Mekong cruise
tips & insights

When to go

Weather in tropical Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam is less predictable than in most parts of the world. Climate characteristics below are rough guidelines, not absolutes. They reflect averages.

December to mid-April

This is the best overall season for a cruise and January and February are the prime months. Heat and humidity are at their lowest points. Because it's the dry season, some tributaries can become shallow and Tomle Sap Lake (waterway to Angkor Wat) can dry up. This occasionally forces the substitution of road for water travel on part of the journey.

Mid-April to November

This is the wet season. Heat and humidity peak. Drenching monsoon rains are possible. Sometimes river currents are strong enough to interfere with cruise schedules.

Cruise lengths

They last from 2 to 14 nights. Most short cruises depart and return to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Some 14-night and other long cruises are simply existing 7-day cruises with pre-and post-cruise land tours tacked on.

Best cruise boats

New cruise boats are coming and old ones are being renovated, so the listings below could change.

Upper Mekong

Mekong Sun - Smartly designed and atmospherically furnished. Relatively new.

Lower Mekong

 

Amalotus  - A luxurious river cruise boat.

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Mekong River cruise tips

    

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