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Days
12
Price from
2737AUD
Map of Cambodia In Depth including Cambodia

Delve deeper into Cambodia on this unforgettable journey from Phnom Penh to Angkor.

From the wondrous temples of Angkor to the dark legacy of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia is a country that exudes history from every corner. Between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, this journey takes you away from the well-worn tourist trails and into the provinces, where the heart and soul of the country is found in smiling Khmer villagers, hidden temples and sun-kissed fields of rice and bamboo. Taste and cook traditional culinary delights, witness farmers on their daily rituals and join Buddhist monks in their sacred blessings on this inspiring 12-day journey.

Start
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Finish
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Destination
Cambodia
Style
Peregrine
Code
PACE
Physical rating
Trip rating
40 reviews
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1, Max 12

Why you'll love this trip

  • Bond with fellow travellers over dinner at the Friends restaurant, combining an excellent local cause with a memorable dining experience

  • Your 4-night feature stay at Navutu Dreams Resort & Wellness Retreat will allow you to relax and rejuvinate whilst exploring stunning Siem Reap, Angkor Wat and surrounds

  • Travel to Kampot, where an unforgettable sunset river cruise is only the beginning. Wander the surrounding countryside, visit the Kampot Pepper Project, stop by a 7th-century cave temple and stroll along Kep Beach

  • Discover local tastes and sights in rural Battambang on a remork (motor-rickshaw) ride

  • Join monks in their sacred water blessing ritual, burning incense and offering lotus flowers, in a working monastery near Phnom Penh

  • Witness the magic of Angkor, the legendary Khmer temple complex. Ample time at the site allows for in-depth viewing of marvels such as the Bayon, Ta Prohm and the incredible Angkor Wat

  • Learn kitchen secrets from local Khmer, with a Cambodian cooking class and three course meal out in the countryside around Siem Reap

Is this trip right for you?

  • The bloody rule of the Khmer Rouge is a painful but important part of Cambodian history to confront. If you would rather not visit the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, simply let your leader know.

  • You will visit a number of temples on this trip, and this requires a level of modesty. Be sure to bring clothes that cover the arms and pants or skirts that go past the knees. A light scarf is also a good idea for covering shoulders and arms when it’s hot.

  • It’s important to prepare for hot and sticky temperatures during the day and cooler climates in the evening. Layers are the best way to tackle this disparity in weather.

  • Please note sometimes the order of your included activities in Siem Reap may change due to weather, season or other factors. The changes are made to give you the best possible experiences and to get you to the places at the best time. Your leader will advise of any changes to the order of your included activities on day one at your group meeting.

Itinerary
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This itinerary is valid for departures from 01 Jan 2019 to 31 Dec 2019.
 View the 2020 itinerary

Sua s'dei. Welcome to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. You'll be transferred to your hotel – check with hotel reception for more information about your important group meeting this evening. If you have free time in the afternoon, perhaps stroll the streets of Phnom Penh and explore the city, taking in the interesting French colonial architecture. The National Museum, with its collection of classic Khmer craftsmanship, is well worth a visit. Dinner tonight will be at the restaurant run by Friends International. You might decide to go for a drink at the Foreign Correspondents' Club afterwards. 

Notes: The restaurant run by Friends International is closed on public and school holidays. Alternative dinner arrangements will be made at these times.
Accommodation
  • Patio Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer
  • Phnom Penh - Dinner at Friends-International
Meals Included
  • Dinner

