Upstream
cruise from Saigon to Siem Reap: 8 days aboard Pandaw
Day 1: Saigon / My Tho / Cai Be
Transfer from
the Hotel Sofitel in Saigon to the port of My Tho by coach
to embark cruise.
Day 2: Cai Be / Sa Dec / Cu Lao Gien
In the morning passengers
will take an exciting Sampan boat excursion to Sa Dec via Vinh
Long, along canals and backwaters.
Passengers will visit Cai Be and its colourful floating market
and Sa De to see the local market and the ancient house of
Mr, Huyn Thuy Le, the 'lover' of Marguerite Duras, a famous
French novelist. In the afternoon, we visit Cu Lao Gien island
and a Catholic monastery called 'La Providence'.
Day 3: Chau Doc / Border Crossing
Visit a Cham tribal village,
a cat fish farm, and enjoy a trishaw ride round Chau Doc. Return
to the ship by boat for
lunch and cast off for the Cambodian border for the usual formalities.
Day 4: Phnom Penh
Passengers will visit Phnom Penh and will
be provided with their own private cyclo*. The Cyclo Centre
Phnom Penh which
provides the cyclos is a charity that provides basic welfare
and medical services to cyclo
In the afternoon, optional excursion (by coach) to the Killing
Fields and the Khmer Rouge's grim Tuol Sleng or S21 detention
centre. This tour is included in the cost of your cruise but
must be requested at the time of booking in the comments box.
Day 5: Tonle River / Kampong Chhnang
Excursion up the Tonle
River to Kampong Chhnang either by ship or by coach depending
on water levels. In Kampong Chhnang
passengers will take a wonderful motor boat excursion into
the lakeside wetlands that form the mouth of the river. Here
many fishtraps may be seen.
Day 6: Kampong Cham / Mekong River
We stop at the little-known
Chong Koh silk-weaving village for a morning walk at leisure.
In the afternoon we stop at
Peam Chi Kang village to visit the wat or monastery and school.
In the wat the splendid village racing boats are stored.
Day 7: Kampong Cham Area
Passengers visit the hilltop temple
of Wat Hanchey in the morning. In the afternoon, travel by
bus to visit the Twin
Holy mountains of Phnom Pros and Phnom Srey (Man and Woman
Hill). Continuation to the ecotourism village of Choeungkok
supported by the Frech-Cambodian NGO Amica and the Pandaw-supported
Kampong Cham orphanage.
Day 8: Transfer to Siem Reap
Early morning coach transfer to
the Raffles Hotel D'Angkor in Siem Reap. Refreshments will
be provided and we will stop
at Kampong Thom along the way. Arrive at Siem Reap mid afternoon.
Downstream cruise from Siem Reap to Saigon: 8
Days aboard a Pandaw
Day 1: Siem Reap / Kampong Cham
Passengers will transfer by
coach from the Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor to Kampong Cham.
A packed lunch will be provided on
the coach and we will stop at Kampong Thom along the way.
Day 2: Kampong Cham Area
Passengers will visit the hilltop temple
of Wat Hanchey in the morning. In the afternoon, travel by
bus to visit the Twin
Holy mountains of Phnom Pros and Phnom Srey (Man and Woman
Hill). Continuation to the ecotourism village of Choeungkok
supported by the Frech-Cambodian NGO Amica and the Pandaw-supported
Kampong Cham orphanage.
Day 3: Tonle River / Kampong Chhnang
Excursion up the Tonle
River to Kampong Chhnang by either coach or the ship depending
on water levels. In Kampong Chhnang
passengers will take a wonderful motor boat excursion into
the lakeside wetlands that form the mouth of the river. Here
many fishtraps may be seen.
Day 4: Phnom Penh
Passengers
will visit Phnom Penh and will be provided with their own private
cyclo*. The Cyclo Centre
Phnom Penh which
provides the cyclos is a charity that provides basic welfare
and medical services to cyclo drivers
In the afternoon, optional excursion (by coach) to the Killing
Fields and the Khmer Rouge's grim Tuol Sleng or S21 detention
centre. This tour is included in the cost of your cruise but
must be requested at the time of booking in the comments box.
Day 5: Cruising the Mekong / Border Crossing
We spend the day
cruising in the main Mekong channel, an international shipping
route. We stop at Prek Touch, a jungle village, to
visit fruit orchards, and then set off for the Vietnamese border
for the usual formalities.
Day 6: Chau Doc / Cu Lao Gien
Visit a Cham tribal
village, a cat fish farm, and enjoy a trishaw ride round Chau
Doc. In
the afternoon, visit Cu Lao
Gien island and a Catholic monastery called "La Providence" built
in 1875 by the French nuns of "Saint Paul de Chatres".
Day 7: Sa Dec / Cai Be
In the morning passengers will take
an exciting Sampan boat excursion to Cai Be via Vinh Long along
canals and backwaters.
Passengers will visit Sa Dec and see the local market and the
ancient house of Mr, Huyn Thuy Le, the 'lover' of Marguerite
Duras, a famous French novelist. At Cai Be, we will cruise
through its colourful floating market which takes place daily
in front of the catholic church.
Day 8: My Tho / Saigon
Early morning sail from Cai Be for My
Tho, where passengers disembark in the early morning for a
coach transfer to Hotel
Sofitel Plaza Saigon. Arrive at the hotel late morning..
Registration Details:
11.30am
The Elephant Bar
Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor
11 Vithei Charles de Gaulle,
Khum Svay Dang Kum
River Conditions Warning!
The rivers
you will sail on are subject to seasonal rises and falls
of water level, in some places as much as 30 metres. Water
levels can change dramatically overnight and a sudden rise
can impede our progress upstream considerably and even prevent
us from passing under certain bridges. A sudden fall can
result in our being unable to get into certain places or
go as far upstream as we would hope. Groundings on sandbars
are not infrequent and are part of the excitement of any
Pandaw expedition. Published itineraries are indicational
only and subject to sudden change. In such events alternative
itineraries will be provided and we do our best to ensure
that if a stop is missed we make up for it with another stop.
Passengers are thus forewarned and expected to be flexible
and patient. River cruising in Asia can be a dramatic and
adventurous experience - not like cruising the controlled
waterways of Europe or America. Note also that we operate
in areas with little or no developed infrastructure and subject
to the strictures of local officialdom. Be prepared for this
and it is all more the fun!
Additional Details
*In Phnom
Penh large groups may request a conventional guide and coach
if required* |
