Essence of Cambodia

breakfast and lunch

Embrace a very early start today if you wish to experience a sunrise visit to the Angkor complex (this is optional). From here, continue onto Banteay Srei. You'll see it's not a huge temple, but thanks to its intricate stone carvings it is sometimes referred to as 'the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art'.

Then transfer to a small village 40 km from central Siem Reap. Experience the lives of local people here. On the way, you will go through the rice paddies in a cart and breathe pure chest in the fresh air in this countryside. It will be a pleasant experience. Then, walk around the village where you have the opportunity to experience activities such as fishing, aquaculture or livestock, depending on the season of the year.

Enjoy a simple Khmer lunch, followed by more activities or simply spend time chatting with local people to understand more about Khmer culture. Finish the tour and transfer back to your hotel in Siem Reap.

Countryside in Siem Reap

breakfast and lunch

After breakfast, we will embark on a private boat that will take you on a fascinating journey across Tonle Sap Lake to Battambang, a pretty riverside town of French elegance, friendly Khmer people and beautifully preserved colonial architecture. The city is famous for its many statues of animals and divinities that decorate the streets and buildings.

Along the way you will pass floating villages and flooded forests, portraying life on this body of water that forms Cambodia's heart.

Arrive Battambang and set out to explore some of the many cultural villages around Battambang, where you will learn how the locals produce rice paper, prahoc, grolan (sticky rice stuffed in bamboo), and other Khmer treats.

Tonle Sap Lake

breakfast and lunch

Start with the tour of the main market - Psar Nat, includes trying a local coffee. Then paddle to the river and cross a couple of minutes on a local boat to the other side of the Sangke River. Here you will visit Wat Po Veal Temple and take the opportunity to pray with the monks. It is usually possible to accompany the boats back across the river as they begin their morning alms collection.

Continue a short distance to Wat Kor Village, known for its many old Khmer heritage houses built around a century ago. Visit one of the best-preserved homes. Walking along the river and cross a suspension bridge where only motorbikes and bicycles can pass. Return to town for lunch at the local restaurant.

After lunch, we will spend the whole afternoon socializing with locals and witness their brilliant craftsmanship. We'll go to the train station to take a 1-hour unique ride on the traditional Bamboo Train - a bamboo platform laid over 2 sets of wheels on a single track. In the old days, this was used to transport goods between villages. Today, it takes you through the beautiful countryside to a little village you can explore on foot before returning to your starting point.

Bamboo Train

breakfast and lunch

After breakfast, you will be picked up and driven 5 hours to Phnom Penh. You will firsts travel to Kampong Chhnang, known for its traditional pottery, with many kilns at work in this province. In a village near Kampong Chhnang, you will see the different aspects of pottery making and also experience the production of traditional rice wine.

Continue onto Oudong, the former royal capital of Cambodia. The drive passes through many rural villages and pagodas, and you will see the temple mountain with its dozens of stupas from afar. Upon arrival at Oudong, enjoy a traditional Khmer lunch at a hut at the foot of the hill.

After lunch and a short rest, climb the stairs to the top of Oudong Mountain to enjoy magnificent views over the plains below. Your guide will explain the history of the area and its buildings as well as the religious culture of the Cambodian people.

Arrive Phnom Penh in the late afternoon and check into your hotel. Have a good rest!

Oudong Mountain

breakfast and lunch

Start the day from the National Museum. The place houses an impressive collection of numerous statues, sculptures, bas-reliefs and so on. It is the perfect place to learn about Cambodian history and art.

We then head to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, the iconic historical sites in Phnom Penh. With unique Cambodian style and ornate structure, the buildings inside the palace are adorned with diamonds, jewels, gold, and silver.

Have lunch at local restaurant before a visit to Tuol Sleng Prison Museum - a former school that served as a Khmer Rouge torture center, and it's estimated that more than 20,000 people were held and tortured here.

After an hour and 15 minutes at the museum, drive to the Killing Fields, see a documentary on the Khmer Rouge regime. Under the leadership of Pol Pot, his government caused the deaths of more than two million people.

Continue to visit the fascinating Russian Market, where you will have ample opportunity to shop for some souvenirs. End your day at Wat Phnom, the birthplace of the city, located on a small hilltop that forms the highest elevation of Phnom Penh.

Royal Palace

breakfast

After breakfast and check out of your hotel you will be picked up and driven 4 hours to the coastal town of Sihanoukville.

End your Cambodia trip of a lifetime with a relaxing stay on Koh Rong, a group of islands just off the Cambodian coast, near Sihanoukville, which offers 23 amazing white-sand beaches bordering azure seas. It is still very much an unspoiled paradise, with 5 tiny islands in the area, 3 of which are uninhabited.

Upon arrival at Sihanoukville Harbor, take a 40-minute ferry ride to the idyllic Koh Rong Samloem, the most untouched island, and check into your resort for your three lovely nights.

The rest of the time is at your leisure. Relax on the white sandy beaches, swim in the beautiful, still, and turquoise waters.

Koh Rong Samloem

breakfast

Spend your full day for relaxing in the tropical paradise of Koh Rong Samloem. The island is all largely undeveloped means that the beaches are mostly unspoiled, with soft white sand, clear blue seas, and shade provided by nearby trees.

If you want to be active, we can arrange a trip with a local fisherman and try your hand at fishing. Meanwhile, other activities here available include kayaking, paddle boarding, blob jump, and mountain biking.

breakfast

The whole day is free to do as you please. Enjoy the resort facilities, wander, or laze on the beach, or take on one of the many water sports. You may also head into the tropical hinterland of the island. For those looking for adventure, there is even zip-lining available. Take in the majestic island sunset, and feel yourself relax.

breakfast

After breakfast and check out of your resort in Koh Rong Samloem, take a speed boat back to Sihanoukville where your private driver is waiting for you to take you back to Phnom Penh International airport for your departure flight home.