The South and Central Highland Escape

Upon arrival, our Authentik Travel’s tour guide and driver will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel in the city center.
Our tour guide will give you some first information about our country then you will take your leisure time. Overnight in Saigon
 

Depart Saigon to discover one of the most striking places in the history of the Vietnam War, the Cu Chi Tunnels.
Cu Chi is a real underground city made up of a large network of tunnels covering an area of over 250km where the Viet Cong conducted the war of resistance against American troops. All of the tunnels were dug by the Viet Cong over a period of twenty years using only pickaxes and shovels. 

Return to Saigon in the afternoon.
Visit the Reunification palace (or the war memorials Museum), Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office inspired by Orsay Station in Paris.
Then, transfer to Cho Lon District to discover its old quarter, Binh Tay Market and the colorful Quan Am pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in the city. Its architecture and decorations have remained since its construction. Overnight in Saigon.

Get picked up from your hotel and transfer to Cai Be (120km – 2.5 hour driving). Visit Cao Dai temple on route.
Upon arrival, embark on a boat trip on a branch of the Mekong River to Vinh Long. Experience the rhythm of life on the legendary Mekong River with a visit to Cai Be floating market and the orchid canals .

Visit crafts workshops of rice, popcorn, coconut caramel and rice cake.
Cycle or walk on the village paths to discover the ancient and beautiful Phu Chau pagoda where serenity reigns and meet the local people.
Enjoy  lunch in an open air restaurant where you can taste a famous local specialty, the Elephant Fish ear.Then enjoy tasting delicious fruits while rowing a small rowboat in the canals shaded by the fruit trees.

Continue your boat trip to Vinh Long and meet our driver at the pier for a transfer to Can Tho. Arrive in Can Tho in the late afternoon.  Check in at your hotel and relax.
Enjoy free time on your own to discover the city located on the Mekong River.
Stay overnight in Can Tho.

Have breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the pier for a boat trip to visit Cai Rang floating market, the largest and most lively market in the Mekong Delta.
There are so many colors and smells in the bubbling atmosphere where hundreds of sampans are filled with goods such as rice, fruits, and craft products. Everything is shown to sell from the early morning.

Leave the market and continue the boat trip through the canals and visit a fruit garden (Option - replace the garden with the nursery field by the river)
Head back to An Binh Market which is full of fish, fruits and vegetables.

Stop at Binh Thuy ancient house which contains the orchid garden where “The Lover” was filmed.

After that, back to our car for a transfer to Chau Doc and enjoy a trip to Tra Su reserve, an exceptional biodiverse ecosystem with a typical indigo forest.
This is also a famous bird park, known for a variety of species.

Return to Chau Doc to explore Sam Mountain (287m) with colorful temples and Pagodas: Xu Lady Pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau temple, Tay An pagoda. It's possible to walk up to the top of the mountain to enjoy the awesome sunset over the border between Vietnam and Cambodia.
Stay overnight in Chau Doc.

Have breakfast at the hotel and drive back to Saigon via a ferry from Tan Chau – Hong Ngu – Long An ( 250km).

Optional Route: Take a 3 hour motor boat ride to discover Tram Chim national park( 45$ for boat rental). Tram Chim is a large, flooded mangrove forest where the flora and fauna is typical of region. This bird sanctuary is home to several immigrant species, the rarest of which are red head cranes.
Arrive in Saigon in the late afternoon.
Overnight in Saigon.
NOTE: After Chau Doc, it's possible to take a high-speed boat (at 7.00am) to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
 

A morning drive and a short ferry across the Dong Nai River will take you to Nam Cat Tien National Park.

After lunch, your nature and wildlife experience begins with hiking the Botanic Garden Trails circumnavigate an area where the Chau Ma minority people once had a settlement before being moved to Talai after the American war. The path cut through a couple of areas of relatively primary forest, with a wide range of trees species; in more open ground gingers are in flower during June – September. The path can be excellent for birds and mammals including primates. 

At around 20.00, a car equipped with a spot light will transfer you to Ta Lai buffer zone for wildlife spotting. Typical wildlife seen at night includes deer, civet, guar, mongoose, macaque, snakes and other small animals. Today your accommodation is either in a Guesthouse in the Park's centre or a comfortable thatch bungalow located next by a big and beautiful stream in the forest

The song of birds will wake you up in the morning. You will enjoy the marvelous morning to see how the wildlife waking up while sipping your hot coffee or tea at a beautiful terrace. This morning, 9km transfer by road inside the park takes you to T-junction where you turn off the main route for 5km hiking to Crocodile lake station (Bau Sau).

Bau Sau is a beautiful lake surrounded by the jungle and home to many crocodiles.
You will board your boat and paddle around the lake for an hour with chances to see birds, crocodiles, wild lotus. After a short break at the lake watching tower, you will then return to the T-junction and transfer back to the park center by road.

The trek on the trail to Crocodile Lake is paved and the moderate walk on flattish terrain will take you through shaded canopy until you reach the vast expanse of the lake. Majestic towering trees, curling lianas & bamboos, moss, mushrooms & the old growth rainforest is there to welcome you into its bosom. If you are quiet & lucky, wild animals can be seen along the trail.
 

After breakfast, take a short drive  to Lat village located under the foot of Langbian mountain. You will visit the church decorated with the traditional patterns describe the spiritual life of the people. Continue to Chil village, strolling in the village of the native people of the area.

Visit Chil’s traditional houses with their farming tools, musical instruments and belongings and learn about K’ho culture.
You will then visit a coffee farms, vegetable fields, flowers, strawberries gardens. Learn K’ho lifestyle through their daily activities. Enjoy the performance of K’ho woman on T’rÆ°ng – an ethnic musical instrument before heading back to Dalat for lunch.

Afternoon visit Dalat Railway Station - remarkable with its architecture and its old steam locomotive; Linh Phuoc Pagoda which is carved with tens of thousands of beer bottles and broken ceramics. Return to the city centre to visit Dalat Historical Village (XQ Da Lat Su Quan) - a traditional embroidery workshop which is delicated to creating and exhibiting fine embroidered artworks. Your trip today finishes with a pleasant stroll around the centre market to learn about local produce in this highland city.  Overnight in Dalat
 

Before drive to Mui Ne, today you will continue the trip in the city with visiting Truc Lam Zen monastery, uniquely Vietnamese form of Zen founded during the Tran Dynasty in 13th century, which overlooks the Tuyen Lam lake; visit Bao Dai’s Summer Palace where the last Emperor of Viet Nam - Bao Dai stayed and ruled the country between 1949 and 1954. Time for lunch and embark transferring to Mui Ne. Overnight in Mui Ne. (It takes 5 hours for transferring from Dalat to Mui Ne)

Free time to relax at resort or beach
Overnight in Mui Ne

Free time to relax at resort or beach
Overnight in Mui Ne

Take your leisure time until tranfer to the airport for your flight home (6 hours transfer). Trip ends.