Ho Chi Minh - My Tho - Boat - Cai Be: 70 km - 1h30

Travel from Ho Chi Minh to My Tho in 1.5 hours

• Welcome before noon in Saigon, welcome drink
• Departure by land for My Tho and boarding the Junk
• Installation in cabins
• Buffet for lunch while the junk continues its crossing
• Free afternoon on the boat:
  • Relaxing on your balcony facing the Mekong
  • Tea at the outdoor bar…
• Dinner on board
• The boat anchors in Cai Be for the night. Small town famous for its Catholic church and its floating market
• Overnight on cruise

Cai Be - Boat - Sa Dec - Boat - Chau Doc

• Invigorating Tai Chi class on the terrace in the early morning
• Sumptuous breakfast on board
• Departure for Cai Be
  • Visit to the floating market
  • Visit to a workshop producing rice paste, rice paper, rice biscuits…
  • Cruise by local boat on the network of lush, green canals and observe farmers working in the fields
• Return to board and lunch
• Free time
  • Vietnamese coffee at the bar
  • Relaxation facing the river
• Arrival in the Sa Dec area
• Boarding a traditional sampan
• Tour to Binh Thanh Island, one of the largest on the Mekong River
• Visit to villages, discovery of carpet making, water hyacinth and indigenous life
• Manual weaving activity and meeting with a couple of village elders
• Back on board
  • Possibility of treatment at the spa or relaxation in the swimming pool
  • Presentation on "life in the Mekong Delta" by our guide
• We moor in the middle of the river near Chau Doc
• Dinner is served and you can then participate in our movie evening
• Overnight on cruise

Chau Doc - Boat - Phnom Penh

• Hearty breakfast in the restaurant or quietly on your balcony
• Tour of Chau Doc, peaceful town inhabited by Chinese, Khmer, Kihn communities
• Once on land we jump into a “xeloi”, a local vehicle which is still used as a taxi in this region
• Stroll through the streets and stop at a colorful local market and practice negotiating with the locals
• Return to our local boat and view floating houses before finally reaching a floating fish farm
• Return to the boat, direction the Vietnamese-Cambodian border
• Free time
  • Massage, tanning, relaxing on your balcony…
  • Cooking class offered to refine your knowledge and skills on local cuisine
  • Possibility to visit the deck of the ship with the captain
• Dinner on board before our arrival in Phnom Penh
• You are free to do your first exploration on your own
• Lunch and dinner included
• Overnight on cruise

• Breakfast and farewell to the Pearl of the Orient cruise and start of the Serenity cruise
• Complete guided tour:
  • By bus, we visit the Killing Fields on the outskirts of the city and then the central prison “S21”
• Lunch in a city restaurant
• Afternoon: The golden building of the royal palace with its silver pagoda and the exceptional Khmer handicrafts of the national museum are the highlights of the visit
• Bike ride through the streets of the city center
• Return to the boat: Rest in your cabin or drink at the bar
• Evening: Cocktails at the bar followed by a conference on the modern history of Cambodia (with lecturer from the Royal University)
• Barbecue meal on the terrace accompanied by an Apsara dance show and relaxation
• Overnight on cruise

Phnom Penh - Boat - Kampong Cham

• Departure before dawn from Phnom Penh to the small village of Angkor Ban on the Mekong (a village famous for its traditional houses and its community with an ancient lifestyle)
• Wake up to the gentle cruising motion and prepare for breakfast in the dining room
• Demonstration of the variety of traditional Khmer fashion
• Lunch
• We go up the Mekong to visit a local school to better understand the education of the young Cambodian generation (the project is financed by an NGO)
• Continuation of the trip and visit to the enchanting pre-Angkorian temple of Wat Hanchey (7th century) and the small colorful monastery of Wat Nokor. Meeting with monks from the region
• Relaxation and dinner
• The junk anchors for the night near Kampong Cham
• Overnight on cruise

Kampong Cham - Boat - Kampong Chhnang

• Breakfast
• Stop on the island of Koh Oknha Tey. Renowned for manufacturing high quality silk products
• By tuk tuk, we explore the island with its workshops and learn how silk is transformed from its source
• Presentation on the “geography of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap”
• Lunch
• Monks' blessing ceremony on board will bring spirits and wishes of health and prosperity to all
• Continuation of the cruise passing through the confluence of the Mekong and Tonlé towards Kampong Tralach (green expanses of this jungle-like landscape)
• Arrive at Kampong Tralach, live to see all this life - which is so different from ours - by a local oxcart ride
• Later anchoring in the Tonle River near Kampong Chhnang
• Dinner
• Overnight on cruise

Kampong Chhnang - Boat - Tonle Sap

• Wake up early to witness this spectacular water world at dawn
• Tai Chi classes on the terrace
• Buffet breakfast in the restaurant room
• Visit Kampong Chhnang, the “water world” of Cambodia, where everything is on stilts on water-rich soil
• With minibuses we head to a nearby rural village: Walking tour. Presentation of village specialties - Khmer style pottery and palm sugar manufacturing
• Exploration of the floating villages and wetlands of the region
• Lunch while the boat heads towards Tonle Lake
• Crossing the lake (from the end of july to mid-november)
• Afternoon: tea at the bar and sunset
• Dinner, music and dancing
• Overnight on cruise

• Last look at Tonle Lake
• End of the cruise, disembarkation at the Siem Reap pier