Luxury cruise across Cambodia’s mighty Mekong

01 Dec 2014  2075 | Cambodia Travel News

As the last brushstrokes of day fade on the horizon, darkness comes quickly on Cambodia’s Tonlé Sap Lake, as if a giant vacuum has sucked up all the light leaving only inky darkness punctuated by the bumblebee sounds of fishermen’s long-tail boats as they head out on the night’s catch. It’s a breathtaking transition, enjoyed from a unique perspective – the beautifully styled Aqua Mekong river cruiser, which launched midway through October, is by far the most luxurious way to experience Tonlé Sap and the mighty Mekong River, two waterways that are vital to Indochina. Combining the chic decor and personalised service of an inner-city boutique hotel with the cultural immersion that comes with life on the waters of Cambodia, Aqua Mekong heralds a new era in high-end tourism for one of Indochina’s least-visited corners.

It’s the first night of our four-night itinerary as we cruise from Siem Reap, home to the temples of Angkor, Cambodia’s main draw, across the ocean-like lake and down to the capital, Phnom Penh, from where the ship continues on the Mekong into Vietnam. The route and the many excursions along the way are explained by the ship’s team of Cambodian and Vietnamese guides during the first nightly briefing. In the comfort of the ship’s intimate lounge, with its wood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and bespoke furniture, the guides map out our progress east and south across the vast expanses of Tonlé Sap as the captain raises the ship’s anchor beyond, and we begin to cruise into the darkness.

The lake is perfect for expeditionary cruising. A vast, dumbbell-shaped body, it is a crucial ecosystem and home to more than a million people whose lives and livelihoods ebb and flow with the lake’s waters. During the wet season, when flood waters from the Himalayas expand Tonlé Sap to 12,000 square kilometres, making it one of Asia’s largest freshwater lakes, its floating fishing communities move together into deeper water. During the dry season, when we visit, the lake shrinks to 2,500km, its villages return to the lake banks en masse and the waters of the Tonlé Sap reverse in a unique hydrodynamic phenomenon that can be seen from the ship.

Aqua Mekong is the newest vessel of Aqua Expeditions, a two-ship expeditionary-cruising company owned by the Italian-American Francesco Galli Zugaro. His passion for expeditionary cruising was forged during his years working with a cruise line in the Galápagos Islands and his two South American ships ply the Peruvian Amazon. Many of my fellow guests, who number just 27, have cruised on the Aqua Aria or Aqua Amazon, and have eagerly awaited the new ship’s arrival on the Mekong.

It was worth the wait. Designed by Saigon-based architect David Hodkinson and built in shipyards in Singapore, the Aqua Mekong is the first five-star vessel on the Mekong, a river that’s increasingly sought after by intrepid travellers. Dressed in the natural tones of polished wood and locally sourced fabrics, the Aqua Mekong is spacious and modern without being flashy. The ship’s 20 design suites – eight with private balconies – weigh in at a surprising 30 square metres and are minimalist yet welcoming, with plush twin daybeds wreathing French door-styled windows, addictively good king-sized beds and walk-in rain showers. It’s also the little touches that go a long way, from the Nespresso coffee machine and built-in USB connectivity to the complimentary Wi-Fi service and a triple-fold turndown service that makes coming back from excursions a dream. For the ultimate indulgence, interconnecting suites may be booked together to create private living rooms and multiple bedrooms.

sourced:cambodia.org

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