Hotel du Parc, Dalat

Foodie Vietnam

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12 days

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Two countries, one unforgettable journey through South East Asia.

15 days

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A luxurious, slow-paced holiday across the full length of Vietnam.

16 days

from £8,250 pp

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14 days

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The real Vietnam, one authentic experience at a time.

12 days

from £3,365 pp

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An action-packed adventure through Northern & Central Vietnam.

16 days

from £4,350 pp

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Quirky excursions

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Cat Tien National Park

North-east of Saigon and south-east of Dalat is Nam Cat Tien (Cat Tien National Park) - a very diverse region encompassing rolling hills, flat plains, dense forest and meandering rivers. In 1978, the south and north Cat Tien parks were put under the State's protection and then in 1992, Cat Loc park was also listed in a joint program to protect the environment. Eventually, in 1998, these three parks joined together to become the Cat Tien National park, under the management of the ministry of agriculture and rural development. It is now the most important reserve in Vietnam, home to a wealth of flora, as well as much of the country's endangered wildlife. Amongst the species that live in the 70,000-hectare park are the Asian elephants, yellow-cheeked gibbons and sun bears. You begin by visiting the park's Endangered Primate Centre, where you'll be able to see two of the rarest species in the world - the Delacour and Cat Ba langurs. Whilst in the National Park you will be accompanied by one of the Park Rangers – all of whom are knowledgeably experienced, having been trained to a very high standard. Your programme can be tailored to suit your preferences, however typically you will spend your day hiking and spotting wildlife, including the wealth of birdlife. Nam Cat Tien is a three and a half hour drive from both Saigon and Dalat. Consequently, it is far better operated as an overnight excursion from either.

Golf at Dalat Palace

You are picked up from your hotel and head over to the Dalat Palace Golf Club. Rated as one of the best courses in Vietnam for its classic design chops, the incredible rise and fall of the terrain and for its flawless bentgrass conditions. It was once described by Patrick J. Rielly, the former President of the PGA of America as 'one of the most beautiful courses in Asia'. Green fees, golf cart and club rental is included. The Dalat Palace has a wonderful spa, with wide range of treatments for both men and women. We can organise this in conjunction or consecutively with a round of golf.

Watersports, Snorkelling & Diving

A number of the resorts across Vietnam offer water-sports from the beach (including kayaking, sailing, jet-skis, boating) or you can enjoy the underwater action around Phu Quoc on a snorkelling or diving tour arranged via one of the boat companies or through your hotel. Diving is best from November to March and fun dives will cost around USD100 per person, whereas snorkelling is around USD35 per person. For many Nha Trang is the best place to head for the quality of the diving. It has, however, become very busy with a lot of different dive shops too so it is worth considering the kind of experience you would like before choosing. Diving off the coast of Hoi An is a place for many to try out diving. It isn't busy there and so makes the ideal place to stop off for an extra couple of nights and to explore the underwater world. Con Dao is considered one of the best examples of marine conservation in the country. With over 340 species of Hard and Soft corals, teeming with a colourful array of marine life. Con Dao supports a high level of biodiversity and over 1,400 currently recorded marine species. With clear waters from February to July and visibility averaging 20-30 metres, Con Dao is an excellent place for diving and offers a unique opportunity to explore the amazing variety of underwater life. Explore the untouched and pristine corals, with a chance to see rays, turtles, giant barracuda, cobia, batfish and small bamboo sharks, as well as a whole host of tropical reef fish. Phu Quoc is often the beach stop of choice and there are a lot of dive sites around. The major dive sites on the Phu Quoc are Dry island and Nudibranch Island where you will be able to spot a variety of marine animals, including cuttlefish, octopus, scorpionfish, damselfish, nudibranchs, and moray eels. The sea is calm around here and in the dry season, you'll have clear water and great visibility.

Motorcycle tour of Dalat

The motorbike tour tends to start around 9:00, with you immediately hitting the road. You'll ride on the back of an experienced driver and you'll end up covering around a 60/70 miles over the course of the day - you are on a bike for around 6 hours in total. First stop will be a quick visit to a cricket farm. Here you will get to see the ins and outs of cricket farming, from the breeding and storing process to the finished product. After walking through the farm, taking in the brightly coloured cricket baskets you'll get a chance to sit down and have a taste of pan-fried insects. If you can get past the fact that you're eating a bug they actually aren't that bad — a bit like barbecue potato chips! After filling up on insects it's time to climb back on the bike for a visit to a Vietnamese market. Unlike the markets in Saigon, the ones in the Vietnamese highlands are not nearly as accustomed to foreign guests so you won't find as many designer knockoffs or souvenirs. Instead, you'll see what the morning is like in a typical wet market, with people shopping for their daily necessities. The next stop on the tour will be to a silk factory, where you'll see the process of extracting silk from a silkworm then weaving that silk into something of real value. The factory is quite interesting, with machines that seem like they were pulled from the industrial revolution churning the worm cocoons into fine silk. Once you've seen the operation you can buy some of this very silk at a reasonable price. After the silk show it's time to see one of Dalat's famous waterfalls - Elephant Falls, where we were able to hike all the way to the bottom of the falls by way of a narrow, slippery path over boulders. From this point you get a great view at the price of getting relatively soaked, however the long motorbike ride to lunch following the falls provides ample opportunity to dry. Lunch is basic — a sampling of regional fruits and a large, family-styled plate of noodles — but you get a much-deserved rest. Plus, right after your meal you take a short walk to visit with some members of a Vietnamese hill tribe. You will be regaled with stories from these people, who go without many modern conveniences, of sons being sold into marriage for oxen and women sneaking out of hospitals to have babies in the jungle. You will also see a demonstration of them weaving traditional clothing, again are offered for sale. After lunch you take a long ride back to Dalat, travelling through some scenic roads offering dynamic views of the surrounding highlands. As the sun starts to set, you'll finally arrive at your starting point, exhausted but well travelled.