TOUM TIOU: SAIGON to SIEM REAP CRUISE
from $1,440
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10 days / 9 nights (also from Siem Reap to Saigon [Ho Chi Minh City])
Ref: TTSSR-10D |
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• Relaxing Cruising • Comfortable Cabins • Excellent on-board Dining • The Mekong Delta •
• Remote Rural Villages • Great Sunrises & Sunsets • Floating Villages • Flooded Forests •
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Day 1 - Monday: Saigon ~ My Tho
- / - / D
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| You embark the Toum Tiou in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) mid afternoon and set sail by late afternoon. As you head into the Mekong Delta towards My Tho you will enjoy you first of many glorious sunsets.
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Day 2 - Tuesday: My Tho ~ Cai Be
B / L / D
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| An early rise to catch the sun rising over the still waters and then you set sail navigating the marvelous canals of Cho Gao. Before long My Tho comes into view and the Toum Tiou drops anchor close to Thoi Son Island. On the banks of a northern arm of the Mekong, My Tho translates as ‘fragrant herb’, and hear you can discover the beauty of the Mekong Delta. My Tho is a quiet, prosperous city of about 100,000 inhabitants, famous for its many fruit orchards, gardens and the huge rice fields that surround it. The surrounding countryside is home to some of the most luxuriant gardens in Vietnam, with their coconut palms, banana and mango trees. Local boats come alongside the Toum Tiou to transfer you to the mainland, where you will discover My Tho market. Mid morning the Toum Tiou departs and you cruise to Thoi Son Island where you will meet local people, experience their way of life, and enjoy the delicious seasonal fruits. You then cruise towards Cai Be and drop anchor for the night nearby. |
Day 3 - Wednesday: Cai Be ~ Vinh Long ~ Sa Dec
B / L / D
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| This morning local boats come alongside Toum Tiou and take you for a fun trip around Cai Be Floating Market, before continuing to Vinh Long, passing brick and pottery factories as well as witnessing local life which is organized around the water, houses on stilts, hawkers in boats, hundreds of small boats crisscrossing in all directions, and the many smiling Vietnamese faces. Vinh Long, which translates as ‘Majestic Dragon’, and is right in the middle of the delta, between two arms of the Mekong. In the mid-afternoon you arrive at Sa Dec, famous for its horticulture (it has many varieties of fabulously exotic flowers). Sa Dec was known as the ‘Garden of Cochin Chine’ during colonial times. You will have the opportunity to stroll around the Sa Dec market, situated on the banks of the Mekong, and visit Trung Vuong primary school and Kien An Cung pagoda. This interesting ‘city’ only has 30,000 inhabitants and is fascinating in its unspoiled authenticity and undisturbed by tourists. It provides a glimpse of the delta where a few French colonial houses still remain, including the ‘Chinaman's House’, from Duras' novel ‘The Lover’ (which was also made in to a movie). After re-embarking the Toum Tiou it drops anchor for the night a short distance from town.
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Day 4 - Thursday: Chau Doc
B / L / D
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| Shortly after breakfast you arrive at Chau Doc, which straddles both banks of the Mekong which from here fans out to form the famous Delta. Floating fish farms have sprung up everywhere around Chau Doc, bamboo fish drying racks are set up a meter above the water's surface. The bourgeoning downtown area features some charmingly rustic colonial buildings, squeezed in by the marketplace, the colorful, vibrant heart of the city. As always, these busy parts of town, despite their sometimes strong odors, offer wonderful photo opportunities... After lunch local boats will take you to visit fish farms as well as a local Cham minority village. If time allows you will also get to experience the sunset from the top of Sam Mountain where its famous Buddhist sanctuaries offer an unobstructed view over the mosaic of glistening rice paddies stretching off into the distant Cambodia. This evening you enjoy dinner at the Victoria Chau Doc Hotel as well as being able to use its swimming pool and bar. |
Day 5 - Friday: Chau Doc ~ Border Crossing ~ Phnom Penh
B / L / D
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| The Toum Tiou sets sail early this morning and heads to Vinh Xuong, the Vietnamese / Cambodian border. After completing the customs formalities the Toum Tiou heads into Cambodian waters and drops anchor at Koh Dek Chau island which allows a fascinating, close-up look at daily rural life in Cambodia. On the fringes of civilization, the 600 people who live on Kôh Dek Chau will receive your visit with some surprise and the excited children will escort you along your way. You will wander through the village that occupies the full length of the island, walking along a trail shaded by date palms. Late afternoon you return to the Toum Tiou and enjoy another sunset dinner. |
Day 6 - Saturday: Phnom Penh
