mekong
Mekong cruise
tips & insightsMajor cruise routes
You have a choice of two - Upper and Lower. Each route has its distinct qualities.
-
Upper Mekong cruise
Fewer visitors. More adventurous. Itinerary changes could occur because changing river conditions (such as shifting sandbars) - this could make navigation tricky. Exciting destinations include the Golden Triangle plus Vientiane and Luang Prabang cities in Laos.
- Lower Mekong cruise
More tourists. Typical cruise boats are more comfortable. Seven-night cruises include Ho Ch Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam and the attraction-rich Phnom Penh city and the celebrated Angkor Wat ruins in Cambodia.
What you'll seeA sampling of what makes a Mekong cruise special.
- On shore excursions
Ancient temples adorned with elaborate stone carvings - Colorful floating markets - Local ethnic craft workshops.
- From your boat's deck
The picturesque, ever-changing scene of lush tropical vegetation, passing Mekong boats, secluded riverbank villages, and fishermen and farmers at work.
Weather in tropical Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam is less predictable than in most parts of the world. Climate characteristics below are rough guidelines, not absolutes. They reflect averages.
- December to mid-April
This is the best overall season for a cruise and January and February are the prime months. Heat and humidity are at their lowest points. Because it's the dry season, some tributaries can become shallow and Tomle Sap Lake (waterway to Angkor Wat) can dry up. This occasionally forces the substitution of road for water travel on part of the journey. - Mid-April to November
This is the wet season. Heat and humidity peak. Drenching monsoon rains are possible. Sometimes river currents are strong enough to interfere with cruise schedules.
They last from 2 to 14 nights. Most short cruises depart and return to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Some 14-night and other long cruises are simply existing 7-day cruises with pre-and post-cruise land tours tacked on.
