3-nights itinerary: Aqua Mekong Discovery Cruise

Our crew warmly welcomes you aboard the Aqua Mekong with our special refreshers, such as the salted watermelon crush with Thai basil. Together we celebrate our journey towards the heart of the Mekong river with the Khmer Apsara dance performance, a famous centuries-old tradition that is memorialized on the temple walls of Angkor Wat.

In the silversmith village of Koh Chen, witness artisans produce magnificent royal Khmer silverware. Keep an eye out for their famous silver bowls, regularly chosen by Cambodia’s king as gifts for visiting dignitaries. Continuing onwards to Udong, the royal capital from the 17th to 19th century, learn about the life of Buddhist monks and interact with them at the Vipassana Dhura Mandala meditation center. In the afternoon, a walking tour of Kampong Prasat offers an intimate look at local ways of life and their riverside habitat.

As the sun rises on the lush countryside, we head to the residence of traditional potters and palm-sugar producers, whose age-old techniques are still valuable today. On a bicycle or chauffeured tuk-tuk, head into the rice paddies to watch wizened masters scale sky-high palm trees to harvest their fruit. towering over us. Cruise across the glassy water and disembark among the lotuses for an ox-cart ride along the Tonle Sap riverbanks, past lacquered wooden houses where during these dry months residents take refuge in the relative cool of these impromptu outdoor living rooms.

Experience the vibrancy of the Cambodian capital on a motorized tuk-tuk and tour the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum of Cambodia, home to the world’s largest collection of Khmer art. Guests may also visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum or shopping at Russian Market before disembarkation.Note: Our itineraries may be subject to change according to local weather and water conditions.

Our crew warmly welcomes you aboard the Aqua Mekong with our special refreshers, such as the salted watermelon crush with Thai basil. Together we celebrate our journey towards the heart of the Mekong river with the Khmer Apsara dance performance, a famous centuries-old tradition that is memorialized on the temple walls of Angkor Wat.

Awake to the beauty of rural Cambodia and sail by skiff to the silversmith village of Koh Chen for a first-hand encounter with artisans producing magnificent royal Khmer silverware. Keep an eye out for their famous silver bowls, regularly chosen by Cambodia’s king as gifts for visiting dignitaries. In the afternoon, continue experiencing Khmer riverside life in Kampong Chhnang. In this serene village, meet traditional potters and palm-sugar producers and watch them practices age-old craftsmanship and techniques dating back to the 6th century that are still highly relevant and valuable today.

Discover vast wetlands, bird life and remote stilt communities around the Tonle Sap Lake, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designated in 1997. In Chhnok Tru, visit an intriguing ice factory and learn from locals what it is like to live in a town where its school, church, pagoda, police station and even the karaoke bar ‘float’ on water. After lunch, sail to the floating village of Moat Khla and attend a Buddhist blessing ceremony in this isolated community accessible only by water.

Continue the exploration of Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake, setting off on Aqua Mekong’s ergonomic skiffs to the 22,000-hectare Prek Toal Core Bird Reserve, one of the last refuges in Southeast Asia for large waterbirds like the spot-billed pelicans, milky stork, black-headed ibis and the elusive masked finfoot. Disembark in the enigmatic city of Siem Reap, home of the Angkor Wat.
Note: Our itineraries may be subject to change according to local weather and water conditions.