Itinerary 

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh city - Transfer to My Tho

(Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap Itinerary, Low Water Season, December to mid-August)
From the Saigon meeting point, you will be transferred by air-conditioned coach to My Tho dock where you will be welcomed aboard the Aqua Mekong. Settle into your floating retreat, with its window wall conferring an endlessly captivating panorama. Enjoy these private Mekong moments on your California king bed, terrace, or daybed.

Day 2: Binh Thanh - Sa Dec - My An Hung

Begin the day at Binh Thanh mat weaving village or opt to visit Sa Dec where you will peruse the vibrant market. In the afternoon, visit a typical Mekong Delta village called My An Hung where you will walk through verdant plantations. You will be invited to a local's home to taste local fruits while hearing traditional folk songs performed by villagers followed by a unique unicorn dance. A 10.5-mile biking option is also available.

Day 3: Chau Doc - Vinh Xuong - Ka'om Samnor Border

Travel by skiff along Bassac Canal to Chau Doc floating market, then head off by van to Long Son Pagoda atop Sam Mountain. Ask the monks about their age-old Buddhist practices. Return via the bustling morning market. Optional 11-mile bike ride on Long Khanh Island or take a rickshaw ride to visit Tan Chau Market with the boat's chef. After lunch, relax by the pool, try traditional Khmer massage, or learn to cook Mekong inspired dishes while you cross the border.

Day 4: Koh Oknha Tey - Preah Prosop, Cambodia

On this river of time, you can admire dexterous Khmer artisans dyeing and weaving kroma, the ubiquitous item no Khmer lives without. Explore the riverbank on two wheels if you wish, past Buddhist temples and thatch houses perched on spindly wooden stilts while white oxen wade just offshore. After lunch, board the marine-grade aluminum skiffs and head toward the tamarind trees of Preah Prosop, a remote village little changed over several lifetimes.

Day 5: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Explore the Cambodian capital by motorized tuk-tuk, the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum of Cambodia, home to the world’s largest collection of Khmer art. For those who wish, you can visit the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide and the Killing Field or shopping at Russian Market. Bid farewell to 4-night guests who are disembarking in Phnom Penh. Return to welcome your 3-night passengers over custom sundowners like the Salted Watermelon Crush with Thai basil. Celebrate the onward journey toward the heart of this mighty river with a Khmer Apsara performance, an indigenous tradition memorialized on the temple walls at Angkor Wat.

Day 6: Tonle Sap River - Koh Chen - Kampong Prasat

In the silversmith village of Koh Chen, watch artisans producing the magnificent silverware favored by Khmer royalty. Continue to Udong, the royal capital from the 17th-19th centuries, where you will learn about a uniquely challenging Buddhist practice at the Vipassana Dhura, a meditation center. In the afternoon, a walking tour of Kampong Prasat offers a close-up perspective on local lives and their riverside environment.

Day 7: Tonle Sap River - Kampong Chhnang - Kampong Tralach

In the cooler hours, head into the lush countryside to visit traditional potters and palm-sugar producers, astride mountain bikes or chauffeured by shaded tuk-tuk. Into the rice paddies you pedal to watch wizened masters scale sky-piercing palms towering above. Cruise across the glassy water and disembark among the lotuses for an ox-cart ride along the Tonle Sap riverbanks, past lacquered wooden houses where residents take refuge during these dry months in the relative cool of these outdoor impromptu living rooms.

Day 8: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Customized exploration of Phnom Penh and disembarkation. Airplane transfers are provided if you would like to continue your Cambodian adventure to Siem Reap and its ancient lost city of Angkor Wat. Guests will be fully escorted by guides in a private luxury car transfer to Phnom Penh Airport.

For High Water itineraries from mid-August through November, you will disembark in Siem Reap and transfer to Siem Reap airport. Or, continue on our Angkor Wat extension (additional surcharge).