Pandaw Cruises
Something completely different from other cruise experiences
A Pandaw cruise on the most beautiful rivers of Asia is something completely different from other cruise experiences.
Originally the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, established by Scots merchants in 1865 and becoming the largest privately owned fleet of ships in the world, the company was resurrected in 1995 as Pandaw by another Scot, the Burma historian Paul Strachan.
It now offers luxury river cruise adventures on the great rivers of Asia: the Irrawaddy, Chindwin, the Mekong, Halong Bay and the Red River and India’s Ganges, Hooghly & Brahmaputra rivers.
“We were the first since the Second World War to offer pioneering cruises on Burma’s spectacular Irrawaddy River, reaching Bhamo, one thousand miles from the sea, and went on to be a first on the stunningly attractive Chindwin River,” he explains.
So what’s so different? Well for a start there is no dressing up for dinner and no “captain’s table”. The atmosphere on board is very friendly and informal, more like a party on a private yacht than a cruise ship.
Nearly everything is included in the price and there are no hidden extras for excursions. Even your drinks and the crew tips are included in the price of your ticket.
There is also a very high level of personal service and care aboard, with a crew passenger ratio of 1:2. For these reasons passengers keep returning with Pandaw exploring more of a lost South-East Asia.
