The lost civilization: Saigon – Siem Reap 8 Days
The lost civilization: Saigon – Siem Reap 8 Days
- Cruise name : Heritage Line
- Company : Heritage Line
- Class : Luxury
- Capacity : 27 cabin
- Type : Sharing
- Destination : Vietnam - Cambodia
Itineraries
We gather before noontime at our welcome lounge in Saigon. Lean back with a drink as our staff welcomes you and collects your details for boarding. We bid farewell to the hustle and bustle of Saigon and travel 70 kilometers south overland to My Tho to embark on your luxury floating home for the upcoming journey along the Mighty Mekong.
After our crew warmly welcomes you, you check in to your well prepared staterooms. The ship sets sail and a fascinating voyage along the Mekong begins. Lunch buffet is served in the restaurant while the vessel steadily glides upstream to reach the overnight spot. Make yourself familiar with all the ship facilities. Now it is time to become one with one of the largest streams in Asia.
The afternoon allows you to leisurely pass time on your private balcony or join our tea time at the open air bar as the twilight bathes the Mekong Delta in a golden haze.
During the time you savor your dinner, the ship reaches Cai Be. It is a charming town, famous for its Catholic French church and the manufacturing of traditional crafts and food products. The floating market of Cai Be is getting smaller every year, since trading on the water is shifting more and more to the modern central markets.
We anchor mid-stream near Cai Be for dinner and moor there overnight. After dinner our lounge cinema features selected classic movies (every night).
Meals: Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Jayavarman Cruise
Each morning, we offer our guests an invigorating Tai Chi class on the sun deck. Start your day, just as many local people do in Asia, as the sun begins its gentle glow. A sumptuous buffet breakfast is served for the perfect first exploration day in the Mekong Delta.
Our morning tour takes you to Cai Be. We can still see some boat to boat trading of local goods such as fruits and agricultural products. Our guide will explain the particularities of this long lasting trading culture. Each boat has a special marker that lets buyers know what goods it is selling.
Cai Be is a rustic town crisscrossed by many water canals. We go on-shore to visit a workshop and learn how rice paste, rice paper, rice cookies and rice wine is manufactured. Cai Be and its surrounding areas are covered with palm trees and hence the region is also famous for the production of coconut candies. With our local boat we continue to explore the lush and green canal network and observe the farmers working in the fields.
Back on board lunch is served. You can enjoy time for yourself then to either enjoy a true Vietnamese coffee at the bar or simply watch the life on the riverbanks floating by.
In the afternoon, we reach the area of Sa Dec. We embark on a traditional local boat and head towards Binh Thanh Island. This island is one of the larger ones in the vast stream of the Mekong. Some communities have settled here and make their living by growing water hyacinths. We exclulsively visit one of those untouched areas. By wandering through the village, we get a deep understanding of the native life. Moreover, we see the whole process of mat making. You can try weaving yourself, which is still done manually. We will meet also an elderly local couple who shares their story on this island. They are happy to engage in a conversation with you.
Back on board you may like to pamper yourself with a spa treatment or take a dip into the pool on the sun deck. Our expert guide offers a presentation on the “Life on the Mekong Delta” as the ship continues sailing to Chau Doc – near the border to Cambodia. We moor midstream near Chau Doc.
Dinner is served and afterwards you can join our evening cinema session (offered every night) featuring selected classic movies.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Jayavarman Cruise
Welcome to the fish sanctuary of Vietnam. Begin your day with a hearty breakfast at the dining hall or in the quiet privacy of your balcony. However, for early risers, we organize a local boat trip to a bustling floating market on the river. We will have you back on board in time for breakfast.
Brace yourself for a tour around Chau Doc, a pleasant, slow-paced town with a sizeable Chinese, Kinh and Khmer community. Once on-shore we hop on “xelois” to explore Chau Doc. A “xeloi” is a local vehicle which is still used as a taxi in this region. We slowly move around the streets to see all the workshops, houses and domiciles. Get to feel the laid-back vibes of this place. We stop at the colorful local market near one of the town’s temples. This is the best time to interact with the vendors of this friendly town to practice your bargaining skills. We board our local boat and cruise past floating houses and finally reach a floating fish farm. This region is the source of a fish production that is sold all over the world. Here we get a deep insight on how fish farming works.
