SIEM RIEP - SAIGON ON RV AMALOTUS CRUISE

Transfer to Prek K’dam to embark your luxury river ship. Settle in to your suite before an exclusive Luke Nguyen Welcome Dinner showcasing the diverse flavours from the region of Luke’s heritage. Stay: Seven Nights on the Mekong River, aboard RV AmaLotus

Today brings you an authentic glimpse into the local way of life as you jump aboard a small boat and head into the wetlands near Kampong Chhnang. Known as the ‘Clay Pot Port’, the local people craft pottery under their stilt homes on the river - a delight to watch. Here, watch out for water birds and traditional fishing traps near the riverbank. Back on your ship, continue sailing to the village of Koh Chen for a walk to visit the fine silverware and copperware workshops.

Take a coach to Oudong, the fascinating royal capital of Cambodia from 1618 until 1866. During your time here, you’ll have a truly unique experience. Calling in on a local monastery, we are met by Buddhist monks before receiving a special blessing from them. Afterwards, continue to the village of Kampong Tralach for a visit to the Wat Kampong Tralach Pleu pagoda. Then, take an exciting ox cart ride through the countryside, passing lush rice fields and smiling locals on your way back to your ship. Later this evening, you arrive in Cambodia’s buzzing capital, Phnom Penh.

After breakfast on board, disembark and join your chosen activity.

Freedom of Choice:

Perhaps enjoy a guided tour of the dazzling white and gold Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, which is located on the south side of the palace complex and houses many national treasures. Alternatively, you may wish to discover some of Cambodia’s sobering history with a moving excursion to the infamous Killing Fields. Afterwards, visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, located on the site of the Khmer Rouge’s notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21). Here, you’ll learn of the atrocities inflicted upon Cambodians during Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime in the mid-to-late 1970s. Your other options are a visit to the National Museum of Cambodia, or a guided city tour in a tuk tuk providing an exciting way in which to take in a range of city sights, including the Independence Monument and Wat Phnom.

With a free morning in Phnom Penh, you may like to enjoy a restful start to the day and stay aboard your ship. Or, perhaps make use of your time in this dazzling city and head out on your own to discover the sights and attractions that you have not yet covered. Your Cruise Director will be happy to provide inspiration should you need it. This afternoon, you might like to take in a fruit-carving demonstration by one of the ship’s chefs while border formalities are carried out and you cross into Vietnam. Alternatively, sit back and watch daily life unfold on the riverbanks - gliding between the two countries can be a distinct experience in itself - before enjoying dinner later this evening. After entering Vietnam, your ship will continue to cruise overnight towards Tan Chau.

Transfer to a small boat for a journey along the tiny tributaries that snake around the riverside town of Tan Chau. Cruise right past a floating fish farm, then step ashore for a rickshaw tour of Tan Chau. Ride past shops, rice wine rooms and friendly locals eager to say hello. Later, step back in time during a visit to an evergreen island where you’ll experience authentic rural Mekong life. The remainder of today is left free for you to relax on board your luxurious river ship and observe rural Mekong life.

The morning takes you towards the quaint town of Sa Dec as your ship cruises past scenes of charming rural life. This delightfully sleepy locale is where French Writer Marguerite Duras met her Vietnamese-Chinese lover, Huynh Thuy Le. On arrival, tour Huynh Thuy Le’s old house and learn the story behind Marguerite Duras’ best-selling novel, ‘The Lover’. Later, pay a visit to a traditional Cao Dai temple. Watch visitors and pilgrims come and go, and appreciate the beauty of the building. This afternoon you continue to Cai Be. Once here, step ashore to visit the French Gothic cathedral as well as the colourful port area, which is filled with crumbling colonial buildings and delightful flowering gardens. Afterwards, you’ll visit a rice paper manufacturer and learn about how this traditional Vietnamese food is made.

Disembark at My Tho Port and be transferred to Ho Chi Minh City