Best Of Cambodia 8 Days

Sous sa rye! Welcome to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Your private guide and driver will be waiting for you at Phnom Penh Airport with a sign board your name and will transport you directly to your hotel.

You will have time to rest and acclimate to the pace of Phnom Penh, the bright and bustling capital of Cambodia, after checking in.

This evening there will be a quick tour orientation followed by a welcome meal at Friends Restaurant in Romdeng. It is a social enterprise restaurant that provides vocational training and other help to disadvantaged youngsters. Situated in a lovely colonial building surrounded by a verdant garden and swimming pool, Romdeng is the perfect place to unwind - a truly Cambodian food experience.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Meals included: Dinner.

Morning

After breakfast, the tour guide picks you up with a Cyclo, a three-wheeled bicycle taxi, to see the most interesting places in Phnom Penh. The Cyclo is a Phnom Penh original transport and a fun way to see this busy city.

Start by going to the Royal Palace Compound, which was built in 1866 by the kings who came before King Norodom. It is the most famous part of the city and one of the most beautiful and colorful Khmer-style palaces. The Silver Pagoda also called "The Emerald Buddha Temple" is close to the Royal Palace. It has a lot of Buddha statues made of diamond, emerald, gold, and silver.

Next, go see the Independence Monument, which was built in 1954 after Cambodians took their country back from the French. Continue to visit the National Museum. It was built in 1917 and is a beautiful red building with Khmer architecture. It has more than 5,000 works of art made of sandstone, bronze, silver, copper, wood, and other materials. Pass through the River Front Park, which has a lot of beautiful scenery.

Lunch will be served at the restaurant.

Afternoon

Visit the infamous Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (also called Prison S21) and listen to English commentary on the way there to learn about Cambodia's recent dark history. The prison is made up of four buildings with exhibits in many of the rooms. Almost everyone you meet during your visit will have lost a family member during these years, but they are all willing to talk openly with you about it. So that it doesn't happen again, they want you to know about it and see the places where it happened.

After spending an hour and 15 minutes at the museum, drive 40 minutes to the Killing Fields and watch a film about the Khmer Rouge regime. More than two million people died because of what Pol Pot and his government did. The site will be open for about an hour and 15 minutes. Along with a map of the fields, you can get an audio guide in 15 different languages.

Keep going to the interesting local market, where you'll have plenty of chances to buy some souvenirs. You can end your day trip at Wat Phnom, the oldest building in Phnom Penh. It is on a small hilltop that is the highest point in the city. Come back to the hotel.

Evening

After meeting your food expert guide, you will once again ride through the streets of Phnom Penh in a tuk-tuk and observe the well-known landmarks of the city while it is nighttime. Amp up the excitement of the trip by providing unlimited beer and other refreshments for passengers to enjoy as they travel from one location to another.

First, you will stuff your face with the city's greatest noodles, then you will savor the decadent flavor of roasted chicken and ribs, and last, you will roll your own lettuce and rice noodle wraps on your own. Visit Cambodian eateries that are managed by families and serve traditional Khmer cuisine to further your exploration of the flavors of Cambodian cuisine.

Visit a local rooftop bar and drink on some tasty craft beer or cocktails while taking in the breathtaking views of the city below. Have a seat among the natives and observe how they socialize with their families and friends in the evenings.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and Street Food Tour

Morning

After breakfast, you will leave Phnom Penh and journey to Oudong, the former capital of Cambodia, along some of the country's most beautiful backroads. Stop for a little while en route to pay a visit to a neighborhood household that makes palm sugar in their home. After that, make your way to the peak of Oudong hill, which is dotted with stupas, and then have an early lunch in one of the picnic shelters that are located at the base of the mountain.

Afternoon

You will be driven directly to your hotel in Battambang so that you can check in after continuing your road trip to Battambang.

Transfer to see Phare Ponleu Selpak, a School of Music, Visual, and Performing Arts, in the late afternoon. Phare Ponleu Selpak mixes the arts in order to provide education, assistance, and enjoyment to economically disadvantaged communities. This project is a triumphant example of how life-affirming, real warmth, and inventiveness can emerge from seemingly hopeless situations through the provision of humanitarian assistance. A trip to one of their circus shows will indelibly imprint on your mind the warm hospitality of the Cambodian people and is an experience that should not be missed if you find yourself in Battambang.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.

Morning.

Finish your breakfast, we are going to have a tour of the city to see all of the France colonial structures that are located in Battambang. We are also going to travel to the local market, Psar Nath, as well as the emblem of Battambang.

After that, we go to a historic Buddhist temple called Wat Samrong Knong. This temple was constructed more than 300 years ago and was still in use during the Pol Pot period. After that, we are going to take some time to explore the surrounding countryside and its quaint little towns. Get more about the different ways people make a living in the area around those small communities. While you go, you should stop to try some native cuisine like bamboo sticky rice, rice paper, and dried bananas.

The temple of Ek Phnom is the next location. It was established at the beginning of the 11th century, making it older than Angkor Wat, and you can find the large Buddha statue nearby the destroyed temple. This is one of the oldest ruined temples in Battambang, and it is located in the city. Along the journey, you might catch a glimpse of the local way of life or come across some children who are beaming with happiness and eager to say hello to you. Make a pit stop at the Golden Gate Bridge which is located next to the Kampong Pil pagoda. Here, you will have the opportunity to take some stunning photographs while standing on the bridge. Following that, we will continue our trip aboard the bamboo train to explore the surrounding area and its many quaint villages. The bamboo train travels over a single track and is comprised of a bamboo platform that is laid over two sets of wheels. In the past, this method of transporting goods was utilized to convey goods between Battambang and Phnom Penh. Moreover, this was a typical mode of transportation for farmers and villages.

