Best Time for Mekong Cruise and which Direction

We are thinking of booking a river cruise on the Mekong from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Can anyone tell me what is the best time(s) to do this cruise, taking account of water levels and good climate to travel (I realise it will likely be a compromise between enough rain to keep river levels up, but not so much that we are constantly soaked)? Also we would not want very high temperatures/humidity if it can be avoided, but again prepared to be realistic.

 

Would anyone have a preferred direction (up or down), or is it much the same experience each way? I am wondering if there would be longer sailing times upstream, so less time at docked. We would likely travel with Pandaw as they are a big, well established river cruise company in that part of the world and we already have an Irrawaddy cruise booked with them.

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Oops, cannot edit title, but yes, that should have been for, not fro!!

I did this cruise in early November with Ama. We cruised basically southbound (downriver), although we boarded at Prek Dam, sailed north on the Tonle River to Tonle Sap (but not across), than back south and down the Mekong.We had rain in Siem Reap (unfortunately the day we went to Angkor Wat), one late afternoon while cruising, and when touring Ho Chi Minh City on the included tour. It was hot for me everywhere, but not unbearable until we hit Ho Chi Minh City.

The current is fairly fast, so you will not spend as much time cruising if going downstream, The scenery along the banks is generally not terribly exciting, so no reason to slow down your sail by going upstream. We had no water level issues anywhere.

We sailed down river in February.

 

No rain and although hot it was far from the hottest it will get later in the year.

 

We opted to go down river on the basis that the days spent in Siem Reap (and Hanoi) tended to involve early starts so we got the strenuous parts of the trip done first then relaxed on the river...

We sailed downstream (but in reality you do a bit up and a bit down) Tonle River and Mekong River - check your itineraries and maps. We sailed August - rainy season but these were those short/sharp tropical downpours - bucketed for 1/2 hour - then all over. We enjoyed starting in Siem Reap - as Angkor Wat is undoubtably the highlight and it was good seeing the best first before becomming "Templed out". Others have in the past said they like keeping the best till last - so it is all up to what you like.

From memory on these cruises there is very little free time whilst docked - except in Phnom Penh. You are often moored at a riverbank and the excursion/activity takes place from there. After the activity you leave.

Thank you all for those very detailed replies. Mark when you went in February, was there much pollution/dust around - I have heard it can get quite bad in Northern Thailand/Myanmar at that time? I am asthmatic and we both have dry eyes, so could be a problem for us. The end of the rainy season may have the edge over that.

 

We are looking at Pandaw or Viking (who also use a low draft Pandaw boat). Both itineraries say there is a transfer between Siem Reap and Kampong Cham where the cruise starts/ends. Can I ask if anyone knows how long that transfer will take? I have seen it mentioned as 'a long way' on reviews but am not clear just how long - though looks like there is a stop at Kampong Thom en route, but am not clear if that is mid way or not.

Mark when you went in February, was there much pollution/dust around - I have heard it can get quite bad in Northern Thailand/Myanmar at that time? I am asthmatic and we both have dry eyes, so could be a problem for us. The end of the rainy season may have the edge over that.

 

No, we didn't encounter any problems with air pollution or dust, but neither of us are sensitive to that so we may not have noticed I guess.

 

We are looking at Pandaw or Viking (who also use a low draft Pandaw boat). Both itineraries say there is a transfer between Siem Reap and Kampong Cham where the cruise starts/ends. Can I ask if anyone knows how long that transfer will take? I have seen it mentioned as 'a long way' on reviews but am not clear just how long - though looks like there is a stop at Kampong Thom en route, but am not clear if that is mid way or not.

 

We traveled with Viking and yes, there is a transfer of about 4 hours or so with a rest break in the middle and we also made an additional stop at a rubber plantation so our guide could show us how to 'milk' the trees.

 

Even when a cruiseline says that they sail all the way across the lake you have to be careful as the water is either too high or too low so the majority of trips will use the land route to bypass the majority of the lake.

Thanks for that clarification Mark and very good to know there will be breaks on the transfer, which does not sound too bad at all. TBH my main worry is access to toilets, being 'of a certain age', but I do suffice with a hole in the ground when needed. As many river cruisers are in the older category, I do tend to find I am not alone in my worries.

 

The entire Mekong itinerary with Viking sounds very good and a tour will give us better safeguards if anything goes wrong, but booking direct with Pandaw will give us scope to make our own arrangements and spend longer in some places, e.g. Siem Reap. Decisions decisions............

 

We are doing the Irawaddy from Bagan to Mandalay with Pandaw next January and will be putting together the rest of our planned month in Myanmar/Thailand when the flights go on sale. So not looking at Mekong until the next winter, but see Viking are already well booked for all 2019 sailings and Pandaw already on sale for early 2020. As Viking have just released 2019, I assume we would need to think of pre registering with them for early 2020 and their sailings for 2020 will likely come on sale when we are somewhere in Myanmar, so not a good time to try to book another holiday! So may need to think about it sooner than we wanted. It is surprising how early holidays get booked up.

