PANDAW MEKONG CRUISE: SAIGON to SIEM REAP
from $1450*
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8 days / 7 nights (also from Siem Reap to Saigon [Ho Chi Minh City])
Ref: PMC-8D |
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• Relaxing Cruising • Comfortable Cabins • Excellent on-board Dining • The Mekong Delta •
• Remote Rural Villages • Great Sunrises & Sunsets • Floating Markets • Local Life •
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Day 1: Saigon ~ My Tho ~ Cai Be
- / L / D
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| Registration is at 08:30 at the Renaissance Riverside Hotel in Saigon. At 09:00 you are transferred by coach to the Mekong Delta port town of My Tho. Once you arrive you will complete the port and immigration formalities and set sail on board the beautiful Pandaw at 13:00. As you sail from My Tho lunch is served. In the afternoon the Pandaw moors near Cai Be and you have a fascinating trip by traditional junk to explore the nearby evergreen islands and the former Imperial Residence, the An Kiet House. Here, surviving members of the Kiet family will welcome you with afternoon tea and you also have the opportunity to wander in the fruit orchards around the house. Back on board the Pandaw you will enjoy your evening meal, before retiring to your cabin. |
Day 2: Cai Be ~ Vinh Long
B / L / D
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| This morning you re-board the junk and take a take a trip through the colourful floating market, getting up close and personal with the vendors, great photo opportunities. You will also go ashore to visit the French Gothic Cathedral and wander through the bustling port area, with its colonial buildings, delightful flower gardens and local rice paper manufacturers. After returning to the Pandaw you cruise towards Vinh Long. Here you will visit a Bonsai Garden and fruit farm where you get to taste many exotic fruits, followed by interesting visits to a brick and pottery factory. Back on board the Pandaw the rest of the day is spent cruising through the Mekong Delta taking in all the incredible sights of daily life in this watery world, plus watching a delightful sunset as the evening closes in… |
Day 3: Vinh Long ~ Chau Doc ~ ‘Hello’ Cambodia!
B / L / D
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| This morning you take a local ferry boat to explore some of the many narrow canals and backwaters that criss-cross the Delta, as you head towards the border town of Chau Doc. Here you will sail through fish farm villages where tons and tons of fish are bred in cages beneath floating homes, and also visit an ethnic Cham village with its famous Mubarak Mosque. Here you may witness women weaving using traditional methods. You will go ashore and take a fun trishaw ride round this fascinating town of fine French-colonial buildings and see its bustling market. After returning to the Pandaw you cast-off towards Cambodia, having lunch on route. Once at the border and after completing all the formalities you enter Cambodian waters and enjoy an evening cruise along the broad Mekong River, mooring overnight a few kilometres downstream from Phnom Penh. |
Day 4: Discover Phnom Penh
B / L / -
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| Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia retains its French charm, with the old colonial architecture making an attractive backdrop to the busy cafes, and the renovated riverside promenade is full of life. The city has several impressive wats, including Wat Ounalom, Wat Phnom, and Wat Langka. Pride of place goes to the spectacular Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, one of the few places in Cambodia where artefacts embodying the brilliance and richness of Khmer culture were preserved by the Khmer Rouge. The National Museum is another highlight, with outstanding displays of Khmer sculpture throughout the centuries. In the morning you are free at leisure to visit any of the above which are all located close to the boat port. An afternoon excursion is arranged where you can learn about the dark side of Cambodia - its more recent turbulent and harrowing history. Initially you will visit the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (also known as S21), ironically a former school, located in a quiet Phnom Penh suburb, this was the infamous Khmer Rouge prison / torture centre. After gaining an initial insight of the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime you will be driven 15km from Phnom Penh to visit the ‘Killing Fields’. This is where Toul Sleng prisoners were forcibly marched and then executed; it is now a memorial site located in a beautiful tranquil setting. On return to Phnom Penh you are free at leisure for the rest of the evening, the riverside has an eclectic mix of restaurants and bars with menus catering to all tastes… |
Day 5: Phnom Penh ~ Kampong Cham
B / L / D
