RV Mekong Pandaw Cruise 11 Days 10 Nights: Saigon – Siem Reap

Transfer from Saigon to embark ship at My Tho Port. Set sail for lunch on board and an afternoon sampan trip to explore the canals and back waters of Ben Tre.

Please note that transfers are only available for hotels in central Saigon and additional fees will apply for private transfers or transfers from hotels outside of districts 1 and 3.

Depart early in the morning and visit Cai Be floating market by sampan with a walk ashore to see the workshops and handicraft production. Then we will go to Sa Dec, where there is an interesting market and the traditional Vietnamese house of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le, the “lover” of Marguerite Duras, a famous French novelist whose book was immortalized in the film L’ Indochina. There is also a beautiful Catholic Church there.

Traditional Vietnamese house of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le

After a short navigation upstream, you will travel a short distance by coach to the green oasis of Gao Giong and its bird sanctuary. Here, a diverse selection of waterfowl and egrets congregate in the tens of thousands on the Dong Thap Muoi or “Plain of Reeds”. Rowing boats cross the canals to visit the main nesting areas. In the afternoon, visit Con Phuoc Island and disembark to explore basket production by tuk-tuk and visit a century-old Catholic Church and local carpentry workshops.

Gao Giong

Explore the labyrinthine system of canals around Tan Chau to visit a Taoist temple where monks read the fortunes. Continue through the local villages of Xi Loi, stopping to help locals cultivate their fields before stopping to visit a fish farm and earn merit by releasing fish into the Mekong.

Visit a Muslim Cham tribal village and catfish farm in Chau Doc with a guide, or make your own choice and take one of our mountain bikes and explore the local market or visit the splendid Catholic Church. Return to the boat for lunch and departure for the Cambodian border for the usual formalities.

After a morning cruise along the Tonle River, disembark at Prek Kdam and travel by coach to an ancient capital, Oudong. Along the way, head to the Vipassana Dhura Meditation Center for a morning of relaxation and meditation before taking a tour of the ancient capital. Continue up the Tonle River to Kampong Chhanang, where the river is at its most beautiful and lively. Then explore the wetlands around the mouth of the lake, rich in birdlife.

Vipassana Dhura Meditation Center

All passengers will be provided with their own private cyclo. The Cyclo Center Phnom Penh, which provides the cyclos, is a charity organization that provides basic social and medical services to cyclo riders. You will visit the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and the National Museum. In the afternoon, optional excursion (by coach) to the killing fields and the sinister Khmer Rouge detention center, Tuol Sleng or S21.

Morning walk to Angkor Ban, a typical Khmer village with a library donated by Pandaw passengers. Continue upstream to Kampong Cham and travel by bus to Chiro village with an extensive educational center offering vocational training. Other activities on offer include plastic recycling, beekeeping, farming and craft projects. Continue to Wat Nokor Bachey, which dates from the Jayarvaman VII period. It is entirely built in black sandstone, unlike other temples of this period.

Wat Nokor Bachey

Morning walk to explore this former French provincial centre with its many splendid belle epoch mansions and lively market. Overnight on the delightful Koh Trong island, where passengers can plant their own trees. Dinner on sandbar.

From Kratie travel further upstream by a rustic bus to see the dolphin grounds from local boats in a national park protected area. Return downstream and in late afternoon go ashore to see Wat Hanchey an important centre of worship on top of a hill above the Mekong with good river panoramas. Of great interest are the Chenla Period temples dating from the 8th century, some destroyed by American bombing during the Vietnam War. Overnight at Wat Hancheay.

The dolphins

Early morning sail to Kampong Cham and coach transfer to hotels in Siem Reap with a refreshment stop at Kampong Thom along the way. Arrive at Siem Reap early afternoon.