Luxury Cruises

Asia River Cruises

Duration: 13 Days / 12 Nights
Priced From: Contact Travelwizard.
Dates: Feb, Mar, Jun - Dec


 

Pandaw began ten years ago as essentially an adventure experience, and whilst accommodation and service now is of a top standard, they refuse to compromise their tradition of respecting the passenger's independence and individuality. There is a very high level of care on board a Pandaw with impeccable service. The ratio is one staff member for every two guests.

Pandaw river cruises are essentially an outdoor experience. Whilst the staterooms are very comfortable and roomy, passengers prefer to spend their time sitting outside, on the promenade decks or on the vast observation deck above.

Exploratory shore excursions are led by local guides. When sailing, passengers sit on the deck and become absorbed by great panoramas as they unfold before them. Spellbound, one cannot help but to meditate upon the unceasing human and wildlife activity upon these spectacular waterworlds.

My Tho is the hub of the Delta, but not of great cultural interest, so once on board we set sail at 13:00 and have lunch. In the afternoon we moor near Cai Be and make a fascinating trip by traditional junk to explore evergreen islands and at the former Imperial residence, the An Kiet House. Surviving members of the Kiet family will welcome us with tea and we can wander in the fruit orchards around the house. On the way back we stop at Dong Hoa Hiep Island to see boat yards, brick works and traditional roofers. Overnight moor mid-stream Cai Be.

Day 2: Cai Be. We take a morning junk trip around Cai Be to see a floating market, and go ashore to visit the French Gothic Cathedral and colourful port area, with its colonial buildings, delightful flower gardens and local coconut candy and rice paper. manufacturers.

We return to the ship and cruise over to Vinh Long to visit a Bonsai Garden and fruit farm, followed by visit to a brick and pottery factory. We return to the ship and cruise past Vinh Long City and evergreen islands. The remainder of the day is spent cruising through the Mekong Delta.

Day 3: Chau Doc / Border Crossing. From the main Mekong channel at Tan Chau we travel down the canals and backwaters by local ferry boat. At Chau Doc we transfer to small boats to visit a Cham tribal village. We also visit a cat fish farm. We take a trishaw ride round this fascinating town of fine French-colonial buildings and see its bustling market.

Return to the ship by boat for lunch and cast off for the Cambodian border for the usual formalities, which in this part of the world, take time. Evening cruise up the broad Mekong channel, which is an international shipping route. Moor overnight just downstream from Phnom Penh.

Day 4: Phnom Penh. The capital of Cambodia retains its French charm. The old colonial architecture makes an attractive backdrop to busy cafes, and the renovated river "corniche" is full of life. The city has several impressive wats, including Wat Ounalom, Wat Phnom and the newly-painted Wat Lang Ka. Pride of place goes to the spectacular Silver Pagoda, one of the few places in Cambodia where artifacts embodying the brilliance and richness of Khmer culture were preserved by the Khmer Rouge.

The National Museum is another highlight, with outstanding displays of Khmer crafts. An afternoon excursion is arranged to the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge's grim Tuol Sleng or S21 detention centre situated in the suburbs of the city.

More happily, Phnom Penh has a lively night life, and some passengers choose to dine ashore or try one of the capital's many watering holes; a favourite being the Foreign Correspondents' Club.

Day 5: Phnom Penh to Kampong Cham. Early morning departure from Phnom Penh and a stop at the little-known Chong Koh silk weaving village for a morning walk at leisure. We cruise past the Mekong's timeless villages and river life with extensive fishing activities.

The scenery is very lovely here, and in the distance, forested hills rise. On the river above Phnom Penh there is little shipping, just real Cambodian life. In the afternoon we stop at Peam Chi Kang village to visit the Wat or monastery and school. Passengers are at leisure to explore this peaceful and friendly community. In the Wat the splendid village racing boats are stored.

Day 6: Kampong Cham Area. Morning journey upriver to the hilltop pre-Angkorian temple of Wat Hanchey. Dating from the 8th century, these ancient brick structures characterize the architecture of the Chenla Empire which predated the glories of Angkor. Sail back downstream over lunch for an exploration of the Kampong Cham Area.

We travel by bus to the 12th century Angkorian temple of Wat Nokor. This colourful temple is unique in Cambodia, as a modern Wat is set within the ruins of an ancient temple. We continue to the twin holy mountains of Phnom Pros and Phnom Srei, or Man and Woman Hills. Legends abound about the origins of these hills, and there are many pagodas and shrines on the hilltops.

