GENERAL INFORMATION
Duration: 8 Days/ 7 Nights
Start/ End: Phnom Penh / Siem Reap
Tour Route: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap
Tour Type: Explore & Experience
Tour Customizable: Definitely! (Tell us your specific requirements in the inquiry form)
Guides: Local Guide (English or other Languages upon your Request)
Transportation: Private first-class vehicles with air-condition
Accommodation: Upon Request
BRIEF ITINERARY
Day 01: Phnom Penh Arrival
Day 02: Phnom Penh – Exploration
Day 03: Phnom Penh – Exploration
Day 04: Siem Reap Departure
Day 05: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap By Private Car No Guide
Day 06: Siem Reap – Exploration
Day 07: Siem Reap – Exploration
Day 08: Siem Reap – Departure
FULL ITINERARY
Day 01 Phnom Penh Arrival
Welcome to Phnom Penh! Your tour begins with a warm welcome from our English-speaking guide at Phnom Penh International Airport. After collecting your luggage, you will be escorted to your hotel for check-in. Enjoy your overnight stay at your selected hotel in Phnom Penh.
Day 02 Phnom Penh – Exploration (B)
After breakfast, you will visit the impressive, colorful Khmer-style Royal Palace complex, built in 1866 by the predecessors of King Norodom. Nearby is the Silver Pagoda, also known as the Emerald Buddha temple, which contains numerous Buddha statues adorned with gold, diamonds, gemstones, and silver.
Next, we will stop at the Independence Monument and explore the National Museum, a beautiful Khmer architectural building housing more than 5000 art antiques made of bronze, wood, gold, silver, copper, sandstone, and other materials.
We will pass through the riverfront park where four rivers, including the mystical Mekong, meet at a junction. This afternoon, visit the Independence Monument. We will then visit the Royal University of Fine Arts, where young Cambodians learn the ancient arts of their ancestors. The most fascinating part of this structure is the Dance Academy, where many young children practice the graceful movements of the beautiful national dances.
Walk up to the sacred hill Phnom Daun Penh, which is also the name of a pagoda and the origin of the capital's name. Finally, we will stop at the Central Market, a large market constructed in 1937 in the shape of a dome with four arms branching out into vast hallways with countless stalls of goods. The initial design and layout were created by French architect Louis Chauchon. Stay overnight at your selected hotel in Phnom Penh.
Day 03 Phnom Penh – Exploration (B)
After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit the Choeung Ek Museum in the morning. This site is where approximately 17,000 men, women, children, and infants detained and tortured at S-21 were taken for extermination between 1975 and 1978.
Next, we will head to the Tuol Sleng prison, now known as the Genocide Museum. This was the most secret part of the Khmer Rouge regime and was also called S-21 (short for Security Office 21). It served as the Khmer Rouge's primary security camp, designed specifically for the interrogation and extermination of those deemed anti-Angkor.
After leaving these historical sites, we will have lunch at a local restaurant before heading to the Russian Market to shop and enjoy the bustling daily activities of the locals.
To end the day, we will take a cruise to see the sunset on the Mekong and Tonle Sap River at the "Four Arms" section, where the Mekong meets the Tonle Sap River before splitting into two branches. We will stay overnight at your selected hotel in Phnom Penh.
Day 04 Phnom Penh – Siem Reap (B) By Private Car No Guide
After breakfast at the hotel, our driver will take you to Siem Reap without a guide. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free for you to explore the authentic Cambodia at your own pace. Stay overnight at your chosen hotel in Siem Reap.
Day 05 Siem Reap – Exploration (B)
After breakfast, enjoy a full-day excursion to explore Angkor Thom and its temples. Start with the impressive Angkor Thom, including the Southern Gate, the famous Bayon Temple with its 54 towers adorned with 216 smiling faces, the Baphuon Temple, the Terrace of Elephants, and the Terrace of the Leper King.
In the afternoon, visit the magnificent Angkor Wat Temples, one of the seven greatest architectural wonders of the world. Built as a temple and mausoleum for King Suryavarman II in the first half of the 12th century, Angkor Wat is the best-preserved Angkorean temple. The complex covers 81 hectares, with a central tower surrounded by four smaller towers, representing the mythical Mount Meru. The 2 km-long bas-reliefs around the walls are a highlight.
Later, visit Phnom Bakheng, the first temple in the Angkor region built by King Yacovarman I in the early 9th century. Located on a gently sloping hill, it's a popular spot to watch the sunset and see Angkor Wat in the distance.
In the evening, enjoy free time to explore the bustling Pub Street, have a drink at a bar, or shop at the Angkor Night Market. Stay overnight at your selected hotel in Siem Reap.
Day 06 Siem Reap – Exploration (B)
In the morning, visit Ta Prohm, one of the area's most beautiful temples. Left relatively untouched, it retains much of its mystery, appearing as it did when first discovered, overgrown by the jungle. Then explore Prasat Kravan, Srah Srang (once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by four concentric walls), Takeo, and Thommanon, a well-preserved temple built in the same style as Angkor Wat. Finally, visit Chau Say Tevoda, which complements Thommanon but was built later during Suryavarman II's rule.
In the afternoon, visit Preah Khan Temple, built by King Jayavarman VII. Like Ta Prohm, it features towered enclosures and corridors, but is in a better state of preservation with ongoing restoration efforts. Continue to Neak Pean, a fountain in the middle of a pool representing a Himalayan mountain-lake, followed by visits to Ta Som, Eastern Mebon (guarded by stone elephants), and Pre Rup, a mountain-temple.
Stay overnight at your selected hotel in Siem Reap.
Day 07 Siem Reap – Exploration (B)
After breakfast at the hotel, we journey through the traditional village of Preah Dark to reach the 12th-century temple of Banteay Samre, extensively restored and known for its use of laterite in roofed corridors due to over-quarrying of sandstone. The temple showcases some of the finest carvings from the Angkor period above its inner doors.
Continuing north, we visit Banteay Srei, often called Angkor's ultimate art gallery. This small pink temple is renowned for its intricate and delicate carvings, considered among Cambodia's finest. Originally believed to have been built in 967, recent inscriptions suggest an earlier structure, marking a pinnacle in Khmer sculpture.
We then embark on a boat ride on Tonle Sap Lake, the largest permanent freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, which flows into the Tonle Sap River and meets the Mekong in Phnom Penh. Here, we explore a fishermen’s floating village, where homes, schools, and even a police station float, adapting to the lake's water levels and currents.
Our next stop is "Les Artisans d’Angkor – Chantiers Ecoles," a center empowering young artisans who create and market ornamental sculptures, lacquerware, silk weaving, and paintings. The company promotes fair and sustainable development to benefit rural communities. If time allows, we'll also visit a local market for shopping.
Enjoy leisure time before staying overnight at your selected hotel in Siem Reap.
Day 08 Siem Reap – Departure (B)
Your last day begins with breakfast at the hotel, followed by check-out. You will then be transferred to the airport for your departure. See you again on the next trips with Indochina Tours!
Inclusions
- Tours and transfers as per the program
- 7 nights accommodation in Cambodia
- Meals : Daily Breakfast at hotel only
- All entrance fees, boat fees, private A/C vehicles with English speaking guide
- Private car/ van from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (no guide)
- Cold mineral water during the trips
Exclusions
- Visa fee to Cambodia
- All meals other than breakfast
- Personal expenses and International air tickets
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