Absolute Cambodia 17 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. Take a moment to survey the serene Silver Pagoda and its magnificent Emerald Buddha.
• Wander through the Central Market, famous for its Art Deco architecture. 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: Admire Khmer architectural beauty in the ancient Royal Palace

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

• Visit Phnom Srei shrine (dedicated to Nandin, Shiva’s sacred bull), which offers stunning views of the surrounding area
• Discover Phnom Pros – a great spot to enjoy a drink and observe monkeys overhead
• Course through a variety of terrain during morning tour including rice fields, forests of rubber trees, and sugar palm
• Find many vendors selling Cambodia’s exotic culinary delights: roasted spiders. Have an intriguing dining experience by tasting spiders, which are hunted in the hills
• Explore Kompong Cham – the colonial architecture often referred to as the gateway to north-east Cambodia
• Visit Chup rubber plantation to watch the process from latex to the finished articles

Overnight in Kratie.
Highlight experience: Taste exotic Cambodian food like spiders

• 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!

Highlight experience: Seeing freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River

• Journey to Sen Monorom, the provincial capital of Modulkiri Province. This charming district is sparsely populated, and few tourists venture here. Yet, it is spectacular and is also the place to meet ethnic minority groups. The roads leading here are quite rough but well worth the effort as it is truly another world, culturally and climatically, compared to other parts of the country.
• Encounter the ethnic Pnong people who live in the forests and dense vegetation of this mountainous area. In the afternoon we will approach the Monorom Waterfalls, and swim in a serene natural setting.

Overnight in Sen Monorom
Highlight experience: Taking a swim in freshwater and natural sceneries in Monorom Waterfalls
 

• Join an excursion to Bousra – the most impressive waterfall in Cambodia. Indulge in the beautiful natural environment setting of Modulkiri
• Visit the village of Bousra which was inhabited by the Phnong ethnic group
• Elephant riding for about 3 hours

Overnight in Sen Monorom
Highlight experience: Visiting the local Phnong ethnic tribe and get to know their culture

Road trip to Kampong Thom

• Visit Wat Kohar Nokor, a Pre-Angkorian Buddhist Sanctuary. Discover nearby neighbouring villages.
• Explore the 11th-Century temple Phum Prasat in the village. Admire its beautiful and colourful Pre-Angkorian architecture!
• Cross over breath-taking rice paddies, sugar palm fields and visit the rubber plantations
• Have a taste of local exotic food: huge roasted spiders offered by roadside vendors

Arrival at Kompong Thom

• Discover Sambor Prei Kuk temples on Chenla – the ancient capital in the early 7th century
• This ancient ensemble was built by king Ishanavaman during the 7th-8th century

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 1000 years ago, and so crucial to the people that Angkor Watt 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, visit the Roluos 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 will 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.
• Watch the explosion of colours as the sun sets 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

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

• Visit Banteay Srei – “the citadel of women” – a well-preserved small temple carved of pink sandstone. It is decorated with rare finesse and graceful motifs demonstrating Hindu mythology
• Explore Banteay Samre, a 12th-century flat temple dedicated to the gods Vishnu and Shiva, with beautiful decorations of nagas, lions and other mythical creatures

Overnight in Siem Reap
Highlight experience: Excursion on the “Pink Temple”

Depart for Tonle Sap Lake, discover fishing villages, and embark on a traditional boat to cruise to Battambang, then reach Sangker:

• Discover Biosphere Prek Toal, which houses a nature reserve for migratory birds. Witness the many houses on stilts and floating villages, where people still practice traditional fishing techniques. Houseboats or building houses on stilts keep these dwellings safe during the rainy season
• Visit Ek Phnom Wat, an 11th century, partly ruined temple
• Stop for the local market, Prahoc which is a paste fermented from fish and used extensively in Khmer recipes

Overnight in Battambang
Highlight experience: Explore all kinds of birds in the Biosphere Prek Toal natural preservation centre

Visit the rice fields in Kompong Chhnang

• Stop at Pursat – the city famous for its marble sculptures
• Have a boat trip in the floating village of Kompong Luong – inhabited by Vietnamese people
• Stop at the pottery village, nicknamed “The port of pottery” located between Tonle Sap Lake and Tonle Sap River
• Visit the abandoned royal city of Oudong

Overnight in Phnom Penh
Highlight experience: Discover “The port of pottery” village

Visit Battambang – a small colourful village full of Khmer charms, with local markets and authentic craftmanship:

• Go to Phnom Banon Hill, an ancient sanctuary discovered in the 12-13th century
• Take a tour on the provincial museum
• Stroll downtown and discover Chinatown’s colonial architecture and colourful temples
• Venture to the pagoda of Wat Slaket – former residence of the Buddhist patriarch and you might get a chance to meet the monks here
• Visit the Temple of Wat Ek Phnom – discover the local markets with many special ingredients used in Khmer culinary recipes

Overnight in Phnom Penh
Highlight experience: Exploring Cambodia’s Chinatown

Depart for Kep and en route visit

• Kampong Trach to see the concealed limestone caves such as Ang Ang Viel and Thmar Dos caves and their natural wells
• Encounter functioning pepper plantations, partially hidden amongst the scenery in Kampot
• Observe preserved colonial French architecture, a reminder of bygone days.

Continue onto the town of Kep
Overnight in Kep
Highlight experience: Learn about pepper plantation system in Cambodia

• Travel from Kep to Sihanoukville to enjoy Sihanoukville famous beaches, complete with fine sand and crystalline waters
• Swim, snorkel, or just lie back and sunbathe under the shade of tropical palm trees

Overnight in Sihanoukville
Highlight experience: Swim in pristine aquamarine coloured water and enjoy yourself at the beach of Sihanoukville

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