Day 1: Siem Reap - Kampong Luong (L, D)
07:00 Meeting in front of FCC hotel in Siem Reap. Transfer by local tour agent for Phnom Krom boat-pier. Transfer form the pier by local boat to the Toum Tiou.
08:00 Check-in at the boat docked near Phnom Krom in Siem Reap. Passengers embark, security briefing. Departure for a relaxing half day by crossing the Tonlé Sap Lake. Lunch onboard.
15:30 Arrival at Kampong Luong. Local boats are coming along the Toum Tiou and picking passengers for the visit.
Almost totally overlooked by tourists because of its remoteness and difficult access, the village is completely self-sufficient. A floating school, factories to make ice for fish preservation, church, pagoda, service stations, pigsty, stores, boat or television repair shops, video club, karaoke bar, police station... everything is on the water. All trades are represented and everybody from children to grandparents goes by boat through the network of canals that cross this little town.
18:00 Passengers re-embark. The Toum Tiou stays overnight under the protection of the flooded forest.
19:00 Welcome drink and info meeting about cruise, crew introduction. Welcome dinner. Overnight onboard.
Day 2: Kampong Luong - Kampong Chhnang - Kampong Tra lach (B, L, D)
07:00 Departure of the Toum Tiou early in the morning. Sail to Kampong Chnang by passing near Chnok Tru, the first big village after the River meets the Great Lake of Tonlé Sap. Breakfast during navigation.
09:00 Arrival to Kampong Chnang.
Located some 56 miles from Phnom Penh, the town of Kampong Chnang is one of the largest fishing ports on the Tonlé Sap. Fish farming is also widely practiced in the area. The area is famous for its pottery ware, unchanged in style for centuries, which is produced in sufficient quantities to supply the entire country. And not to be overlooked are the products of the Thnot tree (sugar palm - a real national symbol) that abounds in the area: a mellow tasting, caramel-colored sugar sold in large cakes and palm wine.
11:30 Passengers re-embark the Toum Tiou. Lunch on board on the way to Kampong Tralach
15:30 Arrival at Kampong Tralach to visit its wonderful Vihara belonging to Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda. To get to it, we cross Kampong Tralach Krom village along a small road perpendicular to the river, crossing some gorgeous stretches of emerald rice paddy as we leave the river behind.
The Vihara dates back to early last century. It was probably built on an older site, as indicated by the latérite foundations, and is home to some outstanding mural paintings. These, however, are starting to suffer from weathering. They remain one of the last survivors of cultural destruction that continues unabated due to widespread indifference.
Standing by itself in the middle of rice fields, it is a modest pagoda that receives very few visitors. Its isolation may well be its undoing, as was the case last May for Wat Tani Pagoda in the province of Kampot.
17:30 Passengers re-embark. The Toum Tiou drops anchor few miles away.
19:00 Dinner and overnight onboard.
Day 3: Kampong Tralach - Phnom Penh (B, L, D)
07:00 Departure of the Toum Tiou early in the morning. Sail to Kôh Chen (Chinese Island).
08:30 Arrival to Kôh Chen, small village of whose inhabitants specialize in silver and copper smiting. They make rnamental items, including delicately engraved tropical fruits, used in traditional ceremonies at the pagoda or for marriages.
The distant hills of Cambodia's old capital, Oudong, and its royal stupas can be seen a few kilometers away from the ferry. At the top of the hill, the ruins of Anthareu temple.
11:30 Passengers re-embark the Toum Tiou. Lunch on board on the way to Phnom Penh.
Day 4: Phnom Penh (B ,L, D)
Breakfast
Half day city sightseeing tour including the Royal Palace and the National Museum.
Return to the ship
Lunch on board
Balance of the day free exploration on own. Suggestions can be made up on the interest of passengers. FCC, Russian market, other boutiques (antiques), etc.
Diner and overnight on board
Day 5: Phnom Penh - Koh Dek Chau (B, L, D)
08:00 Breakfast, formalities clearance.
08:30 Toum Tiou leaves Phnom Penh for Kôh Dek Chau island.
11:30 Arrival at Kôh Dek Chau island. A short break along the way, it allows to get a fascinating, close-up look at daily life in Cambodia.
On the fringes of civilization, the 600 people who live on Kôh Dek Chau will receive your visit with some surprise. School children will escort you along your way. You will go through the village that occupies the full length of the island, walking along a trail shaded by date palms.
12:30 Re-embarking, departure for Kaam Samnaar (Cambodian border). Lunch during the navigation.
16:00 Toum Tiou arrives at Immigration check point in Kaam Samnaar. Clearance of departure formalities.
17:30 The boat drops anchor for night on river between the borders.
19:00 Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 6: Koh Dek Chau - Chau Doc (B, L, D)
07:00 Opening of the immigration check point offices in Vinh Xuong - Clearance of departure formalities. Breakfast.
09.00 Departure for Chau Doc. Vietnamese Guide boards, introduces himself. Casual talk with him.
12:30 Lunch during navigation.
