Day 1: Saigon – My Tho – Cai Be
Bid farewell to the hustle and bustle of Saigon as you travel 70 km south by land to My Tho to embark your boutique ship. You will be served a refreshing welcome drink as the Ship steadily glides along the Mekong. Bathe in the fading sunset on the balcony followed by a briefing at the lounge. Later, enjoy a welcome dinner while the ship approaches Cai Be.
The ship drops anchor to moor midstream for overnight.
Day 2: Cai Be – Sa Dec - Chau Doc
Your day starts with an invigorating tai-chi lesson on the sundeck, just as the sun begins its gentle glow. Coffee and tea awaits the early bird.
The day's tour starts with a visit to Cai Be's boisterous and colourful floating market where traders gather in a cacophonous congregation. During the languid ride, discover breathtaking landscapes along the river and quaff the rustic life on the Mekong Delta.
The evergreen island along the Mekong River remains unknown to many people. The cruise halts intermittently to allow you to observe how rice paste, rice cookies and coconut candies are made, along with the Longan fruit drying process. After touring the canals, head to an ancient house surrounded by fruit orchards before heading to the ship for lunch.
In the afternoon, cruise to Sa Dec. Upon arrival, embark a traditional sampan to tour Binh Thanh Island and its man-made canals. Here, every villager is involved in the process of growing and processing water hyacinths into natural fibred floor mats and rattan baskets.
You then board the Ship for a tranquil evening cruise towards Chau Doc. The Ship will moor midstream overnight.
Day 3: Chau Doc - Borders Crossing
Welcome to the circus of fish. Embark the ship at 7:30 am and brace yourself for a short excursion in Chau Doc, a pleasant town near the Cambodian border with sizeable Chinese, Kinh and Khmer communities. Also visit the colourful local market near an ancient temple. This is followed by a trip to the quay, where you will be feted to a boat excursion to the floating villages and rustic catfish farms.
Enjoy watching schools of basa fish being fed by hand followed by a shore excursion to the local Cham Muslim community village. Then, it is back to the ship for a lunch.
By mid-afternoon, the cruise liner makes its way to the border for Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. Take the time to relax on the Sun Deck, get a massage in the Spa, take part in Vietnamese cooking classes or tour the ship with the Cruise Director. Or, better yet, do all three. After hours of cruising, feel the rush of entering in to a new country and to embrace new adventures.
Overnight on board.
Day 4: Phnom Penh
After breakfast, you will first be given a comprehensive lecture on Cambodia's modern history, followed by a city tour of this dynamic, historical capital city of Cambodia, which has managed to preserve huge slices of its French colonial allure. Sightseeing in the morning will include visiting the dazzling white and gold edifice of the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, and witnessing the exceptionally beautiful Khmer craft at the National Museum. Phnom Penh was once the Paris of the East. Despite its rapid development, it has entrained a lot of its rustic charm and elegance.
After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Genocide museum and the Killing Field in town. Be prepared to be heart wrenched by this stark reminder of the genocide that transpired during Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime.
Go back to the ship after the museum visit. Enjoy cocktails with dinner while watching a traditional Apsara dance performance onboard.
Overnight on board.
Day 5: Phnom Penh – Kampong Cham
Depart before the break of dawn from Phnom Penh with a stop at the little known Chong Koh silk weaving village. Return to the ship and cruise past the Mekong's tranquil villages, exhilarating river life and sun-hardened fishermen on their make shift boats.
Tour the rural Angkor Ban village where time has stood still. Get transported back a hundred years into an era unsullified by modernity. The houses here are truly rustic, made by hand and without any concrete. And most of all, the villagers will overwhelm you with their unbridled warmth. Take part in the daily activities of the villagers to experience village life first hand. Then, return back to the Ship to cruise towards Kampong Cham.
Overnight on board.
Day 6: Kampong Cham – Wat Hanchey
Wake up in the small hours of the morning, truly energized to embark on a land journey to the pre-Angkorian temple of Wat Hanchey. You can either take a motor-taxi or climb the 291 steps to the top, if you are feeling fit and adventurous. Located at the top of a hill overlooking the river, it offers one of the most breathtaking views in Cambodia.
Built in the 8th century, this ancient structure, together with a bigger and newer addition underscores the superb architecture of the Chenla Empire, which predates the mighty Angkor temple complex. Engage in light banter with some of the monks in the area. Return to the ship to witness a blessing ceremony performed by orange-clad local monks.
Later when the tide allows, enjoy a surprise sojourn to the nearby beach for a swim in the tea-coloured Mekong River, an experience not to be missed.
After the swim, cruise towards Kampong Cham to visit Wat Nokor, a Wat built within the ruins of an ancient temple. On the way back to the ship, visit an orphanage. Along the way, you will also have to manoeuvre a 2-kilometer rickety bamboo bridge. Our sense of balance lies in the balance!
Overnight on board.
Day 7: Kampong Cham – Kampong Chhnang – Tonle Sap
Before the sun peeks over the horizon, the cruiser sets sail towards Kampong Chhnang on the Tonle Sap River, an amazingly narrow river, which glides through leafy swaths of the Southeast Asian jungle. You are greeted by cacophonous children who waive enthusiastically early in the morning when they bring their livestock for a bath in the meandering Tonle Sap River.
Approach Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia's 'waterworld', where everything is on stilts balanced on rich water rich soil. It is an awesome sight to behold whilst practicing Tai Chi on the deck.
Here go on a motorboat excursion to the landing, followed by a short bus trip to the town's specialty, Khmer-styled pottery at the Aundaung Russey village. Then, it is back to the river for an adventurous motorboat excursion to the wetlands, floating houses and fish farms in the region.
Then return to the ship for lunch whilst cruising the narrow and meandering Tonle Sap. The water level rises and drops considerably throughout the year. Thus, our journey begins in high or low water after lunch.
High Water Program (approx. between August and middle of December)
Your floating sanctuary will then cruise gently, in the afternoon, along the narrow and meandering Tonle Sap. In the evening, a sumptuous spread will be served. And for the big surprise - bring along your dance shoes and learn to jiggle the Cambodian way with our staff doubling up as dance instructors. If you cannot dance, do not fret. Neither can our staff!
Low Water Program (approx. between middle of December and August - September)
When you reach Kampong Tralach, disembark in a traditional ox cart rally before being introduced to the Heritage Line pro bono 'literacy project'.
This is the day to truly experience rural Khmer life. In the evening, a sumptuous spread will be served. And for the big surprise - bring along your dance shoes and learn to jiggle the Cambodian way with our staff doubling up as dance instructors. If you cannot dance, do not fret. Neither can our staff!
Day 8: Tonle Sap – Siem Reap
Enjoy the stillness of the water and the quiet tranquility on the way to Siem Reap. The water level varies a great deal according to the time of the year and the amount of rainfall recorded. Thus, minor changes to the itinerary may occur during different seasons. Your cruise comes to an end as you reach this city of the fabled Angkor temple complex.
High Water Program (approx. between August and middle of December)
Cross the Tonle Sap Lake at dawn and at 9:00 am disembark at the Siem Reap Port
Low Water Program (approx. between middle of December and August September)
Cruise in the early morning to Prek K'dam where you will disembark after breakfast. Take a walk through the silversmith village of Koh Chen where the entire communities of villagers are involved in making various silver items for sale before boarding a coach at 9:00 am for transfer to the drop off point. Munch on snacks and enjoy cold drinks along the journey. Stop briefly at Skon, known as Spiderville for its fried spiders, a delicacy in this country before arriving in Siem Reap in the early afternoon.
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