Meet at the Saigon meeting point and transfer by air-conditioned coach to My Tho dock where you board the Aqua Mekong. Settle into your floating retreat, with its window wall conferring an endlessly-captivating panorama. Enjoy these private Mekong moments.

Begin the day at Binh Thanh mat weaving village or opt to visit Sa Dec where you can peruse the vibrant market and see the famous house of Marguerite Duras' legendary lover, Mr. Huynh Thuy Le. 

In the afternoon, visit a typical Mekong Delta village called My An Hung where you can walk through verdant plantations. You are invited to a local's home to taste local fruits while hearing traditional folk songs performed by villagers followed by a unique unicorn dance. A 17-kilometer biking option is also available.

Travel by skiff along Bassac Canal to the vibrant border town of Chau Doc where you will take a rickshaw called xe loi for a ride around the local town and market. Head off by van to Long Son Pagoda for a panoramic view atop Sam Mountain. Ask the monks about their age-old Mahayana Buddhist practices. Return via the bustling morning market. Optional 18-kilometer bike ride on Long Khanh Island to see paddy fields and get a snippet of local life. After lunch, relax by the pool, try a traditional Khmer massage, or learn to cook Mekong-inspired dishes while we cross the border.

On this river, admire dexterous Khmer artisans dyeing and weaving kroma, the ubiquitous item no Khmer lives without. Explore the riverbank on two wheels if you wish and pass by Buddhist temples and thatch houses perched on spindly wooden stilts while white oxen wade just offshore.

After lunch, board your marine-grade aluminum skiffs and head towards the tamarind trees of Preah Prosop, a remote village little changed over several lifetimes.

Explore the Cambodian capital from a motorized tuk-tuk, visiting the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. For those who wish, to visit the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide, National Museum of Cambodia, home to the world’s largest collection of Khmer art, or shopping at Russian Market. We bid farewell to 4-night guests who are disembarking in Phnom Penh.

Return to welcome 3-night passengers over custom sundowners like the Salted Watermelon Crush with Thai basil. Together, celebrate the onward journey towards the heart of this mighty river with a Khmer Apsara performance, an indigenous tradition memorialized on the temple walls at Angkor Wat.

This morning, visit Koh Chen, a silversmith village known for its fine craftsmanship. Keep an eye out for their famous silver bowls, regularly chosen by Cambodia's king as gifts for visiting dignitaries.

In the afternoon, continue learning about Khmer riverside life in Kampong Chhnang, the 'Port of Pottery' so-called because archaeological findings here date to the 6th century. A bike option is available.

Continue exploring the remote communities around the Tonle Sap Lake, designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1997. In Chhnok Tru, visit Phat Sandai, a remote village with floating houses dotting the sides of the water canal. Learn from locals what it’s like to live in a Tonle Sap town where schools, churches, pagodas, and even the karaoke bar and police station all float. For a truly immersive experience, kayak past floating houses and cool off in the shaded canopy of aquatic trees. After lunch, visit the floating village of Moat Khla, accessible only by water, and attend a Buddhist blessing ceremony.

Set off by skiff into the 22,000-hectare Prek Toal Core Bird Reserve, one of the largest freshwater bodies in Asia and the last refuge in Southeast Asia for large waterbirds like the spot-billed pelicans, milky stork, black-headed ibis, and the elusive masked finfoot. Disembarkation.