Day 1: Siem Reap – Chnok Tru
13:30 Meeting in front of FCC hotel in Siem
Reap. Transfer to Phnom Krom pier. Crossing the Tonlé Sap Lake with chartered
speedboat for meeting the Toum Tiou II anchored near Chnok Tru.
18:30 Welcome on board of the Toum Tiou II.
Security briefing.
19:00 Welcome drink and info meeting about
cruise, crew introduction.
Welcome
dinner.
Overnight
onboard.
** From March it might not be possible to visit Floating village
depending on the water level.
At the
end of the low water period (around end of March to June), the water level may
not allow the speedboat to cross the lake. In this case, passengers will be
transferred by our convenience from/to Siem Reap by land (~5-6 hour).
Day 2: Chnok Tru – Kompong Chnang
07:00 Breakfast on board.
08:00 Local boats are coming along the Toum
Tiou II and picking passengers for the visit of Chnok Tru: the biggest floating
village on the Tonlé Sap River.
10:00 Passengers re-embark the Toum Tiou II.
Lunch on board on the way to Kampong Chnang.
14:30 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.
18:00 Passengers re-embark. The Toum Tiou II
drops anchor few miles away.
19:00 Dinner and overnight onboard.
Day 3: Kompong Tralach – Phnom Penh
07:45 Departure of the Toum Tiou II early in
the morning. Sail to Kampong Tralach, breakfast during navigation.
08:30 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.
10:30 Passengers re-embark the Toum Tiou II.
Lunch on board on the way to Phnom Penh.
14:00 Arrival in Phnom Penh. - Tuol Sleng
Museum, old center of detention, of torture and execution between 1975 and
1979. The visit of this place is essential to understand what could be the
fatal madness perpetrated by the Khmer Rouges. Visit Russian market after
museum.
17:00 Return to the boat.
19:00 Local group performs on board traditional
"APSARA” show for 45 minutes. Dinner onboard.
Day 4: Phnom Penh
08:00 Breakfast, departure for the Half -day
city sightseeing tour including the Royal Palace and the National Museum.
12.00 Return to Phnom Penh, lunch in a local
restaurant.
13:00 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.
18:00 Departure for the Vietnamese border,
dinner onboard.
Day 5: Navigation to Chau Doc
08:00
Breakfast on board.Toum Tiou II arrives at Immigration
check point in Kaam Samnaar.
Clearance of departure formalities
(2 to 4 hours).
12:00 Arrival at Chau Doc. Lunch onboard.
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 Short panoramic tour of the city. This is
the perfect timing to discover the effervescence of the local market.
Back
to the pier, departure for fish raising rafts and Cham minority village by
local boat.
18:00 Toum Tiou II
leaves Chau Doc for Sa Dec. Dinner during navigation.
Day 6: Sa Dec – Vinh Long
07:30 Breakfast during navigation.
09:00 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).
12:00 Return to the boat, for lunch. Departure
for Vinh Long.
14:30 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.
Departure
for Cai Be Floating Market – going across the Mekong River en route.
18:30 Passengers re-embark at Cai Be, Toum
Tiou II leaves Cai Be for My Tho, dinner during navigation.
Arrival at My Tho – Toum Tiou II
drops anchor on river in the proximity of Thoi Son Island
Day 7: Cai Be – My Tho
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.
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.
11:30 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
12:30
Re-embarking the Toum
Tiou that leaves My Tho for Saigon
Lunch
and leisure on board while navigating on the marvelous canal of Cho Gao.
19:00 Farewell cocktail (1 glass of local
liquor or juice) with Master of Ship & Cruise Manager.
Captain’s
farewell dinner. Toum Tiou drops anchor on river en route.
Overnight
on board.
Day 8: My Tho – Saigon
07:00 Departure for Saigon, breakfast and
leisure on board.
11:00 Toum Tiou II arrives at Saigon port.