Cambodia Unveiled

We plan an early rise to make the most of our day, filled with visits and insights into the Angkor heritage. The program can however adapt to your pace so feel free to tell your guide if you would prefer to slow down or fasten the tempo.

We propose to travel around the complex on a local tuk-tuk. It is fun and definitely something to experience while in Siem Reap. The exploration program of today is planned to start with Angkor Wat, easily the most famous and best-preserved of all temples within the Angkor complex.

Next can be Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. This masterpiece of grandeur features the Bayon Temple, the Baphuon, the royal enclosure, and the Terraces of the Elephants and of the Leper King.

We suggest to end with Ta Prohm Temple because, unlike most of other Angkor temples, it has been left just as it was when rediscovered: a photogenic and atmospheric maze of trees growing out of temple ruins amidst jungle surroundings. We want to be able to take our time here.

Afterwards, we take you back to the hotel, where you can enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

After breakfast, we depart by bicycle to a little rural village near Siem Reap. We will meet a friendly family of farmers and go with them to plant some trees. A meaningful activity that also allows us to step out of the temples for a while and live a direct interaction with the people around Angkor. Offset some carbon and take part in a larger scale reforestation program.

We then continue for another few kilometers and are welcomed at Bong Thom, a community-based tourism project aimed at empowering local people through travel and hospitality activities. We meet the community, visit their fields and learn more about the local crops and daily life. We had lunch there, a true Khmer traditional feast, before we return to Siem Reap.

In the afternoon, we drive South to the mighty Tonle Sap lake and the lesser visited Kampong Khleang village. An impressive number of homes perched on stilts reaching up to 10 meters high. In the high waters season, the houses seem like they are floating on the water; while during the low waters season all the stilts are visible and give a very different outlook to the whole place.

We return to the hotel in the late afternoon, evening at leisure.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch

Today we travel from Siem Reap to Battambang province and its capital city of the same name. Battambang is the first and richest agricultural producer of the country and a major commercial hub located between Phnom Penh and Thailand. We depart Siem Reap at 9.00 on a 3-hour drive to Battambang city. Upon arrival, we take a gentle walk along the narrow streets of its colonial district spanning along the Sangker River. The opportunity to see some of the best-preserved colonial architecture in the whole country and to find a cosy place for lunch (lunch is not included, the guide will point out several options for you to choose from). After lunch, we transfer to the hotel to check in and take some time to refresh. At 15.00 we go visit the Phare Campus. Phare Ponleu Selpak – in Khmer, The Brightness of the Arts – is the largest Cambodian non-profit arts school, offering support to children, youth and the surrounding communities through artistic, educational, social and community outreach and engagement programmes. We will take a guided tour of the campus and let you experience the vibrant energy of Phare firsthand, watching students learning or practicing the various disciplines taught on site. We return to the hotel in the late afternoon. The evening is at leisure.

Note: If we are on a Saturday or a Sunday, the campus is closed and our visit will be postponed to the morning we leave Battambang to Phnom Penh - in that case we would take you to visit Romcheik Art Space in the afternoon for a glimpse at Som contemporary art in Cambodia. 

Meal Plan: Breakfast

Today we are going to explore Battambang and its surroundings. Get set for a whole day of mixing the city’s essentials with some less travelled trails of the countryside. We start from the hotel at 9.00am and go to the central market. Battambang is the second biggest city in the country and the richest in terms of agriculture. The market offers a large and impressive display of fresh products. We will buy some seasonal fruit and head off to our next destination. Welcome to an old wooden house built at the beginning of the 20th Century. Here we are met by the owner who will take us around. We then sit to have a cup tea and a feast on the fruits we bought at the market. Next we hop into a car and transfer to Wat Banan, a pre-Angkorian temple featuring about 300-stairs to its top, where you can enjoy great views over the surrounding countryside. We head back down to have lunch and recharge the batteries for our upcoming bicycle ride on the back roads of the region. We cycle on earthen paths, through villages and rice fields, for about 15-kilometres. Our ride ends at the old railway, where our bamboo platform awaits. We hop on and end our day with the iconic bamboo train ride, traveling about 7 kilometers before reaching the town again. We return to the hotel to end the day at your own leisure.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch

Our city tour starts with a scale up the steps of a small hill to see Wat Phnom Temple, the birthplace of Phnom Penh. Then head to the famous Royal Palace which was built in 1866 under the French protectorate and King Norodom and the Silver Pagoda. Continuing to the National Museum, a treasure chest of Angkorian and pre-Angkorian artifacts.

Afternoon visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high school which was used as the Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime from its rise to power in 1975 to its fall in 1979. Spend the rest of the afternoon shopping at the Russian Market (Psah Toul Tom Poung).

Meal Plan: Breakfast

After breakfast, we drive about an hour to the Northwest of Phnom Penh and the ancient capital of Oudong. Temples, stupas and other structures are spread over three hills. We climb a stairway to the top of Phnom Preah Reach Troup, catch your breath and be rewarded with beautiful panoramic views over the surrounding countryside. The guide will tell us more about the glorious past of Oudong before we walk down back to our vehicle. We return to Phnom Penh stop enroute to visit Silversmith Village famous for its handcrafted products of pure silver with items such as elephant miniatures, embellished boxes, and other kinds of embossed work or on request. Lunch at local restaurant and end of the day at leisure.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch

This morning, we head to the heart of the wild Cardamom Mountains. It is an approximate 2.5-hour drive to the North and the lands of the Trapeang Rung’s community. Freshen up at the lounge before embarking for the hour’s trip over the Preak Tachan River to the hidden Cardamom Tented Camp. Make yourself comfortable in your private safari-style tent. The remaining time of the day, you may follow the guide on an exploratory hike in the jungle around the camp. The diversity of the fauna will amaze you.

Later on, chill at the riverside restaurant as the sun sets over Botum Sakor. Dinner and overnight at Cardamom Tented Camp.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Dinner

After an early breakfast, Wildlife Alliance Rangers will meet us and together with an English-speaking guide embark on patrol over a network of abandoned poaching and logging trails through the dense forest. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife, like Macaque, Gibbon or Hornbill. The half day trip will stop by the Ranger Station, where confiscated snares, traps and improvised hunting rifles are on display. After having lunch at the station, use one of the kayaks, or hike back to the camp.

Dinner and overnight at Cardamom Tented Camp.

Meal Plan: Breakfast lunch and Dinner

At about 10am, we embark on the boat to return to Trapeang Rung where our vehicle awaits. We drive further North to the doorsteps of Peam Krasaop wildlife sanctuary and the Koh Kong conservation corridor. Our journey takes us from one exceptional place to another while we reach the beautiful Koh Andet ecoresort. Welcome to paradise, a set of 12 wooden villas with their private terrace floating on the Tatai River at the edge of Koh Andet islet.

Check in your private villa and make yourself comfortable. End of the day at leisure.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

Full day at leisure to soak up this exceptional natural environment. Choose one of the optional excursions at the resort to explore the surroundings or just grab a book, a drink, and relax by the pool of the resort.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

After breakfast, we will drive you to Phnom Penh Airport for your departure flight. We hope you have a good flight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast