We had already booked a 12 day Galápagos Adventure with another company. Our travel agent suggested the Aria post cruise as we were already in South America! The Aria is state of the art, gourmet food, 4 enthusiastic knowlegable guides, and adventures galore. Imagine breakfast floating on the Amazon, paddling a dugout canoe with a tarantula swimming alongside, Mimosas in a skiff at sunset and nighttime searches for anacondas! I kid you not! It is worth every cent and memories will remain forever! Please do not buy Jaguar handbags from the locals. You cannot bring them back through customs! But do buy their silver jewellery, fruits, nuts and beaded earrings. Customs also confiscated spices, seed necklaces and bracelets. The Aria Amazon had a great little gift shop with a tasteful selection of both costume and expensive jewellery at fair prices. Meant to have a massage but no time! Be sure to attend cooking class and a Pisco Sour workshop! Read Less

We read about the Aqua Mekong in the Andrew Harper Hideaway Report and decided to make it the centerpiece of our tour to Vietnam and Cambodia. We came at the perfect time of the year, at the very end of the rainy season when the weather was perfect and the water high enough to make it into the Tonle Sap Lake to see the floating villages. The boat itself was just fabulous, our room extremely well appointed and the public areas delightful. The staff was uniformly excellent and the excursions fascinating, it was truly a life-changing experience to kayak past floating villages and realizing we are some of the only westerners these children had ever seen. If you’re wanting to cruise the Mekong River, I highly encourage you to go with Aqua Mekong, rather than Viking or Uniworld. We are big Uniworld Fans, but in this area of the world, the experience on the Aqua Mekong is more specialized and authentic. David Thompson, the famous Thai chef, developed the menus and the areas we visited are exclusive to this ship. We saw no other boats on the river the entire trip until we got to Siem Reap. Read Less

We booked this cruise directly with Aqua Expeditions, and the reservation team was very reactive and helpful. For the two hour transfer from Ho Chi Minh to the ship, we had opted for a Mercedes S-class transfer, which was excellent. The ship is gorgeous, with plenty of indoor and outdoor space. We had chosen a double cabin, which means that one cabin was set up as a living room and the other one as a bedroom. Consequently, we also had two bathrooms, which was extremely convenient. We were very happy to have chosen the double cabin, as the cabin otherwise would feel very small. However, other guests seemed perfectly happy with their cabins. The gym is obviously small and only offers some cardio equipment, but it was sufficient for a few days. I had three massages during the cruise, which were excellent. The free laundry service was great. There were only 18 guests (+38 staff) on this cruise, and we quickly got to know each other and it almost felt like travelling with a group of friends. Excursions are offered in the morning and afternoon, and there are often different options to choose from. The excursions were extremely well organised. We particularly enjoyed the bike rides, which was a great way to explore the country side. The biking was pretty easy as it always took place on a flat solid surface, and the bikes are well maintained. There are not really any big sights to be seen. The excursions are all about exploring the local life and people, and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. The food was really great with a variation between Asian and western dishes, sometimes served on the outside deck. The free flow of good wine and beer was a great feature. The service was truly outstanding. The wait staff quickly learned our names, and it was a very warm and personal service. Wifi is only available in public areas, and the speed varies a lot. We had asked to reservation team to provide local SIM cards for us, and it worked very well. It was an unforgettable experience, which I highly recommend. Read Less

5 members of my family went on the cruise in Cambodia, 3 generations. From the start to the finish everything was seamless and thoughtful, especially on my daughter's birthday. The crew were exceptional and the daily excursions very enjoyable, with options for all ages and fitness levels. The dining varied daily and there were western options available. The rooms were a generous size and we had four interconnecting rooms, which allowed privacy as well as a sense of togetherness for the whole family. Each night we had a different place for drinks and sometimes dinner, some activities couldn't go ahead sadly due to weather, I would have loved the sundowner drinks on the riverside. I would highly recommend Aqua Mekong to anyone wanting to immerse themselves in a new culture, with luxury every day. Every bit of it was excellent, the last night a highlight, as well as watching the World Cup Soccer final with some of the crew. Read Less

