Mekong Navigator
Shared, small group cruise based on DBL occupancy
4 - 8 DAYS
6 ITINERARIES
68 Guests
34 Cabins
Overview
Highlights
- Romantic French colonial décor
- Sustainable practices onboard
- Support for local communities
- Farm-to-table approach
- Cultural activities
- Onboard entertainment program
- Onboard fitness centre with spa
- Spacious sun deck
Cruising through Vietnam and Cambodia, Mekong Navigator is a 34-suite riverboat, complete with a restaurant, bar & lounge, sun deck, library, a well-equipped gym and a pampering spa. The vessel is designed in splendid French-colonial style, and with a 2:1 crew-to-passenger ratio, she offers attentive and personalized service from the impeccably-trained staff. The company’s strong commitment to environmental sustainability ensures that your cruise is a meaningful experience.
Your Luxurious Suite
Each of the vessel’s elegant air-conditioned suites is a beautiful and tranquil retreat with a full touch of luxury. There is a choice of five categories: four Superior Suites, 10 Vista Suites, 16 Signature Suites, two Prestige Suites and two Grand Suites with private verandas. The suites range in size from 258sq-ft to 545sq-ft and each has a marble bathroom with shower.
Other amenities include queen-sized beds that can be converted to twins, premium mattresses and fine bed linens, TVs with on-demand movies, in-room safes and mini-fridges. If you opt for the Prestige or the Grand Suites, you’ll have the additional benefit of a king-sized bed, butler service, a complimentary one-hour spa treatment, evening canapes and free laundry service.
A Good Place To Be
As you step aboard the 230-ft Navigator, you’ll be transported back in time to a more gracious, bygone era with gorgeous interiors reminiscent of a luxury hotel. The ship comprises four decks lined with ornate balconies, teak floors and sumptuous furnishings.
The shaded Sun Deck is a favorite place to watch the busy life of the Mekong unfold along the riverbanks, while Le Salon Lounge is the perfect spot to socialise and enjoy a cocktail. This is where the movie nights and cultural performances take place. In La Bibliothèque Library, you can immerse yourself in a wide selection of books from authors who were enchanted by Indochina. Work out at the Fitness Centre or indulge in a relaxing aromatherapy treatment, body wrap, or massage at La Vie Spa.
A Gastronomic Journey
In Le Marche Restaurant, you can look forward to an innovative menu of fine French-lndochine inspired cuisine as well as a selection of Western alternatives. Relish the fresh fruit and vegetables grown by the local farmers, and complimentary house wine at dinner.
Unique Excursions And Community Support
The Mekong Navigator cruise offers exciting and inclusive daily excursions, such as visits to temples, floating markets, local schools and a monastery, ensuring that you’ll be able to truly immerse yourself in the different places you visit along this historic river. Your guides are recruited from the local communities and will be able to answer all of your questions about Mekong life. They are happy to chat with you on board and tell you their fascinating personal stories, so don’t hesitate to start a conversation.
The Beauty Of Slow Travel
While the boat is on the move, take time to observe the busy life on the river – the fishermen in Cambodia, the industrial ships in Vietnam, the stilted houses, floating villages and farms. A journey on the Mekong Navigator is perfectly suited to discerning couples looking to explore the wonders of Asia in lavish comfort and style, as well as solo travelers who have a preference for the more traditional-yet-sophisticated style of cruising.
Itinerary & Prices
AVAILABILITY
Embarkation
AM: We will pick you up at your hotel in Siem Reap at about 11:00.
PM: In the afternoon, you will enjoy a scenic drive from Siem Reap to Kampong Cham, Cambodia, with a lunch stop, arrive on the Mekong Navigator cruise ship in the afternoon. After settling into your well-appointed Suite-cabin.
That evening, following a welcome reception, safety briefing, and introduction to key members of our crew, a delicious Cambodian Welcome Dinner is served in Le Marche Dining Room. The Mekong Navigator cruise ship departs Kampong Cham after all guests on board at about 17:30.
Overnight docking at Wat Hanchey.
Wat Hanchey, Angkor Ban & Phnom Penh
AM: This morning, walk up the hill to the local monastery of Wat Hanchey and receive a traditional Buddhist Water Blessing from the resident monks. After enjoying a walk around the monastery and the amazing views of the Mekong River valley, you descend 303 steps and return to the ship.
*For gentle walkers, there is a small coach provided to bring you up and down the hill.
The Mekong Navigator cruise ship departs Wat Hanchey after all guests on board about 10:30. The Mekong Navigator cruise ship arrives Angkor Ban about 14:30.
PM: In the afternoon, we will visit the charming village of Angkor Ban. Here, you will have a glimpse into the lives of the local people, starting with a visit to a family’s home to see how the locals live, along with an opportunity to meet the family and discuss their lifestyle. Next, you will continue through the village to the local private school, where you will join the children in their classroom and experience what their typical school day is like. You will then walk back through the village to the ship, with an opportunity to take photos along the way, including a brief stop at the local monastery complex.
The Mekong Navigator cruise ship departs Angkor Ban after all guests on board at about 17:00 and docks at Phnom Penh about 22:30.
Phnom Penh
AM: In the morning, learn more about the darkest days of Cambodian history. After a scenic 45minute drive from the ship, you arrive at the Choeung Ek killing fields, where you may walk through the fields, visit the small museum and Memorial Stupa, and learn more about the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime. Before returning to the ship, tour Tuol Sleng (also known as S-21), the former school converted to the main prison and torture headquarters of the Khmer Rouge.
PM: After returning to the ship from the Killing Fields, enjoy a free afternoon in Phnom Penh—shopping, dining at one of the many wonderful restaurants, or exploring the city independently or join the optional Excursion at an additional cost.
*There is a scheduled shuttle coach with your local guide provided from the Port to the Central Market for your shopping time.
Optional Afternoon Excursion Tour to visit one of the local silk weaving Villages:
Board a local Boat and cruise about 40 minutes around the Head-lands from the Tonle Sap River back into the Mekong River reaching the Silk weaving area. Get in in-depth information from silk worm raising to weaving the beautiful silk products like silk Sarong, Phamuong, Hol and silk Karma. Returning by boat the same way, whilst cruising along Sisowath Quay and the Royal Palace, during the sunset.
Overnight docking at Phnom Penh Port.
Disembarkation
AM: Following breakfast, the crew bid farewell as guests are invited to disembark in Phnom Penh Autonomous Port / Phnom Penh Passenger Terminal, Cambodia.
AVAILABILITY
Embarkation
AM: Guests embark the luxurious Mekong Navigator in the late morning and lunch onboard.
PM: In the afternoon, guests are free to further explore Phnom Penh. Alternatively, guests can opt to go shopping or sample the city’s vibrant restaurants and bars.
Please Note: At Phnom Penh Autonomous Port / Phnom Penh Passenger Terminal please check-in on board between 15:30 to 17:00.
Pre-dinner cultural entertainment is provided on the Sun Deck as guests enjoy a performance by local children of Aspara, the Khmer national dance and other traditional folk dances.
Border Crossing
AM: Relax and enjoy a morning of leisure on the sundeck, in the lounge, library or wonderful La Vie spa as the ship sails downstream towards the border.
PM: Guests observe a fascinating transformation in the riverfront architecture and landscape. Exciting cultural activities will take place on board.
My An Hung & Cu Lao Gieng
AM: In the morning you are taken by traditional sampans to the local island village of Hong Ngu in the Mekong Delta, close to the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Here, a large number of traditional Khmer scarves are woven in many village homes and exported to Cambodia. Guests have the opportunity to observe the weaving process passed down many generations. Some villagers are also embroidery artists and display their art for visitors to enjoy. The inhabitants of this rural area have only recently become familiar with western travellers and always offer a friendly welcome. Before returning to the sampans, guests can enjoy a walk around the beautiful evergreen island, stopping for a visit at the home of a local war veteran.
PM: After lunch on board, guests make the short journey from ship to shore by sampan, landing on the charming evergreen village of My An Hung, visiting a typical farming village on the Mekong Delta, the My An Hung village. We walk through the verdant village, interact with villagers, enjoy fresh coconut in the garden… A local family would invite us for some honey tea and fruit while we enjoy the “don ca tai tu” folk music, followed by an impressive VOVINAM Vietnam Martial Arts performed by the teenagers of the village.
Cai Be, Sa Dec & My Tho
AM: On arrival at Sa Dec port the traditional sampan is again used to navigate the tapestry of Mekong canals, giving guests the opportunity to observe traditional village life before arriving at the historic town of Sa Dec. If water levels allow, a stop is planned at Cao Dai Temple. A visit to Sa Dec would not be complete without a visit to the former home of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le, who was the inspiration for Marguerite Duras’ famous novel, L’Amant (The Lover), here you will also enjoy a private calligraphy demonstration exclusive for you. You will visit as well the Chinese Temple called Kien An Cung, built in honor of the Huynh Thuy Le Family, where you will be warmly welcomed by traditional Chinese Lion Dances. Guests return to the ship on foot through the town’s market which is a bustling, extraordinary and colourful experience, providing many wonderful photo opportunities of the fresh and unusual produce of meat, live fish and seafood for sale.
PM: After a short sail to Cai Be, the English-speaking guide will accompany you on the tapestry of waterways by sampan, passing a colourful collection of local boats from the delta provinces, larger boats selling their goods and the characterful stilted houses of Cai Be. Continuing into the narrower canals of Cai Be, a stop is made to visit Ba Duc House, a traditional Vietnamese home and garden. Back onboard the sampans, it’s a short paddle through the canals to reach a traditional rice factory where industrious artisans produce rice paper, rice wine and popped rice. There’s a selection of postcards, souvenirs, and beautiful oil paintings on sale.
Before dinner guests gather on the Sun Deck as the ship sets sail for My Tho to enjoy a farewell reception with all the crew, followed by a Vietnamese Farewell Dinner in Le Marche Dining Room.
Disembarkation
AM: Following breakfast the crew bid farewell as guests are invited to disembark for transfer to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
We will disembark at My Tho dock for transfer to Saigon at 08:30 am. Our estimated arrival time at Hotel Grand Saigon is 10:00 am.
AVAILABILITY
Embarkation
PM: In the afternoon, guests enjoy a scenic drive from Siem Reap to Kampong Cham, Cambodia with a stop for lunch en route, then embark the luxurious Mekong Navigator. As your downstream journey commences towards Kampong Cham, experience our cordial hospitality at a welcome reception and introduction to our friendly and professional crew who will present a safety briefing. In the evening a Cambodian-themed dinner served in Le Marche Dining Room offers a cultural and innovative introduction to native cuisine.
Wat Hanchey, Angkor Ban & Phnom Penh
AM: Guests begin the morning with a walk up the hill to Wat Hanchey a thriving religious complex of both Hindu and Buddhist temples with breath-taking panoramic views over the Mekong. There is the option to receive a traditional Buddhist Water Blessing from the monastery’s resident monks. There are many outstanding stupas, temples, pagodas and statues worth exploring before descending all 303 steps when returning to the ship. For gentle walkers, there is a small coach provided for ascent and descent of the hill.
PM: In the afternoon there’s a visit to the rural and charming village of Angkor Ban, with its stilted houses and grazing Brahim cows seeking the shade of a banana tree. Guests feel a sense of timelessness here, witnessing the rhythm of rural life. A visit is made to the home of a local family who discusses their lifestyle, then onto the local school to join children in their classroom and glimpse a typical school day. A leisurely stroll through the village back to the ship offers an opportunity to take photos of this place that time forgot. This walking route includes a brief stop at the local monastery before returning to the ship.
Phnom Penh
AM: Guests will this morning learn more about the darkest days of Cambodian history and the harrowing loss and sadness that haunts its people. A 45-minute drive through the countryside is the Choeung Ek killing fields where more than one million people were killed and buried in mass grave sites by the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979. Walk through the fields, visit the small museum and Buddhist memorial stupa and learn more about the atrocities committed during the Pol Pot’s regime. Before returning to the ship there is a visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (also known as S-21), a former school that was converted to the main prison and torture headquarters of the Khmer Rouge.
PM: Guests enjoy an unscheduled afternoon and have the option to take the coach accompanied by their local guide from the port to the central market to explore the city of Phnom Penh in the afternoon, from shopping, dining at one of the many wonderful restaurants, to sightseeing around the city independently.
Phnom Penh
AM: Breakfast is taken on board before guests are greeted at the pier by their appointed Tuk Tuk driver for an enchanting tour of the best sites in Phnom Penh. Guests are expertly pedaled along the riverfront to the Royal Palace which is the official residence of the King of Cambodia. Comprising several buildings, the main palace is an important symbol of the Kingdom set in beautifully manicured gardens. Guests stroll through the grounds to see the Throne Hall and Moonlight Pavilion, the famous Silver Pagoda, home of Cambodia’s Emerald Buddha and Maitreya Buddha encrusted with more than 9,000 diamonds.
PM: The city tour continues by Tuk Tuk to the National Museum, Cambodia’s largest museum of cultural history with one of the world’s largest collections of Khmer art and ceramics as well as Angkorian artifacts, excavated at the Angkor Temple complex in Siem Reap and further afield in Cambodia. In the afternoon, guests are free to further explore Phnom Penh on a variety of optional excursions at a small cost. Alternatively, guests can opt to go shopping or sample the city’s vibrant restaurants and bars.
Pre-dinner cultural entertainment is provided on the Sun Deck as guests enjoy a performance by local children of Aspara, the Khmer national dance and other traditional folk dances.
Border Crossing
AM: Following breakfast the crew bid farewell as guests are invited to disembark for transfer to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
We will disembark at My Tho dock for transfer to Saigon at 08:30 am. Our estimated arrival time at Hotel Grand Saigon is 10:00 am.
