From the Mekong Delta to the Angkor Temples (port-to-port cruise)

We’ll leave by coach for the Cu Chi tunnels, an immense network of underground tunnels that were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches. Lunch will be served on board. Visit the Museum of Vietnamese History. We’ll then set out to cross the very narrow Chao Gao Canal. Night on board.

We continue our cruise to My Tho along the magnificent Chao Gao Canal. Visit of a bee farm and enjoy some honey tea and exotic fruit. Lunch. We’ll discover a brick and pottery factory as well as a traditional factory producing puffed riced, rice-paper wrappers used to make nems, and rice alcohol*. Night on board.

Visit of Sa Dec and discovery of the local market and visit the former house of Huynh Thuy Le, the man who Marguerite Duras based her book The Lover on. We’ll return on board our ship and have lunch. Sailing towards Cambodia. Night on board.

Breakfast on board. Located on the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, the prosperous city of Chau Doc has developed around fish and fish farming. We’ll pay a visit to the Ba Chua Xu Temple and the Tay An Pagoda. Lunch on board. Arrival in the evening in Phnom Penh. Dinner on board. We’ll remain in port overnight.

We’ll enjoy a tour of the fabulous Royal Palace, one of the most impressive examples of Cambodian architecture, and its Silver Pagoda. Onward to visit the National Museum. After lunch in town, you can pay a visit to the Tuol Svay Prey School, a former detention, torture, and execution center run by the Khmer Rouge during the civil war. Afterwards, enjoy some free time at the market. As we get back on board, we will enjoy an Apsara dance show. Dinner and overnight on board, in the port of Phnom Penh. Free evening.

Visit of Koh Chen, a small village where craftspeople specialize in silver and copper work. Lunch.Visit of the beautiful Vihara at the Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda. To access the pagoda we need to cross the village of Kampong Tralach in ox carts, moving along a small road that runs perpendicular to the river in the middle of magnificent rice fields. Our ship will remain anchored overnight.

Visit of Kampong Chhnang, one of the largest fishing ports on the Tonle Sap Lake. Here they also have many fish farms. The region is best known for its fine traditional pottery which is a major source of revenue for the entire country. Tasting of some local products. Lunch. then continue our cruise to lake Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in southeast Asia which forms the heart of the hydraulic system of the Mekong. Cocktail and gala dinner tonight. Our ship will remain anchored overnight.

We spend the morning cruising. Disembarkation, and lunch. Visit of the famous temple of Angkor Wat, masterpiece of Khmer architecture. This is the most famous and most imposing of all the monuments in Angkor. Enjoy a stroll through the Angkor Night Market. Dinner and overnight in hotel (Accommodations will be at either a 4-star or 5-star hotel according to the cruise you choose).

Visit of the temple at Ta Prohm. Today nature has taken over the site and the result is stunning: trees spring out from the temple buildings and thick roots now cover the temple. This afternoon we explore Angkor Thom, have a wander in the heart of the ancient Royal palace where the sanctuary of Phimeanakas is located, then we visit the terrace of the Elephants and the terrace of the Leper King. Lunch. Visit of the temple at Banteay Srei, which means “the citadel of women”. Dinner. Then, enjoy a show with Phare, the Cambodian circus. Overnight in the hotel.

Visit of the “Senteurs d’Angkor” (or perfume workshop), where they make candles, soaps and prepare spices. Afterwards, we visit the workshops of the “Artisans d’Angkor”, where young Cambodians are trained in the art of traditional wood carving and stonework based on long-standing Khmer craftwork traditions. Lunch in the hotel. We’ll bid you farewell at approximately 2:00 p.m. Please do not book your flight before 5:00 p.m.

• Your cruise in the cabin category of your choice
• Double-occupancy accommodations in a first-class hotel
• All meals
• Onboard drinks included (except for drinks from our special lists) – drinks during the lunches in Ho Chi Minh-city and Phnom Penh and all meals in Siem Reap (water + 1 soft drink or 1 beer + 1 tea or coffee per person for each meal)
• Visits and excursions mentioned in the program
• The services of an English-speaking local tour guides and onboard CroisiEurope tour director
• Travel assistance and repatriation insurance
• Tips: To ensure your stay is worry-free, tips are included as follows: 35€ per passenger for tips which will be entirely paid to the personnel from the countries to be visited and 45€ per passenger for crew members. This amount was determined while taking into consideration the local customs and etiquette.

International flights and their taxes – transfers – Cambodian and Vietnamese visas – cancellation and baggage insurance – drinks on board from our special lists – drinks other than those mentioned.