Today a full city tour introduces you to the sights of Phnom Penh, a city that lies near the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. The private quarters of the Royal Palace are home to King Sihamoni and are closed to the public. You will, however, be able to visit the Silver Pagoda that lies in the palace complex, which is the most sacred temple in the country. Confront Cambodia's tragic past today with a guided tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former school which served as a Khmer Rouge torture centre. It's estimated that more than 20,000 people were held and tortured here. You will also head out to the Choeung Ek Memorial, where a stupa made up of some 8,000 human skulls marks the site of the infamous Killing Fields, the execution ground for the torture victims of Tuol Sleng. Today you also travel out of town to a working monastery to learn more about the life of a monk and Theravada Buddhism. Meet the monks and hear about their daily life and why they joined the Pagoda, make merit by burning incense and offering lotus flowers, enjoy a sacred water blessing for good luck and prosperity, receive a red band around your wrist to keep you safe in your travels, and see the pagoda art depicting the life of Buddha and his teachings.
Accommodation
  • Patio Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Phnom Penh - Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21)
  • Phnom Penh - The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
  • Phnom Penh - Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
  • Phnom Penh - Buddhist monastery visit
Optional Activities
  • Phnom Penh - National Museum - USD10
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Drive south along National Road 2 in a private vehicle through the town of Takeo towards Kampot, one of Cambodia's most attractive old towns, (approx travel time is 4 hours) . During the drive, your group can choose to stop at one or two additional Angkor era sites. There is a small additional cost for these visits. Arrive in Kampot, where the afternoon is free for your own relaxation – perhaps enjoy some coffee on the riverfront. Then, in the late afternoon, you will take off on a local river boat up the Kampot River. See fishing boats returning home and people’s daily life on the banks of the river. As the sun sets over the Elephant Mountain Range, the engines will be turned off so the sounds of rural Cambodia can be enjoyed. As you head back to town you may be lucky enough to see fireflies in the bushes lighting up the night sky.
Accommodation
  • Kampot Boutique Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Kampot - Sunset cruise
Optional Activities
  • Takeo Province - Phnom Chisor - USD2
  • Takeo Province - Ta Prohm - USD2
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Enjoy a day out in the countryside. You will visit the Kampot Pepper Project and learn why Kampot pepper has been acknowledged by international chefs as the world’s best. Also visit the Kampot salt field, the only salt field in Cambodia. A short walk through the rice fields, and a climb, provides a lovely outlook over the surrounding countryside. A few steps later and you enter the mouth of Phnom Chhnork limestone cave which has a small 7th-century brick temple inside it. You will also enjoy a walk along the beach at Kep, and explore the old buildings near the ocean front. The town was Cambodia's most popular and prestigious beach town from the early 1900s until the 1960s. During the Khmer Rouge years many of Kep's mansions and villas were destroyed but the ghostly remains of many still stand as a silent reminder.
Accommodation
  • Kampot Boutique Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Kep - Crab Market visit
  • Kampot - Countryside tour
  • Kampot - Phnom Chhnork
Optional Activities
  • Kampot - Khmer massage - USD5
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Enjoy free time in the morning. Return to Phnom Penh by private vehicle (approximately 4 hours, including stops). After lunch, it's time for an essential Phnom Penh experience – a cyclo ride through the city's streets. This exhilarating activity allows you to see Phnom Penh from a different angle, through the eyes of the locals. The town is an interesting mix of romantic Indo-Chinese influences, modern bustle and friendly folk, and you will notice things on two wheels you wouldn't otherwise.
Accommodation
  • Patio Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Phnom Penh - Cyclo tour
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Travel by private bus through the countryside to Battambang (approximately 4.5–5 hours). There will be stops along the way to see local pottery-making and silversmithing. You will also gain an insight into claypot making in Kampong Chhang en route. Cambodia's second-largest city, Battambang, (pronounced Battambong) is an attractive riverside town with traces of French elegance, friendly Khmer people and well-preserved colonial architecture.
Accommodation
  • Battambang Resort or similar (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Kampong Loung Boat Cruise - USD25
  • Battambang - Cooking class in a local home - AUD8
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

On a remork (tuk-tuk) ride in the countryside, visit the village of Wat Kor. The village is known for its historic stilted wooden houses some of which pre-date French colonial times. The large wooden floor boards are shiny from generations of feet walking across them and the owner’s small collection of antiques and agricultural tools paint a picture of Cambodia in the early 1900s. Then it's off to see some small cottage industries producing rice paper, dried banana, sticky rice cooked in bamboo, and fish paste (Cambodia’s equivalent of vegemite or marmite). In the afternoon, visit Prasat Phnom Banan Winery, Cambodia’s first winemaking enterprise, and perhaps enjoy a tasting. Nearby, a modern temple, Wat Bai Dom Ram, is interesting to visit for the large fruit bats that hang from a great tree at the entrance. There are often bats at the cave around sunset.
Accommodation
  • Battambang Resort or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Battambang - Countryside tour of local producers
  • Battambang - Prasat Phnom Banon Winery tour & tasting
Optional Activities
  • Battambang - Phare Ponleu Selpak Centre - USD12
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Drive from Battambang to Siem Reap by private vehicle (approximately 4 hours). In the afternoon, at around 4pm, take a trip into the Cambodian countryside and show off your cooking skills with a hands-on culinary adventure. You prepare a three-course gourmet meal, get to experience local village life, and enjoy your culinary creations afterwards.
Accommodation
  • Navutu Dreams Resort & Wellness Retreat or similar (feature stay) (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Siem Reap - Urban Adventure Cambodian Cook-out
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