An amazing experience that combines fun, engaging activities (bike, kayak, skip rides and walks) with introductions to culture, history, and local customs. The staff is fabulous and attentive to everyone's needs - beyond belief: They address you by name, respond to your wishes promptly and share of themselves in lectures, tours, and conversation to give you an authentic experience with real people. The food is an awesome combination of local and (to us) new and exciting flavors - and also familiar fare, but all exquisite and fresh and beautifully presented - in various settings (inside and outdoors). Wine and other drinks were of very good quality and generously provided. Accommodations are a dream for a cruise ship: with floor to ceiling windows and a balcony (in our case), we enjoyed the spacious room (and bathroom with two sinks!!) and the views from the first glimpse in the morning in our very comfortable bed. The boat is immaculate, and cleaning service (incl. free laundry service) is seemingly instantaneous. We picked shoulder season (mid-June) which was perfect: lower price, great weather, and the staff outnumbered the guests 2:1. It is well worth to save up for this trip - it was our second with Aqua Expeditions - the Aqua Amazon experience was our first, and equally rewarding. Read Less

We choose the cruise because we are animal lovers and wanted to see he animals of the Amazon in an intimate way. It tuned out that not only was the nature viewing extraordinary but the service we received on the boat exceedeed our expections. The staff and guide made a huge effort to get to know each and every guess by name and learn what their favorite drink was! The cabins were comfortable with amazing views. I highly recommend the 4 night cruise. It was a very special experience. The food was absolutely top notch. Dinners were 4 course foodie experiences ; lunches and breakfasts were buffets. The chef made a huge effort toi integrate the fruits, vegetables and herbs into the menu. The guides were extremely knowlegeable. Every day they took us out on skiffs and we saw everything from three toed sloths to red howler monkeys. The experience on Aqua Expeditions Aria Amazon was 5 stars! Read Less

The guides have to take top slot here, they were absolutely excellent, hugely knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna and organised some amazing and interesting excursions in the skiffs. On one occasion we nearly landed a 7m Anaconda - all very exciting!! The crew were always on hand every day to ensure we were sprayed with mosquito protection before departure and to welcome us back with a cold drink. Catering staff, Robinson in the bar and housekeeping were all first class and very courteous. Breakfast was superb, lunch good but dinner a little hit and miss - great on one evening, not bad on two and definitely not that good on one; the house wines were all perfectly acceptable. Although in the rainy season we rarely had problems during the entire 4 days. On our last night the crew and guides organised a video of our trip and ended the evening with a few songs and music with one chap who stood out above all the others with an instrument similar to a banjo - he was the housekeeper!! A brilliant time was had by all. If you have the time it's worth spending a day or so in Iquitos - the people are very friendly and there are one or two very nice bars and restaurants to help you acclimatise before embarking on the amazing experience. Would we go again - most definitely!! A great big thank you to the entire team. Read Less

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My first cruise and what a wonderful experience we had. The boat is perfect for this river. The suites were beyond my best expectations...I could actually unpack!! The designers definitely knew what they were doing. A big king bed, comfy too. Drawers and shelves everywhere so you could easily unpack, find your stuff, and repack with no hassles. The bathroom was over the top. Huge Shower for a boat, bigger than some hotels we have stayed at. Lots of water pressure, nice hot water. Rooms were cleaned 3x per day!! I loved this room, we did have a balcony but couldn't use it due to the high heat and humidity plus the bugs at night. So if I were to do this again, I would pass on the balcony. No big deal. The ship manager was running a well oiled machine, she did a fantastic job and whenever we had an issue, she resolved it. Kudos to her. The crew, half Vietnamese and half Cambodian were so nice, helpful, courteous, and wanted us to be happy and satisfied. WE WERE!!! This is the way to travel with their guides, who I think are some of the best guides I have ever met. So informative, they want to teach you about their countries, half were Cambodian and half Vietnamese. There is a definite difference between the two nationalities that really comes out in their personalities and how they deliver the information. We loved the guides. So between the ship manager, crew, guides, design of the boat, everything was more than I every expected. Read Less

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