Back on board our “home” we sail towards the Vietnamese-Cambodian border. Get ready for a fascinating and leisurely cruise through the deep Cambodian countryside towards Phnom Penh.
The whole afternoon is at your own arrangements. Now is the time when even the last passenger will switch into cruise mode and experience the therapeutic influence that this mighty river radiates. It is time for massages, for relaxation on the sun beds, for private balcony kick-backs - it’s the time to merge with the river.
A culinary class is offered in the afternoon to sharpen your knowledge and skills on the local cuisine. Some may like to visit the bridge - the captain always has a little story to share about “his” river. Float into a state of mild bliss and join our afternoon High Tea for sweet treats before you totally drift away in relaxation.
Dinner is served before we arrive at the capital of Cambodia. Around seven o’clock the boat docks at the pier of Phnom Penh. You are free to go for your first exploration by yourself. Stroll along the river promenade and watch the locals chit-chatting, selling odds and ends or have a drink in one of the numerous bars (kindly inform our crew once you are leaving the ship on your own).
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Jayavarman Cruise
Welcome to Phnom Penh - once called the Paris of the East. Despite its rapid development, it has retained a lot of its rustic charm and elegance. It is an amazing town with centuries of incredible history and culture which can still be felt at many street corners.
We start with a full sight-seeing tour right after breakfast. By bus we visit the Killing Fields at outside of the city and after, the centrally located prison “S21”. Both historic sites display the sad and cruel chapter of Khmer history when the Khmer Rouge ruled the country with terror and suppression. Those places have not changed much since this horrific time back in the early seventies and it can be heartbreaking. Alternatively, explore the city in the morning on your own before re-joining the group.
We will have lunch at a fine restaurant in town. Our exploration of Phnom Penh continues on the fascinating cultural heritage of Phnom Penh. The golden edifice of the Royal Palace with its Silver Pagoda and the exceptional Khmer crafts at the National Museum are the afternoon highlights. The day trip ends with a “cyclo” ride back to the ship through the bustling streets of downtown Phnom Penh.
Take some rest in your spacious cabin or join other fellow passengers at the bar for some refreshing drinks before our captivating evening activities start:
We move to the lounge which is set up for a lecture about Cambodian modern history, held by a professor of the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Definitely among the highlights of this cruise receiving knowledge first hand as our lecturer has studied the subject extensively and personally.
After the lecture a barbecue dinner feast on the sun deck commences. The dinner is accompanied with an Apsara dance performance. You have to witness the brilliance and richness of this dance along with the soothing sounds of traditional music.
As the evening unwinds, enjoy your supper with a glass of wine and marvel at the skyline of Phnom Penh, and the calming flow of the Tonle River.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Jayavarman Cruise
We depart before the break of dawn from Phnom Penh towards the Angkor Ban village on the Mekong River. Wake up to the gentle cruise motion and get ready for breakfast in the dining hall.
The Angkor Ban village is famous for its unspoiled community and beautiful, traditional houses. It feels like being transported back a hundred years ago into an era unaffected by modernity.
Back on board our staff is keen on showing you a variety of traditional Khmer fashion. Lunch is served afterwards.
We cruise further up the Mekong to visit a local school and understand more about the education of the young Cambodian generation (NGO project). The children here are always excited to show their skills in music and art and will bathe you in smiles upon your applause.
We continue by road to the enchanting pre-Angkorian temple of Wat Hanchey (7th century). This small complex sits on a hill top right on the shore with breath-taking views over the Mekong. Another temple on the way is the tiny, colorful monastery of Wat Nokor. Here, we might get the chance to engage in light banter with some of the monks living in the area.
Back on board you are free to relax until dinner is served. The boat moors mid-river near Kampong Cham.
LOW WATER CRUISE: Phnom Penh – Kampong Chhnang (Tonle) (B, L, D)
Before the sun peeks over the horizon, the cruiser sets sail towards Kampong Tralach on the Tonle River – an amazingly narrow river. Gently gliding through leafy swaths of this jungle-like landscape we reach Kampong Tralach. Breakfast is served before we anchor and get ready for our first Tonle discovery.
