10 days / 9 nights - Cambodia Discovery
Tour
Day 1: Arrival Phnom Penh
 After arrival at the airport, we visit
the Royal Palace, located on the shores of
the Mekong. Inside its walls are the Throne
Hall, the Chan Chaya Pavilion, used for
performances of classical dance, the
Napoleon III Pavilion, and the King and
Queen's residential quarters. Next stop will
be the Silver Pagoda, home to a glittering
array of Buddhist statuary. Check in to the
hotel.
In the afternoon, we visit the National
Museum, home to the world’s leading
collection of Khmer sculpture. Situated near
the Royal Palace, Cambodia's National Museum
offers a charming setting for the stunning
collection of Khmer art. Accommodation at
hotel.
Day 2: Phnom Penh Full day city tour
Breakfast at your hotel. Morning boat
trip to Koh Dach, an island in the middle of
the Mekong River that is famous for Khmer
silk weaving. You will find most of families
have at least one loom underneath their
wooden stilt houses. Lunch on the island.
This is a great place to wander around
meeting local people in their natural
habitat with no traffic noise or pollution.
Return to Phnom Penh and visit the Central
and Russian Markets. The Central Market (Psar
Thmey) is distinctive for its central domed
building built by the French in 1937 with 4
wings leading off it. The Russian Market (Psar
Toul Tom Pong) is an excellent place to pick
up a few bargains, especially antiques,
souvenirs and cheap brand-name clothes.
Accommodation at hotel, Phnom Penh.
Day 3: Phnom Penh to Ratanakiri
Breakfast at your hotel. We fly to
Banlung, Ratanakiri and transfer to hotel.
Lunch at hotel. In the afternoon, we travel
to the crystal clear waters of the Yeak Loam
crater lake, surrounded by lush jungle. We
walk around the shores of stunning Yeak Loam
Lake before walking through forest to visit
a Tompuon farms and their nearby village.
Dinner and accommodation at hotel.
Day 4: Exploring Ratanakiri
Breakfast at hotel. We travel by jeep to
the remote district of Andong Meas, about
80km from Banlung. From Andong Meas, we
visit Jarai villages where we learn about
their lifestyle. We walk to the banks of the
San River where we find a Jarai cemetery in
the forest complete with many ancestral
tombs. We return to Banlung by jeep. Dinner
and accommodation at hotel.
Day 5: Ratanakiri to Phnom Penh
After a morning at leisure we fly back
to Phnom Penh. We transfer to the hotel and
enjoy a local lunch. In the afternoon, visit
to the harrowing genocide museum at Tuol
Sleng and the Killing Fields of Choeng Ek,
both enduring memorials to the gruesome and
brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge. Return to
hotel for dinner and accommodation at hotel.
Day 6: Siem Reap and Angkor
 After an early breakfast at the hotel,
we drive to Kompong Thom where we enjoy a
local lunch. We then head north to visit the
6th-century Chenla capital of Sambor Prei
Kuk, the most important pre-Angkorian site
in Cambodia and the first major temple city
in South-East Asia. We then continue on to
Siem Reap, stopping in the town of Kompong
Kdei tosee a beautiful Angkor-era bridge
with 22 arches and naga balustrades. Arrive
at Siem Reap and transfer to hotel for check
in and overnight.
DAY 7: Siem Reap and Angkor
We begin our visit with some of the most
beautiful temples on the small circuit,
including the huge pyramid of Takeo, built
in the 10th century. We continue to
jungle-clad Ta Prohm. This temple was a
monastery built by Jayavarman VII as a
residence for his mother. We continue to
visit Sras Srang, the royal pool situated
opposite the East Gate of Banteay Kdei.
Finally we take in Prasat Kravan, an elegant
brick temple from the 10th century with some
fine brick carvings in the interior.
In the afternoon, we continue our Angkor
encounter with a visit to the spectacular
temples of the grand circuit. We first
explore Preah Khan or Sacred Sword, one of
the largest temples at Angkor with huge
corridors extending in every direction. We
continue to Neak Poan, a delicate temple set
in a square pool and surrounded on all sides
by fountains and ponds. Next is Ta Som and
its famous strangler fig tree smothering the
eastern gate. We wind up at Pre Rup, built
in the 10th Century by Rajendravarman.
DAY 8: Siem Reap and Angkor
 Breakfast at your hotel. We rise early
today to catch the sunrise over the mother
of all temples, the world’s largest
religious building, Angkor Wat. We return to
the hotel for breakfast and later in the
morning explore Angkor Wat in more detail to
view its architecture and bas reliefs. In
the afternoon, we visit the sites of Angkor
Thom. This Royal city was first built under
the reign of Udayadityavarman II in the 11th
Century. We continue to visit the South
Gate, flanked by demons and gods engaged in
a tug of war to obtain the elixir of
immortality and the Bayon, a temple mountain
built by Jayavarman VII. We also visit other
important sites in this immense walled city,
including the pyramid of Baphuon, Phimean
Akas, and the royal viewing stands known as
the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace
of the Leper King. Accommodation at your
hotel.
DAY 9: Siem Reap and Angkor
Breakfast at your hotel. This morning,
we head north to visit the elegant temple of
Banteay Srei built by a Brahman in the 10th
Century, this temple was dedicated to Shiva.
The famous pink sandstone structure bears a
series of beautiful sculptures, lintels,
pediments and friezes. Continue to Kbal
Spean, commonly known as the River of a
Thousand Lingers, this is an area of
riverbed carvings and lush jungle. There are
several carvings of Hindu deities in the
sandstone here, as well as thousands of
lingers in the riverbed itself.
Accommodation at your hotel.
DAY 10: Siem Reap Departure
Breakfast at hotel. In the morning, we
head to Phnom Krom to visit typical floating
villages and view Tonle Sap Lake. Then
return to town for own shopping before
heading to the airport. |
