A holiday of a lifetime - up their with going on a safari in Kenya. We did this tour with a group of friends and had so much fun, due in large because of the wonderful staff on board the RV Mekong Pandaw. The Ship Purser was a delightful young man full of enthusiasm for his country and it's people, and extremely helpful to us, as was all his staff, and they delighted in showing us as much of their country and their culture as they could. The ship has such an olde worlde feeling to it but boasts all the mod cons. We were treated to wonderful food and friendly well attended service in the dining room. Our cabins were attended to each day as were our shoes when we came back off tour along with a lovely cool napkin and refreshing drink. Each morning and afternoon we would set off on amazing tours visiting temples, villages, schools, 'genuine' fake silver merchants, silk weavers and markets. In fact there was too much to see and do. Each evening we relaxed in comfort and enjoyed the free local spirits that were on offer. We came back home enriched with making many friendships and hoping that we can somehow make a difference for the rural village children of the Mekong.

The Pandaw Mekong experience was magnified by the quality of crew & people we met on the cruise. The Pandaw Mekong cruise provides a fantastic moving picture of village life along the river. Small children stand outside their homes on the river bank & jump up & down on the spot when you wave at them. A group of young Moslem girls on the riverbank, mimicking my wife's dance moves & star jumps as we cruise by. Twenty teenage boys playing a soccer game on a large field beside the river with no indication of a village nearby. Small islands with three or four homes, sharing the work in their crop fields. Men, in the fast-flowing river, placing fishing nets along overgrown banks. Huge lone buffalos standing in flooded fields beside the river. Whole villages on stilts. The happy children. Observing rural village market life. A remarkable experience I will never forget.

Again, I salute the crew for a great job completed with style & smiles, the Purser Saroun (stand-up comedian), Pandaw Mekong Captain Din Sotha (docking with great skill at Kratie floating wharf), & Mekong Cruise Director Ben Stead, just a good bloke.

Trevor & Sandy Johns

I have just returned to the UK having been on the Pandaw Irrawaddy river cruise from Yangon to Mandalay.

I really did not know what to expect, only hoped for the best. The standard of care and attention started as our taxi arrived at jetty in Yangon and remained at this exceptional high standard until we got into our taxi leaving the cruise in Mandalay 14 days later.

I am so impressed with the service your team provided l would not hesitate to recommend Pandaw ,and hope to holiday with you again soon.

Angela Bamford
A very satisfied customer