Cruise the Mekong aboard Aqua Mekong

What the experience is

Between its delta in southern Vietnam and the Cambodian capital, and up the Tonle Sap river towards the great lake, the Mekong is broad and navigable. Aqua Mekong, launched in 2014 by Aqua Expeditions, is a luxury ship on this stretch. It carries up to forty guests in twenty suites on two decks, with a large crew. Each suite has a wall of glass facing the river, and the ship has a spa and a gym.

The ship carries its own launches, which take guests into creeks and villages that a large boat cannot reach. In the delta they go ashore to see orchards, brick kilns, floating markets and workshops. The ship crosses the frontier on the river and ties up in the centre of Phnom Penh. Above the capital the route follows the Tonle Sap river to the lake of the same name, the largest in Southeast Asia and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, with floating villages and flooded forest full of water birds. Activities include kayaking, cycling through rice fields and walks with the ship’s guides.

The voyage

Cruises last three, four or seven nights and can be sailed in either direction. The operator describes year-round departures from Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The ship does not dock at either of the two outer cities: Vietnamese sailings start or end at My Tho, on the river, with a road transfer to or from Ho Chi Minh City, and sailings towards Angkor end at a landing on the Tonle Sap, with a transfer to Siem Reap. Phnom Penh is a genuine port of call. The operator has announced additional routes, among them Upper Mekong sailings to Kratie in July and August and Tonle Sap sailings in the cool season, so check the current list. Fares include meals, most drinks and the excursions.

When to go

In the high-water months, roughly from August to November, the lake swells and the ship can reach the landing for Siem Reap. In the rest of the year the water is low, the lake is too shallow and the route changes; the operator then offers low-water itineraries and an extension by air to Siem Reap. The skies are clearest from December to February.

Good to know

Travelling upstream, from Vietnam to Cambodia, saves Angkor for the end. The current season’s itineraries and low-water arrangements should be confirmed with the operator.

Why OKYTO recommends it

The launches are the point: they turn a river cruise into a way of entering the delta and the lake. The voyage joins naturally with sunrise at Angkor Wat.