Khiri Travel launches epic 40-Day, 5-Country tour in Mekong Region

BANGKOK - Khiri Travel has launched its "Epic Multi-Country Program," a 40-day, five-country journey of great variety that delivers insights and experiences into Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

"This trip is designed to inspire the travel trade by showcasing the diversity of the region," said Willem Niemeijer, Khiri Travel CEO. "The key themes are variety, going local and a liberal sprinkling of days at leisure for guests to venture out on their own."

The variety is apparent in transport, accommodation, local activities and insights.

On transport, apart from walking and some hill trekking, explorers use trains, cars, local open-air buses, comfortable air-con buses, speedboats, slow boats, tuk-tuks and bicycles. There is a kayaking option in Halong Bay. The trip includes six local flights: Yangon to Lashio and Heho to Tachilek in Myanmar; Pakse in Laos to Siem Reap in Cambodia; Saigon to Danang and Danang to Hanoi in Vietnam; and Hanoi to Bangkok.

Accommodation is at locally-owned properties and varies between boutique guest houses and three-star hotels. The route and choice of accommodation can be customized in places.

Iconic heritage sites such as Shwedagon Pagoda, Bagan, Pak Ou caves, Angkor Wat, Sambor Prei Kuk temples, Hoi An and Hanoi's Temple of Literature are included.

There are insights and meetings with fortune tellers, cheroot makers, bamboo craftsmen, local schools, the leg-rower fishermen of Inle Lake, Lao textile weavers, rice noodle makers, tai chi practitioners and Chinatown vendors.

"Foodies will love the trip," said Niemeijer.

Taste highlights include a Burmese mohinga breakfast, lunch in a Palaung village, a food discovery walk in Chiang Rai, fruit sampling in a Vietnamese orchard and stops in a Hanoi market to try pho bo (beef noodle soup), nom (papaya salad with beef), and banh goi (minced pork and mushroom parcels).

The trip includes nine days where guests can relax or explore at leisure in Hsipaw, Bagan, Nyaung Shwe (Inle Lake), Luang Prabang, Siem Reap, Saigon, Hoi An and Hanoi.

After an intense trip, the itinerary concludes with three days of relaxation on the beach at Koh Samet in Thailand.

A full itinerary for the "Epic Multi-Country Program" with options, inclusions and exclusions is available via the Khiri Travel website.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia