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Pandaw Cruises
Pandaw is the pioneer of river expedition cruising in Asia, and it sails with the romance of another age.
Its small colonial-style ships, finished in teak and brass, are modelled on the old Irrawaddy steamers and carry just a few dozen guests into rivers few others reach.
This is characterful, unpretentious travel for the genuinely curious, rich in local encounter and free of resort gloss. Crews are warm, the atmosphere convivial, the spirit one of discovery.
Pandaw is the cruise if you want the real river, its people and its history, explored in timeless style.
The romance of discovery
Pandaw Cruises
Pandaw's story is genuinely unique. In 1995 Scottish historian Paul Strachan discovered a derelict Clyde-built steamer, a survivor of the great Irrawaddy Flotilla Company that his own great-grandfather had served, and restored her to sail again.
Every Pandaw since is modelled on those colonial-era originals, hand-finished in teak and brass by local craftspeople, with ultra-shallow drafts that reach rivers no larger ship can.
This is living maritime history, not pastiche. With a 45 percent repeat-guest rate, Pandaw inspires a loyalty almost unheard of in cruising, drawn from its authenticity and pioneering spirit.
"Pandaw is for the genuinely curious traveller drawn to history and real local encounter. If your idea of luxury is characterful, unplugged exploration aboard a restored colonial steamer, nothing else compares."
Cabins on Pandaw
Pandaw cabins are a deliberate throwback, and all the more charming for it. Finished in gleaming brass and hand-laid teak by local craftspeople, they evoke the colonial river steamers of a century ago, with French doors opening onto a shared teak promenade deck that wraps the ship.
There are no televisions and no clutter; this is unplugged, characterful travel by design. Cabins are air-conditioned and en-suite, comfortable and beautifully made rather than opulent, with the romance of the old Irrawaddy in every detail.
Identical in spirit across the fleet, a Pandaw cabin feels like stepping aboard a lovingly restored piece of living maritime history.
What to Expect on a Pandaw River Cruise
Expect characterful, unplugged travel with the spirit of discovery.
Pandaw is generously inclusive: meals, local beverages, excursions and gratuities are typically covered, with little to think about once aboard. Days are spent ashore in villages, markets and monasteries that bigger ships never reach, then back to the teak decks for a sundowner as the river drifts by.
Dining is honest and regional, the atmosphere convivial and informal. There is no glitz and no dressing up. This is for the genuinely curious traveller who wants the real river, its people and its history.
Pandaw Cruise Destinations
Pandaw is the pioneer of Southeast Asia's rivers, and its reach there is unmatched.
The Mekong through Vietnam and Cambodia is the heartland, but Pandaw also sails the Red River in northern Vietnam, the upper Mekong through Laos and Thailand, the gentle Kerala backwaters of southern India, and the Ganges and Brahmaputra in the country's north.
For our clients, the Mekong sailings are the most compelling, mixing Pandaw's characterful colonial-style ships and pioneering routes with the deep in-destination knowledge we design around them, reaching villages and waterways that almost no other line attempts to visit.
Classic Mekong - Saigon to Siem Reap
Saigon to Siem Reap - the classic lower Mekong, from the delta to the temples of Angkor.
Sail seven nights through Vietnam and Cambodia aboard a classic teak-and-brass Pandaw, a riverboat in the great Irrawaddy Flotilla tradition. Floating markets at dawn, silversmith villages, Phnom Penh's Royal Palace, riverside Angkor Ban and a crossing toward the great Tonle Sap lake.
Eight days through two countries, the cruise at its heart and a tailor-made land journey we build around it.
Includes Flights, Cruise, Accommodation, Excursions
Laos: Vientiane to the Golden Triangle
Vientiane to the Golden Triangle - the remote upper Mekong, deep through unhurried Laos.
Cruise the wild upper Mekong aboard the intimate 14-guest Laos Pandaw, far beyond the reach of larger ships. Hill-tribe villages, the Buddha-filled Pak Ou Caves, the Kuang Si waterfalls, an elephant sanctuary, and unhurried days in the temple city of Luang Prabang along the way.
A remote river expedition through the heart of Laos, with a tailor-made land journey designed around it.
Includes Flights, Cruise, Accommodation, Excursions
Red River & Halong Bay
Hanoi, the Red River and Halong Bay - northern Vietnam few cruisers ever see.
Sail the Red River aboard a classic teak Pandaw, north from Hanoi into the terraced hills and craft villages of the Tonkin highlands, a route almost no other line runs. Paired with a cruise among the limestone islands of Halong Bay, finished in brass and colonial character throughout.
A rare northern Vietnam expedition, river and bay, with a tailor-made land journey shaped around it.
Includes Flights, Cruise, Accommodation, Excursions
The Brahmaputra - Assam & Kaziranga
The Brahmaputra - wild Assam, one-horned rhinos and the tea gardens of northeast India.
Cruise the mighty Brahmaputra aboard the 28-guest Katha Pandaw, deep into remote Assam. Safari for one-horned rhino and wild elephant in Kaziranga National Park, explore the river island of Majuli and its monasteries, and visit the colonial-era tea estates that made the region famous.
A wildlife-rich river journey through India's far northeast, with a tailor-made land journey around it.
Includes Flights, Cruise, Accommodation, Excursions
The Ganges - Kolkata to Patna
Kolkata to Patna - the sacred Ganges, through colonial Bengal and India's spiritual heartland.
Sail the Hooghly and Ganges aboard a classic Pandaw, upstream from Kolkata through the faded grandeur of colonial Bengal. Former French and Danish trading towns, the terracotta temples of Bengal, riverside ghats and ceremonies, and the daily life of India's holiest river toward Patna.
A cultural river journey through Bengal and Bihar, with a tailor-made land journey designed around it.
Includes Flights, Cruise, Accommodation, Excursions
Kerala Backwaters
The Kerala backwaters - a tropical, palm-fringed India worlds away from the north.
Glide through Kerala's tranquil backwaters aboard the new 10-guest Kochi Pandaw, purpose-built for these palm-lined canals and lagoons. Village life along the water, Chinese fishing nets, spice gardens and coir-making, with the gentle rhythms of South India unfolding slowly from your deck.
An intimate tropical backwater journey, with a tailor-made South India land journey built around it.
Includes Flights, Cruise, Accommodation, Excursions
The Grand India
The Golden Triangle and the sacred Ganges - India's greatest icons, by land and river.
Begin with the classic Golden Triangle by land, from Delhi to the Taj Mahal at Agra and the palaces of Jaipur, before boarding a classic Pandaw for the Ganges. The icons everyone dreams of, paired with the slow river life of Bengal that almost no one sees.
The complete India for the first-time traveller, land and river, designed end to end around you.
Includes Flights, Cruise, Accommodation, Excursions
Mekong in Depth - Laos to the Delta
Source to delta - the Mekong's length through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, on Asia's pioneering ships.
The ultimate Pandaw journey, combining two cruises into one epic passage down the river that made the line famous. Sail the remote upper Mekong through Laos, then, linked by a tailor-made land journey, the lower Mekong through Cambodia and Vietnam, from the Golden Triangle to the delta.
A once-in-a-lifetime traverse of the great river, on the ships that pioneered it, designed around you.
Includes Flights, Cruise, Accommodation, Excursions
If you can't find your preferred cruise - just give us a call on 03 2424 320 - we're open 7 days
We will tailor your holiday around your preferred river cruise.
