Mekong River cruise to Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Planet

You will cruise the Mekong river aboard a refurbished colonial-style 20 passenger ship which has been refitted by workers using material from Cambodia, helping to contribute to the local economy. The operator that we work with takes several steps to try to reduce the environmental impact of its operations. One of the largest sources of potential pollution and Co2 emissions is the fuel used to run the boat, so they aim to be as efficient as possible. This includes a full strip-down of the engine each season and buying the most up to date and fuel efficient motors available internationally. They take care to reuse plastic containers and recycle all onboard waste at each stop by selling it to scrap collectors. They ensure that all airconditioning, which is energy-intensive, is turned off when guests are not onboard (for example, during excursions). Food is sourced from stops along the route to be as fresh as possible and eliminate transport emissions. They have also looked into the viability of running the boat on solar energy but found that they would need to cover the entire boat with solar panels to make it work!

People

Our Mekong cruise incorporates stops at villages along the route, aiming to create economic benefits for the people that live in them. For example, you can buy food, souvenirs and activities like taking a ride in a traditional horse cart. It is important that these stops do not become tourist traps, so we have chosen villages that are not accessible by the larger cruise boats and work with them consistently to help small local businesses grow. Where possible, we have also chosen places like Cochen, where your purchases help support a once-thriving silver industry, rather than encouraging tourist trinkets.

Direct one-off donations are discouraged as it can foster dependency, so instead the boat operator buys equipment needed by the villagers collectively. However, many passengers choose to sponsor local children on a longer-term basis. Buying supplies along the way also helps local farmers with additional income.

The cruise company we work with employs a majority Cambodian crew during the voyage as well as Cambodian workers for annual refits, along with some Vietnamese pilots because most skilled Cambodians were killed or fled during the Khmer Rouge years. We both believe that it is generally better in the long term to create decent employment than to work exclusively through donations to charities and non-governmental organisations.