RV Mekong Discovery Cruise: Saigon – Siem Reap 8 Days

Day 1: Saigon
Activities:
Embark in the luxurious Mekong Discovery cruise, sail to Go Cong

(14:00) Embarkation in the luxurious Mekong Discovery cruise. After settling into well-appointed suites, that evening, guests will experience our cordial hospitality at a welcome reception and introduction to our friendly and professional crew who will present a safety briefing. Shortly after, a delicious Vietnamese ‘Mekong Delta’ Welcome Dinner is served in the dining room.

Mekong Discovery departs Sai Gon after all guests are onboard about 15:00 and sails to Go Cong.

Overnight mid-river in Go Cong.

Meals:
Dinner
Overnight: RV Mekong Discovery Cruise

Day 2: My Tho – Cai Be – Sa Dec
Activities:
Sail to My Tho, visit Thoi Binh Island Hamlet, learn how to grow mushrooms, a fruit garden to taste tropical fruits, and a bee farm to enjoy honey tea, visit Ba Duc ancient house to learn about the family’s story

Early morning, the cruise departs Go Cong and sails to My Tho.

(08:30) Start the morning excursion by visiting Thoi Binh island hamlet in My Tho. The excursion is partly by tender boat, partly by hand-rowing sampan into tiny creeks, and partly by motor buggy to tour around the island. The visit will bring us into an abalone mushroom farm to learn how to grow mushrooms, a fruit garden to taste tropical fruits, and a bee farm to enjoy honey tea. After the island visit, guests will return to the cruise by tender boat.

(14:30) In Cai Be, board the tender to cruise on a tapestry of waterways bringing us to a cottage factory where industrious artisans produce coconut candy, rice paper, rice wine, and popped rice. There’s a selection of postcards, souvenirs, and beautiful oil paintings on sale. Continue into the long and narrow canals of Cai Be to visit Ba Duc ancient house to learn about the family’s story. There are also photo opportunities of rice barges along the cruise.

On return to the ship, an elegant dinner is served while sailing upstream through tranquil riverine scenery towards Sa Dec.

Mekong Discovery departs Cai Be at 17:00 and arrives in Sa Dec about 20:00.

Overnight mid-river in Sa Dec.

Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Mekong Discovery Cruise

Day 3: Sa Dec – Chau Doc
Activities:
Observe daily routines of the villagers en route to the historic town of Sa Dec, visit the home of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le

(08:30) This morning, your wooden boats take you out for a leisurely, scenic navigation of the narrow canals of the Mekong, where you will observe daily routines of the villagers en route to the historic town of Sa Dec. In the town of Sa Dec, you visit the home of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le, the inspiration of Marguerite Duras’ novel, L’Amant (The Lover), as well as the Chinese Temple – Kien An Cung, which was built in honor of the Huynh Thuy Le Family. From there, you will begin a walk through the town’s market, where you experience the sights, sounds, and smells and enjoy wonderful photo opportunities of the colorful fresh produce, meat, live fish, and seafood for sale.

At 10:30, Mekong Discovery sails to Chau Doc and reaches there around 19:00.

Overnight mid-river in Chau Doc.

Meals:
Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight: RV Mekong Discovery Cruise

Day 4: Chau Doc – Phnom Penh
Activities:
Explore Chau Doc

(08:00) After breakfast, guests will begin to explore Chau Doc. Brimming with lush forests, bustling riverbanks, and brilliant temples, the border town of Chau Doc is a compelling spot to experience the fusion of cultures and colors that make up Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Chau Doc may surprise you with its hidden treasures: mysterious wetlands, ethnic Cham villages, and atmospheric temples. This small town has fascinating stories to tell: you might need to stay a while to hear them all.

Suggested timing for excursion in Chau Doc:

• 08:00: Take sampan to Cham village
• 08:45: Continue by sampan to visit a fish farm
• 09:15: Return to pier and take coach to the foot of Sam mountain
• 09:45: Visit Ba pagoda then go to Sam mountain top for a panoramic view towards Cambodia border
• 11:00: Return to Mekong Discovery

At 11:00, Mekong Discovery will sail to the border and reach there around 14:00. After border formalities (about 16:00), the cruise crosses the border and reaches Phnom Penh around 23:30.

In the afternoon, guests will enjoy a tropical fruit introduction and tasting, followed by a demonstration on how to make Vietnamese spring rolls. In the evening, guests will have a great time with the music quiz program.