Day 7: Tonle River. We glance by the capital Phnom Penh in the early morning to change pilots, and then sail the Tonle River which connects Tonle Lake with the Mekong and Bassac Rivers that merge at Phnom Penh. This river journey is a highlight of the trip. We wind our way through jungle, and as the river narrows we feel we can almost reach out and touch the houses and people who come out to cheer our ship on.

Temples abound along the river banks at Kampong Chanting, and we see the rich tapestry of Cambodian rural life. This is a busy rural port town with bustling markets. Mooring mid-stream, we make a truly wonderful motor boat excursion into the lakeside wetlands that form the mouth of the river. Here a stunning variety of bird life may be seen and of considerable interest are the great fish traps, some half a kilometer long, which nets a huge tonnage of fish after each monsoon as the fish migrate from the falling lake into the Tonle River.

Day 8: Tonle Sap. The great lake dominates Cambodia and is over 150 Km in length. Here bird life is profuse, and from the middle of the lake one cannot even see the shores.

Day 2: Kampong Chanang. Low and No Water: This is a busy rural port town with bustling markets. Mooring mid-stream, we make a truly wonderful motor boat excursion into the lakeside wetlands that form the mouth of the river. Here a stunning variety of bird life may be seen, and of considerable interest are the great fish traps, some half a kilometre long, which net a huge tonnage of fish after each monsoon as the fish migrate from the falling lake into the Tonle River. We touch the capital Phnom Penh in the afternoon to change pilots and enter the Upper Mekong bound for Kampong Cham and stop for an afternoon walk at the village of Peam Chikang.

High Water: we cruise from 04:00 across the great Tonle Lake with a brief morning stop at Kampong Chhnang and then cruise all day passing Phnom Penh to enter the Mekong River and proceed upstream.

Day 3: Kampong Cham. We continue upstream past Kampong Cham for a morning walk up the Wat Hanchai hill with its ancient Cham shrines. We cruise through lunch and in the afternoon travel by minivan (not always air-conditioned) to the 12th century Angkorian temple of Wat Nokor and the twin holy mountains of Phnom Pros and Phnom Srei, or Man and Woman Hills. We make a late afternoon departure from Kampong Cham heading for Phnom Penh. Overnight mid-stream.

Day 4: Phnom Penh. The capital of Cambodia retains its French charm. The old colonial architecture makes an attractive backdrop to busy cafes, and the renovated river "corniche" is full of life. The city has several impressive wats, including Wat Ounalom, Wat Phnom and the newly-painted Wat Lang Ka. Pride of place goes to the spectacular Silver Pagoda, one of the few places in Cambodia where artefacts embodying the brilliance and richness of Khmer culture were preserved by the Khmer Rouge. The National Museum is another highlight, with outstanding displays of Khmer crafts. An afternoon excursion is arranged to the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge's grim Tuol Sleng or S21 detention centre situated in the suburbs of the city. More happily, Phnom Penh has a lively night life, and some passengers choose to dine ashore or try one of the capital's many watering holes, a favourite being the Foreign Correspondents' Club.

Day 5: Cruising the Mekong / Border crossing. We cast off for a day cruising the main Mekong channel, an international shipping route. Today we stop for a jungle village walk to visit fruit orchards, and then set off for the Vietnamese border for the usual formalities, which in this part of the world, take time. Overnight mid-stream.

Day 6: Chau Doc. We travel from the main Mekong channel at Tan Chau down the canals and backwaters by local ferry boat. At Chau Doc we visit a Cham tribal village and a cat fish farm. We make a trishaw ride round this fascinating town of fine French-colonial buildings and bustling market. We return to the ship by boat for lunch and cast off for Cai Bei.

Day 7: Cai Be. We take a morning junk trip to Dong Hoa Hiep Island to Cai Be to see a floating market, and go ashore to visit the French Gothic Cathedral and colourful port area, with its colonial buildings, delightful flower gardens and local coconut candy and rice paper manufacturers. We explore evergreen islands and visit the former Imperial residence the An Kiet House, where surviving members of the Kiet family will welcome us with tea, and we can wander in the fruit orchards around the house. In the afternoon we continue our sightseeing by traditional junk to Vinh Long to visit the Bonsai Gardens and see boat yards, brick works and traditional roofers. We rejoin the Pandaw and cruise past Vinh Long City and the Evergreen Islands. Overnight moor mid-stream Cai Bei.

Day 8: My Tho / Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Early morning sail from Cai Bei for My Tho, where we disembark for coach transportation to the Renaissance Riverside Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City

12/09

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