Long Khanh A Island, My An Hung
AM: In the morning you are taken by traditional sampans to the local island village of Hong Ngu in the Mekong Delta, close to the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Here, a large number of traditional Khmer scarves are woven in many village homes and exported to Cambodia. Guests have the opportunity to observe the weaving process passed down many generations. Some villagers are also embroidery artists and display their art for visitors to enjoy. The inhabitants of this rural area have only recently become familiar with western travelers and always offer a friendly welcome. Before returning to the sampans, guests can enjoy a walk around the beautiful evergreen island, stopping for a visit at the home of a local war veteran.
PM: After lunch on board, guests make the short journey from ship to shore by sampan, landing on the charming evergreen village of My An Hung, visiting a typical farming village on the Mekong Delta, the My An Hung village. We walk through the verdant village, interact with villagers, enjoy fresh coconut in the garden… A local family would invite us for some honey tea and fruit while we enjoy the “don ca tai tu” folk music, followed by an impressive VOVINAM Vietnam Martial Arts performed by the teenagers of the village.
Cai Be, Sa Dec & My Tho
AM: On arrival at Sa Dec port, the traditional sampan is again used to navigate the tapestry of Mekong canals, giving guests the opportunity to observe traditional village life before arriving at the historic town of Sa Dec. If water levels allow, a stop is planned at Cao Dai Temple. A visit to Sa Dec would not be complete without a visit to the former home of Mr. Hyunh Thuy Le, who was the inspiration for Marguerite Duras’ famous novel, L’Amant (The Lover), as well as the Chinese Temple called Kien An Cung, built in honor of the Huynh Thuy Le Family. Guests return to the ship on foot through the town’s market which is a bustling, extraordinary and colorful experience, providing many wonderful photo opportunities of the fresh and unusual produce of meat, live fish and seafood for sale.
PM: After a short sail to Cai Be, the English-speaking guide will accompany you on the tapestry of waterways by sampan, passing a colourful collection of local boats from the delta provinces, larger boats selling their goods and the characterful stilted houses of Cai Be. Continuing into the narrower canals of Cai Be, a stop is made to visit Ba Duc House, a traditional Vietnamese home and garden. Back onboard the sampans, it’s a short paddle through the canals to reach a traditional rice factory where industrious artisans produce rice paper, rice wine and popped rice. There’s a selection of postcards, souvenirs, and beautiful oil paintings on sale.
Before dinner guests gather on the Sun Deck as the ship sets sail for My Tho to enjoy a farewell reception with all the crew, followed by a Vietnamese Farewell Dinner in Le Marche Dining Room.
Disembarkation
AM: Following breakfast, guests are invited to disembark for transfer to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We will disembark at My Tho dock for transfer to Saigon at 08:30 am. Our estimated arrival time at Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon
is 10:30 am.
Accommodations
CRUISES & LODGES
10 CABINS
Vista Suite
| GUESTS | SIZE | BEDS |
| 2 | 24 m² / 256 ft² | Queen / Twin |
These suites promise guests some relaxation, tranquility, and indulgence. The rooms feature individual climate control, a fully stocked minibar, and a personal pillow selection. The bathroom comes with a rainfall shower and premium amenities like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, and a hairdryer.
2 CABINS
Imperial Suite
| GUESTS | SIZE | BEDS |
| 2 | 26 m² / 276 ft² | Queen / Twin |
Guests can enjoy panoramic views from the large windows that come with these rooms. The room comes with a fully stocked minibar for guests to indulge in the comfort of the rooms. The private bathrooms feature a rainfall shower and premium amenities, including a hairdryer.
16 CABINS
Signature Suite
| GUESTS | SIZE | BEDS |
| 2 | 27 m² / 291 ft² | Queen / Twin |
These suites come with a balcony for guests to relax as they indulge in refreshments from the fully-stocked minibar in the room. The room also features a flat-screen TV, a hairdryer, an electronic safe, and a personal pillow selection for a comfortable night’s sleep.
2 CABINS
Prestige Suite
| GUESTS | SIZE | BEDS |
| 2 | 36 m² / 387 ft² | Queen |
Prestige Suites are spacious, featuring a living space and a private balcony. The suites are designed and furnished with guest comfort in mind, including a special feature of a one-hour complimentary spa treatment. The private bathrooms come with a rainfall shower and an expansive tub.
16 CABINS
Grande Suite
| GUESTS | SIZE | BEDS |
| 2 | 54 m² / 584 ft² | King |
This suite is the epitome of luxury, from the unique featured one-hour spa treatment to scented baths on request. Guests enjoy free daily laundry and personal butler service. The grande bathroom has a beautiful spa tub and a separate rainfall shower alongside the finest bathroom amenities.
