Charms of the Mekong Cruise

FLY TO SAIGON

Fly from Auckland to Singapore with Singapore Airlines. (Other flight options are available - just ask us).

Fly from Singapore to Saigon with Singapore Airlines.

On arrival in Saigon you will be met and transferred to your hotel by private car.

SAIGON - MORNING WALKING TOUR - EVENING STREET FOOD TOUR

This morning you will be collected from your hotel at 8 am.

Meet with a local guide and set off, transferring to a buzzing local market for the start of this insightful and walking tour. Browse the stalls, watching the vendors peddle their wares and shoppers bargain for the freshest goods. The cacophony of noises, colours and smells is invigorating! 

Walk onwards, stepping into the narrow yet safe alleys off the tourist trail. See family-run businesses lining the street, learning how the city’s residents live - using their ground floors as shops or food stalls and residing upstairs. See vendors cooking up fresh morning treats and locals queuing up to buy their breakfast. 

Continue through neighborhood alleys into a small temple honoring Vietnam’s five ‘mother goddesses’ and hear more about this unique belief. 

Following this insight to the city’s spiritual side, wander onto wide streets lined with charming French-era villas and toering mahogany trees. Then step back onto the main boulevards to soak up the city’s contrasts of old and new before returning to your hotel. 

Enjoy the afternoon to explore on your own.

This evening you'll be collected at 6 pm from your hotel.

Enjoy an authentic night out, wandering through hidden streets tasting some of  the best food the city has to offer; sample regional delicacies and immerse yourself in the local culture.

Start with a stroll along the small alleys at a local market. As you wander through the narrow pathways, be greeted by the bustling sounds of vendors selling a variety of goods. 

Carry on to discover the area’s contrasting architectural styles. Tucked away is an unassuming stall selling delicious bot chien, or pan fried rice cakes with green papaya salad, a street food staple. Whilst tasting the flavourful dish, the guide explains its origins. 

Continue through the backstreets and venture to a vibrant residential complex to witness the daily lives of locals. You’ll see small apartments where three generations may reside under one roof, while neighbors converse and share stories of their day. 

Lively, colourful and vibrant, sit down for a seafood dinner, a well-loved meal among Saigonese. If fortunate, catch a glimpse of the charismatic owner. 

Afterwards, walk down back streets to the city’s main  flower market where a demonstration on the art of the lotus flower will be given.

Continue to a lively night market where the city’s young people gather. Sit alongside the locals and order some savoury treats or a dessert if you fancy, before returning to your hotel where the tour ends.

MY THO

You will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the welcome lounge meeting point in Saigon before midday. From here you will be transferred to My Tho in the Mekong Delta where you will board the AmaDara at My Tho Port.

Settle in and then meet fellow guests at a Welcome Dinner as the ship cruises to Cai Be.

CAI BE - SA DEC

Take a local boat to Cai Be. You will have an opportunity to visit candy and rice paper making workshops and the historic Kiet Old House.

Later in the day, journey to Sa Dec, a sprawling town on the Mekong Delta, where French writer Marguerite Duras spent part of her youth.

You will visit the local market, and a Cao Dai Temple. Cao Daiism is a unique religion in southern Vietnam, which amalgamates numerous religious beliefs.

TAN CHAU

Enjoy a visit to Tan Chau, a small Mekong River town unspoiled by tourism.

You will have the opportunity to take a traditional “xe-loi” (trishaw) ride around the town, with stops at silk-making and rattan mat workshops, followed by a boat ride through the narrow channels of the Mekong River to “Evergreen Island".

Alternatively, simply take the boat ride to Evergreen Island and return to Tan Chau, where you will visit a rattan mat workshop.

As a third option (from August), you may visit Tra Su Forest and Sanctuary where you can cruise along the waterways aboard a traditional sampan.

Later in the day, cruise from Vietnam to the Cambodian border en route to Phnom Penh.

PHNOM PENH

This morning’s excursion takes you to Cambodia’s infamous Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge’s grim Tuol Sleng S21 detention center (Genocide Museum) just outside the city.

After lunch on board, you’ll explore the highlights of the city, followed by a visit to the Royal Palace, the spectacular Silver Pagoda and the National Museum, which has an outstanding collection of Khmer crafts.

After returning to the ship, enjoy Khmer folk dancing performed by local children in the Saigon Lounge.

OUDONG - KAMPONG TRALACH - PHNOM PENH

Visit Oudong, Cambodia’s former royal capital from the early 17th century until 1866.

Today, Oudong is a place of pilgrimage for Cambodians. While here, be treated to a memorable Buddhist Blessing Ceremony at a monastery.

You may walk around Oudong’s monastery or take an active walking tour to see panoramic views of the Oudong plain.

