AUTHENTIC CAMBODIA

Day 1 : Phnom Penh - Arrival 

Upon arrival at Phnom Penh Airport we are met by our guide to transfer to our hotel where the official check-in time is 2 pm. Lunch and dinner are at your leisure. 

Overnight in Phnom Penh. 
 
Day 2 : Phnom Penh (B / L / -)

Spend the day discovering Phnom Penh’s top attractions. After breakfast, we embark on a cyclo tour of the bustling capital. The three-wheel bicycle rickshaw has been used to transport people and goods since French colonial times. Tour highlights include the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, National Museum and Wat Phnom, an ancient hilltop temple and compact park that marks the official centre of the city.

If time permits, we will learn about traditional arts at Champey Academy of Arts before lunch. We then take a sobering trip to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Also known as S-21, it served as a prisoner camp during the Khmer Rouge regime. Our final stop is Russian Market, where we can put our haggling skills to the test and barter for souvenirs.

Dinner is at our leisure. 

Overnight in Phnom Penh. 

Please note: Visitors to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda are required to keep their knees and shoulders covered. Guests must sign a disclaimer form before the cyclo tour. 

Day 3 : Phnom Penh – Kratie (B / L / -)

Steer off Cambodia’s well-trodden tourist track as we hit the road for either Kratie or remote Koh Trong island. En-route, we stop at Skun. Dubbed Spider Village, it is famed for its swathe of stalls selling deep-fried tarantulas. The surrounding jungle houses thousands of tarantulas that are caught in their burrows and turned into tasty treats. Another short stop is made at AMICA, a non-profit organisation that runs an eco-tourism village.

We then continue to Kratie, where we check-in at our hotel or catch a ferry to sleepy Koh Trong. The island is famed for its grapefruit and is a self-sustaining community that produces a variety of fruits and agricultural products, such as rice, soy beans, milk fruit and coconuts, to sell in Kratie town. Please note: On Koh Trong, rooms are fan-only, with no television and minibar. Ferries run from 6.30 am to 8 pm. Guests should prepare a small overnight bag in case luggage is kept in the transport.

Overnight on Koh Trong. 

Day 4 : Kratie – Kampong Thom (B / L / -)

Employ pedal power and experience local life on Koh Trong island. After breakfast, we board our bikes and set off on a morning cycle across the island. We cycle along narrow roads that pass stilted wooden homes and farmland dotted with grazing buffalo. Along the way, we visit Wat Ty Pram Kbal to take part in the pagoda’s tree-planting rehabilitation project by planting our own tree accompanied with a named plaque.

We then enjoy lunch at a homestay or Koh Trong community restaurant before catching a ferry, or the resort’s boat if staying on the island, to Kratie town. Here, we visit 19th century Wat Rokakandal, Cambodia’s oldest preserved pagoda. The interior decorations echo those of pagodas in Luang Prabang but the roof conforms to classic Khmer style. We then hit the road for Kampong Thom via Kampong Cham (219 km/ seven hours). Upon arrival, we check-in at the hotel with the evening at our leisure.

Overnight in Kampong Thom.  

Day 5 : Kampong Thom - Preah Vihear (B / L / -)

Spend the day exploring ancient temples that sit way off the tourist track as we head to Preah Vihear. After breakfast, we visit the pre-Angkorian Chenla capital of Sambor Prei Kuk. The sprawling site is home to more than 100 mainly temples dotted through the forest. We then continue to 12th century Preah Khan temple (95 km/ 2.5 hours), built by King Jayavarman VII to honour his father, Koh Ker’s Prasat Preah Stung (Prohm) temple and Boeng Sre, a picturesque lotus pond with Prasat Sre temple perched on its banks.

We then enjoy a picnic lunch close to the temple before visiting hilltop Mebon temple and driving on to Preah Vihear province (141 km – two to three hours) via Svay Paat village. Upon arrival, we check-in at the hotel, with the evening at our leisure to settle into our new surroundings.

Overnight in Preah Vihear.  

Day 6 : Preah Vihear - Siem Reap (B / L / -)

Explore the remote temples of Preah Vihear and Koh Ker as we drive to Siem Reap. After breakfast at hotel, we jump in a 4x4 for an exhilarating drive up Dangrek Mountains to visit Preah Vihear temple. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is a series of impressive structures built between the 9th and 12th century by several kings that run up the mountain slopes. Spectacular views can be enjoyed from its peak.

After lunch, we hit the road for Koh Ker (137 km/ three hours). Sitting as the capital of the Angkor Empire from 928 to 944, it comprises a series of temples and monuments dotted throughout 81 km-sq of jungle. Only a few temples are open to visitors, with Prasat Krahom and Prasat Thom being the most visited. We then continue to our final destination, Siem Reap (122 km/ three hours).

Overnight in Siem Reap 

Day 7 : Siem Reap (B / L / -)

Take a step back in time and delve into the jewel of Cambodia’s crown, the temples of Angkor Wat Archaeological Park, by tuk tuk. We start the day at the South Gate of Angkor Thom, the Khmer Empire’s last capital built in the late-12th century. Inside the city’s ancient walls, we visit Bayon to stand in the shadows of its hundreds of giant carved smiling faces; the Royal Enclosure; 10th century tiered Hindu temple, Phimeanakas; and Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.

After lunch, we head to the star of the show, incredible 12th century Angkor Wat. The architectural feat stood at the heart of the Khmer Empire. Dinner is at our leisure.

Please note: This site is closed on Buddhist religious days and four days a month, as per the lunar calendar. Visitors are required to keep their knees and shoulders covered at all sacred sites. 

