Mekong Magic with AmaWaterways

Enjoy included UK airport lounge access before embarking on your overnight flight from the UK to Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam.

Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City after your overnight flight from the UK. You’ll be privately transferred to your hotel, where you will stay for the next two nights. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, relaxing after your long-haul flight or exploring Ho Chi Minh City on your own.

Ho Chi Minh City was once called Saigon, and many of the locals still refer to it as such! Vietnam’s former capital, this cultural hub was also once known as the ‘Paris of the Orient’ and offers many opportunities for explorations.

Stay: Ho Chi Minh City accommodation

Today is yours to explore the bustling city of Ho Chi Minh. As you go, observe the city’s stark contrasts, a perfect blend of old and new, east and west.

In the morning, an overview tour takes you to some of the city’s most iconic landmarks: the former Presidential Palace, the Central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the War Remnants Museum. Spend the afternoon at Chu Chi tunnels. This underground network was built during the Vietnam War and offers an insight into this part of the country’s history.

Stay: Ho Chi Minh City accommodation

Wander Ben Thanh Market, one of Ho Chi Minh’s most ancient and famous structures, this morning. The market has over 1,500 booths, trading in everything from food to textiles. Later today, you’ll be transferred by motorcoach to My Tho Port, where you’ll board AmaDara to begin your Mekong River cruise. Tonight, meet your fellow travellers at a Welcome Dinner as the ship makes its way to Cai Be.

Stay: AmaDara (Deluxe)

Board a local boat to make your way to Cai Be. On arrival, you’ll have your choice of enriching activities for the day. Visit candy and rice paper-making workshops to learn about these important parts of the local economy. If you want to get a bit more active, you can add a brisk walk to the historic Kiet House to this excursion.

Later, you’ll visit Sa Dec. French writer Marguerite Duras spent part of her youth in this sprawling Mekong Delta town. While here, take the time to visit Cao Dai Temple, a colourful market home to the unique religion of Caodaism, which is essentially a fusion of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Confucianism.

Stay: AmaDara (Deluxe)

Tan Chau is a small Mekong River town unspoilt by tourism. Ride a traditional ‘xe-loi’ (trishaw) around town for an authentic local experience. Along the way, stop at silk-making and rattan mat workshops. Alternatively, you can choose to take your trishaw to craftsmen’s workshops, followed by an active walking tour to ‘Evergreen Island.’

If neither of these options suit, visit Tram Chim National Park to explore this wetland area by boat, gliding along the inland waterway as you discover its unique ecosystem. This option is perfect for bird lovers—keep your eye out for the highly vulnerable sarus crane. Later, you’ll make the border crossing into Cambodia as the AmaDara sails toward Phnom Penh.

Stay: AmaDara (Deluxe)

This morning is a sobering but important one as you visit Cambodia’s infamous Killing Fields followed by the Khmer Rouge’s Tuol Sleng S21 detention centre, now a Genocide Museum.

Return to your ship for lunch onboard, and then visit the highlights of Phnom Penh. This culminates in a visit to the Royal Palace, the spectacular Silver Pagoda, and the National Museum, where you’ll view their singular collection of Khmer crafts. If you’d rather do a bit of shopping, visit the bustling Central Market after the Royal Palace. This evening, you’ll be treated to something really special in the Saigon Lounge: Khmer folk dancing performed by local children.

Stay: AmaDara (Deluxe)

Oudong served as Cambodia’s royal capital from the early 17th century until 1866 and serves today as a point of pilgrimage for Cambodians. You’ll be treated to a memorable Buddhist Blessing Ceremony at a monastery, and then you can choose to either stroll around Oudong’s monastery or take an active walking tour for incredible panoramic views of the Oudong Plain.

An authentic experience awaits in the port town of Kampong Tralach: an oxcart ride through the local village. Then, in the afternoon, a tuk tuk ride through Phnom Penh reveals the enchanting nature of this city. You can’t help but be charmed by the blending of French Colonial architecture and monumental Angkorian structures.

Stay: AmaDara (Superior) 

Oknhatey is known as the ‘Silk Island,’ and today you will learn why. Located on the banks of the Mekong, silk-weaving is inextricably linked to this village, which is celebrated for its rich tradition of this craft. Visit a local primary school to observe this traditional art, which has been preserved and passed down for centuries.

As you return back to the ship this evening, AmaDara will glide along the Mekong toward Angkor Ban.

Stay: AmaDara (Deluxe)

Angkor Ban was one of the few Cambodian villages not destroyed during the bloody regime of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. A walking tour shows you that the locals still live in traditional stilted wooden houses, nestled in the shade of banana trees.

Afterwards, sail toward Kampong Cham for a coach excursion to the Twin Mountains, Phnom Pros and Phnom Srei (male and female mountains). Legend has it that these mountains were formed as the result of a competition between the sexes in an ancient Cambodian kingdom to decide which side should be responsible for wedding proposals. Enjoy a Farewell Dinner to celebrate your last night onboard the AmaDara.

*Please note that Angkor Ban may be inaccessible from August to September. If this is the case, this port of call will be replaced with a visit to Wat Hanchey.

Stay: AmaDara (Deluxe)

Bid farewell to the AmaDara this morning as you’re transferred by motorcoach from Kampong Cham to Siem Reap. This former capital of the Khmer Empire is a gateway to the Angkor Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit nearby Ta Prohm, which is known as the ‘Kingdom of the Trees’ because of the unique way in which the forest vegetation has intertwined itself with the temple stones.

After your day of touring, you’ll check into your hotel in Siem Reap, where you’ll stay for the next two nights.

Stay: Siem Reap accommodation

A visit to this region would not be complete without a stop at Angkor Wat to explore the most famous of all Angkorian temples. You can choose between an ‘early riser’ tour to view the changing colours at the temple during the wee hours, or have a bit of a lie-in at your gorgeous hotel and do the ‘late riser’ tour later on.

This afternoon brings you to Banteay Srei, which translates to ‘Citadel of Women.’ This display of Angkorian art is so named because it is said that the delicate carving is too fine to have been crafted by man. During the evening, enjoy an ‘Aspara Dancing Show’ at your hotel, showcasing local Cambodian-Khmer folk dancers.

Stay: Siem Reap accommodation

After breakfast at your hotel, make the most of your last day with a guided sightseeing tour of Angkor Thom. Translating to ‘The Great City,’ this was the last capital of the Khmer Empire. Angkor Thom is home to Bayon Temple, known for its massive smiling stone faces, as well as the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King.

Later today, you will be privately transferred to the airport in time for your overnight flight back to the UK, arriving on day 14.