In Kampong Tralach, you may have a truly authentic excursion – an oxcart ride through a local village. (Only offered on select sailings from November through April based on water conditions at the time of sailing).

Later in the day, experience Phnom Penh via a tuk tuk ride and be enchanted by the city's French Colonial architecture and treelined
boulevards set amidst monumental Angkorian architecture.

OKHNA TEI

In the morning, set sail for Oknha Tei Village. Oknha Tei is the “Silk Island,” located on the lush banks of the Mekong River and known for its rich tradition of silk weaving.

While here, you will visit a local elementary school and observe the traditional silk weaving, an art that has been preserved for centuries.

Your cruise continues to sail to Angkor Ban.

ANGKOR BAN - KAMPONG CHAM - WAT NOKOR

Go on a walking tour of Angkor Ban, one of the few villages in Cambodia that was not destroyed under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970's. Here people still live in their traditional wooden abodes and keep their old cultural traditions alive.

Hundreds of wooden houses stand intact on stilts, shaded with banana trees, among the hustle and bustle of the daily agricultural ongoing of the local villagers.

After visiting here, the ship sets sail for Kampong Cham, where you will go on an afternoon excursion to Wat Nokor, perhaps the most treasured monument within the ancient complex of Banteay Prey Nokor.

Fusing the OldWorld with the “new,” this centuries old temple now boasts a contemporary pagoda within its walls inside which you will
delight in the colorful depictions of Buddha’s life. Cap the day off with a festive Farewell Dinner on board.

 KAMPONG CHAM - ANGKOR WAT

Your cruise comes to an end in Kampong Cham, where you disembark and Motorcoach transfer to Siem Reap.

In the afternoon you will be collected for an excursion to Angkor Wat.

Begin your exploration of the Angkorian temples by visiting Angkor Wat by ‘remork’ (similar to the Thai ‘tuk tuk’).

Built during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century, Angkor Wat was constructed following the model of the temple mountain symbolizing Mount Meru, the home of the gods.

Inside the temple, the walls are covered with stone carvings depicting Hindu mythology and the wars Suryavarman II fought during his reign.

Angkor Wat is well known for the more than 2,000 Apsara dancers decorating the temple. Construction is thought to have taken around thirty years of intensive labor.

Today, Angkor Wat is featured on Cambodia's national flag as the temple symbolizes the soul of the Khmer people. You will be there just before sunset, when Angkor Wat is less visited and the Apsaras will shine in the most beautiful light.

This evening you will have a welcome dinner at the beautiful Mahob restaurant. “Mahob”, the Cambodian word for ‘food’, is a culinary hotspot that takes traditional Khmer cuisine to a new level.

Using only locally-produced ingredients, this beautiful restaurant serves up some of the best local delicacies that Siem Reap has to offer.

Located in a traditional Khmer wooden house in a peaceful cosy garden setting, and away from busy Pub Street area, Mahob provides you with a truly genuine Khmer experience.

ANGKOR TEMPLES

Start your day with a tour to the temples of the Small Circuit.

The most famous among these is Ta Prohm temple, built in the mid 12th to early 13th centuries. Ta Prohm is unique in that it has been left largely as it was found: overgrown by jungle trees and vines, with many parts of the temple crumbling to the ground.

This makes Ta Prohm one of the most picturesque and memorable of the Angkor temples. Your visit will also include Banteay Kdei, a Buddhist monastery from the late 12th Century, and Srah Srang, also known as the “pool of ablutions”.

Return to Siem Reap for lunch at the Square 24 restaurant to sample some of the more modern Khmer fusion food set in a contemporary setting.

Later today, visit the ancient city of Angkor Thom by ‘remork’ (similar to the Thai ‘tuk tuk’). Angkor Thom was the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII.

This city is surrounded by an 8 metre high wall, drawing a perfect square. Enter the city through the ancient South Gate, an impressive stone gate carved with Elephants and four giant faces. On each side of the entrance path a row of 54 gods or demons is holding the sacred Naga snake.

From here, continue to Bayon Temple in the exact center of the city. This 12th century masterpiece is a study in grandeur and is well-known for its 52 towers with enigmatic faces looking out towards the provinces of the vast and great Khmer Empire.

The nearby Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King are also must-visits as they are both known for their intricate relief carvings.

Return to your hotel in the afternoon.

SIEM REAP

Enjoy the day at leisure to relax in Siem Reap.

If you wish to head back to Angkor we can arrange further exploration.

FLY TO AUCKLAND

You will be collected from your hotel in Siem Reap and transferred to the airport by private car for your onward flight.

Fly from Siem Reap to Singapore with Singapore Airlines.

Fly from Singapore to Auckland with Singapore Airlines.

ARRIVE AUCKLAND

Arrive back in New Zealand.