Before You Travel

Calypso Mekong asks every guest to complete seven preparations before a sailing between Saigon and Siem Reap: valid travel documents, the visa each country requires, a health and fitness declaration, travel insurance, luggage that meets vessel limits, flights matched to arrival times, and an understanding of how water levels shape the route.

This page follows the order in which guests complete them and lists the dates on which Calypso Mekong acts on its side. The vessel carries no more than six guests, so every declaration reaches the crew before departure and shapes the plan for the sailing. It applies to the 8-night, 11-night and 15-night sailings.

Travel documents and entry requirements

Every guest holds a passport that stays valid for at least 6 months, with at least 2 blank pages, and the visa that each country requires. Calypso Mekong recommends counting the 6 months from the last day of the sailing, because entry rules differ by passport and change without notice.

Document	Requirement	Who acts
Passport	At least 6 months of validity and 2 blank pages; one copy kept in your day bag	Guest
Passport copy and passenger data	Submitted 30 days before departure, or at booking when the booking falls inside that window	Guest
Cambodian visa	Held by every guest before boarding the vessel	Guest
Vietnam entry	Guests on the Saigon to Siem Reap sailing enter by air under the rules for their nationality; international guests on the Siem Reap to Saigon sailing enter by river at the Vinh Xuong post with an e-visa	Guest
Guest list	Submitted to the border agencies and the Cambodian agent 7 days before departure	Calypso Mekong

Guests check the visa requirement for their nationality, and Calypso Mekong explains the procedure at booking. Calypso Mekong does not apply on a guest’s behalf and does not answer for the outcome of an application, so guests who book within the final 30 days carry the risk that a visa arrives late.

A guest with missing or incorrect documents cannot cross the border, receives no refund for the unused part of the sailing, and reimburses any penalty that Calypso Mekong incurs as a result. On the Vietnamese side, the vessel’s cross-border permit is filed under Decree 08/2021/ND-CP 45 days before departure, and a Cambodian agent and pilot are confirmed for the river passage.

How border formalities run on board

Border formalities take place on the river at the Vinh Xuong (Vietnam) and Kaam Samnor (Cambodia) posts, and guests remain aboard throughout. On the evening before the crossing, a 15-minute briefing prepares the group, after which the group leader collects passports, presents them at both posts, and holds them until clearance is complete. Guests take meals on deck during the formalities and do not queue at the posts.

On the Tan Chau to Phnom Penh leg, Calypso Mekong plans about 2.5 hours for the two posts. Officials of both countries run the procedure, so post staffing and queues change the actual duration, and arrival times in Phnom Penh move with it. When processing runs past late afternoon on the Saigon to Siem Reap sailing, the vessel anchors at Vinh Xuong, continues the next morning, and drops the evening in Phnom Penh.

Health and fitness requirements

Guests must be able to step between the vessel and small boats and to walk lightly on village paths. Boat transfers and short walks occur on most days of every sailing, and the table lists the activities that ask for more.

Activity	Physical requirement	Sailing
Small-boat transfers	Stepping into and out of a boat at landings and floating villages	All
Village and market walks	Walking on uneven paths and market floors	All
Oudong hill, Cambodia	A sloped path and steps to the temple terrace	11N and 15N
Tram Chim wetland	An early-morning start, followed by about two hours in a small boat	15N
Nui Sam and Nui Sap summits	Optional ascent by motorbike taxi; guests can remain at the foot	11N and 15N

Guests declare health conditions and special needs on the D-14 preference form, which Calypso Mekong sends to each cabin 14 days before departure. The vessel anchors one night on Tonle Sap lake, more than 1 hour from the nearest hospital, so it carries a marine medical kit and a medicine cabinet, and the crew do not give medical advice.

Age, pregnancy, mobility and diet

Calypso Mekong sells two booking types, and the age rule differs between them. Cabin Charter, which sells individual cabins, accepts guests from 12 years old, counted on the departure date, at adult rates. Private Full Charter, which sells the whole vessel, accepts every age, so groups with a child under 12 book that type.

Group	Rule
Guests under 18 on a Private Full Charter	A parent or guardian signs three commitments, covering personal data, use of images, and health; the minor travels with a parent or with an adult the parents authorize in writing, and the letter goes in with the passenger data
Minors in cabins	A minor does not occupy a cabin without an adult; each cabin takes 2 adults, 1 child, and 1 infant
Pregnancy	Guests beyond 24 weeks do not board; other expectant guests submit a doctor’s fit-to-travel certificate at least 5 days before departure
Limited mobility	The open decks sit close to the water, and the vessel has no lift and makes no wheelchair commitment, so guests travel with a person who assists them
Allergies and diet	Guests report them 30 days before departure; the galley arranges meals as far as it can and does not guarantee protection against allergens

Calypso Mekong treats health data as sensitive, uses it only to run the sailing, and handles it under its privacy policy. The captain and Calypso Mekong can decline a guest whose condition creates a safety risk.

