Plans to cruise entire Mekong river ‘within two years’
In the meantime, Pandaw is launching a new 10-night river cruise in Laos.
Billed as a luxury cruise, the Laos Mekong sailing on the line’s newest
ship, Laos Pandaw, will be available from November next year.
The Mekong river flows through over 1,000 miles of the landlocked country,
from north to south, and Pandaw is the first river operator to cross it.
A stay in the Unesco World Heritage city of Luang Prabang with time to explore
its Buddhist temples and Royal Palace, and the chance to travel into the
mountainous north are among the highlights. Excursions will see passengers
traversing rapids and gorges, swimming in jungle pools and visiting tribal
villages and Buddhist temples along the Mekong river to observe the morning
alms.
Pandaw currently operates cruises in Burma, Vietnam and Cambodia and more
recently the Brahmaputra in northeast India. “We are always looking for
new cruising territory,” said Strachan. “We were the first on the
Mekong (in Indochina) the Irrawaddy and Chindwin (in Burma), the Ganges (in
India) and on Borneo’s Rajang river.
Earlier this month Pandaw announced a new cruise to Halong Bay in Vietnam that
takes in the Red River, a key tributary of the Mekong.
Highlights of that voyage include the Tonkinese Alps and a visit to hill
tribes near Sapa, in north Vietnam and cruising on the Da, or Black river. “It’s
tribal, mountainous and fast,” said Strachan. “There are also
coastal plains, pretty villages and plenty to see and do.”
Prices on the Laos Pandaw start at £1,791 per person for 10 nights
including excursions and gratuities, non-premium drinks and airport-to-ship
transfers (020 3287 6113; pandaw.com). Book before January 5, 2015 for a 10
per cent discount.
Win
one of 40 holidays worth £800,000
Telegraph Travel Awards 2014: vote for your favourite destinations and travel
companies for the chance to win one of 40 luxury breaks worth a total of
£800,000.
Travel
Guides app
Download
the free Telegraph Travel app, featuring expert guides to destinations
including Paris, Rome, New York, Venice and Amsterdam
Follow
Telegraph Travel on Twitter
Follow
Telegraph Travel on Facebook
Follow
Telegraph Travel on Pinterest
Follow Telegraph
Travel on FourSquare
Visit
the Telegraph cruise shows
Come along to the Telegraph Cruise Show in Liverpool (October 11-12, 2014)
and London (January 9-11, 2015). Book tickets and sign up for the newsletter
at telegraph.co.uk/cruiseshow
Leave a Reply