Expedition Cruise: Ho Chi Minh City > Siem Reap

We will meet you at the designated meeting point in Ho Chi Minh City and escort you by air-conditioned coach to the Marina My Tho dock, where your voyage aboard Aqua Mekong begins. Step into your floating sanctuary, where floor-to-ceiling windows reveal panoramic riverscapes. Unwind in the privacy of your design suite—whether from the comfort of your California King bed, private terrace, or daybed—as the Mekong quietly unveils its magic.​

Travel by skiff along Bassac Canal to the vibrant border town of Chau Doc where we will take a rickshaw called xe loi for a ride around the local town and market. We head off by van to Long Son Pagoda for a panoramic view atop Sam Mountain. Ask the monks about their age-old Mahayana Buddhist practices. Return via the bustling morning market. Optional 18-kilometer bike ride on Long Khanh Island to see paddy fields and get a snippet of local life. After lunch, relax by the pool or try a traditional Khmer massage while we cross the border.​

On this river of time, we admire dexterous Khmer artisans dyeing and weaving kroma, the ubiquitous fabric 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, we board our marine-grade aluminum skiffs and head towards the tamarind shores of Preah Prosop—a remote village that has remained largely unchanged for generations.​

We introduce guests to the vibrant Cambodian capital by motorized tuktuk, with stops at the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum of Cambodia, home to the world’s largest collection of Khmer art. For those interested, we visit the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide or explore the bustling stalls of the Russian Market. We bid farewell to 4-night guests who are disembarking in Phnom Penh.​Return to welcome our 3-night guests over custom sundowners like the Salted Watermelon Crush with Thai basil. Together we celebrate the onward journey towards the heart of the mighty Mekong River with a Khmer Apsara performance, an indigenous tradition memorialized on the temple walls at Angkor Wat.​

This morning, we visit Koh Chen, a silversmith village known for its fine craftsmanship. Keep an eye out for their famous silver bowls, regularly chosen by Cambodia's king as gifts for visiting dignitaries. We continue to Udong, the royal capital from the 17th to 19th centuries, where we can learn about a uniquely challenging Buddhist practice at the Vipassana Dhura. In the afternoon, we continue learning about Khmer riverside life in Kampong Chhnang, the 'Port of Pottery' so called because archaeological findings here date to the 6th century. A biking option is available for guests who would like to explore the countryside.​

Continue exploring the remote communities around the Tonle Sap Lake, designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1997. We visit Phat Sandai, a remote village where schools, churches, and even the police station float along the riverbank. Learn about the locals' unique way of life and efforts to conserve biodiversity in the area. For a truly immersive experience, kayak past floating houses and cool off in the shaded canopy of aquatic trees. After a cooking demonstration followed by lunch, we visit the floating village of Moat Khla, accessible only by water, and attend a Buddhist blessing ceremony.​

Set off by skiff into the 22,000-hectare Prek Toal Core Bird Reserve, one of the largest freshwater bodies in Asia and the last refuge in Southeast Asia for large waterbirds like the spot-billed pelicans, milky stork, black-headed ibis and the elusive masked finfoot. Disembark at Siem Reap Port.​