Highlights of Cambodia 10 days

Make the most of your first full day in the country and view some of the city’s most fascinating sites.

• Enter a world of visual wonder, starting with the National Museum of Fine Arts’ sculpture collection, before heading to the resplendent Royal Palace, admiring its striking Khmer architecture. Then, take a moment to survey the serene Silver Pagoda and its magnificent Emerald Buddha.
• Next, meander through the Central Market, famous for its Art Deco architecture. Later, explore Wat Phnom, the oldest temple in the city, and see the statue of Madam Penh, the capital’s namesake.

Overnight in Phnom Penh
Highlight experience: Central market discovery

Take a journey to discover places enriched by folklore and gorgeous scenery, the focal points for our stops will be outstanding architectural landmarks.

• The Phnom Srei shrine (dedicated to Nandin, Shiva’s sacred bull), which offers stunning views of the surrounding area.
• The Phnom Pros, which is a great spot to enjoy a drink and observe monkeys overhead.
• Variety of terrain during our morning tour including; rice fields, forests of rubber trees, and sugar palm
• also find many vendors selling one of Cambodia’s more exotic culinary delights: roasted spiders. Tasting a little like chicken, the spiders are hunted in the hills, and make for an intriguing dining experience.’
• Kompong Cham is the colonial architecture often referred to as the gateway to north-east Cambodia.
• The Chup rubber plantation to watch the process from latex to the finished articles.

Once we’re finished at the rubber plantation, we head to Kratie.
Overnight in Kratie.
Highlight experience: Taste roasted spiders

Explore a lively riverside town, set on the banks of the Mekong River close to the border with Vietnam.

• Visit the 19th century Vihear Kork pagoda, and Wat Phnom Sambok, which is complete with a Buddhist monastery. The view from Wat Phnom Sambok is absolutely breathtaking.
• Continue to Prek Kampi on the Mekong River to get the best chance of seeing the rare and protected freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins! Then navigate the Mekong in a small boat, enter the mangroves and also have the chance to catch sight of the rare Mekong mud turtle, and with any luck, you may even see both!

Overnight in Kratie.
Highlight experience: Seeing freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River

Leave Kratie for Kampong Thom via Chhlong to visit:

• Wat Nokor, a colourful pre-Angkorian Buddhist temple, then the nearby village and monastery
• An 11th-century temple in the village of Phum Prasat
• Pre-Angkorian tower inside the enclosure
• Cross many varied landscapes including rice fields, forests of rubber trees, and sugar palms

Overnight Kompong Thom
Highlight experience: Taste roasted spiders from the vendor’s stores

Begin the journey to Siem Reap, the home of the famous Temples of Angkor, built over 1000yrs ago, and so important to the people that Angkor Wat appears on their flag. These mystical temples are a must see for visitors of Cambodia.

• Enroute, visit the traditional village which specialises in the production of palm sugar and rice cultivation and the ancient Angkorian Naga Bridge, which is elaborately carved
• In the afternoon we visit the Rolous group of temples, situated 13 km east of Siem Reap, as these are the earliest permanent temples built by the Khmers, and mark the dawn of Khmer classical art. The group represents the remains of Rolous Hariharalaya, the first major capital in the Angkor region.

Choose between two forms of entertainment this evening: either a traditional Khmer Apsara dance show with dinner or a leather puppet show, which was popular in villages before the time of the Khmer Rouge regime.
Overnight in Siem Reap
Highlight experience: Visit the Roluos complex

An early start as we head to the hill of Phnom Bakheng to see the sunrise. Later, arriving in Angkor Wat, you’ll rove among the ruins of the world’s most famous Hindu temple complex.

• Visit the three-tiered Baphuon (a temple in honour of another Hindu deity, Shiva) with its spectacular layered structure.
• See the Terrace of the Leper King with its beautiful carvings of gods, nagas, and dancers.
• Marvel at the Royal Enclosure and its small temple, Phimeanakas. These ruins are particularly significant as they date from the 10th century
• Attend either an outstanding Apsara dance show or an old-style leather puppet show

Overnight in Siem Reap
Highlight experience: Traditional Cambodian dance parformances and leather puppet shows

Drive 80km through spectacular Cambodian countryside and get off-the-beaten-track.

• Stumble across Kor Ker, the brief 10th century capital of the Khmer empire.
• Explore the beautiful temple of Beng Mealea, built in the 12th century, and recently freed from jungle foliage.
• Stroll through the forest to Kbal Spean, with its “river of a thousand Lingas”, a Hindu holy place.
• We’ll watch the explosion of colours as the sunsets behind the mountain temple of Pre Rup, dedicated to Shiva.

Overnight in Siem Reap
Highlight experience: Watching sunset on the mountain temple of Pre Rup

Find yourself surrounded by a completely aquatic landscape, see how everyday life is transformed by its proximity to, and dependence on water.

• Cruise past floating villages and note the bamboo houses on stilts, specially designed to avoid flooding.
• Try your hand at fishing using local techniques!
• Witness the production of fine Cambodian silk, from silkworm to finished product!
• Learn about traditional Khmer handicrafts at Chantiers Ecoles, a vocational training centre for young people.

Free time until your transfer to the airport for your departure flight