ITINERARY
Day 1: Panorama River Cruise (L, D)
In the morning we pick you up at your hotel in Saigon (district 1 and parts of district 3) and take you to Can Tho or Cai Be. You board your wooden river cruise vessel around noon. After a refreshing welcome drink we show you our on-board facilities and your cosy cabin. As lunch is served, the boat starts cruising. Sit back and watch the fantastic scenery and the daily life of the Mekong people.
In the afternoon you can disembark for a guided leisurely stroll through a village and the surrounding fruit orchards or rice fields. Meet the friendly locals and taste the local produce and fruits.
Get back on board and enjoy a drink at the bar or relax on deck as the sun sets over the magnificent water landscape of the Mekong River. The boat will anchor for the night. The day ends with a delicious on-board dinner. You stay overnight on board your floating hotel in the Mekong Delta.
Day 2: Life on the water and floating markets (B, L)
Wake up well rested to the sound of the Mekong river and get ready for another exciting day of sightseeing in the Mekong Delta. At 6.30h the cruise vessel sets off for a sunrise cruise. Watch the locals go about their daily work drying exotic fruits and building ships on the wooden yards while enjoying an early breakfast.
After breakfast, we will board a sampan boat Cai Rang floating market, the region’s busiest and most lively markets. On even dates, you will explore the small channels of the mekong delta around Cai Be with a small sampan or by foot. Marvel at the sheer abundance of exotic fruits and vegetables. We will pull up to the boats for talking and bargaining with the merchants. We will also visit some of the local candy and cake making factories or boat through the green water landscape to see local houses, verdant orchards and ship-building yards.
Disembark the boat at around 11.00 — 11.30h on the pier and enjoy lunch in town. Sit back in the shuttle and watch the water landscape from a land perspective until you reach Chau Doc where we bring you to your hotel. Depending on your budget you can choose the famous colonial-style Victoria hotel or a family managed local 2-star hotel.
Day 3: Tra Su and Ha Tien (B, L)
In the morning you are picked up at the hotel and we drive to the nearby Tra Su forest preserve. This area is located about 20 kilometers away from Chau Doc and covers an area of approximately 850 hectares. Here you can find a wide variety of colorful birds and other animals: storks, bats, snakes, turtles.. particularly interesting are the birds who can walk on water, due to their low body weight they don’t sink through the densely grown floating habitats.
The tour through the floating habitats are by motorboat, rowing boat and on foot. From a high viewing platform, you have a beautiful view over the surrounding mountains, the width of the mangrove forests and the numerous birds.
Then, continue by car with a guide to Ha Tien on the golf of Thailand, near the border to Cambodia. Ha Tien only recently opened for tourism and geographically it doesn’t belong to the Mekong delta anymore. A lot of old houses and temples contribute to Ha Tien’s beautiful atmosphere, as well as the charming bay surrounded by hills, where the city lies. The banks of the Dong Ho and East Lake (an expansion of the To Chau River) invites you to stroll, especially at night. In the immediate surroundings of the town there are many beaches and rocky coves, secluded and romantic lakes and islands.
You spend the night in a simple **Hotel in Ha Tien.
Day 4: Holiday paradise Phu Quoc (B)
The morning you spend in Ha Tien. After lunch we bring you to the ferry to Phu Quoc, your holiday paradise with forest-fringed sandy beaches and endless recreation opportunities.
INCLUDED
- Transfer from Saigon to the departure point (private transfer with Gecko Eyes)
- Accommodation in cozy double or twin bed cabins
- English speaking guide
- Meals as stated
- Mineral water placed in your cabin
- Free flow of coffee and tea
- Side trips in sampans as mentioned
- Transfer by car (with driver) from Can Tho Cai Be to Chau Doc and Ha Tien
- Night in the Victoria-Hotel in Chau Doc (or ** alternative) and in Ha Tien
- Ferry from Ha Tien to Phu Quoc
EXCLUDED
- Drinks (except for Mineral water in cabins)
- Tips
- German speaking guide on request (surcharge) possible
- Private transfers are included for Gecko Eyes passengers; for passengers on Dragon Eyes private transfers are available for US$ 45 per person
NOTE: Route and excursions may be subjects to changes without prior notice.
