RV Pandaw Mekong Cruise

Mekong Discovery Downstream - 7 days

Return to Previous Page Click here see departure dates in 2009 and 2010 and prices pf the RV Pandaw Inclusions : Accommodation (double/twin sharing) Private pick up and transfer (A/C van) Meals specified in tour program Boat trips specified the tour program All entrance, permission and visiting fees Exclusions : Meals which do not specify in the program Tour guide escort from Hanoi (optional) Personal travel insurance All personal expenses All gratuities and tips to driver Everything not mentioned in the program Mekong River Cruise :  RV La Marguerite RV The Jayavarman Cruise RV Mekong Pandaw Bassac Cruise Le CoChinChine Cruise Song Xanh Sampan Book this tour  Return to Previous Page

Duration :		8 days and 7 nights
Starts from :		Siem Reap City
Ends in :		Saigon City
Departure dates:		Click here for details
Call us to book:		+84.91.2270058
Email to book:		Booking
Please kindly contact us to arrange hotels, land excurions pre or post of the trip

DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: Siem Reap  - Tonle Sap

The great lake dominates Cambodia and is over 150 Km in length. Here bird life is profuse, and from the middle of the lake one cannot even see the shores. There is a great stillness and tranquillity as we pass floating fishing villages. Because of seasonal high winds and varying water levels, we will start our journey one of the following ways:

1. High water, approximately July - November. At 1200 REGISTER at VICTORIA RESORT HOTEL to transfer to the ship at Siem Reap Port. lunch onboard at 1330. At 1500 we take a motor boat excursion to the floating villages of Tonle Sap. Moor overnight on the lake.

2. Low water, approximately November -March. At 1200 REGISTER at  VICTORIA RESORT HOTEL to transfer by coach to Prek Dom on the Tonle River, enjoying a snacks and cold drinks on the way with a stop at Kampong Thom.  Cruise to Kampong Chhnang for overnight mooring.

Day 2: Kampong Chhnang

High Water: we cruise from 0400 across the great Tonle Lake with a brief morning stop at Kampong Chhanang and then cruise all day passing Phnom Penh to enter the Mekong River and proceed upstream and stop for an afternoon walk at a rural village.

Low Water: This is a busy rural port town with bustling markets. Mooring mid-stream, we make 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 River. We touch the capital Phnom Penh in the afternoon to change pilots and enter the Upper Mekong bound for Kampong Cham and stop for an afternoon walk at a rural village.

Day 3: Kampong Cham

We continue upstream past Kampong Cham for a morning walk up the Wat Hanchai hill with its ancient Cham shrines. We cruise through lunch and in the afternoon travel by minivan (not always airconditioned) to the 12th century Angkorian temple of Wat Nokor the eco village of Cheungkok supported by the French-Cambodian NGO AMICA and the Kampong Cham orphanage, supported by the PANDAW ProBono programme. We make a late afternoon departure from Kampong Cham heading for Phnom Penh. Overnight mid-stream.

Day 4: Phnom Penh

The capital of Cambodia retains its French charm. The old colonial architecture makes an attractive backdrop to busy cafes, and the renovated river "corniche" is full of life. The city has several impressive wats, including Wat Ounalom, Wat Phnom and the newly-painted Wat Lang Ka. Pride of place goes to the spectacular 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 crafts. An afternoon excursion is arranged to the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge’s grim Tuol Sleng or S21 detention centre situated in the suburbs of the city then shopping at the Russian market or Central market.  Phnom Penh has a lively night life, and some passengers choose to dine ashore or try one of the capital’s many watering holes, a favourite being the Foreign Correspondents’ Club.

Day 5: Cruising the Mekong / Border crossing

We cast off for a day cruising the main Mekong channel, an international shipping route. Today we stop at Prek Touch, a jungle village,  to visit fruit orchards, and then set off for the Vietnamese border for the usual formalities, which in this part of the world, take time. Overnight mid-stream.

Day 6: Chau Doc

We travel from the main Mekong channel at Tan Chau down the canals and backwaters by local ferry boat. At Chau Doc we visit a Cham tribal village and a cat fish farm. We make a trishaw ride round this fascinating town of fine French-colonial buildings and bustling market. We return to the ship by boat for lunch and cast off for Cai Bei.

Day 7: Cai Be

We take a morning junk trip to Dong Hoa Hiep Island to Cai Be to see a floating market, and go ashore to visit the French Gothic Cathedral and colourful port area, with its colonial buildings, delightful flower gardens and local rice paper manufacturers. We explore evergreen islands and visit the former Imperial residence the An Kiet House, where surviving members of the Kiet family will welcome us with tea, and we can wander in the fruit orchards around the house. In the afternoon we continue our sightseeing by traditional junk to Vinh Long to visit the Bonsai Gardens and see brick works. We rejoin the Pandaw and cruise past Vinh Long City and the Evergreen Islands. Overnight moor mid-stream Cai Bei.

Day 8: My Tho / Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Early morning sail from Cai Bei for My Tho, where we disembark at 0830 for coach transportation to the Renaissance Riverside Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City arriving approximately 1030