We reach the shore by local boat and cacophonous children wave enthusiastically while bringing their livestock for a bath in the meandering river. We will stop at the “Green School” which is partly supported by Heritage Line. See all the river life, which is so different than ours - by a local ox cart ride. Back on board our staff is keen on showing you a variety of traditional Khmer fashion. Lunch is served afterwards.
The ship cruises along the narrow Tonle River towards Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia’s “water world”, where everything is on sticks and balanced on water-rich soil. Perhaps it’s the most fascinating cruising spot in Cambodia.
Back on land in Kampong Chhnang, we take mini buses to a rural village nearby for a walking tour. Our guides introduce you to the village specialties – Khmer style pottery and the making of palm sugar. Before returning to the boat we explore the floating villages and wetlands of the region.
Relax back on board until dinner is served. The boat moors mid-river in the Tonle area.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Jayavarman Cruise
We sail downstream on the Mekong and stop at the Island of Koh Oknha Tey. This spot in the middle of the Mekong owns its fame for the manufacturing of high class silk products.
By tuk tuk we explore the island with its workshops and learn how silk is processed from its source, provided by little silkworms, to a final top quality product made of original Cambodian silk.
Before lunch our expert guides offer a presentation about “Geography of the Mekong and Tonle Sap”. Afterwards a Monks’ blessing ceremony on board delivers spirits and wishes for our health and prosperity for all.
The ship continues its journey, passing by the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Rivers towards Kampong Tralach. Gliding through leafy swaths of this jungle-like landscape we reach Kampong Tralach. Cacophonous children waive enthusiastically while bringing their livestock for a bath in the meandering river. We will stop at the “Green School” which is partly supported by Heritage Line. See all this life, which is so different than ours - by a local ox cart ride.
The boat finds its anchor spot in the Tonle River near Kampong Chhnang allowing you to observe the close-by river life until dinner is served in the dining hall.
LOW WATER CRUISE: Tonle - Kampong Cham (B, L, D)
In the early morning during breakfast we sail from the lower Tonle River towards the Mekong passing their confluence at Phnom Penh. We arrive at the island of Koh Oknha Tey. This spot in the middle of the Mekong owns its fame for the manufacturing of high class silk products.
By tuk tuk we explore the island with its workshops and learn how silk is processed from its source, provided by little silkworms, to a final top quality product made of original Cambodian silk.
Before lunch our expert guides offer a presentation about “Geography of the Mekong and Tonle Sap”. Afterwards a Monks’ blessing ceremony on board delivers spirits and wishes for our health and prosperity for all.
The ship sails towards the small Angkor Ban village up in the Mekong River. The Angkor Ban village is famous for its unspoiled community and beautiful, traditional houses. It feels like being transported back a hundred years ago into an era unaffected by modernity. Villagers are characterized by their unbridled warmth.
Afterwards it’s time for some fun at a cocktail party on the riverbank.
We continue cruising for a while until dinner is served. The boat finds its overnight spot at the riverbank of Kampong Cham.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Jayavarman Cruise
Wake up early to witness the spectacular surroundings at the break of dawn. Our morning Tai Chi class has the perfect scenery today. Breakfast is served in the dining hall.
We are now at Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia’s “water world”, where everything is on sticks balanced on water-rich soil. This is perhaps the most fascinating cruising spot in Cambodia.
We take a local boat to the shore. With mini buses we head to a rural village nearby for a walking tour. Our guides introduce you to the village specialities – Khmer style pottery and the making of palm sugar. Definitely you should bring some home. Before returning to the boat we explore the local floating villages and wetlands of the region.
Back on board lunch is served as your floating sanctuary cruises gently along the narrow Tonle River, towards the Great Tonle Sap Lake. The river opens up to a vast “sea”, the biggest fresh water lake in Asia. This lake can only be crossed during high water season (approx. from end-July to mid-November). Let your soul float and your eyes wander while the boat makes its way towards Siem Reap.
In the afternoon we serve a High Tea at the bar and as the sun sets, our crew invites you to their farewell event. Enjoy some dancing and music together with the crew before dinner is served.
The boat moors mid-lake near Siem Reap.
LOW WATER CRUISE: KAMPONG CHAM (B, L, D)
After breakfast by bus we visit the enchanting pre-Angkorian temple of Wat Hanchey, built in the 7th century. This small complex sits on a hill top right on the shore with breath taking views over the Mekong.
We return to the ship for lunch and some relaxation.
