Cambodia Heritage and Beach 9 Days
Showing the name of the tour, this 9-day combination of heritage, culture aspects and free time at the beach. You will start the tour at Siem Reap with plenty of time to explore the Temples of Angkor. You will visit all of the highlights, along with some hidden gems rarely seen by other tourists. Your flight will then take you to Phnom Penh, where the former grandeur of French Indochina shines through in glimpses amongst the modern buildings of this rapidly growing city. Your vacation will be ended up with 3 nights stay at one of the best resort in Shihanoukville.
Day 1: Siem Reap arrival G)
Arriving at Siem Reap airport, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. The day’s activities will be devoted to the Angkor Temple complex, of which Angkor Wat is a key element. You’ll explore Angkor Wat itself, the largest, and for most people, the most impressive temple in the complex. As dusk nears, a walk to the summit of Phnom Bakheng Hill will afford a panorama of the whole complex lit by the rays of the setting sun, weather permitting of course. Your overnight accommodation will be in Siem Reap.
Day 2: Early Angkor and local ecology (B, L, G)
After an early breakfast, you’ll start the bike with your guide to see the Rolouse temple group, the dawn of Angkor. The first stage of your route is about 13km along National Road number 6, taking approximately 40 minutes. Upon arrival at your first destination, Preah Ko (879 AD), you’ll investigate Bakong (881 AD) and Lo Lei (893 AD). The all three temples mark the beginning of Southeast Asia’s greatest Empire.
From there, an unmade road takes you to Kampong Pluk floating village, about 13km or so ahead. On the way, you’ll see the daily life of Cambodian people living a cyclical existence of annual floods and droughts, rice fields, buffalos and simple dwellings. On arrival at the pier, your guide will help you to pack your car onto the boat to head to Kampong Pluk. It’ll take about an hour to reach the village where lunch will waiting on floating house. After lunch and relaxation, you’ll try your hand at paddling a small canoe through flooded mangrove forests and its variety of indigenous wildlife and birds.
Later in the afternoon you’ll return to Siem Reap via Chong Kneas, another floating village en-route. Hopefully the weather will allow you enjoy a view of the sunset across Tonle Sap, the ‘Great Lake’ and Asia’s largest freshwater lake. You will spend the night in Siem Reap.
Day 3: Siem Reap (B, L, G)
After breakfast, you’ll begin with a visit to Angkor Thom, starting with the Bayon, a bizarre structure of several architectural changes reflecting a switch from Hinduism (the foundations) to Buddhism (the superstructure). Your next visit will be to the Elephant and Leper Emperor Terraces, followed by the Baphoun Temple, which is now nearing the end of an eight-year multi-million dollar restoration program. You’ll then visit Ta Prohm, strangled by massive tree roots and typical of the condition of the whole complex when it was discovered in 1860 by French naturalist Henri Mouhot, and Neak Pean, a Himalayan-style lake and sanctuary, Preah Khan who the name of sword. Your overnight accommodation will be in Siem Reap.
Day 4: Siem Reap/Phnom Penh (B, G)
After breakfast, you’ll be driven to Siem Reap town. There, you’ll transfer to visit the “Chantiers Ecoles – Les Artisans d’Angkor” which provides training to young Cambodians in an effort to revive the ancient Khmer traditions of stone carving and wood sculpting. After that, you will be driven to the airport to board your flight to Phnom Penh. You will spend the night in Phnom Penh.
Day 5: Phnom Penh city tour (B, L, G)
After breakfast at hotel, you’ll visit the National Museum, home to the world’s best and probably the largest collections of Khmer art, also considered one of the most amazing artifacts and traditional collections collected from all over the world. You will then visit the the Royal Palace and the attached Silver Pagoda, a symbol for Cambodia. You will then have free time for shoppng at the Russian market. In the evening, you will have a sunset cruise in the Chatomouk River. Your overnight accommodation will be in Phnom Penh.
Day 6: Phnom Penh/Sihanoukville (DP)
In the morning, you’ll drive from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, which is about 240km from Phnom Penh. By the time you reach Sokha beach, you find a classic tropical strand – soft white sand, gentle limpid waves, palm trees and so on. Skipping the long first half of Ochheuteal beach (good, but lined by shanty shelters), you arrive at the top of the Queens Hill promontory with stunning views of seemingly endless beaches in both directions. You’ll have time to relax, swim or sunbathe as you wish. Your accommodation will be in a hotel on the beach.
Day 7 to Day 8: Sihanouk Ville free (B)
Your time will be on your own!
Day 9: Sihanouk Ville/Phnom Penh departure (B, DP)
Free time until your car arrives to take you to the airport in Phnom Penh for your departure flight. Tour ends.