Docking overnight at Phnom Penh port.

Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Mekong Discovery Cruise

Day 5: Phnom Penh
Activities:
Take the Tuk Tuk ride for an exciting morning tour of the best sites in Phnom Penh

(08:30) After breakfast on board, take the Tuk Tuk ride for an exciting morning tour of the best sites in Phnom Penh. You are gently riding along the riverfront to the Royal Palace complex, which is the official residence of the King of Cambodia, where you enjoy a leisurely walk through the grounds. After viewing the Throne Hall and Moonlight Pavilion, you visit the famous Silver Pagoda, home of Cambodia’s Emerald Buddha and the Maitreya Buddha, which is encrusted with more than 9,000 diamonds.

Your Tuk Tuk is waiting outside to take you on the short ride to the open-air National Museum, Cambodia’s largest museum of cultural history and one of the world’s largest collections of Khmer art and ceramics as well as pre-Angkorian, Angkorian, and post-Angkorian artifacts, excavated at the Angkor complex and around the country.

After returning to the cruise, enjoy a free afternoon in Phnom Penh – shopping, dining at one of the many wonderful restaurants, or exploring the city independently. (There is a scheduled shuttle coach with your local guide provided from the Port to the Central Market for your shopping time). Pre-dinner cultural entertainment is provided on the Sun Deck as guests enjoy a performance by local children of Apsara, the Khmer national dance, and other traditional folk dances.

Docking overnight at Phnom Penh port.

Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Mekong Discovery Cruise

Day 6: Koh Chen – Kampong Tralach
Activities:
Visit the village by foot at Koh Chen, experience an ox-cart ride through the rice paddies with the beautiful countryside scenery in Kampong Tralach

(09:00) After breakfast, dock at Koh Chen to visit the village by foot. Koh Chen is an island with a wide reach. The closer you get to its village, the louder the heartbeat-pounding sound emanating from it gets. The source, men hammering heated bronze, is also drawing visitors from around the globe, who–along with shops in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap–are showing renewed interest in the intricately engraved bronze items produced in the village.

(14:00) In Kampong Tralach, guests will have a chance to experience an ox-cart ride through the rice paddies with the beautiful countryside scenery. Heading into the local pagoda – Wat Kampong Tralach Leu, where guests speak with the monks and receive a water blessing. Many Cambodians experience the monk’s lifestyle as children because the monastic order is relatively flexible – one need not make a lifelong commitment. The meeting hall is brightly colored and decorated with scenes from the Buddha’s past lives so that the congregation can learn these morality tales. We will board on Tuk Tuk to return to the ship.

Mekong Discovery departs Kampong Tralach at 16:30 and reaches Kampong Chhnang about 21:00.

Overnight mid-river in Kampong Chhnang.

Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Mekong Discovery Cruise

Day 7: Kampong Chhnang – Koh Chen
Activities:
Enjoy Tuk Tuk ride to explore a rural village in Kampong Chhnang

(08:30) After having breakfast, guests will enjoy a Tuk Tuk ride to explore a rural village in Kampong Chhnang. As we explore the village on foot, our guide reveals the village’s specialties – Khmer-style pottery, local market, and the process of making palm sugar “skor t’not” from the palm tree.

At 11:30, Mekong Discovery will leave Kampong Chhnang to go to Koh Chen, reaching there around 18:00.

In the evening, guests gather on the Sun Deck in front of the Le Salon Lounge for a Farewell Reception with the entire crew, before enjoying a Cambodian Farewell Dinner in the dining room.

Overnight mid-river in Koh Chen.

Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Mekong Discovery Cruise

Day 8: Kampong Chhnang – Koh Chen
Activities:

Disembark the cruise

After breakfast, guests will bid a farewell to the crew and disembark the cruise.
Shuttle coach will start at 09:00, taking guests to the drop-off point, with a lunch stop en route, reaching Siem Reap at about 14:00 at FCC Angkor by Avani.

Itinerary Changes and Amendments
Every effort will be made to follow the itinerary provided, however due the nature of the river and the rural environments we are traveling through, there will be times where modifications are required to the itinerary without prior notice. In such cases, we will do everything we can to make sure the locations visited, and excursions taken are similar to the ones originally planned.
In the event of political problems, natural disasters like earthquakes or even disruption due to weather, festivals or things beyond our control we reserve the right to make changes to the itinerary or an activity in order to maximize the passenger’s experience.