Vaccinations and medicines

Vaccines and antimalarial medication fall under the advice of a travel doctor. Current recommendations for Vietnam and Cambodia appear on the NHS Fit for Travel and CDC Travelers’ Health pages. Guests carry prescription medicines in original packaging with the prescriber’s letter, and the packing guide lists what to add to the vessel’s kit.

Travel insurance

Medical and emergency-evacuation insurance is mandatory for every guest, because the vessel anchors on the lake more than 1 hour from the nearest hospital. Guests buy the policy themselves, since Calypso Mekong does not sell insurance, and present proof 30 days before departure. Trip-cancellation cover is recommended, as it reimburses the part of a payment that the Booking Terms and Conditions do not return.

Preparation timeline

Calypso Mekong and the guest each hold fixed responsibilities on a published schedule, and the table lists them in order. Flights, visas, and travel insurance sit outside the sailing price, so guests arrange them directly. Payment, cancellation, and refund terms appear in the Booking Terms and Conditions.

When	Action	Who acts
At booking	Receive nationality-specific visa guidance; pay the 20% deposit named in the written confirmation	Calypso Mekong and guest
90 days before departure	Pay the balance	Guest
45 days before departure	File the vessel’s cross-border permit	Calypso Mekong
30 days before departure	Submit passenger data, passport copy, and proof of insurance; report allergies and diets; last day for a free name change	Guest
30 days before departure	Notify guests if a Cabin Charter sailing cannot run because fewer than 2 cabins are sold	Calypso Mekong
14 days before departure	Receive and return the D-14 preference form for each cabin	Calypso Mekong and guest
7 days before departure	Submit the guest list to the border agencies and the Cambodian agent; declare luggage above the vessel limit	Calypso Mekong and guest
5 days before departure	Submit the fit-to-travel certificate, for expectant guests	Guest
Before travel	Confirm visas, insurance, flights, and packed luggage	Guest
Evening before the border crossing	Attend the 15-minute document briefing	Guest and group leader

Luggage and packing

Calypso Mekong asks for soft-sided bags, such as duffels, canvas bags, and collapsible backpacks, weighing 39.7 to 50.7 lb (18 to 23 kg) per guest, because cabins and lockers have limited space. Hard-shell suitcases and rigid-frame bags cannot flex into the curved lockers in the hull. Guests follow the lower of this range and their airline’s allowance.

Item	Requirement
Hand luggage	Medicines, passport, and identity documents travel with the guest
Clothing	Quick-dry fabrics; 12 garments cover an 8-night sailing, with laundry collected along the route
Temple dress	Shoulders and knees covered at the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, pagodas, the Mubarak mosque, and Oudong hill
Footwear	Closed shoes with grip for villages and strapped sandals for landings; non-slip slippers are supplied in each cabin
Rain	A packable hooded jacket, because the season from August to December includes regular rain
Day bag	15 to 20 L (4 to 5 US gal) with a passport copy, small bills, sunscreen, and water

A guest who exceeds the range declares the excess 7 days before departure, and Calypso Mekong can refuse it or ask the guest to leave it at the starting point. With documents, health, insurance, and luggage settled, the remaining preparations concern money, flights, and the route itself.

Money and communications

Across Cambodia, US dollars circulate widely, while Vietnamese dong suits purchases in Vietnam. Guests carry small bills for craft villages, where makers sell silk, woven mats, pottery, and silverwork directly. Calypso Mekong does not promise internet access on board, so guests download maps, books, and documents before boarding.

Flights and transfers

Because the vessel runs by day and arrival hours follow the water, flight times depend on the sailing and its direction. The table gives the guidance for each sailing.

Sailing	Arrival	Flight guidance
8N, Siem Reap to Saigon	Tan Cang terminal, mid-afternoon on day 8	Book a departure from the evening onward
11N, Siem Reap to Saigon	Tan Cang terminal, mid-afternoon on day 11	Book a departure from the evening onward
15N, Siem Reap to Saigon	Tan Cang terminal, afternoon on day 15 after a long day on the river	Book a departure from the following day

On the Saigon to Siem Reap sailing, guests board at Tan Cang terminal on the morning of day 1 and disembark at Chong Khneas on the final morning. A vehicle covers the 30-minute transfer to the partner resort in Siem Reap, where one night is included and check-out follows the next morning. The transfer between Chong Khneas and the hotel or resort is part of the sailing price, and guests can add an Angkor program after check-out.

