Before you Travel

Visas - Myanmar

All travellers to Myanmar are required to have a visa issued by a Myanmar consulate overseas. Visas are valid for one month and must be used within 3 months of issue. The cost of a tourist visa is US$25 and is not included in the price of your holiday.

Visas - Vietnam

You need a visa for Vietnam. These are valid for 30 days and cost around US$25. They are best obtained from a Vietnam embassy or consultate abroad. There is no longer a requirement for an invitation letter from a travel agent in Vietnam.

Travellers may also obtain a visa upon arrival at Ho Chi Minh airport. However, our representative or your travel agent will need personal data for applying visa approval first. When the visa is approved, they will send you the invitation letter and a letter from the Vietnam Immigration Department to show it to the airline for check-in at the airport. Travellers must also bring these letters together with 1 photo. The cost of visa arrangement at Ho Chi Minh airport is US$25.00 net per person and pay directly on the spot. Experience has shown this is not 100% reliable and expect delays.

The cost of any visa is not included in the price of your holiday.

Note that Vietnam visa on arrival can not be issued on the river border entering from Cambodia.

Note also that if entering Vietnam from Cambodia you should state that the entry date for arrival in Vietnam is the day you arrive in Cambodia. The reason for this is that often people get the day river border crossing day wrong and if the Vietnam entry date is later than the actual entry date you will incur a heavy fine at the river border post. A wrong entry date can result in a 24 hour delay for the ship and a hefty fine.

For more information go to:  http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/consular_services/visa_info/

Visas - Cambodia

Upstream: Passengers can obtain the Cambodian visa upon arrival at the border Vietnam/Cambodia on the Mekong River, by paying US$25 net per person added to room bill. Two photos per person required.

Downstream: Passengers can obtain the Cambodian visa upon arrival at Siem Reap airport by paying US$20 net per person directly on the spot.

The cost of any visa is not included in the price of your holiday.

Advance Warning - the Vietnam/Cambodia Border

All passengers should expect delays on the Vietnam - Cambodia border. Normally a crossing takes about 2 hours, it can be longer if a passenger's visa application is not in order. Passengers do not have to disembark and indeed do not normally even have to present themselves to the numerous functionaries who board the vessel. The life of the ship goes on uninterrupted - we are just not moving!  All passengers should be forewarned about this and advised that our revised schedules take this stop into account. This is not a delay - it is a scheduled stop!

Medical

You should check with your doctor that you are fit for travel and your doctor should check with the relevant organisation in your country as to whether any prophylactic drugs or inoculations are required. We do not have facilities for disabled people or wheel chair access. There are no stair lifts. River banks are steep and slippery. If a passenger is seen to be unfit or unable to access a ship and mount stairs unaided then the management reserve the right to refuse to carry that passenger.