Best of Cambodia Culture & Nature Adventure

ជំរាបសួរ chôm rab suôr！Welcome to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Upon arrival in Phnom Penh, you will be greeted at the airport and transferred to your hotel for check-in. Rest of the day at your leisure.

Today a fullday city tour introduces you to the sights of Phnom Penh, a city that lies near the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers.It remains a living relic of the country’s past struggles and successes.You will be transferred to Royal Palace, and visit the Silver Pagoda, National Museum and Wat Phnom. Have lunch at local restaurant before a visit to Tuol Sleng Prison Museum，a former school that served as a Khmer Rouge torture centre, and it’s estimated that more than 20,000 people were held and tortured here.The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek which tells the story of the tragic legacy of the Khmer Rouge.The Choeung Ek Memorial，home to stupa made up of some 8,000 human skulls, marking the site of the infamous Killing Fields.This was the execution ground for the torture victims of Tuol Sleng, and standing in this peaceful setting it's almost unthinkable to imagine that to date nearly 9,000 corpses have been exhumed from the area.

This morning you will leave Phnom Penh and head south to visit Tonle Bati where you can explore the small yet picturesque Angkorian temple of Ta Prohm. On the banks of the nearby river are a line of bamboo shacks with hammocks, a great place for a relaxing drink. We will get on our car to the quiet town of Takeo before taking a short boat trip to Angkor Borei Town, located just a few kilometer navigation from the Vietnam border. There is a small museum which displays several reproductions of sculptures from the nearby ruins and few artifacts dating as far back as the 4th century. After this, we continue our boat trip to visit a pre-Angkorian style temple of Phnom Da and a nearby temple of Asram Maharosei. The steepy path over some big rocks makes Asram Maharosei different from other temples in Cambodia, definitely a piece of unusual memory for your Cambodia tours. You then continue southwards following the picturesque drive to Kampot. The southern coast of Cambodia, edging the border with Vietnam, once served as a glamorous seaside resort for the French in the early 1900s. Check in upon arrival and free exploration afterwards. 

This morning, your tour guide will transfer you to visit Caves of Kampong Trach, Kampong Trach town is small and relatively uninteresting. The area's main attraction is a series of limestone caves and tubes that have been carved.into a nearby mountain. The roof of a large cave in the center of a mountain has collapsed, making a small, enclosed jungle. Pagodas and shrines have been built amongst the caves, providing for some excellent photo possibilities. Bring a flashlight and wear good walking shoes. 

Then back to Kep city and take a bout cruise 30mn to Rabbit Island, White sand beaches and coconut trees. Relatively clear water. Snorkel around the rocks. No coral but lots of fish.

Enjoy your swimming and BBQ Lunch on Island.In the late afternoon return back to Hotel.

Today you visit Bokor National Park where you will drive up the winding 35km road through lush jungle scenery to the cooler summit hill station. The Bokor Hill Station was originally developed as a playground for the colonial and Khmer elite in the early 20th century, it’s cooler climate and lush scenery provided a welcome relief from the lowland heat. However, as with much of Cambodia, Bokor’s fortunes changed with the rise of the Khmer Rouge, the area saw heavy fighting and today many of the buildings are pock-marked and shattered from heavy machine gun and rocket fire. The ghostly remains have a unique ambiance and can be especially eerie when the clouds descend and the fog drifts in and out. On the way back to Kampot you will call in to a durian plantation (the smelly spiky fruit this area is renown for).

We then travel by roads along the southern coast towards Sihanouk Ville, which has long been a place of relaxation for Cambodians. Overnight in Sihanouk Ville.

Today your guide will escort you to Sihanouk Ville airport for your domestic flight to Siem Reap.Welcome to Siem Reap, your private guide will meet with you at airport and take you to hotel for check in. In your free time in the afternoon, strolling the streets of Siem Reap and explore the city.

After breakfast you will start to visit Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire, was a fortified city enclosing residence of priest, officials of the palace and military, as well as buildings for administering the ancient kingdom.  Next, we travel to visit Bayon temple located at the centre of Angkor Thom City. It is known for the 216 giant mysterious faces carve on the 54 towers, each posing a differing mysterious smile, keeping watch of each compass point. On the walls of the galleries are many bas-reliefs depicting scenes of everyday life, great battles and military processions during Angkor period and Phimean Akas, Elephant and Leper King Terraces.

In the afternoon, we continue to visit Taprohm and Angkor Wat. Unlike most of the temples of Angkor, Ta Prohm has been largely left to the clutches of the living jungle. It shows the dynamic interaction between nature and man-made art. Whereas, the legendary Angkor Wat is visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking. It is the world largest religious monument and a masterpiece that showcases the pinnacle of Khmer Art. Its beauty and state of preservation, is unrivaled; its artistic distinctiveness as fine as that of the Taj Mahal. It is a massive three-tiered pyramid crowned by five lotus-like towers rising 65 meters from ground level. Angkor Wat is the centerpiece of any visit to the temples of Angkor. 

On this day , You will leave from Siem Reap to reach Battambang by driving (about 3-4 hrs). On the way, you can stop to take photos or relax a moment to see the view there. Upon arrival, check in to hotel and have some leisure time.

Today explore the charming city of Battambang where you can watch the elegant houses in the French-colonial style along the river. Visit the Provincial Museum and the pagoda before heading to temple of Wat Ek Phnom built in the 11th century.

Afternoon drive (about 1 hr) to the hill of Phnom Bannon and climb to the mountain top to see the temple of Prasat Bannon built in 7th century. Later it’s a bamboo train ride passing by rice paddies and stunning scenery, followed by a visit to a local village to discover rural life and a workshop to see wooden sculptures. 

After breakfast and check out from hotel, your private driver will wait for you and take you to Siem Reap international airport for your international flight home or to your next destination.