Ho Chi Minh City, Jungle, and Villages Aboard a Premier River Vessel
Mekong Expedition Cruise
EARLY SIGN-UP DISCOUNT
30% Early Sign-up discount on a limited number of cabins for 2023, 2024 & 2025 departures confirmed with deposit by December 31, 2023. Please call for availability.
Overview
This journey promises a truly immersive experience and the opportunity to discover rich heritage and traditions along the Mekong River. Experience one of Asia's most epic and worthwhile cruises. Embrace the most authentic parts of Mekong culture and way of life while embracing the beautiful landscapes of the Mekong river basin in the comfort and luxury of the Aqua Mekong riverboat. These cruises operate year-round and you will find there is always something fascinating to experience along the river, no matter what time of year you travel. The Mekong has two distinct seasons: low-water and high-water, which refers to the water levels of the Mekong River. Whether you choose the high-water or the low-water season for your cruise, traveling aboard the Aqua extends your options. Low-water season (December to mid-August) offers the opportunity to see a quieter side of local life on Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. During high-water season (mid-August to November), you are able to travel up the river to Siem Reap and experience floating villages and Tonle Sap Lake.
Arrive: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam (or reverse)
Depart: Siem Reap, Cambodia (or reverse)
Highlights
- Cruise the Mekong River aboard a luxury river vessel
- Enjoy optional guided cycling tours, kayaking excursions on Kampong Chhnang's waterways
- Explore the World Heritage Site of Tonle Sap Lake during high-and low-water season—both offer unique perspectives on the landscape
- Visit Mekong's famed ‘Silk Island' to learn how artisans handcraft traditional krama silk from harvesting silk from silkworms to dyeing and weaving the silk on massive wooden looms
- Take a local rickshaw through an atmospheric town, ride a traditional sampan fishing boat in a bustling waterway past fishermen on long tail boats
Itinerary
Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap Itinerary
Note: This trip is not exclusive to, nor operated by, Wilderness Travel, who acts solely as an agent in booking your reservation with the operator. Please download the Rate Sheet in the Dates & Pricing section to see the full pricing details and contact our Cruise Collection Specialists to check availability.
(Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap Itinerary) From the Saigon meeting point, you will be transfered by air-conditioned coach to My Tho dock where you will be welcome board the Aqua Mekong. Settle into your floating retreat, with its window wall conferring an endlessly captivating panorama. Enjoy these private Mekong moments on your California king bed, terrace or daybed.
Begin the day at Binh Thanh mat weaving village or opt to visit Sa Dec where you will peruse the vibrant market and see the famous house of Marguerite Duras' legendary lover, Mr. Huynh Thuy Le. In the afternoon, visit a typical Mekong Delta village called My An Hung where you will walk through verdant plantations. You will be invited to a local's home to taste local fruits while hearing traditional folk songs performed by villagers followed by a unique unicorn dance. A 10.5-mile biking option is also available.
Travel by skiff along Bassac Canal to Chau Doc floating market then head off by van to Long Son Pagoda atop Sam Mountain. Ask the monks about their age-old Buddhist practices. Return via the bustling morning market. Optional 11-mile bike ride on Long Khanh Island or take a rickshaw ride to visit Tan Chau Market with chef. After lunch, relax by the pool, try traditional Khmer massage or learn to cook Mekong inspired dishes while you cross the border.
On this river of time, you can admire dexterous Khmer artisans dyeing and weaving kroma, the ubiquitous item no Khmer lives without. Explore the riverbank on two wheels if you wish, past Buddhist temples and thatch houses perched on spindly wooden stilts while white oxen wade just offshore. After lunch, board the marine-grade aluminum skiffs and head towards the tamarind trees of Preah Prosop, a remote village little changed over several lifetimes.
Explore the Cambodian capital by motorized tuk-tuk, the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum of Cambodia, home to the world's largest collection of Khmer art. For those who wish, you can visit the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide and the Killing Field or shopping at Russian Market. Bid farewell to 4-night guests who are disembarking in Phnom Penh.