Spend a full day among the amazing temples of Angkor on a guided tour. Angkor Thom, the 'Great Royal City', is famous for its series of colossal human faces carved in stone. The impressive Bayon temple is the centrepiece. The famous Angkor Wat is the largest and most complete structure, whereas Ta Prohm, with trees embedded in its stone structure, has a different kind of beauty.

Later, if you have time, perhaps indulge in a traditional Khmer massage back in town – a great way to unwind after a day's walking.
Accommodation
  • Navutu Dreams Resort & Wellness Retreat or similar (feature stay) (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Siem Reap - Angkor Temples Guided Tour
  • Siem Reap - Three day Angkor Pass
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Embrace a very early start today if you wish to experience a sunrise visit to the Angkor complex. Spend further time touring this incredible site throughout the day. You might see temples such as Banteay Srei. You'll see it's not a huge temple, but thanks to its intricate stone carvings it is sometimes referred to as ‘the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art’. Preah Khan is another interesting structure to observe. This temple contains a maze of vaulted corridors and is another complex that has been largely reclaimed by the jungle. 

For lunch today, enjoy a meal prepared by students at the Sala Bai Hotel School. In the evening, you have the option to attend a performance of Phare, the Cambodian Circus, a riveting way to end the day.

Notes: The Sala Bai Hotel School is closed on public holidays and school holidays. On these days, an alternative restaurant will be used.
Accommodation
  • Navutu Dreams Resort & Wellness Retreat or similar (feature stay) (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Siem Reap - Angkor Temples Guided Tour
Optional Activities
  • Siem Reap - Landmine Museum - USD5
  • Siem Reap - Phare Circus Ticket - USD18
  • Siem Reap - Urban Adventure Street Food by Night - USD48
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch

This morning, travel into the countryside to a local village, take a walk through the rice fields and learn about Cambodian stilt homes and life in a typical farming village. Watch as farmers work with buffalo and cows in the fields, and (season depending) see how rice and other crops are grown. Enjoy a break for tea and coffee. Afterwards, return back to town for a free afternoon before an included dinner at a great local restaurant.
Accommodation
  • Navutu Dreams Resort & Wellness Retreat or similar (feature stay) (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Siem Reap - Countryside village walking tour
Optional Activities
  • Siem Reap - Walking tour to Artisans d'Angkor - Free
  • Siem Reap - Rehash Trash Recycling Workshop - USD8
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

Your trip comes to an end today, with no further activities planned.
Optional Activities
  • Siem Reap - Urban Adventures Tonle Sap Secrets - USD45
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Meals

11 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 3 dinners

Transport

Private minibus

Accommodation

Hotel (5 nights), Resort (2 nights) Feature Stay in Siem Reap (4 nights)

Included Activities

  • Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer
  • Phnom Penh - Dinner at Friends-International
  • Phnom Penh - Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21)
  • Phnom Penh - The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
  • Phnom Penh - Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
  • Phnom Penh - Buddhist monastery visit
  • Kampot - Sunset cruise
  • Kep - Crab Market visit
  • Kampot - Countryside tour
  • Kampot - Phnom Chhnork
  • Phnom Penh - Cyclo tour
  • Battambang - Countryside tour of local producers
  • Battambang - Prasat Phnom Banon Winery tour & tasting
  • Siem Reap - Urban Adventure Cambodian Cook-out
  • Siem Reap - Angkor Temples Guided Tour
  • Siem Reap - Three day Angkor Pass
  • Siem Reap - Countryside village walking tour

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Important notes

1. A complimentary airport arrival transfer is included. Please provide your flight details at the time of booking.
2. A single supplement is available on this trip, subject to availability. Please contact your sales agent if you would like to book this. Please note the single supplement is available on every night of this trip.

Essential trip information

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