River Cruise towards Angkor 9 Days

Starting in the capital of Cambodia – Phnom Penh with an orientation tour around the city, you will then get to Kampong Chnang in the Bassac River in Oudong. Here, the river joins with the Tonle Sap Lake and you will get to see the intriguing villages scattered about its canal system. This tour will include the largest of them all, Kompong Luong, before your final night on board the boat and disembarkation Siem Reap. The tour will end with several well-known as well as hidden temples in this second-to-none temple complex.

Day 1: Phnom Penh arrival (G)

When you arrive at Pochentong airport in Phnom Penh, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. After a short rest, 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. Your overnight accommodation will be in Phnom Penh.

Day 2: Phnom Penh/the ‘Killing Fields’ (B, G)

In the morning, you will visit the Tuol Sleng Museum, which was originally built as a secondary school named Tuol Svay Prey High School in 1960, then the Khmer Rouge converted this into a torture and interrogation centre to extract ‘confessions’ of anti-government sentiment. The museum was established in 1979 and opened to the public to recall of the victims as tragic testimony in Cambodia history.

After that, you will visit the so-called ‘Killing Fields’ or the Choeung Ek Execution area which is 15km southwest of the city centre. The exhumed skulls of some 8,000 souls, arranged by sex and age, are displayed behind glass panels in the Memorial Stupa, which was erected in 1988. After that, you will be driven back to the city centre and have the rest of the day free. You will spend the night in Phnom Penh.

Day 3: Phnom Penh/Kompong Chnang – Cruise (B, L, D, G)

After breakfast, you will be transferred to pier to embark the Toum Teav Boat and start your cruise on the Bassac River to Oudong. Along the way, you will visit the ancient capital of Cambodia and various temples and the three large stupas where the ashes of three former kings are preserved. You will then stop at Prek Kdam to visit Kô Chhen, a small silver handicraft village. Lunch will be served on board. You will then cruise to Kompong Tralach where you will visit its ancient pagoda. Dinner and overnight accommodation will be on board.

Day 4: Kompong Chnang/Kompong Luong – Cruise (B, L, D, G)

After breakfast, you will cruise Kompong Chnang for a short visit of this small town and continue to Shnok Tru, the last big village before the Bassac River meets the Great Lake of Tonle Sap. After lunch on board, you will continue to Kompong Luong, one of the largest floating villages on the lake. You will have dinner and overnight on board while anchored near Kompong Luong.

Day 5: Kompong Luong/Siem Reap – Cruise (B, L, G)

After breakfast on board, you will have dalf-day cruise on the Great Lake of Tonle Sap. Disembarking at Chnok Trou, you will be transferred by daily speedboat from Chnok Trou to the pier of Siem Reap. Arrive at Siem Reap Pier, transfer to hotel. Lunch will be at local restaurant.

In the afternoon, you will 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. You’ll overnight accommodation will be in Siem Reap.

Day 6: Siem Reap (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you’ll begin with a visit to Angkor Thom, starting with the Bayon. 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.

After lunch, you’ll be driven to Siem Reap River and Wat Athovea. There, you’ll embark for a boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake, a natural reservoir that partly controls the level of floods in the Mekong Delta, and visit a floating fishing village en-route. You’ll return to your hotel for overnight stay.

Day 7: Siem Reap/Beng Mealea/Siem Reap (B, L, G)

After breakfast, your guide and driver will drive you 50km through the countryside, the rice fields alongside the Kulen Mountain range to Beng Mealea Temple complex. Beng Mealea is almost the size of Angkor Wat and is one of the largest ensembles build during Khmer reign and still seldom visited. You’ll have a picnic lunch and drive back to Siem Reap in the afternoon. Return with a stop by at one more famous temple of Bantey Srey “the Citadel of Women”. This small pink sandstone temple (late 10th century) is considered as the crown jewel of classical Khmer art with the delicate beauty of its carvings. You’ll overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap.

Day 8: Siem Reap (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you will drive to the Kulen range and take a walk through the forest (45 minutes) to reach Kbal Spean, the “River of 1.000 Lingas” where the symbol of the Hindu god Shiva has been repeatedly chiseled into the rocky riverbed. After lunch, you will be free at leisure. You will spend the night in Siem Reap.

Day 9: Siem Reap departure (B, G)

Free time until transferred to the airport for departure flight. Tour ends.