Return to welcome your 3-night passengers over custom sundowners like the Salted Watermelon Crush with Thai basil. Celebrate the onward journey towards the heart of this mighty river with a Khmer Apsara performance, an indigenous tradition memorialized on the temple walls at Angkor Wat.
This morning, visit Koh Chen, a silversmith village known for its fine craftsmanship. Keep an eye out for their famous silver bowls, regularly chosen by Cambodia's king as gifts for visiting dignitaries. In the afternoon, continue learning about Khmer riverside life in Kampong Chhnang, the 'Port of Pottery' so called because archaeological findings here date to the 6th century. Bike option is available.
Continue exploring the remote communities around the Tonle Sap Lake, designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1997. In Chhnok Tru, “slide” into an ice factory and learn from locals what it's like to live in a town where schools, churches, pagodas, and even the karaoke bar and police station all float. After lunch, visit the floating village of Moat Khla, accessible only by water, and attend a Buddhist blessing ceremony.
Set off by skiff into the 22,000-hectare Prek Toal Core Bird Reserve, one of the largest freshwater bodies in Asia and the last refuge in Southeast Asia for large waterbirds like the spot-billed pelicans, milky stork, black-headed ibis and the elusive masked finfoot. Disembarkation.
Day 1: Tonle Sap Lake / Siem Reap / Cambodia
Day 2: Tonle Sap Lake / Prek Toal / Moat Khla
Day 3: Tonle Sap Lake /Chhnok Tru / Kampong Chhnang
Day 4: Tonle Sap and Mekong River / Koh Chen / Koh Oknha Tey
Day 5: Mekong River / PHNOM PENH
Day 6: Mekong River / Ka'om Samnor-Vinh Xuong Border Crossing / Chau Doc / My An Hung / Vietnam
Day 7: Binh Thanh / Sa Dec / Cai Be / Mekong River
Day 8: Mekong River / My Tho / Ho Chi Minh
Dates & Pricing
Payment & Cancel Schedule
At time of reservation: $1,000
105 days prior to departure: Balance
*Please note that this differs from our standard policy.
Cancellation & Transfer Schedule
Minimum fee: $200 per person
91-120 days prior to departure: $400 per person
90 days or less: 100% of trip cost
*Please note that this differs from our standard policy.
Included
Not Included
Accommodations
Listed below are our signature accommodations for this trip. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
What the Trip is Like
The trip is rated Level 1, Easiest, and is appropriate for anyone in good health who is physically active. Cruising days provide ample opportunities to relax on board, while shore excursions require a moderate amount of walking, often along uneven cobblestone streets and up and down stairs, and optional biking.
The tropical climate of Cambodia and Vietnam means temperatures are warm year-round, generally fluctuate between 78°F and 86°F. Unlike the usual summer or winter, the Mekong river has two distinct seasons: low-water and high-water, which refers to the water levels of the Mekong. The high-season runs from mid-August to November and receives increased flows originating from the Tibetan highlands and China. The low-season runs from December to mid-August. During high-season, water from the swelling Mekong lake increases its area of the Tonle Sap by up to six times and the majority of the areas surrounding Tonle Sap become wetlands that support a vast variety of wildlife. The lakes many stilt villages appear to float on water as the water level rises by as much as 26 feet! It is also during the swell that the Tonle Sap lake and river reverses its flow—a natural phenomenon that must be seen to be believed.
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Our Area Specialists know every detail about our tours. They will be happy to answer any questions and help you choose the journey that’s right for you. Contact us to learn more or book your trip today!
Itinerary
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Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.
Level 1 – Easiest
Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.
Level 2 – Easy to Moderate
Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.
Level 3 – Moderate
Half- to full-day hikes (3-6 hours) over rolling countryside on most days, occasional steep trails. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures.
- Tuscany & the Cinque Terre
- Argentina: Hikes and Estancias of Patagonia
- Palau Snorkeling & Sea Kayaking
- Some trips with minimal hiking but rugged travel conditions or long drives, such as Tribal Ghana, Togo & Benin, are Trip Level 3.
Level 4 – Moderate to Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.
Level 5 – Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category.
Level 6 – Very Strenuous
Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Most hikes take place at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with some days ascending as high as 18,000 feet.