Mekong Delta – 4 days – Mekong Eyes Cruise Cambodia to Vietnam

Sunday: Phnom Penh – Tan Chau – Cao Lanh

In the morning we pick you up at your hotel in Phnom Penh and bring you to the jetty where our boat departs. An English speaking guide accompanies all our speed boats to ensure your comfort and well being on board and to support the immigration to Vietnam. Drinks and snacks area available on our comfortable speed boats.

Around 13h the speed boat arrives in Tan Chau and you board your river cruiser. After a refreshing welcome drink, we show you our on-board facilities and your cozy cabin. Enjoy your lunch while the boat starts cruising through the branches and canals of the Mekong. Sit back on the sundeck or in our lounge and marvel the amazing sights – the lush vegetation and the diverse daily life of the people in the Mekong Delta. Round the day off with a Sunset Cocktail Party at the bar while the sun sets over the magnificent water landscape.

Meals: Snack, Lunch (L), Dinner (D)

Monday: Cao Lanh – Cu Lao Gieng – Sa Dec

Wake up well rested to the sound of the river and get ready for another exciting day of sightseeing in the Mekong Delta. At 6:30h the cruise vessel sets off for a sunrise cruise. Watch the locals go about their daily work drying exotic fruits and building ships on the wooden yards while enjoying an early breakfast.

We cruise towards the Island of Cu Lao Gieng. Located between Chau Doc and Sa Dec on the small island of Cu Lao Gieng, the monastery here was once an important convent. It could accommodate more than 1,000 people and included an orphanage, a school, a hospice and a leprosy center. Today, Cu Lao Gieng is mainly a retreat for retired nuns. The large building is completely cut off from villages and located in the middle of fields and green jungle. You will be very surprised to see such an architectural impressive monastery in the middle of nowhere. If you have time you should take the opportunity to visit the Catholic monastery which was built on the island in 1875 by French nuns of Saint Paul de Chartres.

In the afternoon we cruise towards the charming city of Sa Dec. There you can see the busy and colorful local market, enjoy a coffee on the nice riverside promenade and visit a nearby flower village with orchards. The charming town still has a lot of colonial architecture, in particular the old market, the church and many old villas and trader’s houses. We visit one of them, a beautifully renovated traditional house of a Chinese trader’s family. This sumptuous building belonged to the main character of the novel „The Lover” and indeed to the lover of Marguerite Duras.

Get back on board and enjoy a drink at the bar or relax on deck as the sun sets over the magnificent water landscape of the Mekong River. The cruise boat anchors for the night. The day ends with a delicious on-board dinner.

Meals: B, L, D

Tuesday: Cai Be – Mang Thit / Tra On (optional disembarkation and transfer to Saigon)

After breakfast, we enjoy a rowing boat excursion through the hidden small canals of Tan Phong Islet on a sampan. We also visit some of the local candy or rice cake making production or boat through the green water landscape to see local villages, verdant orchards or rice paddies.

Later in the morning your can discover the nearby town by foot or explore the small side canals of the Mekong on a bicycle. In the afternoon you can disembark for a guided leisurely stroll through a village and the surrounding fruit orchards or rice fields. Meet the friendly locals and taste the local produce and fruits.

Get back on board and enjoy a drink at the bar or relax on deck as the sun sets over the magnificent water landscape of the Mekong river. The cruise boat will anchor for the night. The day ends with a delicious on-board dinner. You stay overnight on board your floating hotel in the Mekong Delta.

Meals: B, L, D

(For those with a tight schedule it is possible to disembark in Cai Be from where we provide transfer to your hotel in Saigon and a lunch on the way).

Wednesday: Tra On – Can Tho – Saigon

Wake up well rested to the sound of the river and get ready for another exciting day of sightseeing in the Mekong Delta. At 6.30h the cruise vessel sets off for a sunrise cruise. Watch the locals go about their daily work drying exotic fruits and building ships on the wooden yards while enjoying an early breakfast.

After breakfast, we will board a sampan boat to Cai Rang floating market, the region’s busiest and most lively markets.  We will pull up to the boats for talking and bargaining with the merchants. We will also visit some of the local candy and cake making factories or boat through the green water landscape to see local houses, verdant orchards and ship-building yards.

The Mekong Delta cruise ends at around 11.00 — 11.30h on the pier. From there we provide you with a shuttle to your hotel in Saigon (Districts 1 and 3) where you arrive in the late afternoon.

Meals: B, L