CRUISE ITINERARY FROM AUGUST TO DECEMBER 2012

Day 1: Embarkation – Siem Reap – Prek K’dam.
Register between 11:00 - 12:00 at Le Meridien Angkor. Transfer by coach to the jetty and take a 30-minute motorboat to Ama Lotus ship, passing floating fishing villages from Siem Reap through Tonle Sap Lake. 
Embark the ship 13:00. Welcome drink served in Saigon Lounge. Attend a short briefing followed by a lunch served in Mekong restaurant at 13:30. Captain raises the anchor and cruises towards Kampong Chhnang. The great lake dominates Cambodia and is over 150 km in length. Along the way, enjoy a scenic view of the wild lives while passing through inspirational floating villages.
 
Join the Cruise Manager at Saigon Lounge for safety demonstration and briefing at 18:00. Enjoy Captain’s Cocktails afterwards and adjourn to the first gourmet dinner onboard with fellow travelers. The Ama Lotus Cruise moors overnight at Kampong Chhnang.

Day 2: Kampong Chhnang – Kampong Tralach – Oudong.
Kampong Chhnang is a busy rural port town with bustling markets. Mooring mid-stream, take a truly wonderful motorboat excursion into the lakeside wetlands that form the mouth of the river. Enjoy a stunning variety of birdlife, and of considerable interest are local life and floating village, see numerous great fish traps, some over a half-mile long. Return to the Amalotus boat and attend lecture on “Cambodia - The Past & Present” in Saigon Lounge while the shipcasts off towards Kampong Tralach. An afternoon tour includes an oxcart ride from the riverbank through the countryside to the beautiful Kampong Tralach Pleu. Then board a motor coach to Oudong, the former capital city of Cambodia, where you will tour the Buddhist Monastery. After the visit, take another 15-minute coach back to the Amalotus ship and embark at Prek K’dam. Cocktail hour starts from 18:00 to 19:00. Join Cruise Manager on daily briefing beforeenjoying your dinner at 19:00. Catch the movie night with “The Killing Fields” shown in the Saigon Lounge after dinner. Ama Lotus Ship sails towards Chong Koh Village and moors midstream overnight.

Day 3: Chong Koh – Phnom Penh.
This morning we visit Chong Koh – a silk weaving village located in the middle of the Mekong River. After breakfast, take leisurely morning stroll through this village. Visit a school, some home workshops manufacturing traditional silk and cotton handicrafts and buy some local products. Return to the ship at 10:00. Amalotus Ship sets sail to Phnom Penh – the capital of Cambodia afterwards. An afternoon walking tour provides an orientation to this spectacular city and free time for shopping or exploring the city yourself. Return to the Amalotus vessel for cocktail hour starts from 18:00 to 19:00 in the Saigon Lounge. Dinner at 19:00. After dinner, enjoy the nightlife in Phnom Penh. Ship docks overnight at Phnom Penh port.

Day 4: Phnom Penh.
Today is a busy day with many interesting sightseeing and activities. In the morning, sight-see Phnom Penh by bus. Visit Royal Palace, the spectacular Silver Pagoda and the National Museum where outstanding Khmer crafts are exhibited. Afternoon excursion facilitates understanding of a crucial part of the Cambodia’s history: the Khmer Rouge’s grim Toul Sleng (S21 detention center) and the Killing Fields. (For a free and easy afternoon, please inform Cruise Director). Cocktail hour starts from 18:00 to 19:00. Dinner is served from 19:00 to 21:00. After dinner, join the Khmer folklore dances at the Saigon Lounge. Before midnight, opt to chill in one the bars located across the road from the pier. Amalotus Ship docks overnight at Phnom Penh port.

Day 5: Phnom Penh – Border Crossing – Tan Chau.
Enjoy a hearty breakfast as the ship departs for border. Cast off for a day cruising the main Mekong channel, an international shipping route. Join the “Towels and napkins folding demonstration” from the Housekeeping and Restaurant Staff in the Saigon Lounge. In the afternoon, join the cooking class with fruits carving and Vietnamese fresh spring rolls demonstration by our Executive Chef at Saigon Lounge, while the border formalities are carried out. Arrive at Tan Chau in the evening - the first Vietnamese town on the Mekong River. Join the crew-members after dinner for a nice surprise in the Lounge. The Amalotus boat moors safely at the riverbanks.

Day 6: Tan Chau – Sadec.
Today’s highlight is a visit of Tan Chau - a small town untouched by tourism. In the morning, excursion starts with sightseeing by local boats, navigating narrow channels to visit an evergreen island. Chance to visit floating fish farm and travels along the tiny tributaries where slit houses are haphazardly leaning on each other. Afterwards, go ashore and tour the town on rickshaw (XeLoi). Visit rattan mats and slippers making factories. In the afternoon, cruise downstream to Sa Dec. Join the lecture on-board theme “Vietnam - The Past & Present”. The Amalotus ship arrives in Sadec around 18:30 and moors midstream overnight. Cocktails and briefing at Saigon Lounge at 18:00. After dinner, watch in-house movie “The Lover” in the cabin or enjoy the beautiful music from the on-board pianist.

Day 7: Sadec – Xeo Quyt – Cai Be.
In the morning, board a local boat for Sadec passing floating markets as your boat maneuvers through the river’s channels. Once ashore, you will tour Sadec, noteworthy as the town where the French writer Marguerite Duras spent many years during her childhood. Visit a local market and the house of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le, Duras’ Chinese paramour, which is now a small museum. Afterwards, take a 1-hour bus ride from Sadec to Xeo Quyt, used as a base during the French and U.S war and now an important ecological site, with its jungle overgrowth. Meet and re-board the Amalotus ship in Cai Be. After lunch onboard, a local boat will take you to Cai Be’s floating market. Go ashore to visit the rice paper and coconut candy workshops. After that, visit a typical old house in the Mekong Delta; take a short walk through the big garden. Return to the boat and prepare for Farewell cocktail at 18:00. Enjoy a gourmet Farewell Dinner at 19:00. Ship moors midstream in Cai Be.

Day 8: Disembarkation – My Tho – Saigon.
Your cruise comes to an end as the ship arrives at My Tho Port. Breakfast from 6:30 to 8:00, followed by a motor coach transfer to Saigon at 8:30. As the capital of the French colony of Cochichina, Saigon was known as “Paris of Orient”. Today, Vietnam’s largest city is an industrial, cultural and educational hub, but still retains vestiges of its colonial past.