Fascinating Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong - Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap

Day 4 Ho Chi Minh City

• Meals included:
• Breakfast

This morning, leave the city and drive through vast expanses of rice paddies to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, an extraordinary network of tunnels more than 120 miles in length that was used by the Viet Cong as a hideout and secret village during the war. Learn about how the tunnels were constructed and you will have a chance to walk through a section to experience what life would have been like underground. Return to Ho Chi Minh City and enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening at your leisure. Maybe stop at the famous rooftop bar at the Caravelle Hotel.

Day 5 Ho Chi Minh City (Embarkation)

• Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

This morning, transfer to the port on the Saigon River and board your river cruise vessel to start your cruise up the Mekong River through Vietnam and Cambodia. Get acquainted with the ship and relax before your welcome reception this evening.

Day 6 Vinh Long - Cu Lao Gieng

• Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

This morning, board a sampan for a scenic cruise to Vinh Long. Upon arrival, visit a local workshop to see how rice paper, rice wine, and traditional candies are made. Other surprises await for those who are brave. After lunch on the ship, enjoy scenes of daily life along the river near Cu Lao Gieng via sampan. Stop at a local home where a skilled family works together to hand-craft sampans for a living. Then, ride a specially designed motor cart to one of Vietnam's oldest churches.

Day 7 Chau Doc - Cambodian Border Crossing

• Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

After breakfast walk through the local market and absorb the atmosphere as locals are busy buying and selling fish, meat and local produce. Later enjoy a sampan cruise down the backwaters of the Mekong to the religious sites at the base of Sam Mountain.. Along the way see traditional floating homes, speedboat merchants, markets selling dried goods and more. After lunch a sampan brings you to the village of Long Khong A, where cotton weaving is a well preserved tradition. Return to the ship and head for the Cambodian border.

Day 8 Phnom Penh

• Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

The capital city of Phnom Penh retains its French charm to this day. This morning, your sightseeing tour by private cyclo (a three wheeled bicycle taxi) includes visits to the Royal Palace with the spectacular Silver Pagoda and the National Museum, featuring an outstanding display of Khmer artifacts. The remainder of the day is at your leisure to enjoy the city. Just before dinner, children from a local orphanage will put on a show featuring local song and dance.

Day 9 Phnom Penh

• Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Sightseeing this morning provides a glimpse of the atrocities inflicted on the Cambodian people by the Khmer Rouge regime. Visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high school that housed over 17,000 prisoners. Of this number, it is believed that fewer than 15 survived the torture and avoided being sent to the Killing Fields. You will also visit one of the Killing Fields, where over 200,000 people were killed by the Khmer Rouge. After lunch, depart Phnom Penh and enjoy some time at leisure on the ship.

Day 10 Wat Hanchey - Angkor Ban

• Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

This morning, visit Wat Hanchey, a temple dating back to the 8th century and the Chenla Empire. Located on a hilltop, enjoy stunning views of the surrounding area and partake in a traditional Water Blessing given by local monks. After lunch, enjoy a walking tour through the rural village of Angkor Ban. Here you will see traditional Khmer houses and visit a local school.

NOTE: The climb to Wat Hanchey features a steep incline. If you feel you are unable to make the climb, you will be driven to the top by car.

Day 11 Konpong Louang - Kampong Tralach

• Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Today, start your sightseeing at the silversmith village of Konpong Louang. See talented craftsmen use age-old techniques to turn pure silver into works of art. Continue on to Kampong Tralach for an ox cart ride past rice paddy fields and the beautiful Cambodian countryside. Along the way, stop to meet a local farmer and learn about his daily life. Return to the ship for lunch. This afternoon, cruise up the Tonle River to Tonle Sap (Great Lake). After the rainy season, this massive body of water can cover around 10,000 square miles and is the perfect breeding ground for fish, which play a vital role in providing food for people living on the lake.

NOTE: During low water conditions, generally mid-December to August, we will not be able to cruise up the Tonle River to Tonle Sap. Low water conditions vary from year to year, depending on rainfall so this will be evaluated on a cruise-by-cruise basis.

Day 12 Siem Reap (Disembarkation)

• Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch

This morning, arrive in Siem Reap and start your sightseeing of the Temples of Angkor, considered by many to be the most spectacular architectural ruins on Earth. Constructed between the 9th and 13th centuries, the temples were built around the Khmer interpretations of Indian religious and political beliefs that ultimately evolved from Hinduism to Buddhism. The complex architectural grandeur of the Angkor temples is arguably unmatched among ancient ruins anywhere in the world. First, visit the best preserved and most famous of all the temples; Angkor Wat, honouring the Hindu god Vishnu. Featuring five trademark towers and stunning bas relief, it has become a symbol of Cambodia. Then, visit Banteay Srei, a unique temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Unlike other temples, it is built on a small scale from red sandstone, which can be carved like wood. This evening is at leisure to explore charming Siem Reap, or stay to witness sunset at Angkor Wat.

NOTE: During low water conditions, generally mid-December to August, we will not be able to cruise across Tonle Sap to Siem Reap. In these cases, we will fly from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and sightseeing will begin in the afternoon. No included sightseeing will be missed. Low water conditions vary from year to year so this will be evaluated on a cruise-by-cruise basis.

Day 13 Siem Reap

• Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner

Today, continue your sightseeing of the Angkor temples by tuk-tuk. Start at Angkor Thom where you will explore Bayon Temple. One of the few Buddhist temples in Angkor, it features some 200 striking faces carved in 54 towers and impressive bas reliefs. Next stop is Ta Prohm, which, unlike the other temples, has been left relatively untouched. Tree roots grow over and through the ruin walls, allowing you to experience the temple with the same wonder as the early explorers who discovered it. Lastly, stop at Les Artisans D'Angkor, a development project teaching young adults traditional handicraft techniques. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure. This evening, enjoy a Private Aspara Dance performance, where the ancient Khmer culture is brought to life by talented dancers, singers, and musicians.

Day 14 Siem Reap

• Meals included:
• Breakfast

Transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Day 15 Arrive in the UK