On the Siem Reap to Saigon sailing, a vehicle collects guests from their hotel at dawn on day 1 and delivers them to the vessel at Chong Khneas. Guests stay at a hotel in Siem Reap the night before.

Water conditions and route changes

Calypso Mekong operates only in the water season, from about mid-August to December, when Tonle Sap lake holds enough depth for the crossing. Each evening the captain reads the water level against Mekong River Commission (MRC) readings and holds final authority over the next day’s route.

Condition	Effect on the route
Lake crossing	The captain measures wind and visibility at dawn; the vessel crosses with wind up to 15 knots (17.3 mph; 27.8 km/h), visibility of at least 1.24 mi (2 km), and lake depth of at least 7.2 ft (2.2 m), and otherwise stays one more day
Waiting days	Up to 2 per sailing; Calypso Mekong covers accommodation aboard, the three main meals, and vessel operation on each waiting day, while flights, extra hotel nights, visas, and insurance stay with the guest
Vinh Te canal	Entry depends on the day’s water level and the permission of the border police; otherwise guests view the canal from the bank
Thay Cai canal	When the canal lacks water, the vessel anchors on the Mang Thit river, and guests reach the brick kilns by small boat
Tonle Sap river	The current runs toward the lake in the rainy season and reverses as the Mekong falls, so the direction your sailing meets depends on its date
Border posts	Processing time varies, and arrival hours in Phnom Penh or Tan Chau move with it
Late season	When the lake falls below the safe depth, the water-season schedule ends, and the vessel does not promise the lake leg

When the vessel still cannot cross the lake after 2 waiting days, Calypso Mekong treats the situation as a major change. The size of a change decides whether a guest can cancel without a fee, and the table separates the two levels.

Change	What it covers	Guest’s position
Minor	A new time, a new order of visits, or an adjacent berth	No refund; Calypso Mekong notifies guests early
Major	A skipped leg, a different start, end, or main destination, or a departure or final arrival that moves by more than 12 hours	The guest chooses to continue or to cancel without a fee

If a substitute vessel is needed, it meets the standard of the vessel confirmed at booking. Calypso Mekong announces every change by email and at the evening briefing, called the Book of Days, where each cabin also selects its activities for the next day. Each itinerary appears on its sailing page.

On board

The vessel carries up to six guests in three cabins, and each departure runs in one guide language. Guests receive three meals a day, and a self-service pantry stays stocked with fruit, bread, cheese, yogurt, tea, and hot water. The vessel anchors every night and does not sail in darkness.

At each anchorage, every cabin chooses between two options: option A joins the guide for the planned visit, and option B leaves the day free or reserved for rest aboard. The salon and decks are shared spaces for all guests, and the crew work mainly from the wheelhouse and join guests during activities.

The captain has the final word on safety, and five rules apply on every sailing. The open decks sit close to the water, so guests follow the captain’s instructions on deck. Guests keep the vessel quiet. Smoking is allowed only in the deck area that the captain designates, never in cabins or the salon. A drone needs the captain’s permission. Swimming and alcohol follow the captain’s safety guidance. The captain and Calypso Mekong can decline to carry, or ask to leave the vessel, a guest whose behavior endangers others, and the unused part of the sailing is not refunded.

Questions

Which visa does a guest need?

Every guest needs a Cambodian visa, and international guests entering Vietnam at Vinh Xuong hold a Vietnam e-visa. Calypso Mekong confirms the exact requirement for each nationality at booking.

Can children join a sailing?

Cabin Charter accepts guests from 12 years old, and groups with a child under 12 book a Private Full Charter. A parent or guardian signs the commitments for any guest under 18.

Is travel insurance required?

Medical and emergency-evacuation insurance is mandatory, and guests present proof 30 days before departure. Trip-cancellation cover is recommended.

Can guests bring a hard-shell suitcase?

Hard-shell cases cannot flex into the hull lockers, so Calypso Mekong asks guests to pack soft-sided bags of 39.7 to 50.7 lb (18 to 23 kg).

Can guests swim from the vessel?

Swimming follows the captain’s safety guidance, and the crew advise against it at the lake anchorage, where submerged tree stumps lie below the surface.

When does Calypso Mekong need passport details?

Calypso Mekong needs the passport copy and passenger data 30 days before departure, or at booking when the booking falls inside that window. It then submits the guest list to the border agencies 7 days before departure.

Confirm before you travel

Guests send documents, health declarations, and dietary requirements to bookings@calypsomekong.com. Once the crew confirm receipt, the guest holds a valid passport, a visa, an insurance policy, a flight matched to the table above, and luggage within the vessel range, and the preparation is complete.

Last updated 14 October 2026