Overnight in Siem Reap. 

Day 8 : Siem Reap (B / L / -)

Today’s temple-trekking trip delivers more off-the-beaten-track sacred spots and iconic Ta Prohm. After breakfast, we hit the road for Banteay Srei and Banteay Samre. Well-preserved 10th century Banteay Srei is famed for its pink sandstone walls adorned with apsara carvings. Banteay Samre is a 12th century Hindu temple built in the style of Angkor Wat.

On our way to lunch at Bong Thom Homestay, we stop at a village and, depending on the season, watch rice being planted and sugar palm being made. In the afternoon, we head to Neak Pean, Preah Khan, built by King Jayavarman VII to honour his father, and root-riddled Ta Prohm, made famous after featuring in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie. Our final stop of the day is to soak up a sublime sunset from Sra Srang. Dinner is at our leisure.

Overnight in Siem Reap. 

Day 9 : Siem Reap - Battambang (B / L / -)

Lap up lush landscapes as we hit the road for Battambang. After breakfast, we set off on our journey to the sleepy north-western city (180 km/ two to three hours by road), stopping for lunch at a local restaurant. Upon arrival in the city, we check-in at the hotel with the rest of the day at our leisure.

Overnight in Battambang. 

Day 10 : Battambang (B / L / -)

Live like a local with this immersion into Battambang life. After breakfast, we set off on a half-day local livelihood tour that takes us into the heart of rural Battambang. Also known as the rice bowl of Cambodia, the vast province comprises a patchwork of paddies and farmland dotted with small villages. We visit artisans and grassroots food producers, including sculptors, Khmer noodle and rice paper producers, and krolan (sticky rice stuffed in bamboo) makers.

After lunch, we head to Wat Kor village to meet the owners of a traditional Khmer house that dates back to the 1920s. Here, we find out how this stunning wooden stilted home survived the Khmer Rouge regime. We then learn about contemporary Khmer arts at Phare Ponleu Selpak, an organisation that teaches a variety of arts to underprivileged youth. Our artistic journey continues with a tour of an art gallery. After working up an appetite, the evening is spent feasting on street food during Battambang Foodie Tour.

Overnight in Battambang. 

Day 11 : Battambang -  Phnom Penh (B / L / -)

Leave behind laidback Battambang life as we head to the charismatic capital. After breakfast, we set off on our road trip to Phnom Penh (291 km/ eight to 10 hours including stops). The journey takes us through the provinces of Pusat, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu and Kandal. We will stop at Kampong Chhnang to learn about the traditional handmade pottery the province is famed for. During harvest season, we can see crops being harvested and sugar palm collected.

We then hit the road, stopping for lunch at a local restaurant. About 50 km before reaching Phnom Penh, we make another stop to visit Koh Chen, a small island on the Tonle Sap River. It is populated by talented artisans who specialise in silver and copper carving. We can watch them as they handcraft trays, ornaments, boxes and jewellery. Upon arrival in the capital, we check-in at the hotel with the evening at our leisure. 

Overnight in Phnom Penh. 

Day 12 : Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville – Koh Rong (B / - / -)

In the morning, we leave behind bustling city life and head for the coastal destination of Sihanoukville. We drive along roads that wind through seemingly endless stretches of paddies and farmland, small villages and vibrant market towns. We are then driven to the pier to board a shared speedboat for a 45-minute-plus cruise to Koh Rong.

After checking-in at the resort, we have the rest of the day free at leisure to start laidback island life, with two days ahead of us to kick back on the island’s powder white shores, explore its jungle interior, or hit the waters to explore other nearby islands. Lunch and dinner are at your leisure. Koh Rong is Cambodia’s largest island and it is blessed with a stunning range of blissful beaches and a rugged jungle interior. 

Please note: An evening transfer from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville is not recommended for safety reasons. The drive is without a guide.

Overnight in Koh Rong.

Day 13 - 14 : Koh Rong (B / - / -)

Unwind on the shore, go beach-hopping, or discover the vibrant underwater world with a free day to kick back on Koh Rong. Koh Rong remains relatively undeveloped, with a smattering of resorts, guesthouses and small communities speckled along its shores. Koh Touch is where the public ferry drops visitors, and this is home to a bustling stretch of lively guesthouses and bars that generally welcome the backpacker crew.

Those seeking a deserted island life can catch a boat to northern Lonely Beach, a 7 km stretch of powder white sands without the people. With delicious clear turquoise waters beckoning, a snorkelling session is a great way to dive into the underwater world, or explore the sea by kayak, or paddle-board. Cap off the day with sundowners watching a stunning sunset.

Lunch and dinner are at your leisure. 
Please note: There is no car or guide available today.

Overnight in Kong Rong.

Day 15 : Koh Rong – Sihanouk Ville – Phnom Penh  - Departure (B / - / -) 

We enjoy breakfast and may have free time to enjoy some last moments on the beach before we trade in lazy island life for the cosmopolitan capital. We will check-out and head to the pier to board a shared speedboat four a 45-minute-plus cruise back to the mainland.

We arrive at about 12.30 pm and will be met by our driver to hit the road for Phnom Penh on a 220 km, three-hour journey. Upon arrival in the capital, we check-in to our hotel, with the rest of the evening at leisure to relax, or enjoy the capital’s vibrant nightlife.  

Lunch and dinner is at leisure.
Please note: The drive is without a guide.

Note: The itinerary is subject to last-minute change and modification depending on local conditions. If this occurs, we will provide an alternative activity.

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