Magnificent Mekong Cruise

Fly to Saigon, Vietnam's largest and most evocative city. Depending on your time of arrival, the rest of the day is yours to start soaking up the local culture.

Depart Saigon and drive towards Can Tho, the beating heart of the Mekong Delta. Stop at the rustic, riverside town of Cai Be where lunch is served at the elegant Le Longanier Restaurant set amidst lush fruit trees by the river. Board the Victoria Mekong and watch the sunset as you set sail, sundowner in hand.

Take a tender boat through a fascinating floating market to reach Long Xuyen. Visit the local museum, with its displays of ancient crafts. Later, head to Tiger Island. Visit a temple and observe local industries, such as incense-making, in action.

Head ashore in Phu Tan and visit a craft village famous for its handmade clay stoves. Enjoy lunch on board as you cruise toward Tan Chau, where a rickshaw will take you to explore a colourful temple and market. This evening, experience a lion dance on the sky deck!

Enjoy onboard activities such as a ship’s tour or a mini golf tournament as the ship crosses the border into Cambodia. We arrive late afternoon in the charming capital of Phnom Penh, once known as the “Pearl of the Orient” for its French colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and scenic river walk. Before dinner tonight, take in a lively performance of Khmer Apsara dancing.

Hop on a cyclo and head to the elaborate Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and National Museum. Later, pay your respects at the Killing Fields, where the Khmer Rouge executed over 1 million victims in the 1970s. Today, it is a memorial site for peaceful reflection. Return to the city and end the afternoon in style with a signature cocktail at Raffles Hotel Le Royal before returning to the ship for an interesting pre-dinner lecture about Cambodia.

Enjoy a walking tour of Koh Chen village, where you’ll meet a local copper and silversmith, before continuing to the country’s former capital, Oudong. Visit Buddhist monks at a meditation centre before taking a tuk-tuk to Silk Island where you will learn about the process of silk weaving, from worm to loom, with the chance to observe local families weaving the iconic Cambodian krama.

This morning, explore the village of Angkor Ban with its wooden stilt houses. Enjoy lunch on board as the Victoria Mekong sails to Wat Hanchey. Walk up the steps to this 7th-century hilltop temple, built under the Chenla Empire, and take in gorgeous panoramic views over the Mekong River.

Disembark from the ship at Kampong Chham and travel through the lush Cambodian countryside to Siem Reap, gateway to the mystical Angkor complex. After lunch, transfer to the Siem Reap drop-off point (Lotus Blanc hotel), arriving mid-afternoon. Transfer to the airport for your flight to the Australia arriving the same or next day.