Mekong River Cruise including Cambodia & Vietnam (Siem Reap - Ho Chi Minh)

Depart for your overnight flight to Siem Reap and begin this trip of a lifetime.

• Meet our local representative in the airport and transfer to our hotel in Siem Reap. 
• Let’s relax and soak up our surroundings, you can enjoy some free time unwinding at the hotel or else you can continue to explore the city of Siem Reap independently. Your local expert guide will be happy to suggest some activities to suit your taste. 

Today, let’s explore the Angkor Temples of Cambodia. The first tour is to Angkor Thom and then you will travel on to Ta Prohm. 

•  Visit the most famous of them all and the largest religious monument in the world, Angkor Wat. The temple was first a Hindu, then a Buddhist shrine and is the top attraction in Cambodia. 
•  Enjoy sunset views from a beautiful site.

Please Note: Angkor Wat temple is still considered a sacred site and appropriate attire must be worn during the visit of the Bakan Tower. Please ensure to cover your knees and shoulders during the visit. Angkor Wat temple will be closed on the Buddhist Sabbath Days, religious days and four days a month in accordance with the Lunar calendar.

Today we will enjoy exploring the local Khmer communities and experience some wonderful interactions with some of Asia’s warmest people.

• Visit CMAC museum which aims to raise awareness about the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnance in Cambodia and to highlight the work being done to clear these remnants of war.
• Continue onto the local community village of Kok Sangkai, our guide will describe how the locals live and how today’s visit will help to financially support several projects planned to help create a sustainable future for the villagers themselves.
• Meet local families who earn a living by growing vegetables, raising chickens & ducks as well as making bamboo sticky rice. 
• Enjoy a simple Khmer style lunch at the community before walking to a local fish farm and an ancient pagoda where you will witness a traditional monks blessing.

Back to the hotel, you may wish to relax or explore Siem Reap at our own pace. You might like to visit the Psar Chass open air market where you haggle with vendors while enjoying the unique local atmosphere

Let’s get together for a lovely dinner at a local restaurant, with a cocktail included, and enjoy the evening before your cruise begins.

This morning after breakfast, we will check out of our hotel and settle any extra charges incurred during your stay. We will transfer from Siem Reap to Kampong Chham and enjoy a lunch before boarding the cruise.

We will commence our Mekong River Cruise for the next 7 nights. Enjoy our cruise as travel south into Vietnam and enjoy shore excursions and on-board entertainment.

• Join us tonight for welcome drinks and for a fascinating Krama demonstration before dinner. 
• Savour a great dinner served onboard as the ship cruises towards Angkok Ban. 

• Explore the charming village of Angkor Ban, famous for its traditional wooden stilt houses.
• Experience the simplicity of rural life in Cambodia and discover how the local community lives.
• Admire the village’s distinctive blue wooden houses, as many locals believe that blue is a lucky colour that brings happiness into the home.
   

• After lunch, board a local tuk-tuk and head to Silk Island.
• Discover the traditional Cambodian silk-weaving process, from silkworm to loom.
• Visit local families and observe skilled artisans weaving the iconic Cambodian krama.
• Learn about the island’s rich weaving traditions and the important role silk plays in local life.

• Overnight at Koh Chen
   

   

• Take a walking tour through the charming village of Koh Chen
• Meet a local copper and silversmith 
• Travel by coach to Oudong, the ancient capital of Cambodia
• Stop at the Vipassana Dhura Meditation Center 
• Return to the vessel for lunch on board 
   

• Hop aboard a traditional pedal-powered cyclo and make your way to the elegant Raffles Hotel Le Royal.
• Step into the iconic Elephant Bar and savour a refreshing cocktail
• Enjoy a dinner on board

• Overnight in Phnom Penh

   

   

   

• After breakfast we will disembark in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh once known as the “Pearl of the Orient”.

• Explore the Royal Palace and The Silver Pagoda complex where we will see the gold and bejeweled Buddha statues.

   

• After lunch, travel to Choeung Ek, a poignant memorial site and former killing field, home to a Buddhist stupa honouring the victims.
• Return to the cruise and experience a captivating live performance of traditional Khmer Apsara dancing.
• Dinner on board and overnight in Phnom Penh.

• Relax and unwind on board, or choose from a range of activities at your leisure.
• Admire the views of a floating village, observe daily life along the river, and see traditional freshwater fish farming from afar.
• Discover the Cao Dai Temple and gain an insight into Vietnam’s distinctive spiritual heritage.
• Return to the ship and be entertained by  a traditional Vietnamese lion dance.
• Dinner and overnight in Tan Chau.

• Explore more the of the Mekong’s tiny tributaries by a small boat.
• Lets see more as pass by craft village’s famed for the handmaking Ca Rang clay stoves, floating fish farms and a sacred temple, the spiritual centre for the local residents along the Mekong Delta.

• Enjoy a ride aboard a traditional small boat along the river, passing family-tended rice paddies and lush vegetable gardens.
• Stop to visit the Tiger Spirit Temple.
• Return on board for a relaxed cocktail competiton.
• Dinner on board 

Explore Long Xuyen Floating Market by sampan, meeting local residents who live in floating houses and discovering their unique stories and way of life on the water.

• Enjoy your last dinner on board at Victoria vessel
• Immerse yourself in the traditional folk music of Southern Vietnam.
• Overnight in Can Tho.

• After breakfast, disembark from the cruise and bid farewell to the vessel as you continue your journey.
• Enjoy some free time at your own pace, exploring the charming surroundings of Can Tho or simply relaxing and unwinding at the resort.

• Transfer to Ho Chi Minh City and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
• Discover Ho Chi Minh City’s iconic sights: Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, Central Post Office and Saigon Opera House.
   

• Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels and discover the ingenious underground network, wartime living conditions, traps and guerrilla strategies.
• Learn about Vietnam’s wartime history through a documentary and guided visit.
• Return to your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
   

After breakfast we will check out of our hotel and transferred to Ho Chi Minh airport and check in for our homeward flights.

Arrive home following your adventures in fantastic South East Asia.