In the afternoon we head to the tiny, colorful monastery of Wat Nokor. Here we might get the chance to engage in light banter with some of the monks living in the area. As it is low water season we are able to see a bamboo bridge which connects the mainland with the island. Local communities re-build the bridge every year when the water levels drop.
We continue our journey and visit a local school to understand more about the education of the young Cambodian generation (NGO project).
The children here are always excited to show their skills in music and art and will bathe you in smiles upon your applause. As the sun sets, our crew invites for a farewell event. Enjoy some dancing and music together with the crew before dinner is served. The boat moors at the riverbank of Kampong Cham.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Jayavarman Cruise
The Tonle Sap (The Great Lake) is the flowing heart of Cambodia, giving love and life to millions of people. It has more fish than any other lake in the world and is home to an incredible variety of birds, including rare and endangered feathered life.
Our Heritage Line cruise comes to an end. We prepare to disembark the ship and take a local boat to the shore, passing a vast floating community.
Around nine o’clock, we arrive at the Siem Reap pier and bring you to the drop off point in the city center.
We hope that you enjoyed this fascinating river just as our crew does every single time. Moreover, take plenty of memories and friendships along with you that will linger on with your stories of this amazing river - the Mighty Mekong.
LOW WATER CRUISE: Kampong Cham - Siem Reap (B, L, D)
Enjoy your last breakfast on board our floating sanctuary. We disembark the ship for a transfer by bus to the drop off point in Siem Reap.
The transfer takes about 4.5 hours. Snacks are provided during the trip. You will arrive in Siem Reap in the early afternoon.
We hope that you enjoyed this fascinating river just as our crew does every single time. Moreover, take plenty of memories and friendships along with you that will linger on with your stories of this amazing river - the Mighty Mekong.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A
Important Notes
PRICE INCLUDES
- Accommodation
- Daily (group) shore-excursions as mentioned in the program
- Entrance fees
- Transportation as mentioned in the program
- Transfers to/from the meeting point/ship
- Tour guide services (English speaking)
- Taxes
- Fuel
- River pilots
- Local anchorage fees
- Daily Tai Chi classes and onboard entertainment
- Steam bath
- Welcome drink
- Meals as mentioned
- Free flow of beverages (mineral water, soft drinks, juices, tea, coffee) at all times
- Free flow of local beer and house wine by glass during lunch and dinner
- Afternoon tea, drinking water in room and during excursions
- Insurance (Passengers liability)
- Internet throughout the boat (subject to cellular network signal)
PRICE EXCLUDES
- Port tax
- Crew and guide gratuities
- Any visa fees
- Private transfers and any other transfer not stated in the program
- Personal expenses and purchases
- All further beverages
- Premium spirits and other services not mentioned under inclusion or in the program
- Fuel surcharges if any
- Medical services
- Spa treatments
- Telephone expenses
REMARK
- Cruise itinerary and schedule are subject to change due to weather and operating conditions. Unused services are not subject to a refund.
- Meals on board are fusion: Vietnamese, Cambodian & international. Guests should advise of any special food preferences, allergies or dietary requirements at least three days prior to the cruise date.
- Advance registration is required with full name, date of birth, nationality, gender, passport number and visa expiry date for all passengers. A valid passport is required upon check-in. Otherwise, boarding may be denied by port authority.
- Peak season surcharge for all cruises falling on New Year’s Eve and/or Christmas.
Other itineraries
The lost civilization: Siem Reap - Saigon 8 Days
Downstream
Destination : Siem Reap, Tonle Sap, Kampong Chhnang, Wat Hanchey, Phnom Penh, Tan Chau, My An Hung, Sa Dec, Cai Be, My Tho, Saigon
Serenity Cruise: Phnom Penh - Siem Reap 5 Days
Destination : Phnom Penh, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Tralach, Kampong Cham, Wat Hanchey, Kampong Cham, Siem Reap
Serenity Cruise: Siem Reap – Phnom Penh 4 Days
Destination : Siem reap, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Tralach, Kampong Cham, Wat Hanchey, Tonle Sap, Siem Reap
Pearl of the Orient: Saigon – Phnom Penh 4 Days
Destination : Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho, Cai Be, Sa Dec,Tan Chau, Bordering Crossing, Phnom Penh