It is surprising how early holidays get booked up.

 

With these very small ships they do tend to sell quickly.

Thank you all for those very detailed replies. Mark when you went in February, was there much pollution/dust around - I have heard it can get quite bad in Northern Thailand/Myanmar at that time? I am asthmatic and we both have dry eyes, so could be a problem for us. The end of the rainy season may have the edge over that.

Even in early November, pollution was bad in Phnom Penh in particular. They handed out masks a few times for tuk-tuk rides, but I really only noticed it in Phnom Penh.

I was looking at Pandaw and Avalon for my Myanmar cruise this November. There are probably 3 reasons that I ended up with Avalon, even though it is more expensive.

I booked in January 2017 for November 2018. As a Canadian, Avalon has Canadian $ pricing; with Pandaw I would be at the mercy of exchange rate fluctuations.

Pandaw wanted 25% down, which would mean buying cancellation insurance up front. My deposit on Avalon is only $250 Canadian, which, while not nothing, is easier to walk away from. WIth that, I don't need to buy travel insurance until I make my final payment 90 days out.

I think I also prefer the layout of the Avalon ship, with the inside corridor and a large window on the river side to having people walk by outside my view.

I think I also prefer the layout of the Avalon ship, with the inside corridor and a large window on the river side to having people walk by outside my view.

 

I think it is probably worth a little explanation about the Pandaw design.

 

People really don't 'walk by outside your view', if you are inside your cabin you really don't have a view so you don't tend to sit in there when you have a perfectly comfortable seat outside your cabin or up on the top deck.

 

If you prefer spending a lot of time in your cabin watching the world pass by then Pandaw is definitely not the way to go.

 

If you prefer lots of social interaction from morning to night with the crew and fellow passengers then Pandaw is great for that.

 

There is none of the sense of traveling in a little 'western bubble' watching the world through glass, when you sail with Pandaw, you are thoroughly immersed in the local culture, but with the option to retreat to your cabin for peace and air-con if you prefer.

 

I hope I'm making it clear as there are certainly merits to both approaches and what is right for one person is not always right for another.

 

I am not being judgmental at all, I just wouldn't want someone to get the 'wrong' idea about what to expect onboard.

Thanks. That was helpful information.

 

Sent from my SM-N910C using Forums mobile app

We have decided on Pandaw or Viking (who use a Viking boat) as they have a very low draft so can manage in shallower water. Pandaw's itinerary goes upstream a little from Kampong Cham and is a bit more 'out of the usual in seeking the less touristy venues in a couple of instances c.f. Viking, who seem to do a standard Mekong cruise, keeping to the main tourist places. Pandaw do say changes may be needed Jan - Apr in the event of low water levels.

 

Pandaw give the option of 'private dining' (table for two) on their cruises on the Irrawaddy and Mekong, but not sure about Viking.

 

We have come to the decision that we are more Pandaw people as we like to do our own thing with extra hotel days and would particularly want day flights with a stop over (probably in the airside hotel in Dubai) rather than Viking's overnight flight(s). We are going to a holiday exhibition tomorrow and will ask Viking if there is any chance of changing their flights (for a price, obviously) as it may make us think again. We are doing STP to Moscow with Viking in May and know they would have been willing to to change the day(s) of our flights (with loss of transfers), but we decided to do their 2 night extensions each end to keep transfers and their overall guidance. We do not have to book until next year with Pandaw as well, which is better for us as my husband's Mum is causing a bit of worry at present, so we can re assess then.

 

We are currently thinking of flying in and out of either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh and bridging that gap with 2 or 3 internal flights to stop at other places in Vietnam, but we need to look more closely at that with prices and practicalities. Thinking more about our free time in Russia and our plans for Myanmar/Thailand at present - don't have much time for anything other than holidays in my life - sad really, but not a big issue in the middle of winter.

 

As said by others everyone has their own preferences, for their own reasons, but very good to hear the point of view from other people, to clarify details each cruise. These forums are invaluable.

Hello Tring

Have you completed your cruise? If yes, any concerns?

We want to book with Viking for Dec. 24th 2019 sailing 'Magnificent Mekong'

I was thinking on booking my own flights as Viking has disappointed us on two previous cruise flight bookings.

THX,

Johnny & Yvonne,

Toronto, Canada

Hello Tring

Have you completed your cruise? If yes, any concerns?

We want to book with Viking for Dec. 24th 2019 sailing 'Magnificent Mekong'

I was thinking on booking my own flights as Viking has disappointed us on two previous cruise flight bookings.

THX,

Johnny & Yvonne,

Toronto, Canada

I didn't go with Viking; I did my trip with Ama in 2017. I had very good flights into Hanoi and out of HCMC with Eva Airways; Toronto - Taipei - Hanoi and HCMC - Taipei - Toronto. That said, I am having a bit of an issue with my trip for this November, because Eva seems to have reduced the number of weekly flights from Taipei to Toronto and the day I was scheduled to fly they aren't. (It is an Aeroplan booking so they are looking into it.)