Aqua Mekong, Low Water Discovery Cruise ex Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

3 Night Cruise sailing from Phnom Penh roundtrip aboard Aqua Mekong. Flight from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap.

Low Water From December to August

Day 1 Phnom Penh
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.

Day 2 Tonle Sap River – Koh Chen – Kampong Prasat
In the silversmith village of Koh Chen, we watch artisans producing the magnificent silverware favored by Khmer royalty. We continue to Udong, the royal capital from the 17-19th centuries, where we learn about a uniquely challenging Buddhist practice at the Vipassana Dhura Mandala, a meditation center. In the afternoon, a walking tour of Kampong Prasat offers a close up perspective on local lives and their riverside environment.

Day 3 Tonle Sap River – Kampong Chhnang – Kampong Tralach
In the cooler hours, we head into the lush countryside to visit traditional potters and palm-sugar producers, astride mountain bikes or chauffeured by shaded tuk-tuk. Into the rice paddies we pedal to watch wizened masters scale sky-piercing palms 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 outdoor impromptu living rooms.

Day 4 Phnom Penh
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. We bid farewell to 4-night guests who are disembarking in Phnom Penh. 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: Our itineraries may be subject to change according to local weather and water conditions.

Taking guests on a journey into Aqua Expeditions next frontier, Vietnam and Cambodia, the 62.4 meter (205 feet) Aqua Mekong was designed by Saigon based British architect David Hodkinson of Noor Design to embody the aesthetic of a sophisticated five star hotel. Local sustainable materials and artisanal touches of the Mekong’s multifaceted cultures round out these generous interior spaces designed to welcome guests in the utmost comforts between on and off shore excursions along this fascinating river, to flooded emerald forests and bamboo stilt villages accessible only by boat, among flocks of painted stork and spot billed pelicans in their last Southeast Asian refuge and to Chinese wing tipped pagoda temples and remote Buddhist monasteries.

Spacious and indulgent, yet intimate enough to feel entirely exclusive, the Aqua Mekong incorporates relaxed yet refined lounging and dining areas, and can accommodate a maximum of 40 guests plus crew. Modern navigation technologies and the highest cruise ship standards as well as our experienced river pilot and crew ensure smooth travel and safety on the water.

Aqua Expeditions was launched in 2007 by founder and CEO, Francesco Galli Zugaro, to fulfill his dream of bringing unparalleled travel experiences, in the utmost comfort, to modern-day adventurers cruising the world’s greatest rivers.

Beginning with the Peruvian section of the Amazon River, one of the world’s last great unexplored regions, Galli Zugaro commissioned the custom design of the Aqua Amazon, the first cruiseship to set sail on this stretch of the Amazon.

Increased demand for Aqua Expeditions uniquely intimate, life enriching river safari led to the launch of a second custom designed vessel, the Aria Amazon in 2011, with 16 suites designed by Puig with a similar five-star boutique hotel sophistication, and cruising the same captivating stretch of the Peruvian Amazon amidst equally thoughtful comforts and fascinating wildlife. With hand-crafted Amazon River itineraries from and to the remote Amazonian city of Iquitos, the Aria Amazon carries travelers to the source of the Amazon and the remote Pacaya Samiria Reserve. Expert professional naturalist guides lead guests in small groups by skiff up Amazon River tributaries to first-hand encounters with Amazon wildlife from pink dolphins and piranha, to capuchin monkeys and three toed sloth hiding in the rainforest canopy, and hoatzin, toucans and macaws gliding seemingly effortlessly across the cloudless, cerulean sky.

Success on one of the world’s great rivers encouraged Galli Zugaro to set off across the continents in search of the next once-in-a-lifetime luxury river experience for Aqua Expeditions. On the Mekong River between Cambodia and Vietnam, he found that elusive journey, one that would capture imaginations as profoundly as did the Peruvian Amazon. In October 2014, Aqua Expeditions launched a third luxury vessel, the 20-suite Aqua Mekong on the historic Mekong River between Siem Reap, Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Floor to ceiling picture windows aboard Aqua Mekong allow guests to enjoy captivating panoramas of emerald flooded forests, colonial churches and stilt villages in the privacy of their suite. Guided shore excursions include enlightening visits to remote Buddhist temples and onto Cambodia’s vast Tonle Sap Lake before continuing on to Angkor Wat.

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Aqua Mekong - All Decks

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Design Suite First Deck with Balcony

Floor to ceiling panoramic windows allow guests to gaze upon the Mekong from the pillow top California king size bed that can be converted upon request into two full twin beds.

More captivating views await on the plush, roomy daybed placed by the balcony along with a romantic outside table for two. Those who wish to keep up on the world beyond these enthralling riverbanks will appreciate the flat screen television and complementary high speed wireless internet.

The sleek bathroom features the latest eco-sensitive technology and an additional Mekong River facing picture window, plus dual sinks, a large walk in shower with rainforest showerhead and bench, professional hairdryer and natural bath amenities.

Design Suite Second Deck with Balcony

Floor to ceiling panoramic windows allow guests to gaze upon the Mekong from the pillow top California king size bed that can be converted upon request into two full twin beds.

More captivating views await on the plush, roomy daybed placed by the balcony along with a romantic outside table for two. Those who wish to keep up on the world beyond these enthralling riverbanks will appreciate the flat screen television and complementary high speed wireless internet.

The sleek bathroom features the latest eco-sensitive technology and an additional Mekong River facing picture window, plus dual sinks, a large walk in shower with rainforest showerhead and bench, professional hairdryer and natural bath amenities.

Interconnecting Suites

Four sets of two interconnecting suites are suitable for families, two sets on each deck. For ultimate luxury, passengers may book interconnecting suites, with one suite configured as a private living room, the other a bedroom, and his-and-hers baths. The result is your own private, 640-square-foot apartment on the Mekong.

Design Suite First Deck

Floor to ceiling panoramic windows allow guests to gaze upon the Mekong from the pillow top California king size bed that can be converted upon request into two full twin beds.

More captivating views await on the plush, roomy daybed placed by the window wall along with a romantic table for two. Those who wish to keep up on the world beyond these enthralling riverbanks will appreciate the flat screen television and complementary high speed wireless internet.

The sleek bathroom features the latest eco-sensitive technology and an additional Mekong River facing picture window, plus dual sinks, a large walk in shower with rainforest showerhead and bench, professional hairdryer and natural bath amenities.

Design Suite Second Deck

Floor to ceiling panoramic windows allow guests to gaze upon the Mekong from the pillow top California king size bed that can be converted upon request into two full twin beds.

More captivating views await on the plush, roomy daybed placed by the window wall along with a romantic table for two. Those who wish to keep up on the world beyond these enthralling riverbanks will appreciate the flat screen television and complementary high speed wireless internet.

The sleek bathroom features the latest eco-sensitive technology and an additional Mekong River facing picture window, plus dual sinks, a large walk in shower with rainforest showerhead and bench, professional hairdryer and natural bath amenities.