Saigon to Angkor by Mekong Cruise (12-days)
From Ho-Chi-Minh City to Siem Reap (Angkor) by River Cruise.
Day 1: Arrive HCMC (L)
Arriving Ho Chi Minh City, our local representative will be at the airport to welcome you & transfer
to your hotel. Today city tour includes a tour of The Reunification Palace (former Presidential Palace),
Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, Lam Son Square, Ben Thanh Market, Thien Hau pagoda, The Museum of HCM
Campaign, China Town (Cholon) & Binh Tay Market etc.
Day 2: HCMC - Cu Chi - HCMC (B/L/D)
Enjoy a morning drive through typical southern Vietnamese countryside to Tay Ninh Province in the west
of Vietnam. At Tay Ninh visit the incredible Cao Dai Great Temple, with architecture that could have come
straight from a Walt Disney fantasy and where all the major faiths of the world blend together in a
unique religious cocktail. In the afternoon visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an underground tunnel
network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence.
Tonight dinner at local restaurant.
Day 3: HCMC - My Tho - Cai Be (B/D)
Morning at leisure. Afternoon we travel by land to My Tho to embark the 7 nights/8 days cruise to Cambodia.
After a welcome drink, the boat will set off, gliding along the Mekong. As the sunlight fades there is a briefing in the lounge,
and dinner will be served as we approach Cai Be.
Day 4: Cai Be - Sadec - Chau Doc (B/L/D)
The day starts with a Tai Chi lesson on the sun deck, as the sun rises. with coffe and tea for the early bird.
The day’s tour starts with a visit to Cai Be’s boisterous and colorful
floating market on board a traditional sampan (a flat bottomed traditional Vietnamese wooden boat). During the
ride, watch as the breathtaking landscapes along the river pass by and see the rustic life on the Mekong Delta.
The cruise will halt intermittently to allow us to observe how rice paste, rice cookies and coconut candies are
made, along with the Longan fruit drying process. After touring the canals, we head to an ancient house
surrounded by fruit orchards before heading back to the boat for lunch. In the afternoon, we cruise on to Sa Dec.
Upon arrival, we embark a traditional sampan to tour Binh Thanh Island and its manmade canals. Here, every
villager is involved in the process of growing and processing water hyacinths into natural fiber floor mats
and rattan baskets. We then board the boat for a tranquil evening cruise towards Chau Doc
Day 5: Chau Doc - Phnom Penh (B/L/D)
After breakfast this morning we will have a short excursion in Chau Doc, a pleasant town near the Cambodian
border with sizeable Chinese, Kinh and Khmer communities. We will also visit the colourful local market near
an ancient temple. This is followed by a trip to the quay, where we will take a boat excursion to the
floating villages and rustic catfish farms trip to the quay. Then, it is back to the boat for lunch.
By mid-afternoon, the cruise boat will make its way to the border on the way to Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia.
It is an opportune time to relax on board, sharpen your culinary skills with our hands-on cooking classes or
tour the boat with our Cruise Director.
Day 6: Phnom Penh (B/L/D)
After breakfast, there will be a lecture on Cambodia’s modern history. This will be
followed by a city tour of this dynamic, historical capital city which has managed to preserve
large slices of its French colonial allure. Sightseeing in the morning will include visiting the dazzling
white and gold edifice of the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, and witnessing exceptionally beautiful
Khmer craft at the National Museum. After lunch at a local restaurant, we will visit the Genocide Museum
and the Killing Fields, a stark reminder of the genocide that took place during Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime.
The evening starts with a variety of cocktails served on the sun deck. Take a seat and enjoy the following Apsara
dance performance. Experience the brilliance and richness of this culture, the soothing sounds of traditional
music, the calming scent of incense sticks and a barbeque on the sun deck. Tonight the boat departs Phnom
Penh to Kampong Chang. (B/L/D)
Day 7: Kampong Chang - Phnom Penh (B/L/D)
Cruising along the Tonle River - an amazingly narrow river - which glides through leafy swaths of the Southeast
Asian jungle. We are greeted by cacophonous children who waive enthusiastically early in the morning when
they bring their livestock for to bathe the meandering River. Then we approach Kampong Chang, Cambodia’s
“waterworld” where everything is on stilts balanced on water rich soil. Here take a motorboat excursion to the
landing, followed by a short bus trip to see the Khmer-styled pottery at the Aundaung Russey village. Then,
it is back to the river for an adventurous motorboat excursion to the
wetlands, floating houses and fish farms in the region. We then return to the cruise boat for lunch, taken whilst
cruising the narrow and meandering Tonle River. We will cruise towards Prek K’dam where we will take a
walk through the silversmith village of Koh Chen where the entire community of villagers is involved
in making various silver items for sale. Back on the boat, we cruise back towards Phnom Penh.
Day 8: Phnom Penh - Kampong Cham (B/L/D)
We will depart before the break of dawn from Phnom Penh with a stop at the little known Chong Koh silk
weaving village. Next we will tour the rural Angkor Ban village where time has stood still. The houses here
are truly rustic, made by hand and without any concrete. Afterwards, cruise onwards towards Kampong Cham.
Day 9: Kampong Cham - Wat Hanchey (B/L/D)
We will wake up in the small hours of the morning, to embark on a land journey to the
pre-Angkorian temple Wat Hanchey. Travellers can either take a motor-taxi or climb 291 steps to the top.
Located at the top of a hill overlooking the river, it offers one of the most breath-taking views in Cambodia.
Built in the 8th century, this ancient structure, together with a bigger and newer addition underscores the
superb architecture of the Chenla Empire which predates the mighty Angkor temple complex. We even get to
engage in light banter with some of the monks in the area. We will return to the boat to witness a blessing
ceremony performed by orange-clad local monks. When the tide allows, we will enjoy a surprise sojourn in our
zodiacs (inflatable boats) to the nearby beach to swim in the Mekong River. We will then cruise towards
Kampong Cham to visit Wat Nokor, a wat built within the ruins of an ancient temple which holds a timeless
story. On the way back to the cruise boat, we will visit an orphanage. Along the way, we will have to maneuver
a 2-kilometer rickety bamboo bridge.
Day 10: Kampong Cham - Siem Reap (B/L/D)
We will disembark after breakfast and board a coach at 08.30 for the transfer from Kampong Cham to the
drop off point in Siem Reap. Our local Cambodia representative will be there to welcome you & transfer to your
hotel. Today we start the visit to the famous Angkor Wat temple, Bayon Temple, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda,
Terrace of Elephants and Leper king and Taprohm temple etc.
Day 11: Siem Reap - Phnom Kulen - Siem Reap (B/L)
Morning trip to Phnom Kulen where the river of 1000 lingas features thousands of carvings engraved into the
sandstone rocks under the water. We also visit the Rock temple with a large reclining Buddha. There will be a
picnic lunch by the waterfall. Afternoon trip to see the oldest temple in Angkor, Banteay Srei. This temple
has the best engravings among all the ruins.
Day 12: Siem Reap - Departure. (B)
Morning at leisure until transfer to airport for your return flight to UK. Arriving Heathrow next morning. (B)
Please note that, whilst every effort will be made to carry out the programme shown above, small changes may sometimes be necessary.
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