13:30 Arrival at Victoria Hotel Chau Doc jetty.
Located to the north at the beginning of Mekong's famous delta, Chau Doc straddles both banks of the Mekong which fans out to the dimensions of a river mouth here. Floating fish farms have sprung up everywhere. Bamboo fish drying racks are set up a meter above the water's surface. The bourgeoning downtown area features some charmingly rustic colonial buildings, squeezed in by the marketplace - the colorful, vibrant heart of the city. As always, these busy parts of town, despite their sometimes strong odors, offer wonderful photo opportunities...
14:30 Departure for fish raising rafts and Cham minority village by local boat.
Return to the Victoria hotel for a walk to Chau Doc market. Visit of Sam Mountain which peaks at 237 meters. Its well-known Buddhist sanctuaries offer an unobstructed view over the mosaic of glistening rice paddies below. To the left is Cambodia, and the flow of the Mekong on the horizon breaks into an infinity of silver ribbons. Visit on the way of the Lady Chua Xu temple and Tay An Pagoda.
18:30 Return to the boat after sunset.
19:00 Dinner at the Victoria Hotel’s restaurant.
Overnight onboard at the jetty of the hotel; you are free to enjoy the hotel facilities (swimming pool, billiards, bar, Internet) or stroll in Chau Doc.
Day 7: Chau Doc - Sa Dec (B ,L, D)
07:00 Early departure for Sa Dec, breakfast during the navigation.
14:00 After lunch, arrival at Sa Dec – Short panoramic tour of Sa Dec and transfer by bus to Trung Vuong primary school. Continuing to Kien An Cung Pagoda. Stroll around Sa Dec Market along Sa Dec River bank. This small city of 30,000 inhabitants is fascinating in its unspoiled authenticity and undisturbed by tourists. It provides a glimpse of the delta where a few colonial houses still remain, including the "Chinaman's house" (from Duras' novel "The Lover", also made into a movie).
16:00 Return to the boat with stopover at a nursery of flower and bonsai trees. Famous for its horticulture (it has many varieties of fabulously exotic flowers) Sa Dec was known as the "Garden of Cochin Chine" during colonial times.
17:15 Toum Tiou leaves Sa Dec for Vinh Long.
18:00 Dropping anchor few miles away on the way to Vinh Long. Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 8: Sa Dec - Vinh Long - Cai Be (B, L, D)
06:30 Toum Tiou continues for Vinh Long.
07:00 Breakfast during navigation.
08:00 Arrival at Vinh Long, local boats pick up passengers for visiting a brick and pottery factory, the Binh Hoa Phuoc Islet Nursery of Fruit Trees as well a typical house and a show room of traditional farming tools.
Vinh Long, which translates as "Majestic Dragon", is right in the middle of the delta, between two arms of the Mekong. The soil of Vinh Long is enriched by silt deposits, making it ideal for growing mandarins and other citrus fruits. Life is organized around the water. Houses on stilts, hawkers in boats, hundreds of small craft crisscross in all directions. The hospitality of the locals makes it a tourist destination par excellence.
10:50 Departure for Cai Be Floating Market - going across the Mekong River en route.
13:00 Toum Tiou leaves Cai Be for My Tho, lunch on board during navigation.
17:30 Arrival at My Tho - Toum Tiou drops anchor on river in the proximity of Thoi Son Island. Local musician band embark to play traditional music for 45 minutes.
19:30 Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 9: Vinh Long - Cai Be - My Tho (B, L, D)
07:00 Breakfast.
08:00 Local boats come alongside Toum Tiou to pick up passengers and transfer to the mainland. Departure for Vinh Trang Pagoda by car - Short panoramic tour of My Tho town on the way.
Continuing for Dong Tam Snake Farm and My Tho Market. On the banks of a northern arm of the Mekong, My Tho, which translates as "fragrant herb", where tourists come to discover the beauty of the delta. It's a quiet, prosperous city of about 100,000 inhabitants, famous for its many fruit orchards, gardens and the huge rice fields that surround it. The climate is warm and pleasant year round. The surrounding countryside is home to one of the most luxuriant gardens of Vietnam, with its coconut palms, banana and mango trees.
10:45 Return at the pier - you will cruise on the river to Thoi Son Island by local boat to visit the island, explore local people’s daily life and enjoy locally seasonal fruits.
13:00 Re-embarking the Toum Tiou that leaves My Tho for Saigon. Lunch and leisure on board. Time to pack and prepare for the arrival.
18:00 Toum Tiou drops anchor on river en route.
19:00 Farewell cocktail (1 glass of local liquor or juice) with Master of Ship & Cruise Manager. Captain’s farewell dinner (Enriched menu + 1 glass of wine). Overnight on board.
Day 10: My Tho - Saigon (B, L)
07:00 Departure for Saigon.
13:00 Toum Tiou arrives at Saigon port - customs formalities clearance.
13:30 Disembarking, local tour agent picks up passengers and transfers to hotel after a last lunch on board. |
