4-nights itinerary: Aqua Mekong Explorer 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 the 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.

Sail into the legendary land of the glittering former Khmer empire. At Koh Oknha Tey, watch how Khmer artisans dye and weave krama, a silk scarf loved by locals and a treasured cultural asset that dates back from the Angkor period. Then, cycle the idyllic riverbank past Buddhist temples and traditional thatched and stilted homes and see farmers with white Brahman oxen working the rice fields. After lunch, board Aqua Mekong’s private fleet of launch boats and head towards the tamarind trees of Preah Prosop, a remote village little changed over several lifetimes and home to a startlingly colorful Buddhist temple.

We show off the Cambodian capital to our passengers by motorized tuk-tuk, the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum of Cambodia, home to the world’s largest collection of Khmer art. For those who wish, we visit the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide or choose to shop at the Russian Market. Airplane transfers are provided if you would like to continue your Cambodian adventure to Siem Reap and its ancient lost city of Angkor Wat. Guests will be fully escorted by our guides in a luxury car transfer to Phnom Penh Airport.

SIEM REAP FLIGHT EXTENSION

During low water season, cruise vessels are not able to travel up to the Tonle Sap Lake due to the water level. Airplane transfers via Cambodian Angkor Air are included in your cruise fare in order to continue your Cambodian adventure with us to Siem Reap and its ancient lost city of Angkor Wat. Requests for flight changes and/or upgrades are not available. Please kindly inform our Reservations team should you choose to remain in Phnom Penh after disembarkation.

Note: All itineraries are subject to change, due to weather and other conditions.

Our crew warmly welcomes you at our meeting point at our Siem Reap meeting point where our air-conditioned coach will take you on a picturesque 45-minute countryside ride to the Aqua Mekong, which is docked on the Tonle Sap lake. for check-in to your 3-story, five star Mekong abode. Settle into your floating luxury retreat and memorable first night on board your five-star home on the legendary Mekong.

Hop on our launch boats and discover vast wetlands, birdlife and remote stilt communities around the Tonle Sap Lake, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designated in 1997. Spot large waterbirds like the spot-billed pelicans, milky stork, black-headed ibis and the elusive masked finfoot within the 22,000-hectare Prek Toal Core Bird Reserve, one of the last refuges in Southeast Asia located on the Tonle Sap Lake. After lunch, sail to the floating village of Moat Khla and attend a Buddhist blessing ceremony in this isolated community accessible only by water.

Explore remote villages around the Tonle Sap Lake, designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1997. In Chhnok Tru, we “slide” into an ice factory and learn from locals what it’s like to live in a town where schools, churches, pagodas, and even the karaoke bar and police station all float. 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 is still highly relevant and valuable today.

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, we set off for the Koh Oknha Tey, Mekong’s ‘Silk Island’ where Khmer artisans showcase the dyeing and weaving of krama, a silk scarf loved by locals and a treasured cultural asset that dates back from the Angkor period. A biking option is available for those who wish to explore deeper into the island.

See the best of the Cambodian capital on motorized tuk-tuk, including the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum of Cambodia, home to the world’s largest collection of Khmer art. Based on your preferences, visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum or shop at the Russian Market before disembarking the Aqua Mekong.
Note: All itineraries are subject to change, due to weather and other conditions.