Mekong River

Mekong River Trips & Tours

Cruise the mighty Mekong and see the country’s highlights from a different perspective.

One of the world’s greatest rivers, the Mekong flows for 4,350 kilometres from its source in the Tibetan Plateau to the Mekong Delta through no less than 6 countries: China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Traditional life sprawls out from the water and, for the majority of the communities that live alongside it, the river is a lifeline. The lower Mekong Basin (in Cambodia and Vietnam) is by far the most commonly navigated section, and down here you’ll spot traditional sampans floating alongside luxury ships and river boats of visitors. Spending a few nights on such a boat and journeying the twists and turns of the Mekong is a wonderful way to see the treasures of the region, from the verdant scenery and enchanting local life, to bucket list world heritage sites, larger-than-life temples and intriguingly modern cities. Many cruises start (or end) in Vietnam, making an exploration of the two easy and stress-free. Length-wise, slow the pace down and spend a week on board your vessel, or choose a shorter, 3-day cruise for just the highlights. The choice is yours…

What to do in Mekong River

In its entirety, the Mekong River flows through six countries, and happily, Cambodia is one of them. You'll likely be travelling on a luxury river cruise, which sets sail from the bird-rich Tonle Sap Lake, but there'll be plenty of opportunity for day trips. Along the way, you could visit Silk Island to see how traditional krama scarves are made, visit the makers of royal Khmer silverware, take a bicycle ride past beautiful temples or travel by sampan boat to an ancient floating village. Although, watching the bucolic scenery pass by from a lounger sounds pretty good too…