First Gay Cruise on Mekong River: LGBT Tour Operator to Offer October Cruise through Southeast Asia

The first Mekong River cruise aimed at gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender travelers is set to depart from southeast Asia in October, USA Today reported.

The cruise, operated by LGBT tour operator Brand g Vacations, will take place on AmaWaterways' 124-passenger AmaLotus, USA Today reported. The trip, running through Cambodia and Vietnam, will include stops at small villages and historic sites. The cruise will stop in Phnom Phen, Cambodia's capital, and villages with floating markets and Buddhist temples.

Brand g will also offer an extended 11-night package including several days of land touring around the area, in addition to the cruise, according to USA Today. Travelers will have the opportunity to spend several nights at the gateway to the Angkor Wat ruins in Siem Reap, Cambodia, as well as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The cost of the cruise will begin at $2,549 per person, after a $250 early booking fee - and the extended package, also with a $250 early booking fee, starts at $3,299 per person, USA Today reported.

With another add-on visit to Hanoi and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam the company is offering, the cost of the vacation will be $4,549 per person after early booking discounts, according to USA Today.

Although fares are based on double occupancy per cabin, Brand g is also accommodating solo travelers -- with a relatively low-up charge. The "single supplement," as it is called, according to USA Today, is 33 percent of the base fare.

This announcement comes only a week after Variety Cruises, a Greece-based company, said that it would offer two cruises this year aimed at gay, lesbian. bisexual and transgender travelers, up from one last year, USA Today reported. The ships will set sail in Athens on Aug. 9 and 23, and include more than half a dozen stops on the Aegean Islands.