B / L / D
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| This morning you cruise towards Phnom Penh enjoying the riverbank life of Cambodia. After lunch you will learn about the dark side of Cambodia - its more recent turbulent and harrowing history. Initially you 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. Once you have gained 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. This evenings on-board dinner is a treat as you are mesmerized by an hypnotic Apsara dance. |
Day 7 - Sunday: Phnom Penh
B / L / D
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| After breakfast you will be taken to the terracotta red National Museum which offers a charming setting for a comprehensive collection of Khmer artifacts. After lunch you will visit the nearby Royal Palace, on the banks of the mighty Mekong river. Inside the Palace walls you will be treated to the Throne Hall, the Chan Chaya Pavilion, and the King’s residential quarters. You will then move onto the neighbouring Silver Pagoda, so named as it is claimed its floor is made up of over 4,000 silver tiles! You will return to the Toum Tiou for lunch after which the rest of the day is free for you to further explore this charming city. |
Day 8 - Monday: Phnom Penh ~ Oudong ~ Kompong Tralach
B / L / D
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| This morning you tke the short cruise to the idyllic island of Koh Chen (Chinese Island). The island’s villagers specialize in silver and copper ware. They make ornamental items, including delicately engraved tropical fruits, used in traditional ceremonies at pagodas or for weddings. The distant hills of Cambodia's old capital, Oudong, and its royal stupas can be seen a few kilometers away. Afterwards you set sail for Kompong Tralach and its wonderful vihara belonging to Wat Kompong Tralach Leu pagoda. To reach it involves a stroll through Kompong Tralach Krom village then crossing some gorgeous stretches of emerald rice paddy as you leave the river behind The Vihara dates back to the early 19th century. It was most probably built on an older site, as indicated by the laterite foundations, and is home to some outstanding mural paintings. These, however, are starting to suffer from weathering. Standing by itself in the middle of rice fields, it is a modest pagoda that receives very few visitors. As the sun sets you return to the Toum Tiou, sail a short distance, drop anchor and enjoy dinner. |
Day 9 - Tuesday: Kompong Chhnang ~ Kompong Luong
B / L / D
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The Toum Tiou sets sail in the early morning and soon arrives in the town of Kompong Chhnang, which is one of the largest fishing ports on the Tonle Sap. Although fish farming is widely practiced in the area, Kompong Chhnang is better known for its pottery and earthenware which has remained unchanged in style for centuries, and which is produced in sufficient quantities to supply the entire country. And not to be overlooked are the products of the Thnot tree (the sugar palm – a real national symbol) that abounds in the area, such as the mellow tasting, caramel-colored sugar cake and the potentially potent sugar palm wine. After some sightseeing the Toum Tiou continues to Kompong Luong, where local boats will come alongside and sail you around this fascinating, remote, completely self-sufficient, floating town. Here you will see a floating school, floating ice-making factories, and floating pagodas, service stations, pigsties, stores, boat and television repair shops, video clubs, karaoke bars, a police station... everything is floating on the water. All trades are represented and everybody from children to grandparents go by boat through the network of canals that cross this little town. This evening the Toum Tiou drops anchor amidst the enchanting flooded forest. This evening, your last aboard the Toum Tiou, you will enjoy cocktails and the Captain’s farewell dinner.
(During the low water season Feb – June instead of sailing to Kompong Luong the Toum Tiou sails you to Chnok Tru, where local boats take you around the biggest floating market on the Tonle Sap. This evening the Toum Tiou drops anchor close to Chnok Tru) |
Day 10 - Wednesday: Kompong Luong ~ Siem Reap
B / - / -
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This morning you sail across the Tonle Sap lake passing more floating villages before reaching Siem Reap port at around 11:00am, having had a wonderfully relaxing and rewarding few days.
(During the low water season Feb – June instead of sailing on the Toum Tiou to Siem Reap you will be transferred by speedboat). |
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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 Toum Tiou based on 2 sharing a room
- All entrance fees for attractions included in the above itinerary
- All local boat trips
- All meals as detailed in the above itinerary
(B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner)
- Services not detailed in the above itinerary
- Transfers at arrival / departure port
- International flights
- Vietnam or Cambodian Visa fees
- Any airport taxes
- Expenditure of a personal nature
- Travel insurance
- Any payment / money transfer charges
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