Aug

Cruise on RV Marguerite Mekong Delta Odyssey Up-Stream

RV la marguerite mekong cruise

Day 1: Saigon – Welcome on board
Welcome onboard of RV La Marguerite. The ship moors at Saigon port. Ho Chi Minh City, (formerly Saigon) Vietnam’s biggest city still retains its old French colonial architecture in riverside streets. Check-in at 12:00 noon, followed by port and immigration formalities. After checking-in the tastefully appointed cabins, enjoy the fascinating view of Saigon River from your private balcony or from the sundeck. You can also enjoy cold drinks in our Saigon Lounge while watching bustling river life passing by. At 2:00 PM ship departs Saigon. We sail by Saigon River on the international route to the sea and cruise up the broad Mekong Tributary. Tonight meet your fellow passengers on board for Welcome Dinner at the Mekong Restaurant.

Day 2: Cai Be ~ Sa Dec
Arriving at Cai Be in the morning, early risers can enjoy the sunrise on the sundeck. After breakfast we take a morning junk trip around Cai Be to see a floating market, go ashore to visit the French Gothic Cathedral and colorful port area with its colonial buildings, delightful flower gardens and local rice paper manufacturers. We cruise past Vinh Long Province to arrive at Sa Dec for an afternoon walk. French writer Marguerite Duras spent some of her childhood in Sa Dec, a sprawling busy town in the Mekong Delta. In Sa Dec, director Jean-Jaques Annaud shot much of his 1992 film “The Lover”. Aside from the fact that the French have long departed, not a lot has changed in Sa Dec since Duras’ day. Warehouses, mostly old Chinese shop-houses, bulge with merchandise. Ancient river boats load and unload at the wharves built almost to the shop doors. Both the school where Duras’ mother taught and the small house behind it where the family must have lived still stand. We spent time in the house of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le – the Chinese Lover of Marguerite. The house now is little museum of “The Lover” in Sadec. Night cruise through the Mekong Delta to Tan Chau

Day 3: Tan Chau, Border Crossing
Tan Chau is a remote small town on the main Mekong River. After breakfast we transfer to small boats, visit a cat fish farm and rice-polishing factory. We go ashore to visit mat making workshop, and take a short walk in the village to visit a silk weaving workshop. A trishaw ride round this fascinating town takes us back to the pier and we return to the ship by boat for lunch and cast off for the Cambodian border for the usual formalities. Evening cruise up the broad Mekong River, which is an international shipping route and moor overnight mid-stream just outside of Phnom Penh.

Day 4: Phnom Penh
Early morning cruise into Phnom Penh and dock at the passenger port terminal. The capital of Cambodia retains its French charm. The old colonial architecture makes an attractive backdrop to busy cafes, and the renovated river “corniche” is full of life. The city has several impressive Wat’s, including Wat Ounalom, Wat Phnom and the newly-painted Wat Lang Ka. Visit the Royal
Palace, the spectacular Silver Pagoda, one of the few places in Cambodia where artifacts embodying the brilliance and richness of Khmer culture were preserved by the Khmer Rouge. The National Museum is another highlight, with outstanding displays of Khmer crafts. An afternoon excursion is arranged to the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge’s grim Tuol Sleng or S21 detention centre situated in the suburbs of the city.

Day 5: Phnom Penh ~ Kampong Cham
Early morning departure from Phnom Penh and a stop at the little-known Chong Koh silk weaving village for a morning walk at leisure. We cruise past the Mekong’s timeless villages and river life with extensive fishing activities. The scenery is very lovely here, and in the distance, forested hills rise. On the river above Phnom Penh there is little shipping, just real Cambodian life. In the afternoon we stop at Peam Chi Kang village to visit the Wat or Monastery and school. Passengers are at leisure to explore this peaceful and friendly community. In the Wat the splendid village racing boats are stored. Anchor mid-stream at Kampong Cham

Day 6: Kampong Cham Area
Morning journey upriver to the hilltop pre-Angkorian temple of Wat Hanchey. Dating from the 8th century, these ancient brick structures characterize the architecture of the Chenla Empire which predated the glories of Angkor. Sail back downstream over lunch for an exploration of the Kampong Cham Area. We travel by bus to the 12th century Angkorian temple of Wat Nokor. This colorful temple is unique in Cambodia, as a modern Wat it is set within the ruins of an ancient temple. We continue to the eco village of Cheungkok. There are many pagodas and shrines on the hilltops.

Day 7: Tonle River
We glance by the capital Phnom Penh in the early morning to change pilots, and then sail the Tonle River which connects Tonle Lake with the Mekong and Bassac Rivers that merge at Phnom Penh. This river journey is a highlight of the trip. We wind our way through jungle, and as the river narrows we feel we can almost reach out and touch the houses and people who come out to cheer our ship on. Temples abound along the river banks at Kampong Chhnang, and we see the rich tapestry of Cambodian rural life. This is a busy rural port town with bustling markets. Mooring mid-stream, we make a truly wonderful motor boat excursion into the lakeside wetlands that form the mouth of the river. Here a stunning variety of birdlife may be seen and of considerable interest are the great fish traps, some half a kilometer long, which net a huge tonnage of fish after each monsoon as the fish migrate from the falling lake into the Tonle River.

Day 8: Tonle Lake ~ Siem Reap
The great lake dominates Cambodia and is over 150 Km in length. Here bird life is profuse, and from the middle of the lake one cannot even see the shores. There is a great stillness and tranquility as we pass floating fishing villages. Because the water levels of the lake and river vary a great deal according to the time of year and rainfall, we will then either cross the Tonle Lake at dawn and disembark at Siem Reap Port or transfer by coach from Prek Kdam on the Tonle River to Siem Reap stopping for a short rest at Kampong Thom.

Cruise includes:

English speaking guide onboard
Meals fullboard
Mineral water, tea & coffee during the breakfast
Cruise on boat
Admission fees and permits where applicable
Surcharge & goverment tax

Cruise excludes:

Airfares & airport taxes
Pre/post trip arrangement
Visa and visa arrangement
Travel insurance
Other personal expenses