Mekong River

country:	Cambodia, Vietnam
departures:	Weekly departures from January to March & August to December
price:	From US $1150 (8 days) excluding flights. Price includes private cabin, private vehicles for sightseeing, local guides, most meals, entrance fees and local boat trips
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

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the amazing things you'll be doing

This relaxing cruise is a wonderful way to begin or end your visit to the magnificent temples of Angkor. The Mekong river, its Delta, and the Tonle Sap lake were the lifelines of the ancient Angkor Empire. As you enjoy your cruise you will experience remote lifestyles that have changed little since the height of this civilization. A rare insight that few visitors to Angkor get to experience.

The cruise can be done in either direction. If starting from Saigon your first few days are spent exploring the watery world of the Mekong Delta, experiencing the daily life and visiting fruit orchards, colourful floating markets, local schools, pagodas, colonial architecture, ethnic villages, a rice factory and more.

Once you sail across the border into Cambodia the pace of life slows and you arrive in the capital Phnom Penh. After a days sightseeing you continue towards Siem Reap witnessing remote villages, earthenware pots being made, sugar palm juice, and floating villages. Finally you sail across the vast expanse of the Tonle Sap lake, the largest in South East Asia, and arrive in Siem Reap, the home of the mighty Angkor Wat temples.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Saigon - My Tho. You embark your traditional wooden boat mid-afternoon and get your first views of the Mekong Delta as you sail towards My Tho.
Day 2:	My Tho – Cai Be – Vinh Long. After experiencing your first Mekong sunrise you explore luxuriant fruit orchards and taste exotic fruit. You visit a local pagoda before discovering the colourful Cai Be floating market.
Day 3:	Sa Dec – Chau Doc. You visit a local primary school and stroll around Sa Dec market before leisurely cruising towards Chau Doc. On arrival you will visit the many fish farms the area is famed for, as well as a local Cham minority village where amongst other things you will witness traditional weaving. Finally you will enjoy the sunset from the top of Sam Mountain.
Day 4:	Chau Doc – Phnom Penh. Farewell to Vietnam as you cruise into Cambodia where you will stop at a small island and get your first glimpse of traditional Cambodian village life. In the late afternoon you arrive in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital.
Day 5:	Phnom Penh. This morning you learn about Cambodia’s recent dark and harrowing past. In the afternoon you are free to explore this charming city further, before enjoying a mesmerising Apsara dance show whilst having dinner.
Day 6:	Phnom Penh – Kompong Tralach. This morning you visit the National Museum, Royal Palace, and Silver Pagoda before setting sail to the small village of Kompong Tralach. Here you will explore, walk through rice fields, and visit an isolated pagoda.
Day 7:	Kompong Tralach – Kompong Luong. Your first port of call today is the important fishing port of Kompong Chhnang. Here you will visit a local village and see all shapes and sizes of pottery being made by hand and well as tasting fresh sugar palm juice and sugar palm cakes. Later you sail to Kompong Luong, a remote and completely self-sufficient floating community. Finally you drop anchor in a flooded forest and enjoy the Captain’s farewell dinner.
Day 8:	Arrive Siem Reap. This morning you sail across the vast Tonle Sap to Siem Reap arriving around midday having had a wonderfully relaxing and rewarding week.

how this holiday makes a difference

Being a Cambodian registered tour operator we are perfectly positioned to ensure all our activities comply with our Responsible Tourism Policy. In addition none of the cash you pay for your tour leaves Cambodia or Vietnam to pay for head office costs in other countries. We are the only tour operator in Cambodia which has been awarded the Gold Status Heritage Friendly Business accreditation, as well as being a member of CCBEN (Cambodia Community Based Eco-tourism Network).

As part of our Responsible Tourism commitment we use local people and services as much as possible. All your guides and drivers are Cambodian and Vietnamese and you will gain a true personal account of both contemporary Cambodia / Vietnam and its history.

To assist you to be a more ‘responsible’ traveller we have a Responsible Tourism Code of Conduct which will give you tips such as: reduce packaging; save water; save electricity; dress appropriately; respect local cultures / traditions; simple local language phrases; purchasing considerations etc.

Specific ‘Good Cause’ activities included in this tour are:

Day 2: visiting small fruit orchard and coconut candy making co-operatives, any purchases you make assist in these co-operatives being able to compete with the larger private owned companies
Day 3: a visit to a local primary school where you may wish to donate educational materials, and a visit to a Cham minority village where any purchase of their the traditionally made clothing and handicrafts enables them to sustain their culture
Day 5: enjoying a mesmerising cultural Apsara dance performed by orphans from a local school
Day 6: visiting a remote Cambodian village and its pagoda gives you a real insight into the culture and ways of life

Optional ‘Good Cause’ activities that can be arranged:

Day 5: on your free afternoon we can arrange for you to visit some of the many good cause organisations in Phnom Penh by cyclo (a traditional form of transport)
Day 8: on arrival in Siem Reap you could choose to stay in the following accommodation, the 3 star Soria Moria, the 4 star Shinta Mani, or the 5 star Hotel de la Paix, all of which have strong community development programs

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