Have lunch at the local restaurant.

Afternoon.

Next, have a look at the Banan temple, which is a mountain temple that is characterized by its elevated position and winding staircases. At the peak, there are breathtaking vistas of the Sangker River running through sugar palm trees, rice farms, and small villages. When you look to the south, you will see a mountain range that includes a mountain that is formed like a crocodile. The appearance of the temple is stunning both when viewed from the bottom and when viewed from the top.

We will visit a cave on Phnom Sampeu Hill to witness the incredible sight of millions of bats flying toward Tonle Sap Lake in search of food before we take you back to the hotel.

Overnight in Battambang

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.

Morning

Say your goodbyes to Battambang and continue your journey 2.5 hours farther to the northwest of the province of Banteay Meanchey, which sees very few tourists. The ancient temple of Banteay Chhmar, commonly known as the "Fortress of the Cat," can be found in this province, which also bears its namesake. The isolation of this massive temple means that it is not frequently frequented by tourists; as a result, it offers a welcome respite from the throngs of people at Angkor Wat. Archaeologists have been unable to fully grasp the temple and its purpose due to the extensive looting that has taken place there. This has forced them to rely on the supposition to explain the temple's function. A low-key community tourism project has just been developed in the town in order to assist the less fortunate people in the village who are responsible for the upkeep of the temple in their efforts to increase their incomes.

When you arrive, members of the community will greet you and accompany you on a tour of the temple while providing an explanation of the building's background.

Afternoon

Upon arrival in Siem Reap, you will be transferred to your hotel. Following a brief period of rest, you should get up and go to the remarkable Angkor National Museum. Before continuing on to the temples, the visit is a great opportunity to get acquainted with some of Angkor's most famous attractions. The museum houses artifacts, literature, and audiovisual presentations that pertain to the time period of the Angkorian empire. The museum's collection may be quite extensive. If you have even a little understanding of the history and significance of the architecture, your experience of touring the temples will be significantly enhanced and more interesting as a result.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Meals included: Breakfast.

Morning

Escape the throng by beginning your day with a visit to the 13th-century Ta Prohm, a hauntingly magnificent temple where the roots of enormous banyans and strangler figs entwine most of the stonework, producing images that have changed little since Henri Mouhot unearthed Angkor in 1863. This temple makes the "Tomb Raider Temple" one of the most iconic and spectacular Angkorian structures.

Angkor Thom was the historic capital of the Great Khmer Empire, which once governed a significant area of Southeast Asia. This city is surrounded by an 8-meter-tall, square-shaped wall. You will enter the city through the ancient South Gate, a massive stone structure adorned with four enormous faces and elephants. The sacred Naga serpent is held by a row of 54 gods or demons on each side of the entrance.

Return to the hotel to take a respite from the midday heat.

Afternoon

You visit the late-12th-century Buddhist monastery Banteay Kdei ("Citadel of Chambers") and Sra Srang, also known as the "pool of ablutions,”. The Bayon Temple is situated at the exact geographic center of the ancient city. This magnificent work of art from the 12th century is renowned for its 54 towers with mysterious faces, which represent the 54 provinces of the Ancient Khmer Empire.

Both the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King are renowned for their superb bas-reliefs, so you will view them as well. On your tour through the grounds of the historic Imperial Palace, you will discover a variety of secret temples that are rarely visited.

End your travel day with a leisurely gondola ride across the moats of Angkor Thom. Picture the regal city when it governed over two million people in blissful seclusion about 800 years ago. As the sun approaches the horizon, make your way to Prasat Chrung, a small temple built in the style of Bayon, and climb an iron staircase to a quiet spot for breathtaking sunset views over the ruins.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch.

Morning

Today, we will visit one of the most remote and non-touristy floating communities in Cambodia, offering us a glimpse into the way of life of local fishermen on Lake Tonle Sap.

We travel to the village of Dom Dek in the morning. If time permits, we stop at the vibrant and genuine local market.

We take a detour to explore the bizarre ambiance of Kompong Kleang village: a long dirt walk flanked with houses constructed on stilts up to 10 meters high to withstand the rainy season's flooding. Discover the villager's daily existence. As was formerly the case, the villagers here make their living through fishing.

Afterward, aboard a private, traditional wooden boat, we travel along the canal into Tonle Sap Lake. The floating town is a vast community that has lived and worked on the river for ages. In addition to residences, the hamlet contains schools, shops, workshops, and floating restaurants.

Afternoon

We travel to the Beang Melea temple, one of the last Hindu sanctuaries constructed before the spread of Buddhism. While no major conservation or restoration work has been conducted, this is one of the most fascinating places to visit. In addition, this location is surrounded by the jungle.

Overnight at Siem Reap.

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.

Start your day with a tasty breakfast at your hotel.

Free time to do some shopping and explore around before departing to the airport.

And this is how the tour ends!

The tour may be over, but the memories you have collected during these last 8 days will stay in your mind for the rest of your life. This is what we want to offer you: a tour that brings you memories that last a lifetime and make you smile each time you think of them!