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| An early morning departure from Phnom Penh as you sail the short distance along the Mekong River to Koh Dach, or Silk Weaving Island. The islands residents are renown for their traditional Khmer silk weaving skills. As you wander around the island you will notice many of the wooden stilted homes have at least one loom underneath with family members weaving away. Koh Dach is an example of traditional Cambodian village life and is a charming ‘oasis’ away from the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh. On the Mekong north of Phnom Penh there is little shipping, just real Cambodian life, and as you continue your cruise upstream you pass timeless villages and witness river life with extensive fishing activities. The scenery is very lovely here, and in the distance, forested hills rise. In the afternoon you go ashore at Peam Chi Kang village to visit the local wat, monastery, and school. Here you will have time to wander around this peaceful and friendly community. In the early evening you re-board the Pandaw for dinner. |
Day 6: Explore Kampong Cham
B / L / D
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| Today you continue north along the Mekong River passing the Provincial capital Kompong Cham on-route to the hilltop pre-Angkorian temple remains of Wat Hanchey. Dating from the 8th century, these ancient brick structures characterise the architecture of the Chenla Empire which predated the glories of Angkor. Back on board the Pandaw you enjoy lunch as you cruise back down the Mekong to Kompong Cham. You go ashore here and visit the 12th century Angkorian temple remains of Wat Nokor. This colourful temple is unique in Cambodia, as a modern wat is set within the ruins of an ancient temple. You will then continue to the eco-village of Cheungkok supported by the French-Cambodian NGO AMICA, and visit a local orphanage, supported by the Pandaw Trust. In the evening you re-board the Pandaw for dinner. |
Day 7: Kompong Cham ~ Kompong Chhnang
B / L / D
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| This morning you cruise back down the Mekong River towards Phnom Penh, where you join the Tonle Sap River and head north-west towards Kompong Chhnang. The Tonle Sap River is famed for being one of the very few rivers in the world that actually flows upstream for part of the year! and it joins the Mekong River to the vast Tonle Sap Lake (South East Asia’s largest). This section of river is a highlight of the trip, as the Pandaw winds its way through tree-clad banks, and as the river narrows you feel you can almost reach out and touch the houses and people who come out to cheer the Pandaw on. Wats abound along the river banks at Kampong Chhnang, and we see the rich tapestry of Cambodian rural life. Kompong Chhnang is a busy rural port town with bustling markets. The Pandaw will moor mid-stream and you will be taken on a truly wonderful motor boat excursion into the lakeside wetlands that form the mouth of the river. Here a stunning variety of birdlife may be seen and of considerable interest are the great fish traps, some half a kilometre long, which net a huge tonnage of fish after each monsoon as the fish migrate from the falling lake into the Tonle Sap River. This evening you will enjoy a 'Farewell' dinner as it is you last night onboard the Pandaw. |
Day 8: Tonle Sap - Siem Reap
B / - / -
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| The vast Tonle Sap Lake is considered the ‘heartbeat’ of Cambodia as it annual pulse (increasing in size considerably during the monsoon season) and huge influx of fish is of great importance to the country. It is said that if it were not for this annual natural phenomenon the mighty Angkorian Empire would never have flourished. As you glide across the lake you will be struck by its tranquillity and size, often from the middle the shores cannot be seen. Before midday you will arrive at Siem Reap port and be transferred to the centre of town where you are free to proceed with your onward travel arrangements, having experienced your wonderful 8 day Pandaw Mekong cruise consisting of traditional Vietnamese and Cambodian lifestyles aboard the luxurious comfort of the Pandaw... N.B. How you make your final entrance to Siem Reap is dependent on the lakes water levels:
1. High Water (approx. Aug – Nov), cross the Tonle Sap Lake at dawn and 10:00 disembark at Siem Reap Port for onward coach transfer to the centre of Siem Reap, arriving approx. 11:00.
2. Low Water (approx. Nov – Aug), coach transfer at 07:00 from Prek Dom on the Tonle Sap River to the centre of Siem Reap arriving approx. 12:00, packed lunch and refreshments provided. |
*The cost of the above tour is $1,450 (US dollars) per person based on 2 people sharing a Main Deck cabin.
Additional accommodation and sightseeing can be arranged for before and after the cruise if required.
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| For more information, departure dates, and availability please email us as we will be happy to discuss your individual requirements. |
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- All sightseeing tour services as detailed in the above itinerary
- English speaking local guide
- All accommodation on board the Pandaw based on 2 sharing a cabin
- All entrance fees for attractions included in the above itinerary
- All local boat trips
- All port taxes
- All meals as detailed in the above itinerary
(B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner)
- Services not detailed in the above itinerary
- Transport to / from start / end collection points
- International flights
- Vietnam or Cambodian Visa fees
- Any airport taxes
- Expenditure of a personal nature
- Discretionary Tips
- Travel insurance
- Any payment / money transfer charges
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Pandaw Mekong Cruise: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) to Siem Reap 8 Day Cruise |
