Ho Chi Minh City Jungle Explorer
Active
6 Days
Trip Overview
Discover the magnetism of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s biggest city, and get off the tourist track on this 6-day adventure packed full of kayaking, mountain biking, and trekking. Visit Ho Chi Minh City’s best museums, attractions, and experiences before exploring the wild jungles of Nam Cat Tien National Park, home to ethnic minorities, bears, monkeys, and crocodiles.
Highlights
- Taking a speedboat to Cu Chi Tunnels and cycling through rural countryside
- Zipping around the city on the back of a retro Vespa
- Trekking and mountain biking through the jungles of Nam Cat Tien National Park
- Learning about ethnic minority culture in Southern Vietnam
This Tour is Perfect for
- Adventurers, nature lovers, and active travelers
- Exploring the diverse landscapes of Vietnam
- First or second-time visitors to Vietnam
- Families with children at least 12 years old and up. Please speak to your travel designer about potential modifications to this proposed itinerary
Detailed Itinerary
Topas Travel creates tailor-made tours for our guests according to their specific requests. This itinerary has been designed to show you just one of many options
In Brief
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City Arrival
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City
Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi
Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City – Nam Cat Tien National Park
Day 5: Nam Cat Tien National Park
Day 6: Nam Cat Tien National Park – Ho Chi Minh City Departure
Day 1: Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City | Ho Chi Minh City Arrival
Xin Chao and welcome to evocative Saigon, known officially as Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, a Topas representative will welcome you before heading to the heart of the city to your cozy accommodation for the next few days.
Enjoy the day at leisure exploring Ho Chi Minh City on your own.
Included meals: N/A
Distance and activities: 45’ drive
Day 2: Historical Saigon | Ho Chi Minh City
Start your discovery of Ho Chi Minh City with a morning sightseeing tour, starting at the Reunification Palace and pausing at the old Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral, two still-working colonial masterpieces. Then, browse the exhibits at the War Remnants Museum, paying respect to the sobering recent tragedies and the fighting spirit of the Vietnamese to rebuild their society.
Lunch at Bloom Saigon, a vocational training restaurant working to empower disadvantaged youth in Ho Chi Minh City by providing culinary training. The food is a mix of traditional Vietnamese and Asian fusion, served in a big French Colonial Villa.
The afternoon is at leisure for you to discover Ho Chi Minh City on your own until sunset, when it’s time to discover the city the way the locals do, on the back of a scooter! Your trusty driver will zip you down tiny alleys and wide boulevards flanked by skyscrapers to show you the Saigon few travelers get to see. Sample delicious street food dishes as you pass major tourist attractions, getting to know Vietnam in style.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance and activities: 3h sightseeing tour – 4h motorbike food tour
Day 3: Cycling the Countryside | Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi
Board your speedboat this morning and jet out of Ho Chi Minh City into the jungles and stilted houses of the surrounding region. After a 60’ ride, grab a bicycle and cycle through small communities on quiet back roads, trails, and paths. Along the way to lunch, you’ll see rice paper makers and farmers tilling the land.
After a local lunch, arrive to the Cu Chi tunnels, a vital network of 200km of underground passages, chambers, and living quarters from the Second Indochinese War set outside of the city. This fascinating piece of Vietnam’s history helps visitors to understand the conditions of the war and the incredible odds the Vietnamese were against.
Return to Ho Chi Minh City by van, free to discover the city on your own.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance and activities: 1h speedboat transfer – 27km cycling – 1.5h transfer
Day 4: Into the Wild | Ho Chi Minh City - Nam Cat Tien National Park – Ta Lai Village
After breakfast, transfer by private car to Nam Cat Tien National Park, 180km north of Ho Chi Minh City and one of eight UNESCO biosphere reserves in the country. Arrive to Nam Cat Tien just in time for lunch served at your lodge, a longhouse made out of bamboo in the traditional style of the S’Tieng and Ma People, local minority groups in the area.
Stretch your legs with an afternoon mountain biking tour through the jungles of Nam Cat Tien, keeping your eyes open for gibbons and crocodiles. Then, head back to the lodge for dinner and a traditional dance and music performance by the local ethnic minorities, the Ma and Tay.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance and activities: 3h transfer – 26km mountain biking
Day 5: Deep in the Jungle | Nam Cat Tien National Park – Ta Lai Village
Wake up to the sounds of the jungle and fill up on breakfast before joining a 4-hour challenging trek to Green Hill. After enjoying a packed lunch, return to Ta Lai Village for an afternoon at leisure to enjoy the surroundings of the lodge.
Option activities include kayaking by the hour or visiting the Animal Rescue Center within the park to see the rehabilitation process for monkeys and bears. If you’re feeling especially brave, travel by jeep to Crocodile Lake, home to 200 crocodiles!
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance and Activities: 10km trek
Day 6: Time to Say Good-Bye | Ta Lai Village – Ho Chi Minh City Departure
Leave Nam Cat Tien behind and head back to Ho Chi Minh City for your transfer to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for onward booked travel.
Included meals: Breakfast
Distance and Activities: 3h drive
Tour Inclusions
- 2-way private A/C airport transfer
- All accommodation indicated as twin-shared room
- All meals as indicated in the program
- All museums and tours mentioned in the program
- Entrance tickets to villages
- Refillable water in vans (Please check with your guide or driver)
- 1 x English speaking local tour guide on days with activities
- 1 x food tour via Vespa
- Join-in round-trip to Cu Chi ( 1-way speedboat, 1-way van)
- Government VAT
Important Notes
Tour Exclusions
- Drinks and alcohol
- Vietnam visa (On request with additional charge)
- Travel insurance (Compulsory with Topas Travel programs)
- Upgrades to higher standard rooms or single supplements
- Personal travel items (Please visit our Vietnam weather page for more information)
Essential Information
This program utilizes comfortable accommodation in the form of carefully curated hotels, lodges, and homestays. Hotels and lodges have been selected with the active traveler in mind, offering standard services and located as close to nature and local engagement as possible. Homestays are simple and equipped with western toilets and amenities such as fans and mattresses. If you have a specific property in mind you wish to stay at, please let your travel designer know so they can work it into your program.
All bookings are made with and through Topas Travel. By booking a trip with Topas Travel, you agree to the terms and conditions set forth here.