salong to visit the Chinese village on the top of the mountain.

Lunch will be at a local restaurant. After a short break, you will drive to the city of Chiang Khong, which is on the Thai-Myanmar border.

Welcome to Chiang Khong! This charming town, nestled along the banks of the Mekong River. As you stroll through the charming streets, you'll encounter a delightful fusion of traditional Thai hospitality and the laid-back atmosphere that defines Chiang Khong.

Upon arrival, you will be escorted to the hotel and check-in. The rest of the day is at your leisure for recovery.

After the tour, your tour guide will escort you to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is yours.

Accommodation: Overnight in Chiang Khong

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, at about 7:30 am, your tour guide will drive you to Chiang Khong Thai immigration border. You’ll take a shuttle bus to Huay Xai immigration office through the Friendship Bridge #4.

Welcome to Laos, the mysterious Buddhist country with a unique culture and natural beauty. You’ll join in a 2 days 1 night Mekong River Cruise to explore the authentic Laos along this vast waterway.

The cruise starts at about 9:00 am, downstream to the city of Pak Beng. You’ll have lunch on Mekong River Cruise with Laotian traditional lunch set.

In the afternoon, you’ll stop to visit a Ban Houa Phalam (Kamu village) , a traditional riverside village offer picturesque views and laid-back atmosphere. Immerse yourself in the local community, gaining insights into their daily lives and partake in age-old traditions like rice farming and traditional fishing.

As the evening comes, we take you back to the Mekong River Cruise so you can soak in the stunning tropical sunset from the deck. Dinner will be served while the boat gradually stops for the night at Pak Beng Village.

Accommodation: Overnight on the cruise

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Keeping cruising eastward, you’ll tour to Pak Ou Caves after enjoying breakfast on board. It is two linked caves filled with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.

Lunch will be served near the caves. You'll try a local Laotian dish called "Orlam" which is a soup with vegetables and features a spicy wood that is partially edible.

Then you’ll continue the trip to Whisky Village (Ban Xanghai village) , a village renowned for its traditional production of Lao rice whisky, a local alcoholic beverage. You can witness the traditional methods of making rice whisky, and purchase locally crafted whisky as a souvenir.

The cruise finishes at the late afternoon. After disembarking, your tour guide will escort you to the hotel and check in.

Welcome to Luang Prabang! The rest of the day will be at your leisure to relax and explore the city, you can enjoy some drinks in one of the cafés or strolling along the beautiful riverside.

Accommodation: Overnight in Luang Prabang

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, your tour guide will meet you at 8:00 am – 8:30 am to start the day of the Luang Prabang city tour. In the morning, you will visit:

1. Royal Palace Museum: once served as the residence of King Sisavang Vong and was designed in the French Beaux-Arts style with many interesting artifacts of traditional Lao culture.
2. Wat Sene: the oldest temple of Luang Prabang.
3. Wat Xiengthong: its roofs sweep low to the ground and represent classical Laotian architecture.
4. Wat Visoun: the oldest Buddhist temple and the city’s museum of religious arts.
5. Wat Aham: the monastery of the blossoming heart.

After a tasty local lunch at about 11:00 am, you’ll go on your half-day tour to the beautiful Kuang(Khouang) Si Waterfall.

1. Bear Rescue Sanctuary: three bear houses were built with a capacity for 25 rescued bears.
2. Khouang Si Waterfall: the most beautiful in Laos. You can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails.

After the tour, your tour guide will escort you to enjoy a Lao-style spa and get relaxed. Then, you will get back to the hotel for a good rest. 

Accommodation: Overnight in Luang Prabang

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy your breakfast until your tour guide escorts you to take the flight from Luang Prabang to Pakse, which takes 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Welcome to Pakse, the second most popular city in Laos. Upon arrival at Pakse, you’ll be driven to Tad Fan Waterfall, the largest and most amazing waterfall in Laos.

In the afternoon, you’ll keep going on the tour to visit the Alak, Nge, and Katu villages on the Bolavan Plateau. It’s a great experience to enjoy the breathtaking natural beauty and observe the cultivation of coffee, tea, cardamom, bananas, etc.

After trekking, your tour guide and driver will escort you to the hotel in Bolaven Plateau for the rest.

Accommodation: Overnight in Bolaven Plateau

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, you’ll tour guide will drive you to Si Phan Don, the incredible “4,000 Islands” in Pakse”. It takes about 2 hours and 8 minutes for a direct driving.

Along the trip, you'll visit the Vat Phou Ruins, an ancient temple complex from the 10th century. There's a museum to explore, a big temple to see, and time for a walk around.

After having lunch with Laotian, Vietnamese, and Thai dishes, you’ll take a rest. Then you’ll tour to village of Tomo. It's a small village near the secretive forest temple of Oum Muong, built in the 9^th century and dedicated to Rudani, just a short walk away.

