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Pandaw Mekong and Tonle Sap Cruises
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Introduction
| Itineraries & Schedules
| Places Visited | Boat
Information |
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The
Mekong flows from South-West China through
all the mainland South East Asian countries
- China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia
and Vietnam. It connects not just countries
and commerce, but also diverse cultures
and history. A river journey on the Mekong
through Cambodia and Vietnam can offer greater
insights and experiences than any other
way of exploring two very different countries.
A Pandaw cruise offers a way of traveling
in great comfort to places unreachable by
road. |
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On
such an 'expedition ship' it is possible to truly
explore the vast but little know region between
the ancient Khmer city of Angkor and the elegant
former French colonial city of Saigon, now called
Ho Chi Minh City, with its poignant memories of
the Vietnam War. |
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From
its marshy source in the highlands of Tibet,
the Mekong flows down through China's Yunnan
province in deep gorges and over rapids.
Leaving Yunnan, the Mekong forms the Myanmar-Laos
border, then curves east and south through
north-west Laos before marking part of the
Laos-Thailand border. |
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From Laos the river descends
onto the Cambodian plain, where it receives water
from the Tonle Sap Lake during the dry season by way
of the Tonle Sap River During the rainy season
the floodwaters of the Mekong reverse the direction
of the Tonle Sap River and flow into the Tonle
Sap Lake, a natural reservoir over 150km in length
and rich in fishing grounds. |
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The
Mekong finally flows into the South China
Sea through many distributaries in the vast
Mekong Delta. The Delta, which covers an
area of 194,250 sq km, is criss-crossed
by many channels and canals and is one of the
greatest rice-growing areas of Asia. It
is a densely populated region with Saigon
located just to the east of the Delta. This
is a fascinating area to explore with whole
towns floating on rafts and rich in river
life and activity. Lush tropical plantations
and gardens extend off endless channels. |
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There
are in fact over 5,000 km of waterways in
the Mekong Delta. The area was the scene
of heavy fighting in the Vietnam War. The
Mekong River is navigable for large vessels
for 350km upstream and Phnom Penh is a designated
international port.
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North of the Cambodian border,
the Mekong is navigable in short sections as Far
as the Khone Falls, a series of rapids 9.7 km
long. Here the Mekong drops 22m. The RV Mekong
with her ultra shallow draft is designed to navigate
as far north on the Mekong as Kratie and can navigate
the shallow Tonle River and Lake for 10 months
of the year as far as Siem Reap, the port for
Angkor. |
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