Late afternoon you’ll disembark from the boat to walk through Ban Deua Tia, a small Laotian Village where the traditional way of life has not changed in centuries.

After tour, you’ll be escorted to Don Khong, the largest and Northern-most of Si Phan Don. Arrive in hotel, the evening is yours to relax and enjoy.

Accommodation: Overnight in Si Phan Don

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, your tour guide will meet you at the hotel around 8:00 am – 8:30 am. Then you’ll go to the small village of Ban Veuthong, where you board a small boat to meander among the 4,000 Islands to Khong Island. Today, you’ll visit:

1. Old French Railway Bridge: the 100-year-old bridge that links Khone and Det Islands.
2. Xieng Di Village: a small fishing village where you have lunch on the banks of the Mekong.
3. Pha Pheng Waterfall: "The Niagara of the East", close to the Cambodian border, has historical significance.

Then tour to Li Phi Waterfall. Also known as “Somphamit Waterfall”, it is one of the must-visit destination for today’s journey. You can watch the waterfall as the Mekong River flows over rocks, creating a beautiful sight of water, mist, and greenery. Enjoy the peaceful and scenic escape.

After the full-day natural immersion, your tour guide and driver will escort you to the hotel in Si Phan Don for the rest.

Accommodation: Overnight in Si Phan Don

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, after breakfast, your tour guide will meet you and drive you back to Pakse. And you’ll be directly escort to Pakse International Airport. You’ll take the flight from Pakse to Siem Reap, about 1 hour.

Welcome to Siem Reap! Upon arrival, our tour guide will meet you at the airport and escort you back to the downtown city. Upon arrival, check-in at your hotel, and you will have free time for a nap or leisure time.

In the evening about 6:10 pm, your tour guide will pick you up to enjoy the welcome dinner with a sumptuous buffet dinner while enjoying the Khmer traditional dance performance.

After that, you will be escorted to the hotel and have a good rest.

Accommodation: Overnight in Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today, you will get up a little bit early, at about 5:00 am for the sunrise of Angkor Wat, experiencing the breathtaking moment.

After enjoying the sunrise, you will be escorted to the hotel for breakfast and have a little rest. Your guide will pick you up at about 10:00 am to start your Angkor Temple discovery. In the morning, you will visit:

1. Ta Prohm: one of the largest temples built during the Khmer empire, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII.
2. Banteay Kdei: considered to be one of the main groups of temples in the Angkor complex with peaceful and quiet surroundings.

After the lunch at a local Cambodian restaurant, you will continue to visit:

3. Angkor Wat: the 7^th wonder of the world, is a miniature replica of the universe in stone, its beauty and state of preservation is unrivaled.

After the tour, we prepare a Mudita Signature Treatment for you after touring the temples of Angkor Wat, rejuvenate with a spa session in Siem Reap. Using an herbal compress, your masseuse provides a massage treatment that is said to reduce tension and improve energy flow throughout the body.

After that, head to the local night market to explore and enjoy a local dinner at the Pub Street. Then, you will be escorted to your hotel, enjoy your free time, and have a good rest.

 Accommodation: Overnight in Siem Reap

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, after breakfast, your guide will pick you up at about 9:00 am, heading to the spot for the countryside jeep tour.

Hop aboard an open-air Jeep and explore the countryside around Siem Reap. Drive along dirt trails and country lanes, stop in remote rural villages, and admire views over the rice paddies. Along the way, learn about Cambodian life as you meet the locals, sample bamboo rice cakes, and watch demonstrations of traditional handicrafts such as basket weaving. 

The jeep tour is about 1.5 hours, then you will pay a visit to a Cambodian local family and see what their daily life is like. Then enjoy a local lunch with them.

Take a half-day excursion to the biggest Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake - Tonle Sap Lake. Firstly, tour Kompong Phluk, the largest village on the lake, to discover the fascinating daily lifestyle of the local people who live on the water.

Then, take a boat trip to enjoy the beautiful lake views and mangrove forests.

One of the highlights is to enjoy the beautiful sunset of Tonle Sap Lake, with a beer and a tranquil and serene atmosphere.

Then, back to the Siem Reap downtown, and you will be escorted to the night market and Pub Street, where you will have a nice evening to spend.

After the tour, head back to your hotel for a good rest.

 Accommodation: Overnight in Siem Reap

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy your breakfast and free time in the morning until your tour guide picks you up to the Airport. Tour service ends here.

Hope you enjoyed a great trip with us and we look forward to seeing you next time.

Note: If you’re planning to continue exploring the Indochina region, like Vietnam and Myanmar, please never hesitate to tell us, we’re tour experts for all of these destinations.

 Accommodation: NA

 Meals: Breakfast